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The All Things Batman Thread
By Acefox&#13, September 6, 2011 in Topics from the Universe Outside of Double Fine
$100 Bill in an Old Coat
View Master: Batman the Animated Series came out late last year, and completely slid past my radar. I'm a big fan of the DC Animated Universe, and this is fits right in it. It has the voices from the original cast (Kevin Conroy as Batman, Mark Hamill as the Joker, and Tara Strong as Batgirl). It's set after the end of Justice League Unlimited, and has some neat set ups for Batman Beyond, for the eagle eyed (much like how Justice League featured the US government supplying the Justice League prototype Zeta robots to train with, prior to the formation of Cadmus).
Best of all, it works with any Google Cardboard compatible VR headset. You don't need to worry about getting the View Master viewer and can build your own or buy one that fits your needs.
Swamp Thing confirmed for Injustice 2:
Dark Knight III: The Master Race #5
In the streets of Gotham City, chaos reigns. Citizens riot in attempt to draw out the Batman in order to appease the demagogue Quar and his legion of fanatic Kandorians. People throw Molotov cocktails and hold signs reading KILL THE BAT. Up above the city, Quar watches. Among his legion is Lara, daughter of Superman.
In the sewers of Gotham City, members of the Sons of Batman are transporting The Flash, to the Batcave having had both his legs broken by a Kandorian while he was speeding through the streets. Bruce stands and awaits their arrival.
They're tearing Gotham to pieces. Burning everything they -- we -- built in an effort to smoke me out, all to appease an alien lunatic who hangs over them in the air like sulfur. Normally, I'd put an end to this riot with a few well-placed Batarangs. I learned early there's nothing that cures a mob's bloodlust quicker than it's own blood. But now is not the time for a cure. Now we feed the disease.
The Sons of Batman arrive in the cave along with Flash, both of his legs going in directions they shouldn't.
"Bruce..."
"Jesus, it's like you were hit by a freight train."
"A locomotive, you mean."
"Barry, it's bad."
"Can you save them?"
Silence from Bruce. I'm trying.
Elsewhere, in the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean guided by the light of hundreds of anglerfish, Carrie Kelly dons an Atlantean diving suit as she accompanies Aquaman atop a massive hammerhead shark. Beside them are scores of Atlantean soldiers riding the backs of orcas, giant squid, and large manta rays.
I spent the first thirteen years of my life in a two bedroom apartment. That was the scope of my world. Since then I've seen things, crazy things, bombs falling from the sky, gods flying through it, beings from other worlds... but this right now? This is blowing my mind.
In her head she suddenly hears Arthur talking to her.
That might be the pressure.
Huh? What the #@*^?
Telepathy. An efficient form of communication--
--twenty thousand leagues under the sea?
Or twenty meters.
Like I said, I mean thought, my mind is...
She spots a figure encased in black and ice. She points to it.
There. That's him.
In the sky above Gotham City, the Kandorians continue to watch the citizens destroy their own city. Lara flies over beside Quar and Baal.
"Quar Father, why is it you command the humans do a task we could accomplish with ease?"
"You misunderstand Lara," Quar says, "I gave them a choice, not a command. We seek to inspire, not to dictate."
Baal: "To bring out their best."
Lara says, "Well, Baal, you succeeded. It's destruction that humans are best at. You sent them on a hunt. A true hunter is stealthy and quiet, a true hunter strikes her prey unaware."
"That can't be a lesson learned from your father."
"No, from my mother, in the jungle. With the Amazons, and my baby brother."
Quar turns his head.
"Your what?"
On the island of Themyscira, an Amazon watches over baby Jonathan as Diana returns from a hunt with a deer hauled onto her shoulders. The Amazon holding Jonathan notices the troubled look she carries.
"Something troubles you, my queen?"
Diana throws the deer to her feet.
"Isolationism," she says.
Back in Gotham City, an officer hands Commissioner Ellen Yindel a cup of coffee. All she can say as she has a drink besides the Bat-Signal is, "Batman, this plan of yours... it better work."
Back in the Antarctic Ocean, squids hold the Black Matter-encased Superman up in the air as Arthur guides Carries over to him. She removes from a small capsule a glowing "needle."
"A needle?"
"It's more of a tuning fork, but needle works. From this side, anyway. It'll penetrate the black matter, disrupt its molecules. It's really all we can do."
"If you're Bruce's, disrupting is what you're best at."
"But the 'tuning' will only happen if he wants to get the fork out of there," she climbs the tentacles right up the black matter. "It's hard to describe, because what we know as mass and space doesn't apply. I think inside? Inside it could be huge and vast."
She sticks the matter with the needle then ducks back over to Arthur.
"He's encased in a black universe. All I did was poke the needle in a haystack. Who knows if he can even--"
The black matter suddenly begins to crack from within and then shatters completely in a powerful burst, everyone standing amazed as Superman thrusts himself from the black matter.
Carrie smiles. "See?"
Clark is amazed to look down and see Aquaman. "Arthur? You're alive? How long was I... it seemed centuries had passed."
An Atlantean soldier: "It was a couple days."
Clark: "It was all the time I needed to search for my soul."
He smiles.
"Do you want to save the world?"
Back in Gotham, Quar is getting rather emotional at the sight of citizens destroying themselves. "Just look at them. They're incredible, extraordinary. They willfully destroy themselves to keep from being destroyed." He wipes a tear from his eye. "They will be worthy worshippers, won't they?"
All the Kandorians suddenly turn and fly off in the other direction, and Quar follows. Out in the distance, bursting through fire and foundation, is Batman powering ahead in the Batmobile. He wears the suit of armor from book 4 of The Dark Knight Returns. It's a beckoning to a challenge. A declaration of war. And he's smiling.
It's like watching an animal chew its leg off to get free of a trap. I mean, if successful, it then stumbles and dies. So what drives it to do such a thing? Fear. The strongest, purest primal motivation there is. My lieutenant, my nanny, my invisible friend. Fear is why I get out of bed, what I dream about. Fear is why I don't kill. There is so much that I'm afraid of, that we all are, while you? Just look at you, all... fearless. You don't stand a chance.
Clark flies through the sewers of Gotham with Carrie on his back.
"He really think this can work?"
"He has some doubts. I don't."
"I do."
"You should have left those under the sea, big blue."
The two enter the cave to find, to Clark's surprise, Barry suspended in the air from metal casts and using what superspeed he can to type away at six touch screens connected to the Batcomputer. A VR system is strapped to his face which keeps him from seeing the two flying in.
"Barry?! Oh my--"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, God. I know you were raised as a human but every time you say that I want to hand you a mirror. I don't have time to talk right now, manipulating weather patterns and seriously zillions of variables is..."
Barry keeps typing away. He can't help but smile.
"Welcome back, Clark. Wait till you see what's in store for you."
Out in the streets, random people pound against and climb the Batmobile to get at Batman, who stands atop his vehicle to look over the people and the wreckage.
Good work, Barry. I promise they'll pay for what they did to you. To all of us, exposing our most base nature. We'll make them pay. All of us.
Quar and his army fly over the Batmobile. One of his daughters says that the time has come and the citizens of Gotham have still not delivered the Batman. She asks for his command.
Suddenly, from atop GCPD, Yindel hits the switch and sends the light of the Bat Signal right into the sky. It illuminates Quar and his army in the light of the Bat. He commands Gotham be destroyed and everyone in it.
Lightning strikes as the Kryptonians begin to fly straight down. Rain begins to fall. Green rain.
"YOU DARE DEFY ME, BATMAN? THEN YOUR CITY SHALL BE AN OPEN GRAVE! YOUR COWARDICE HAS CONDEMNED YOUR POPULACE! YOUR STREETS SHALL RUN RED WITH THE BLOOD OF..."
Quar takes a moment to notice the green rain. The Kandorians are no longer flying down. They're helplessly plummeting. Batman smiles and watches as Quar and his army crash to the ground and into the rooftops.
