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kurtty-drabbles · 5 years

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What if IT was human

N/A: What if Squidboy

@djinmer4 @dannybagpipesarecalling @sailorstar9 @discordsworld @look-ma-no-hands336

Everything in life changes, nothing stays the same. This is a law even a 5 years old boy can understand, Kurt Wagner is blue and fuzzy. A condition many wouldn´t think as normal, yet, he is walking side by side with his parents as his first day in daycare is about to begin.

Some people ignore the blue boy, some are looking curiously and some are afraid(Kurt send a smile to an old man as the reek of fear is strong and little Kurt has the sensation he knows that pitiful old man)

Martha and George Wagner adopt the blue boy, a fact anyone can see a mile away(no one can make cheating jokes as it´s obvious Kurt is adopted) yet, little Kurt is treated like a son.

Kurt saw a red skin mutant entering the daycare as well. Saw teachers chatting with new parents saw children of his own age playing and giggling and Martha kneeling to be on his level with a sweet expression. "Sohn, is your first day at the daycare, things are changing, but, in a good way, you´ll see more kids and make tons of friends" Martha is crying as she hugs Kurt and the little boy find the gesture strange, but, retribute the affection. "You´re growing up, my sweet boy, make tons of friends and have fun, ok?"

"I promise, Mutti" Kurt speaks with a small smile. George ruffs his hair and told they will pick him up by 15. The teacher, a kind woman named Anna Holstein, promised to look out for little Kurt(Kurt knows she´s a mutant herself) as the Wagner are waving goodbyes to their little boy, Anna, starts asking if Kurt wants to draw.

"Yes, I do. I want to draw something" Kurt confessed and soon start drawing, it was a peculiar one, Anna mentioned, as a blue woman was being drowned in what Kurt confessed(lied through his teeth) it was chocolate. "Mutti makes chocolate today"

Anna smiled and let Kurt continues the draw as he exclaimed the cake need strawberry. The blue woman in the picture is cover with...strawberry.

Meanwhile, Mystique is not having sweet dreams, in fact, Mystique can´t sleep at all.

_________________________________________________________________________

Kurt Wagner is a teenager and has an accurate knowledge he´s not a mere mutant. He can do far more than famous Jean Grey and Professor X could dream, yet, he does not wish to gather attention nor glory. He´s fine in remain in the shadows.

Magneto once insulted Nightcrawler, was that an insult? Either way, Kurt Wagner destroyed Genosha. Putting ideas in the right people and creating the right weather.

"Genosha is destroyed and Magneto is mad...muttering something about IT" Betsy informed with grief, Brian take his mask off and mourns, no one notices Kurt Wagner smiling wickedly.

________________________________________________________________________________

The X-men and Excalibur have a collaboration, a simple mission in Germany, as Nightcrawler lead them to the designated area, it was so calm and ...boring. Kurt wanted to spice things up(he heard so much about Cyclops and Wolverine) so, no one could expect a shadow monster out of nowhere who begins feasting on the people around.

Kurt Wagner watches the scene amused, no one notices as Scott and Wolverine, finally, take down the monster.

"Gut, gut, the mission is not boring" Kurt mutters amused.

________________________________________________________________________

George and Martha Wagner were by no means rich, George´s job was enough to keep them going, but, is not enough, one day, George suffers an accident and the doctors can´t fix the problem.

Kurt arrives and looks at his father in pain. Martha hugs her son and sobs as is possible George won´t walk ever again. Kurt won´t stand by this. And using his powers(to heal? something new) heal the injuries.

"Kurt? Since when you can do this?" George asked free of pain.

"For a while" Kurt answers sincerely. Is the first time he ever heal a person. Ever since that episode, George and Martha´s luck increase.

_________________________________________________________________________

"Kurt, do you have a religion?" someone asked as Kurt finish the conversation with people wearing a cloak, the Szardos is hard discreet and subtle and Kurt is perfectly fine in ignoring him.

"I´d not" his answer was too quickly and he ponders for a moment. "but I´ll share a secret, I love Zaorva" Kurt smiles and the lights went off as the person steps back "that´s a secret and you will keep this secret forever" Kurt smiles grows and no one speaks about that person. In fact, is almost as that person never existed.

_________________________________________________________________________

Shadowcat is a peculiar member of X-men. She´s not from here, that´s a given("oh, I´m from ...Belgium" "you don´t sound from there" "Then the Netherlands?") and lately, is speaking fondly of Excalibur.

"Kitty, you can´t just go to Excalibur like that...there´s protocols" Scott explained, Kitty´s eyes turned azure as she repeats her request and suddenly, Scott pipes in from his paperwork "Actually, they do have an open vacation now, why I don´t give Betsy a call and pull some strings?"

Kitty smiles and thanks, Scott. She phases through the door and, out of blue, Scott feels like he´s awake and Betsy´s voice is speaking on the phone.

"Uhm, sure, we can take Shadowcat if you insist" Betsy speak and Scott has no idea what this means but deep down knows he needs to agree or else....

______________________________________________________________________________

Kurt Wagner is hardly a virgin and hardly gives any care for those women. He wants something no one can give. Models, famous actress, prostitutes, no woman can measure to his obsession.

"Zaorva!" is the name he calls when he´s climaxing either in bed or...doing something else.

__________________________________________________________________________

One day, on Excalibur Betsy, introduces Shadowcat, she didn´t shake anyone hand(rather bizarre, she licks Brian´s hand) and goes to each member looking at Cerise(cowing in fear as if Kitty, a petite, could snap her bones) and then at Kurt...She stops at a moment as his golden eyes are a lock on her person.

Something clicks on him. Fat tears fall from her eyes as Kurt offers a serene smile.