Seeding clouds is an expensive undertaking. Keeping drones in orbit over Gotham, and undetected, takes money. I have money. Regardless, seeding clouds with synthetic kryptonite takes an enormous leap of faith. I have synthetic kryptonite. Because the kryptonite is so diluted, it's only weakening the Kandorians. I would have liked it to do more damage, but at least it gives us a fighting chance.
He looks to the angry mob of citizens before him.
All of us. I've never wielded an angry mob as a weapon before. Feels good.
Batman goes right up to the Kandorian who broke Barry's leg and kicks him in the jaw. The Kandorian then stands up and the two proceed to fight. Bruce is admittedly in no shape to fight but he isn't one to let others fight his battles for him. The Kandorian then delivers a blow as powerful as a sledgehammer and as Bruce falls back he's caught by an armored hand.
It's Superman. He dons armor like Batman's, complete with the symbol of the House of El. He has come to help finish this.
"Don't worry," he says. "I got you."
Edited February 14, 2017 by Noname215
Dark Knight Universe Presents: Lara
Somewhere away from Gotham City, Baal flies through the air with a car on his back, scaring the life out of the driver and his family, as well as a few idle farmers.
Lara follows and watches.
"Careful, Baal. Humans are fragile."
Baal lifts them even higher into the air. The family screams for their lives.
Baal laughs, "Up, up and away!"
"You're so silly, Baal."
"Silly? I'll show you silly!"
Baal then throws the car like a football. The family inside screams in terror before they're caught and brought back to the ground by Lara. Baal is rather annoyed by Lara's condescending behavior.
"Hey! Why'd you do that, Lara? I thought we were having fun."
"We don't have to kill humans to have fun, Baal."
"What if I do? Maybe you're no fun!"
Lara gets fed with Baal and flies away.
"Lara, wait!"
He finally catches up to her at the Eiffel Tower.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. You're lots of fun, seriously."
They keep flying, all the way to the Pantheon in Greece.
"I have more fun with you than I've very had with anybody!"
"Well... anybody today."
She flies all around the world, just trying to get away from him.
"I'm kidding! Lara!"
"Leave me alone, Baal."
"You don't mean that."
"Yes I do."
"No..."
He stops her right around Mount Vesuvius.
"...you don't. Admit it, you used to feel alone but you don't feel that way anymore!"
"That's true. I'm among Kryptonians now."
"You know that's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?"
"I..."
He then grabs hold of her and passionately kisses her. The clouds turn a mix of dim blue and dark orange from the light of the volcano against the evening sky. He lets go.
"I liked that," he says. "Did you?"
Baal then takes a kick right to the face and she throws him straight down, plummeting and crashing into the side of the volcano. She picks him up and punches him right in the face, a splatter of blood flying from his lips. She seizes him by the collar.
"Did I like it? I'm an Amazon."
She kisses him, pushing his head against hers. In the sky, lightning strikes.
She pulls away and flies off, leaving him behind on the volcano.
She wipes the blood from her lips.
Who doesn't love a self depreciating roast? That's exactly what the movie is.
Nothing from the soundtrack topped Everything Is Awesome, so that kinda disappointed me
Does this mean we're gonna get all the guys in this movie back in The Lego Movie Sequel
So I'll write up the next four recaps tomorrow then I'm disappearing for a bit
Darth Marsden
King of the Forum Gods
Thanks for the recaps, @Noname215. Much appreciated. Curious to see how the story ends.
Oh, I'm not done yet. There's still the two that have been released and the two that have not.
I don't know why it's taking so damn long with these guys, the comic is only seven issues in and it was released in November 2015
Under a sheet of endless kryptonite rain and clinging to a building's stone gargoyle, Quar looks down on the streets of Gotham, watching as an armored Batman and Superman face down against the Kandorian bruiser.
"I don't know what kind of trickery you've used to ground us, but neither does it matter. You've just prolonged the inevitable. Old men, your time has passed. You cannot stop the rise of Quar."
Down on the street, the two armored heroes stand.
Kandorian: "All he asks is your love. If you refuse, you will die. You will weep and pull out your eyes to hide from your master's gaze!"
Batman: "You want to shut him up or should I?"
Elsewhere, a pack of downed Kandorians find themselves surrounded by Gotham citizens. They flip over a car as an act of intimidation.
Kandorian woman: "On your knees, or you will suffer your lord's hate rather than his lo--"
A man throws a rock at her. It skids off her cheek and draws blood. The crowd suddenly realizes that if she can bleed, they all can. The Kandorians turn to run away but are greeted by Commissioner Yindel and an entire squad of riot police.
Officer: "Commissioner, should we, um, arrest them?"
Yindel: "No, officer... bring them to justice."
The squad and the mob descend on the Kandorians, who are left helpless and outnumbered.
Batman and Superman continue fighting the bruiser, who hammers away at Superman's chest to no avail. Batman seizes him by the head and slams him against the House of El symbol, drawing blood before throwing him face first to the ground.
It's true, nothing like a common enemy to inspire a little civic pride, and if anybody should know that... it's me.
Carrie, back in her Batgirl costume, runs over to see the fight finish.
Carrie: "Balls nasty!"
Batman (to Superman): "Welcome back."
Superman: "Thanks. Seems like it was just in the nick of time, too."
Batman: "I could have handled it."
Carrie: "Can you let him have his moment?"
Batman: "No -- or not yet. You see..."
He throws Carrie the keys to the Batmobile.
"...I don't know how much time we have."
In furious anger, Quar attempts to fly back up into the sky, and begins to succeed.
"NOOOO!! I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED! I WILL NOT GO DOWN!"
He is then struck by lightning. He goes down. Hits the roof he tried to ascend from with a destructive crash. He staggers as he starts to rise from the debris.
"I will not fall... to an inferior species whose tails are recent memories! I am QUAR! I am KRYPTON! I AM YOUR BETTER!"
In the middle of his screams he unknowingly enters the sights of a sniper rifle atop the building just facing him. The sniper is one of the Sons of Batman.
A voice on the radio says, "Ready, B-Boy Seven?"
The sniper: "In position, B-Boy Twelve. Slice and dice."
The sniper fires. Rather than projecting a round, it fires an electric current which omits a high frequency wave. It sends Quar into agony over the deafening electric screech. From the opposite windows emerge all of the Sons of Batman, heavily armed and aiming right for him.
"Fire at will," one of them says.
The Sons of Batman unleash a barrage of gunfire on Quar. The bullets don't penetrate but he feels every shot and they blow him straight off the rooftop. He crashes against the exterior wall of a building opposite of him and plunges down to the alley between them, landing bloodied and bruised in an alley full of garbage.
A Bat drone flies over, taping the image of a broken Quar.
Batman smiles.
I'll admit it, there's a thrill, watching the Kryptonians cower and run and piss down their legs. It's a basic instinct I'm not proud of, but it IS thrilling. And I want to share that feeling with the world.
All over the world, people are seeing this filmed image of Quar lying in a gutter trash heap.
Anderson Cooper: "Everyone on Earth needs to see this..."
Gotham News: "Dramatic images somehow being broadcast from within Gotham City..."
Barack Obama: "Levels of sacrifice..."
Glenn Beck: "We might bend, but..."
Hillary Clinton: "--united..."
Donald Trump: "He's just going to make it harder on the rest of us."
Baal and Lara arrive back in Gotham to bear witness to the savage beatdown the Kandorians are receiving.
"Seems the ants are fighting back," Lara says, her eyes glowing red.
Carrie is behind the controls of the Batmobile, members of the Sons of Batman gliding overhead as security.
We will make the world notice, show them what we're capable of, give them something to cheer about. This is OUR city, aliens. And we are taking it back by any means--
Carrie sees through the visor a young Hispanic knocking a running Kandorian in the head with a baseball bat and give a thumbs up to the Batmobile.
No. We can't become this. We can't.
The man fails to notice Baal suddenly appear behind him, and fails to react before Baal slams his palms together flat, crushing the man's head with a huge bloody splatter. He then uses his heat vision to immolate the Sons of Batman gliding above, then turns his sights to the Batmobile.
We have to lead, Carrie thinks. By example. By any means necessary.
Carrie puts pedal to metal and drives straight towards Baal with everything she has. He doesn't even waver as the Batmobile crashes into him and piles up into itself.
Baal peeks through the wreckage at Carrie. He smiles and rips the car apart as she bails.
"My, my, how totally human. Bringing a car to a god fight."
Baal catches Carrie by the cape and lifts her up above the city.
"Dumb animal, too arrogant to see the truth."
He throws her in the sky and she goes flying, managing to catch herself and balance on a fire escape. She jumps down to the street and Baal throws a dumpster to block her escape route.
"In a way, I guess, it's what makes you human. I might even admire you for that, if I had the capacity, as my father does. But I don't, at the moment. And to be honest, I've been looking forward to this one... your last... human."
Baal begins to descend on Carrie. She removes from her utility belt a slingshot and a sliver of Kryptonite. In desperation she aims and fires. Baal laughs as the pebble flies and Carrie watches as it enters Baal's eye. Baal' head shoots back and he screams in agony as the right side of his head begins to smoke and deform like it's melting off his shoulders. He covers his face and flies off in terrible pain, joining the army of Kandorians who fly off in defeat.
Clark and Bruce stand beside each other and watch them all run.
"The storm," Bruce says. "Its effect is wearing off."
Clark points to Baal, "That one was never affected."
"Really?" Bruce then smiles. "Good soldier. We've put a real scare in those damn aliens."
"We don't scare easy."
"I didn't mean--"
"I know what you mean, Bruce.... I always have."
Clark and Bruce turn to see two Kandorians collecting Quar from the gutter. Superman prepares to take off.
"I'll finish--"
"No. Let them go. Let them lick their wounds."
He turns his back.
"Let them know how fear tastes."
Quar weakly turns his head but manages to smile as he fires a heat beam out his eye.
It hits Bruce straight in the back and out through his chest.
He looks down to see a burning hole.
"Oh... oh no."
He falls.
Horrified, Clark catches him as he falls. He can feel his pulse growing weaker and weaker.
"BRUCE!"
"...no hospital... promise me..."
"...no hospital."
"...Carrie... tell her..."
Clark clutches Bruce as he flatlines.
Dark Knight Universe Presents: World's Finest
In the aftermath of the mob battle between the citizens of Gotham and the Kandorians, the early morning sun peeks over the rooftops. Carrie sits on the rooftop of GCPD before the Bat Signal, accompanied by several members of the Sons of Batman. They all watch as the sun rises.
"You know, when I was younger I'd dream of getting out. Leaving this all behind, never looking back. And never coming back. Just getting lucky and escaping this hellhole."
One of them asks, "Gotham City?"
"It scared me," she says. "Balls nasty. It was a place where only the strong could survive."
"Was a place that would chew up the weak and spit them back in their own faces."
"Heh. Damn right it is."
A voice from behind: "So then..."
They all turn to see Lara floating above them, red in the eyes.
"...which of these boys then do you suggest I make a meal of for your mascara?"
She settles right in front of the Bat Signal.
"Or will you all stand down? I would prefer that. I'm not interested in killing boys."
Two Sons draw guns.
To Carrie: "We got you, run!"
"Are you out of your--"
The bullets ricochet off of her chest, shots pinging off of the S like flies hitting a bug zapper.
Well, that answers that question.
Carrie takes off, using her grapnel gun to swing away. Lara ignores the shots and chases after her.
"You are his chosen one, yes? Why is that?"
"Right place, right time?"
"You think this is that? I assure you, it's not."
She gets up close to Carrie and looks over her.
"You have made some bad decisions. Some I take personally."
Carrie drops.
"You can run..."
Lara flies down and catches her.
"...but I can fly."
Carrie punches Lara in the jaw but feels the bone in her wrist fracture. She hides it behind her back.
I felt that in my ears. Dammit, that was dumb... fix it.
"Nice to know I hurt you."
"What? But you are the one--"
"Who's not taking this personally. To me you're just another... what are you anyway?" She thinks and then smiles. "Freak."
Lara throws down Carrie, who lands on a rooftop. From Lara's eye come the heat blasts, which Carrie ducks under and dodges as she is pursued. She takes this opportunity to taunt her.
"You're not human... or Amazon... or, try as you might, even Kryptonian..."
"What I am, chosen one..."
She stops Carrie dead in her tracks.
"Is the death of you."
A golden lasso then swings over Lara's head and tightens around her chest and stomach. Lara looks back to see Wonder Woman.
"What you are... is my daughter."
"Mother... why do you always hold me back? Is this how you raise your flesh, by binding it?"
"If need be, it will BE bound."
"Seems your needs are unfulfilled."
"Really? What I need, Lara, is to punish you!"
Lara pulls the rope from Diana's grip and breaks the Lasso of Truth.
Diana says, "I have failed you, my child."
"Well, that might be why I left. And why I WON'T FAIL ANY MORE!!!"
She lunges at Diana. Carrie stands back and watches as Diana blocks Lara blow for blow, deflecting punches with her Bracelets of Submission. She swings her arm around and punches Lara in the jaw. Lara gets back far enough to use her heat vision, which Diana flies around dodging.
Carrie cannot believe what she is witnessing.
I've never experienced an earthquake. But no way it could measure up to this. It wasn't just the earth, it was the air, the ozone, the wet parts, everything. Quaking.
Lara rams her shoulder into Diana's abdomen. Diana holds down Lara by the head and then punches straight down into her face. When Lara retracts, Diana delivers a fisted backhand. She waits for another move, fist ready. Lara suddenly loses all her energy and falls groggily to the ground.
When Lara once again looks up, she sees Diana offering her hand to help her up.
Lara, shocked, gets up. Carrie ducks behind cover.
"I don't understand..."
"Lara... I am your mother. And that bond cannot be shattered..."
Carrie steps out from cover.
Lara looks to the both of them, the pivots and flies off weeping.
Diana and Carrie stand by each other and watch as she flies away.
With a look of great sadness, Diana says: "...no matter how hard we strike each other."
I got one more and then I'm going dark for a while.
Cool. Thanks again, these are super interesting.
I got two words for the next one:
...oh.
Well, actually he only appears in the spin off comic that comes with the issues, and only in the one. At least, thus far.
So I read somewhere that Warner Brothers is trying to drop David Ayer from directing the sequel to Suicide Squad and is now courting Mel Gibson, and on top of that you have all those rumors of Affleck wanting out of the Batman role.
Affleck was wanting out of directing the solo Batman film I thought, not out of the role.
Well it's only rumors. Some guy claimed to have sources close to WB that say Affleck wants out after Matt Reeves does The Batman.
And Mel Gibson confirmed that the guys running the DCEU have talked to him about doing Suicide Squad, but I would prefer if he kept out of franchises and kept making his own stuff. It's like asking David Fincher to do that World War Z sequel.
Well World War Z was bad to begin wi-.....ohhh I see what you're saying.
Well Matt Reeves is no longer doing The Batman either.
Is it wrong that I like Batman Forever
Superman shoots off into the sky cradling the bleeding armored body of Bruce Wayne. He wears a look of both complete focus and great desperation.
Faster than a speeding bullet... is too slow. More powerful than a locomotive... isn't strong enough. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound... come on. Look up in the sky. I do. And pray to the Lord I grew up believing in. Because I'm not a bird or a plane. I'm only Superman.
Bruce remains unresponsive.
Back in Gotham City, the world is getting a good long look at the aftermath of the fight between the Kandorians and the citizens of Gotham. Buildings all over display their battle wounds and cough out smoke and fire for miles.
A series of texts between a couple of friends:
that was the s**t
srsly. ktown think 2ice 4 f'n w gotham again
you fight? you best ktown domes?
you crazy? lol i don't mess with mfn aliens!!!
Various panels detailing news coverage as well as social media tracking.
A news report shows GCFD putting out one of many domestic fires. A reporter comments, "-- that has the Fire Marshall saying 'Welcome to Hell.'"
A young black man takes an uneasy selfie beside a pile of corpses. "Dead people, check it."
A reporter on scene stands before a fraction of the mob.
Reporter: "It's like a party, Anderson--"
Random citizen: "BABABOOEY!"
"The atmosphere is crazy!"
Donald Trump on Twitter: "We won just like I said we would, and now we'll make the Kryptonians pay to rebuild Gotham City. You're gonna love it."
Men in hazmat suits clear out piles of corpses. A report asks, "Corporate Hazmat Harvesters Real Intentions?"
Finally, a news panel off a man and two women. One says, "--reports that the vigilante Batman did not survive. He started all this, right?"
Elsewhere, Carrie Kelly stands idle on the streets as she watches the attempted clean up by both citizens and officers of the GCPD. She talks into her ear-com:
"Batman is dead? Oh sure, how many times have we heard that before, boss? So sunrise, we can assess the damage. It looks bad. Billy ass bad. But looks, they deceive. That's why we wear masks, right, boss?"
She suddenly realizes that she has been talking to dead silence.
"Boss?"
She turns to see a mournful Ellen Yindel approaching her along with armed officer. She shows Carrie something that causes tears to well up in her eyes: the empty helmet of the Batman.
Carrie falls to her knees hugging the helmet.
Clark still carries Bruce. He flies straight across the ocean and into Africa, flying over the Egyptian deserts.
I feel a chill. He's getting colder. Probably just the wind... yes it has to be. I mean, it's just a few minutes since... it's just the wind.
Down below, a man walking through the desert witnesses the blue and red figure of Superman flying overhead and passing him. He wears a desert cloak and headcloth to shield him from the sun. He has only a canteen, and rags wrapped around the bloody stump where his hand used to be.
Hal Jordan, thirsty from the desert heat, takes a swig from his canteen.
Is that a mirage? A trick of the light? So much light... I... taunting me. The light and I, we used to be one. But I let it blind me. I thought I was a god once. I could do anything I could imagine...
He keeps walking across the sand, into the haze of the desert.
Anything. It's funny what I miss the most... is flying.
In a subatomic universe, perched upon an atom twenty times bigger than him, sits Ray Palmer. He cradles to broken remains of his device he used to bring out the Kandorians.
This is my doing. My creation. My solution. After all... it's just science.
Lara chases Baal through the sky, the deformed Kandorian still covering his mutilated face.
"Baal?"
"DON'T LOOK AT ME!"
"What is it, Baal? What happened?"
He turns and shows her. He resembles nothing of his former self, now he looks like Clayface mid-transformation.
"THIS, Lara! THIS is what they did to me!"
She does not respond for a moment. The two rise into the overhead clouds.
"Then why do you run," she says. "Shouldn't you--"
The two suddenly find themselves among the rest of the Kandorian army, as if they are able to stand atop the clouds and listen to their leader Quar before them.
"Make them pay," he says.
Baal drops down to his father's side.
"Quar Father, look what they did..."
"You will have your revenge, my son. My son... his son." He smiles. "I will have Karl-El's son."
"You may try," Lara says.
"Is that a dare, Lara? I understand. One is naturally protective of one's own flesh and blood. I'll let it pass this time."
"Quar Father, Jonathan is protected by warriors who will not let you pass. The Amazons are the fiercest--"
Quar pivots and backhands her. She doesn't even react. She barely feels anything.
"WHAT ARE YOU," he screams at her. "ARE YOU ONE OF THEM?"
The two stare dead on into each other's eyes, then he cradles her cheek.
"Or one of us," he asks.
Lara remains silent.
Quar turns to Baal. "As I was saying, my son, we will take Karl-El's son just as we did his daughter. I may even give him to you. As a plaything."
Lara still remains silent.
Carrie sits atop GCPD. Behind her the Bat Signal has been smashed to bits. Beside her sits Batman's helmet. GCPD officers wheel the corpses of Sons of Batman soldiers into a helicopter.
Yindel approaches.
"Is it worth it?"
"Excuse me, commissioner?"
"This. All of it. The destruction. The loss of lives. Mostly innocent. Is all the pain and suffering worth following his principles?"
"We stood up against tyrants."
"I'm not arguing that. I stood with you. I made the choice. I'm asking you, is it worth it?"
"You tell me."
"You won't like my answer."
"We fought for what we believe in."
"So what? That's a line that's been used more times than I can count by those who fell on the wrong side of history."
"We're on the right side."
"Yeah... so what to that, too. You heroes, you don't just inspire. You expose. I want you to let all that sink in."
"This isn't the time."
"Then what time is it?"
Carrie picks up the helmet.
"To bury our dead. I'll see to it you get a new signal."
"So we can stay in touch."
She dives off the side of the building.
Deep in the desert, Clark finally arrives at his destination: a cave of stone pillars full of carvings of pagan deities, and a bubbling green pool with an ethereal glow. The Lazarus Pit.
He strips Bruce naked and then drops him in.
He waits. The bubbles and steam rise and Clark gazes over at the carved pillars to the likeness of a man being crushed and swallowed by a giant serpent.
A hand then shoots out of the pool. Like all who leave the Lazarus Pit, with it comes momentary insanity. Bruce, the gray gone from his hair and age melted away, lunges at Clark, mad in the eyes as he tries to gouge out Clark's. Clark flips him over onto the ground and holds him.
"Easy, Bruce... easy... I got you."
On the island of Themyscira, baby Jonathan Kent lies in a palace crib doused in moonlight. Descending from the sky, Lara flies in and gently picks the baby from his crib.
"Hello, little brother... did you miss me?"
She feels a sword at her back. She does not move.
"Put him down, or I'll..."
"I'm sure you would, mother."
Wonder Woman angrily points the blade, ready to strike.
"Don't test me, girl."
"I'm not here to test you or be tested by you. No... I am here for Jonathan... and I am not alone."
Out beyond the palace walls, the Kandorian army drifts through the jungle, a sweeping ocean of red eyes and furious anger.
Diana smiles at her daughter.
"Neither, Lara, am I."
Down below the palace in the rest of the royal grounds, hundreds of Amazon warriors stand.
Armed.
Waiting.
Dark Knight Universe Presents: Strange Adventures
Down below the desert sun, Hal Jordan silently continues his trek through the sands towards civilization. He does not notice the two winged figures flying up above him, watching as he continues on, watching with a sense of wonder and curiosity. They're not angels, but the orphaned son and daughter of Katar and Shayera Hol. The last surviving Thanagarians on Earth, known as Hawkboy and Hawkgirl (or if you want to get technical, Hawkgirl II).
Hawkboy looks down on Hal: "See the hero, now just a man. Lost. He looks so small. So vulnerable. So mad."
"Should we help him?"
"No, sister. That is not our place. This time, fate has chosen for us."
"Then fate is cruel. The man needs help."
"Fate is not cruel. Fate is nature. We are nature. So we watch the man. If he's to become the hero again, it must be by his own doing. By his own hand."
They fly overhead, going on unnoticed as Hal finally reaches the edge of some desert city. He wanders the streets resembling a common nomad, passing by a group of beggars in the street. One asks for water. Hal hands him his canteen, and as the beggar thanks him, he sees the thick green of his eyes.
The beggar takes Hal by the wrist and tells him to follow. They come to a blind man, hunched against a wall who begins to feel the features of Hal's face.
Fingers smell of dust and despair. But his air is wise. He possesses wisdom... while I've been searching God knows how long for a peace taken from me.
The blind man runs his hand across Hal's bloodstained stump. He gasps.
The blind says to him, "I know where to find what you're looking for..."
The blind man and the beggar lead Hal to a shady merchant's tent. Behind the merchant stand two guards with swords on their backs.
"Why have they brought you to me, foreigner?"
"I'm told you have something that belongs to me."
"If I have it, it belongs to me, no?"
"I want what's mine."
"What's mine is available... for a price."
Hal holds up his stump. The merchant chuckles as he realizes that Hal wants what the merchant keeps inside a thick yellow box. Hal realizes it's no wonder he wasn't able to track it down.
Through a sinister grin: "This treasure is not for sale."
Just as well. I don't have any money.
Hal kicks the table, throwing the box up in the air and knocking the merchant to the ground. Hal catches the box and bolts out the exit, the two swordsmen in hot pursuit.
With all the time on my... hand... I didn't really give this scenario much thought. Figured I could wing it. That was something I was good at back in the day, when I knew how to fly.
The merchant runs out alongside his guards and pulls a Colt .45 handgun. He fires three shots, clipping Hal along the leg and causing him to drop the box. The box opens and out spills Hal's hand, and the ring still on it.
Then the hand suddenly springs to life. Hal watches as it scuttles away by the fingertips.
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
The merchant sticks the gun right in his face.
"Do you have a God, foreigner?"
A god? I believed I was one.
"If so, know He has forsaken you."
A shadow appears up above. Fear crawls over the merchant's face.
Such hubris... such an affront... to angels.
Hawkboy and Hawkgirl swoop out of the air and pick the merchant up by the legs as terrified people watch the Thanagarians appear out of nowhere. The merchant shoots up into Hawkboy's wings but only hits feathers. They drop him. The merchant is about to shoot again when suddenly they look back and see Hal, once again the Green Lantern, hovering behind them.
The hand still moves on its own, with a little assistance from an imp straight out of the fifth dimension, wearing a childish grin and a cheap Batman costume.
The hand punches the merchant in the face and Hal flies away, the hand following him.
I realize now, I'm no god. I'm a man who was chosen by the universe to protect it. I lost my way. I became bigger than the universe, and, as such, strayed from my course. I'm sorry I let it down. Please believe me...
Ah, I see what you meant about the little guy. That was... tolerable.
As always, thanks for doing these. Greatly appreciated.
Popping back in for a brief moment.
You're welcome, my limey friend. There's two issues yet to be released, and I'm hoping for a fight between an armored Carrie and Lara like in the end of The Dark Knight Returns
IGN France released a teaser image and a date, March 18th, that has people thinking WB is about to announce another Arkham game
Ryannumber1gamer
I Post Because I Am Awesome
On 3/1/2017 at 10:07 PM, Noname215 said:
Assuming you guys saw the leak, The Court of Owls and Owlman are supposedly the main villains of the game.
I thought it ended up being bullcrap since Middle Earth: Shadow of War got leaked by Target, so WB dropped the trailer and release date.


Leather is the heart of many dog collars, leashes and other products here at sleepy pup. It's strong, durable, easily dyed a variety of colors and it's very versatile. Our leather items vary from timeless, classic looks to modern twists that match your own personal style.
Furniture or clothing stores nowadays bombard you with many different terms like Genuine, Real, Bonded, PU , Full Grain, Top Grain, Corrected Grain, Leatherette, Suede, Microsuede, and many more. While there are some generally agreed upon terms in the leather industry, there is no single standards body and terms and manufacturing requirements vary from country to country. As a result some less scrupulous companies, especially overseas, playing fast and loose with their marketing.
Leather itself is a general term, and covers most any kind of animal hide that has been tanned. This process alters the protein structure of the hide to make it more durable and possibly to dye it a different color. There are a variety of tanning techniques that result in different firmness, feel, water resistance, color and more. While we won't get into that here, if you're looking for a more organic style of tanning look for Vegetable Tanned leather, also known as Veg-Tan or Veg-Tanned. This process uses plant tannins and other plant based materials, and depending on the animal it normally results in a light pinkish tan color that will darken over time and with sun exposure to a rich brown. This is a great option if your dog has allergies.
In an attempt to make things a little easier to understand, we are going to jump into the various terms to give you a little more ammunition when you are shopping for leather goods. As there is no standards body, these terms are not 100% set in stone, and you will see different tanneries and suppliers use the terms in different ways with slightly different definitions.
In the tanning process, thick hides are split, or sliced, into two or more layers. The "top" layer with the outer surface of the skin is the Top Grain layer. The bottom layers are called Split Leather, and this is where Suede comes from. The fiber structure in Top Grain leather is denser than Split leather, leading to a more durable product.
Full Grain Leather has become the new "in" marketing term for leather goods makers. It is Top Grain Leather that has not been altered after the initial shaving and tanning preparation. While many companies say this is the highest quality leather money can buy, this is not always the case. The quality of the leather ultimately depends on factors like the fiber density, consistency, scars and marks and the specific tanning process. Shell Cordovan is a very high quality type of horse leather that sells for $100+ a square foot and it is not a full grain leather. As well, there are plenty of full grain hides out there that are low quality.
Corrected Grain is also Top Grain Leather, but its surface has been buffed or sanded down to eliminate scratches, markings and other naturally occurring blemishes. This leather may undergo additional processes, such as sanding the surface to a soft velvet-like consistency. This results in Nubuck, which is similar in feel to Suede but more durable. Patterns may also be pressed onto a piece of Corrected Grain to give it specific look, such as a pebble grain pattern or a crocodile pattern to mimic other hides or to present a more pleasing and uniform pattern.
Suede comes from Split Leather, the bottom layer when a hide is initially split into two or more layers. It has a soft, napped surface and feels great. While it is less dense than Top Grain Leather, Suede is great for many products and still lasts a long time when treated well.
Bonded leather and PU Leathers are usually made of scraps. Similar to plywood, those scraps are glued together in a sheet and polyurethane or another material is glued on top. A grain pattern is then pressed in to give it a more natural appearance. The resulting product is much less breathable than regular leather or suede, and is generally a lot less expensive. While it is normally used as a cost-saving measure, t does have its uses though, as it is a little more stain resistant due to the various coatings. If you're looking for higher quality goods, you'll want to avoid this.
Patent Leather was traditionally fine leather that had many layers of linseed oil lacquer and other oils buffed on it to create a high-gloss waterproof sheen. Many Patent Leather products today are made of cheaper hides with a plastic coating to give the same appearance of original Patent Leather without the cost.
Genuine Leather or Real Leather are terms that refer to most any leather, and depend on the country of origin and other factors. It is more of a marketing term than a strict definition. These products can range from an expensive full grain leather hide to glued together scraps. Ask for more details if you see these terms on an item.
We hope you now have a better idea of leather terms, and we will go into detail about tanning processes and more in future posts. Ironically, if you visit the websites of some of the finest U.S. Tanneries you won't find Full Grain or Top Grain mentioned much. Quality is more about the consistency of the hide, the tanning process, and finally the manufacturing process of the end product. A good rule of thumb is that if you have questions about the quality of a product, ask away. A reputable seller will answer them and provide you with as much information as possible about your purchase.
Leather Dictionary – A good and pretty accurate database of leather terms and definitions.


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Online Patient Communities Pick 7 Top Healthcare Organizations
The first ever Community Choice Awards recognize organizations for engagement and commitment to patients
<0> WEGO HealthJennifer Do, 617-863-7745 </0>
The winners of the first Community Choice Awards, organized by , , and the , were announced yesterday at the Digital Pharma East Conference in Philadelphia.
The event recognized healthcare organizations, teams, and individuals that have developed a unique offering and provide tangible value to their online patient communities. The awards consisted of seven categories: Best Unbranded Campaign, Best Branded Campaign, Best Non-Profit Partner, Company of the Year, Best Mobile Health App, Best Corporate Campaign, and Community Hero.
The winners were:
The Community Choice Awards are a first in healthcare, chosen entirely by patient community members. The nominations were submitted by community members nationwide and the winners were selected by a panel of Health Activist patient opinion leaders. The judging panel included winners from the Health Activist Awards, another event hosted by WEGO Health.
"WEGO Health's mission is to empower Health Activists, those influential consumers who are driving the patient-powered movement. The Community Choice Awards are a perfect way for active, engaged patients to recognize the companies and organizations that truly understand and support patients as a positive force in healthcare," said Jack Barrette, the CEO and Founder of WEGO Health.
WEGO Health () is the first online home for consumer Health Activists, social media's most active five percent, passionate about helping others lead healthier lives. Health Activists -- organizers, connectors, leaders and contributors -- meet at WEGO Health, then carry knowledge, content and relationships back to the health social web. In addition, WEGO Health's Activist Social Network is the trusted community liaison to health companies and organizations, who engage the WEGO Health Activist Social network through innovative sponsorships, insight platforms like Truvio, collaborative content development and more. Founded in 2007 and led by online health pioneers Jack Barrette and Bob Brooks, WEGO Health gives consumer health activists a voice to industry, and helps the world's top health brands support, navigate, and participate in the evolving world of health social media. For more information visit .

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Clock speed of the graphics memory, which is calculated depending upon type of memory (GDDR5, etc.) from the effective memory clock. A graphics card with effective memory clock of 975MHz and GDDR5 memory type has, thus a memory clock of 3.9 GHz since GDDR5 allows a 4X data transfer per clock cycle.


text:
Garden Dreams - Historical Parks
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Start > Tourism + Leisure > Portrait of the city > Parks and Gardens
Saxony-Anhalt is one of the German Laender which has the largest variety of monuments to offer. It also impresses visitors who are interested in Saxony-Anhalt's history and culture with almost 1000 gardens and parks.
Three of the 40 most popular and scenic parks and gardens in Saxony-Anhalt are located in Magdeburg. The nationwide network "Garden Dreams" helps the rediscovery and gradual reconstruction of its historical parks and gardens. Therefore the Rotehornpark, the Herrenkrugpark, the Elbauenpark and the Klosterbergegarten in Magdeburg are not only a green recreation area for walking and cycling: These parks and gardens also represent the colourful history of landscape and garden architecture in a region which is famous for its marvellous monuments.
Herrenkrugpark
Already in the 17th century many townspeople came to this stretch of land, dominated by meadows and pastures, and they rounded off their little excursion with a visit to the nearby pub which was named Herren or Neuer Krug.
Klosterbergegarten
The design of the first public garden in Germany on the grounds of the former Benedictine Monastery Berge is a sensational concept by Peter Joseph Lenné. His ideas were realised from 1825 to 1829.
Stadtpark Rotehorn
The Stadtpark Rotehorn is one of the most scenic German garden parks fashioned in English style where the green heart of the city beats.
The Elbauenpark
With its unique "Seebühne" Lake Stage and the Millennium Tower, the world's tallest wooden construction of its kind, the Elbauenpark in ...
telefone: +49 391 63601-402


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11 Top Craft Distilleries to Visit in Upstate New York
BIG CHUCK Published: December 6, 2022
Get in the spirit of things this year at these 11 fantastic Upstate New York craft distilleries.
Craft distilleries are popping up all over Upstate New York, and they now number more than 100. Almost all of these distilleries use locally sourced grains such as corn, malted barley, wheat, rye, etc. And, no surprise, these distilleries are producing some award-winning bourbons, vodkas, whiskeys, and more.
One thing I like about the distilleries on this list is that they have beautiful (sometimes historic) tasting rooms for you to enjoy when you go take a visit. It's a fun activity to bring friends and family to taste the flavors of New York's home-brewed liquors. You will even find a Hudson Valley distillery that had to get permission from the Vatican to open up a distillery in a 150-year-old former monastery. And it is absolutely gorgeous!
There are tons of great reasons to appreciate the wonderful distilleries New York state has to offer. During the gift-giving season, giving a friend or family member something from one of New York's many locally-made, award-winning distilleries is always a unique and appreciated gift. From one-of-a-kind whiskeys and bourbons to delicious vodkas and everything in between, you're bound to be able to find the right choice to give as a gift.
If we didn't mention your favorite place for spirits, go ahead and give a shout-out to your local distillery over on our Facebook page!
11 Top Craft Distilleries in Upstate New York
Craft distillers are popping up all over Upstate New York. From big cities to small, rural mountain towns, the list of places for you to enjoy hand-crafted homemade ryes, bourbons, vodkas, and more has expanded greatly. And many on this list have beautiful and historic tasting rooms!
BUT WAIT! Here are 15 More!! 'Get in the Spirit' At These 15 Awesome New York Distilleries
There are more than 100 distilleries across New York State. This fairly new phenomenon includes big corporate distilleries and smaller family owned farm distilleries. Here are 15 of the best in Upstate New York
Source: 11 Top Craft Distilleries to Visit in Upstate New York
Five New York State Cities Named Most Intelligent In US
'Breaking Bad' Cast to Reunite in Super Bowl Ad
"Let's Play Pickleball!" 13 Great Upstate NY Courts to Play
Madonna Is No Longer Directing a Madonna Biopic
Susquehanna SPCA Pet Of The Week–'Mister'
Sounds Too Good To Be True! You Could File Your Taxes For Free Courtesy Of The IRS
Angela Bassett Is First Marvel Actor Nominated For an Oscar
Here Are the 12 Largest School Districts in Upstate New York!


Who is the best fiction heroine?
The results are in on our first Best Heroine semifinal poll are in, and we're straight on to Semifinal round two.
I'll this semifinal polls for two weeks and take the top five names on to the final round.
Everyone will get three votes (3). Before you simply vote for your favorite three, consider that, as there is no ranking of those three votes; each vote beyond one dilutes the power of your choices a little more. So if you have a genuine favorite--or pair of favorites--it's better to use as few votes as possible.
The poll itself is on the left side at the bottom of the side menus.
Don't forget that the Polldaddy program tracks the ISP you vote from for only a week. Since I can't stop people from voting twice, I might as well work it into the system. Vote early! Vote often!


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The Five Eyes alliance also cooperates with groups of third party countries to share intelligence (forming the Nine Eyes and Fourteen Eyes however Five Eyes and third party countries can and do spy on each other. Five Eyes 1. Australia 2. Canada 3. New Zealand.
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Islam Around Us
Know the Real face of Islam. Resist Jihad.
Egypt bombs IS targets in Libya after beheading of 21 nationals.
Cairo: The Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed al Tayeb (right), offers condolences to Egypt's Coptic Pope Tawadros II at a cathedral on Monday
CAIRO | AFP | 17 Feb 2015 : : Egyptian jets bombed Islamic State targets in Libya on Monday, a day after the group there released a video showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians, drawing Cairo directly into the conflict across its border.
Egypt said the pre-dawn strike hit militant camps, training sites and weapons storage areas in neighbouring Libya, where civil conflict has plunged the country into near anarchy and created havens for armed factions.
While Cairo is believed to have provided clandestine support to a Libyan general fighting a rogue government in Tripoli, the mass killings pushed President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi into open action, expanding his battle against Islamist militancy.
"And let those near and far know that the Egyptians have a shield that protects and preserves the security of the country, and a sword that eradicates terrorism," the military said.
Egyptian state television aired footage of fighter planes leaving a hangar with "Long live Egypt" emblazoned on the tails, followed by night-vision aerial footage showing bomb explosions and the aircraft returning in early daylight.
Libya's air force also participated in Monday's attack, which targeted Derna, an eastern coastal city seen as a base for Islamic State fighters in the oil-rich nation.
"There are casualties among individuals, ammunition and the (Islamic State) communication centres," Libyan air force commander Saqer al-Joroushi told Egyptian state television, adding that dozens were killed.
Joroushi, who is loyal to Libya's internationally recognised government that set up camp in the city of Tobruk after losing control of Tripoli, said there would be more strikes on Tuesday.
The rival Tripoli-based parliament, which is supported by some Islamist groups, said the strike was an assault on the country's sovereignty. Omar al-Hassi, the premier of the self-declared Tripoli government, said three children, two elderly men and a 21-year-old woman were killed in the attack.
It was not possible to confirm either factions' accounts of the number or nature of the casualties.
CHRISTIAN ANGER: Cairo called on the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria to broaden the scope of their operations to include Libya, highlighting how the militant group has expanded its reach around the Arab world.
The US military estimated in December that only around 200 Islamic State fighters were operating in the country.
Egypt is not the only Arab nation sucked into confrontation with the group by the gruesome killings of its citizens.
The 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians were marched to a beach, forced to kneel and then beheaded on video, which was broadcast via a website that supports Islamic State.
Before the videoed killings, one of the militants stood with a knife in his hand and said: "Safety for you crusaders is something you can only wish for." Afterwards, he says: "And we will conquer Rome, by the will of Allah." The head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, condemned the beheadings.
"They were killed simply for the fact that they were Christians," he said at the Vatican. "It makes no difference whether they be Catholics, Orthodox, Copts or Protestants. They are Christians!" Egypt's Coptic Christian pope was one of the public figures who backed Sisi when he, as army chief, ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 after mass protests against him.
France has said Egypt will order 24 Rafale fighter jets, a naval frigate and other equipment in a deal to be signed in Cairo on Monday worth more than 5 billion euros ($5.7bn).
French President Francois Hollande said on Monday that he and Sisi wanted the United Nations Security Council to discuss Libya and take new measures against the Islamic State. ( Courtesy : Dawn )
Labels: CAIRO, Egyptian military, hit militant camps, IS, Islamic State, Libya, Libya attacked, strike hit militant camps
Islamic Site Lists
Donald Trump-supporting model Kathy Zhu stripped of Miss Michigan title over 'racist' tweets - A @realDonaldTrump -supporting model and activist has been stripped of her title for posting "racist" tweets and "refusing to try on a hijab". #MAGA Donald...
Nasty political game by the UK government - UK government are once again putting deliberate obstacles to my attempt to visit my dear friend and ally #TommyRobinson. For the third time in one year ...
The Demon in Liberalism - "Why has Sweden become the North Korea of Europe?" That's what a Dane semi-facetiously asked Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks at a conference I attended in 20...
An Analysis of the Muslim Council of Britain's Open Letter on Islamophobia - In late May 2018 the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) attacked the conservative party of Great Britain for "Islamophobia" in an open letter ( here). The l...
Islam: Making a True Difference in the World - One Body at a Time
Ali Sina
Islamic Peace Count
Egypt bombs IS targets in Libya after beheading of...
Pakistan Taliban kill 28 in attacks.


Scott loves whisky, I like gin. However sometimes when whisky is free, I like whisky and gin. During our initial run in with The Singleton Whisky, I was up to my eyes in the dashing dram and practiced little discrimination. We hadn't initially planned to visit The Singleton tasting room at Tales of the Cocktail however one thing led to another and to be honest, it would have been rude not to. Besides, many whisky lovers would have hunted me down if I turned down a spread of aged whisky. In fact, I would have hunted myself down for such a crime. This is where we first tried The Singleton of Glendullan. I didn't expect to actually enjoy my dram however the flashy bar-tending and the edible cream topper had already sold it to me. The smooth, dancing tastes were a bonus.
The Singleton of Glendullan is made specifically for the American market, catered to a very specific taste. At this point, I was beginning to realise I had an American taste for booze. I also have an American appetite, both of which were later damaging to mwaistlinene.
25th birthdays aren't generally celebrated and nobody really fusses over them. I am not nobody and I fussed more than most. Like the queen, I took a whole week to contemplate (celebrate is a strong word) my birthday. We headed up to Inverness to spend the week with a pretty crazy crowd known as my family. Nobody was cruel enough to mention the big 25 until the actual day however waking up to the first display of affection I have seen from my granny since birth was unsettling and I knew people were attempting to lift my spirits.
Not long after this, my partner in crime arrived by my side with a home made hamper. Who doesn't love a hamper? Cuddled within the hamper was a bottle of gin, a bottle of cava and a whole range of copper bar ware. I am not a bartender and couldn't help but feel this was a kick up the rear end to get on with my cocktail plans for the blog. Tales of the Cocktail left a lasting impression on me. Also, I like a drink but I'm not heavy on the sauce. This was another attempt at lifting my 'spirits,' so to speak.
After a week of sun, hot days and humid nights, I had a slight hope for a sunny Saturday. However, Inverness knew it was my birthday so it decided to bucket rain all day. . In order to lift myself out of 25 tantrums, I suggested going for a 'wee drive.' This in itself was pure irony considering I suffer with travel sickness. Scott was doing his utmost to cheer me up, acting like a different man from the rest of the year. Yet another reason for me to feel unsettled.
In order to entertain Scott and show him the true wonders of Inverness-shire, I took him out to Beauly. I say 'I took him.' I sat in silence with grey gulls while he drove me to Beauly. We took the 'Moray Firth Tourist Route' which exhibits much of Inverness-shires Black Isle. The Black Isle sounds scary and I am sure some of the residents are. However it doesn't actually take its name from anything sinister. It in fact refers to the dark rich soil in the area. I grew up in Inverness and until very recently, I forgot that Inverness and the Shire are actually quite bonnie areas.
After driving through Beauly, we passed by Muir of Ord where we noticed a sign for Glen Ord Distillery. Neither of us had heard of Glen Ord at this point but a little like the free aged whisky at Tales, we thought it rude not to. Before stopping off at Glen Ord, we went for a drive round Strathpeffer, an old Victorian spa resort. Fully recommend a nosy round the village if you have time, the buildings are gorgeous!
Expect a drive of less than half an hour from the Highland capital to Glen Ord Distillery. Glen Ord isn't visible from the main road through Muir of Ord which is a shame considering the distillery itself is really quite breath-taking. The history behind the area is rife, with the land originally granted to the Mackenzies of Ord by King Alexander III in the 13th Century. In 1820, Thomas MacKenzie of Ord inherited the estate and set to work on rejuvenating the area. A large part of his land was purely dedicated to the growth of Barley. He thought by leasing the land for a distillery to be built, he would assist the locals with work. It wouldn't have been so convenient back then for the locals in Muir of Ord to commute through to Inverness.
When we arrived at the pretty distillery, we genuinely had no idea what whisky was created within. It is safe to say we got very excited when we seen The Singleton branding on the gates upon entry. Diageo own the distillery now which isn't much of a surprise considering Diageo own a massive proportion of the worlds booze. Although we had questions, why was The Singleton being made at Glen Ord? We specifically recalled tasting The Singleton of Glendullan but this was Glen Ord. So many questions were arising. I told myself before visiting that I wasn't going to do a write up however as soon as we arrived in the car park, I already had a story in mind. Blogger by name, blogger by nature.
Glen Ord Distillery is the last single malt distillery left in the Black Isle. I don't know what we expected as we have visited many distilleries that make a malt which is sent to be blended. We initially expected Glen Ord to be concocting some weird and wonderful malt which would be sent to be mixed in some well known blend. The bonnie wee Scottish distillery, just up the road from my home town is making The Singleton whisky for the Asian market. This couldn't have been more random. More importantly, I couldn't wait to lip lock an 18 year old Asian Singleton.
The irony was sweet. Scott and I had tried The Singleton of Glendullan when we were indulging in New Orleans. We then indulged in The Singleton of Glen Ord near my hometown of Inverness. So we have officially tried the American made batch and the Asian made batch. Yet we haven't actually tried the European batch which is made literally an hour from our house.
Sally was our tour guide and she was bang on with dram chat. We arrived at a fairly quiet time so there was only 4 other people in our tour. Before she commenced the tour, she asked where everyone was from for translation purposes. We have been on tours where the tour guide has spoken with a thick Scottish accent and people from far and wide haven't understood a word. The other tourists joining us were from the Netherlands and the U.S. We were pretty vanilla but had the local lingo advantage.
Sally deserves full credit for connecting with the group, she was more than willing to answer any questions. In these situations, people usually feel awkward being the person to speak up first especially in front of an audience. She made sure that the group felt comfortable.
Christmas came early in the barrel storage room. There were barrels of beautiful booze for days and the smell in the room had the Americans in our crowd in seventh heaven. Our living room has a similar malty smell at the weekend so we were quite used to it. Sally went on to tell us that these barrels would stay in this room for years at a time, steeping to create the tastes of The Singleton. Interestingly enough, when the whisky is steeping, a proportion of it actually evaporates. The vapour escapes the cask and rises, hence why they call it the Angels share. We must have some pretty merry Scottish angels. Me being one of them!
Between where Scott and I were standing, there was a teeny weeny little puddle. Sally was quick to point out to the group that this was from whisky which was escaping a cask from above. It is concerning that the first thought to enter my head was to look up with an open mouth. She soon made me aware that there was probably a good few spiders kicking around the barrel room. My mouth was soon firmly closed. They call the whisky which escapes from above, the 'Devils Share,' Of course the Devils Share would be between Scott and I. It must of been Scott that attracted it.
Along with the already massive, copper stills was a number of wash bays. The room was scorcho and we soon felt like we were back in New Orleans. The Americans loved it while we wasted away at the back. It was totally worth it to get a good look at the huge stills in the room. Glen Ord Distillery have actually expanded fairly recently to double their capacity. There is a new building at the back of the distillery to include several more stills and wash bays.
It was pretty interesting to see where the stills had broken. You don't really think about a whisky still needing repairs, purely because they are made of copper. Whilst everyone else admired the scents and sights in the room, I was looking at the lumps of copper repairs on the stills. I also wondered whether I could look for a job fixing stills or even an apprentice position that involved plugging the hole while it was fixed, with my mouth.
The last part of our tour consisted of a walk round the little museum area at the beginning of the tour. This includes some information about the cultivation of the area, the heritage and a display of all the flavours that tasters have picked up over the years. In keeping with my boozy birthday, Sally brought out the goods. On her tray of glory were a variety of aged drams. Scott held back his tears while I tasted a 12, 15 and 18 year old Singleton.
At this point, I wasn't complaining but instead planning a bottle purchase and a blog round up. Sally disappeared again and returned with pretty little rolling glasses for all of the tour-ees. Who doesn't love branded glassware? Our cupboards are packed! I now officially have a Singleton glass which came from the Glendullan room at Tales of the Cocktail and another Singleton glass from Glen Ord Distillery. I realised at the end of our tour that I also had a Singleton brooch on my bag from Tales of the Cocktail. If The Singleton are looking for a walking brand ambassador, I'm your girl!
Should you be interested in visiting Glen Ord Distillery, we would highly recommend that you take a full day out so you can see the beautiful surrounding areas. There are some lovely little cafes in Beauly and Muir of Ord and Strathpeffer is definitely worth a wander round. Should you catch the area on a nice day, the views can be quite spectacular.
We at The Aye Life headquarters are becoming increasingly partial to a distillery. Many people say that once you've seen one, you've seen then all. I couldn't agree less, each distillery has it's own little quirks and even better, it's own tastes. It works out quite well for me because Scott is the designated driver therefore all his tastings come home with him. I am free to taste away. Scott puts up with me on the way home so he gets a well deserved dram when he arrives home.
Since all the whisky made here goes to Asia, here are the 12 and 18 year old European variants distilled in Dufftown, and an amazing 38 year old bottle from the Glendullan distillery.
We would like to say a huge thank you to VisitScotland and ASVA as we used our pass to get a really good discount at Glen Ord Distillery. This resulted in a great tour and an even better birthday afternoon. As always, all opinions are interesting, sometimes funny and always very relevant.


Nearly every webcomic has some point when the creative force behind it needs to take a break. Whether it's because of life getting in the way or just a bout of writer's block, sometimes the regular scheduled page just isn't ready in time. Instead of making a subpar page in a hurry, many will choose to announce a break until things are back in order and post a placeholder in the meantime. This placeholder, commonly known as filler, is usually some concept art, an unfinished page, a guest page, or bonus art. Around the holidays, it's especially common to see filler reflecting that holiday as the creator takes some time off. Often seen as a distraction to keep fans occupied until the real update, filler is not often something people give a lot of thought to, but with a little creativity and pre-planning, filler pages can be just as enjoyable to create and to view as a regular page.
Probably the most fun kind of filler is guest art. There's a special thrill that comes from seeing another artist's take on a comic, especially if the guest artist is familiar with the comic and knows how to represent it well. Most fans appreciate this kind of work and in a webcomic that isn't heavy on canon, like a gag-a-day comic, it can become a permanent fixture in the archives for people to enjoy for years to come. However, a certain level of courtesy is required in this case; first, always credit the guest artist and provide a link to their webcomic. Second, if the filler happens to be part of an art trade, which is common, make sure there is a good permalink so fans can travel back and forth between webcomics with ease. Giving a short description of the other person's comic is also good form, as is a recommendation, but the most crucial thing is the artist gets due credit and the links work properly.
Holiday or anniversary art also tends to be an enjoyable form of filler. The winter holidays are the most commonly referenced, but some webcomics will also point out a more obscure holiday or one local to the creator's home. This sort of filler can be made in advance and planned for, which means more time and effort can go in to making these pages. Showing the main cast celebrating in their own unique way or having them interact with historical or mythical figures associated with a holiday is common, but more unique approaches are always welcome. Some creators will even have a regular theme or running series with these annual pieces, making them highly-anticipated among longtime fans. Just take care not to let too many of these accumulate in the main archives if the webcomic is heavy on story. After a week or so past the anniversary or holiday, it's best to move them to an extras page so they don't interrupt the pacing.
Appreciation filler, otherwise known as the "thank you for x favs!" pages, are also well-received for their grateful acknowledgement toward readers. These are usually bunched in fifties or hundreds and feature some cast members celebrating the new readers. They're not usually high-quality, since the fan count fluctuates unpredictably for many webcomics, but rather quick sketches put together on a whim. It's probably best to keep these out of the main archives since their relevance vanishes after a day or two and it's also better to make these in moderation, since too many of these can come across as a bit sycophantic. A similar form of this is the milestone filler, which celebrates a certain number of updates. Once again, these are usually bunched in fifties or tens, but unlike the appreciation filler, these are often pre-planned and extravagant compared to the usual pieces. Fans not only accept these, but look forward to them, especially if the creator has done something like this before. While they may not follow the canon of the story, they can be a great opportunity to show off and try something more artistically bold and elaborate.
Finally, there is the hiatus filler, in which the creator is unexpectedly forced to skip an update. If this happens often, it's better to simply not announce an official update schedule and just update irregularly. However, if this is a rare situation, a simple draft of the pending page or a short announcement can do the trick so regular readers aren't left wondering why there's no new page. Even better is to provide a heads-up beforehand that an update will be late, assuming this can be anticipated. Things like school finals or a vacation, for example, can be prepared for ahead of time and if there isn't enough time to make a full page, some short filler can be created as a placeholder in the meantime. Other things, such as illness, are usually too sudden to make anything very elaborate. In this situation, things like guest art can be very helpful. As long as the update gap is explained and the filler is removed later to make room for the real page, most fans will understand and wait until the hiatus is over, especially if the filler says when they can expect the next page.
There are two general attitudes seen in hiatus filler and it's important to be aware of both. The first is the "funny" variety, when the creator relies on humor, often of the self-deprecating variety, and the other is the apologetic type. The humorous ones can be enjoyable depending of the tone of the webcomic, but it's much too common for these pages to make fun of the creator for being "lazy". It's so common that it's becoming cliché and unique ways to pull this joke off are growing rare. It's better to find a joke that suits the webcomic's unique style and avoid lazy artist jokes altogether. As for apologetic hiatus filler, these become less appreciated the more often hiatus occurs. After a while, just a simple announcement when to expect the next page or just taking an irregular schedule becomes the more sensible route. Also, even if hiatus is rare, it's usually best not to go too overboard with apologies. Fans are usually fairly supportive and if the occasional break in schedule crops up, they won't mind much. As long as they have an idea of when to expect the next update, they tend to simply wish the creator well and wait until things get back into routine.
There are plenty of ways to play with filler and make it fun for everyone. It doesn't need to be a chore or a way to simply occupy empty space. Although their typical function is to explain a schedule gap, when used well, they can be an effective means of keeping reader interest and even flexing some creative muscle. Like all aspect of webcomics, filler is an art too and can ultimately add to the experience.