"My love, I´ve finally met you" she hugs him and everyone one is forgotten. Kurt hugs back.

"You´re real!" he speaks smelling her hair, feeling her skin, so smooth, and looking at her azure eyes. "You´re real, how?" is all he can ask before kissing Kitty again.

No one thinks is odd as Excalibur can´t think or move.

________________________________________________________________________________

There´s no Cthulu´s cult as Zaorva devoured the deity of darkness and his cult was dispatched through space and time.

"How did you found me?" Kurt asked holding her hand.

"I can feel your energy, I can feel when you...workship my name, every night, every day" Kurt blushes.

"And I found you. You silly pharaoh, I found you"

"You found me, my love"

#lovecraft au #what if #kurt wagner #nightcrawler #kitty pryde #shadowcat #kurtty #lovecraft kurt #zaorva

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theliterateape · 4 years

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Finding What Really Matters When It All Shifts for the Worse

By Don Hall

The Vegas mid-day sky is strangely dark and slightly orange. The sun, ordinarily a blazing hot laser that has this amazing hostility in the desert, is muted. I can stare right at it and see it’s perfect circle. It is the stuff of a Ridley Scott dystopia.

At this moment, my mind goes to the end of the world place. I know the haze comes from California currently on fire in so many places that the smoke has drifted as far as Kansas but is still thick here. It smells like a Webber charcoal grill just before the steaks go on. I wonder if the clothes I’m wearing are my apocalyptic outfit, the costume of my End of Days character. I’m not sure if the shoes will hold up to Cormac’s Road but the jeans have some staying power, I think. The vest, at least, will look cool as the planet descends into galactic irrelevance.

If this is it, that minute when it all goes to shit, did I remember to tell my mom I love her? Was my last kiss on my wife’s lips worthy of being our, you know, last kiss? Will I remember, months from now as I scavenge cold canned food out of abandoned grocery stores to survive, the feast of a club sandwich, fries, and a Dr. Pepper as bounty?

Did I write about things and ideas worth reading and soon, long after the digital footprint is erased by the absence of electricity, will anyone remember them?

I grew up reading about the demise of civilization. King’s The Stand was among my favorite books. Movies about the nuclear holocaust destined to come, pandemics devastating humanity, zombies hoarding through empty cities. The inhumanity of humans balanced with the kindness of survivors. Hard choices following devastating loss.

Yeah. I think what makes my specific brand of optimism potent is the always present knowledge of impermanence. Mortality is never far from my thoughts although it is not the fear of death or pain that permeates the brainstew. It’s the billions of distractions spent eating up the life being lived just before the end that fascinate and horrify me.

This too shall pass is both a salve for those in troubled times and a warning for those whose heads are stuck so far up their cakeholes that they miss the importance of significant but easily discarded life.

I’d like to believe that if we all were a bit more in tune with the fact that the party eventually ends we might be the slightest bit more grateful for that last Solo cup of beer and that final bite of cheese. We’ll feel pretty fucking stupid taking for granted a hug when there is suddenly no one left to embrace.

I stare at the sun for that beat and the moment passes. I head back into the casino for more of the bizarre, the mundane, and the simple weird day-to-day of managing the swing shift in a casino at the end of the world. Boulevard of Broken Dreams, my ass. The fractured lives of gamblers on the ass end of broke-dick is more like it.

On a corner slot machine sits Ted. That isn’t his name as far as I know but Random Addict Homeless White Guy Mumbling to Himself is too burdensome for an essay so Ted will do. Ted has been here before. Ted could be thirty-five years old or somewhere north of sixty. Who knows? The desert sun has a way of fossilizing age.

My general manager has tossed him from the place for refusing to wear a mask. I physically threw him out in the parking lot when he decided he was going to get a free drink and scream his ass off in order to get it. When I tried to get him out the door, he started screaming “Don’t you put your hands on me!” My response was “Or what?” His reaction was to try to break the glass on one of the exit doors. I grabbed him by the back of the shirt and shoved him onto the pavement.

As the Nice Manager or the Manager of Multiple Chances I figure as long as he’s not bothering people or acting up, he’s fine to play his found two dollars for a beer and a chance to get out of the heat. He has a tall boy beer in his pocket. “Yo. Don’t open that beer on the casino floor or I’ll have to chuck it in the can.” He nods in a frenetic way and continues to slowly push the penny bet button.

I remind him to wear the fucking mask (really a red bandana but who quibbles in a pandemic?) and he haphazardly pulls it up. I register a sour smell from him. A combination of weeks of sweat dried, booze, and something else unpleasant.

A few minutes later, he’s up at the cage trying to cash in cash vouchers for $0.03 and $0.11 that he has found in machines abandoned by players who couldn’t be bothered with the small change after losing. This practice, known as ticket surfing is forbidden so it’s time for Ted to head out for the day.

He takes the news better this time as me booting him from the property is now semi-routine. He points to the machine he was playing. “Someone left those cigarettes. Are those yours?” he asks.

“Not mine. I smoke but not cigarettes. No one seems to want them so if you do, they’re yours.”

“You don’t want them?”

“Nah. Menthol. You couldn’t pay me to smoke menthol.”

“I can have them?”

“Yup.” I hand him what looks like three-quarters of a pack of Newports.

Another moment. A microcosm expanded.

The look on his face—surprise, gratitude, sadness, desperation—freezes time.

How did Ted go from being an eight-year-old boy just like I once was and end up, in this moment, here? What was his journey in this descent?

The feeling in my core isn’t pity or empathy. It isn’t some virtuous need to demonstrate kindness or a need to save him. It’s almost a clinical interest in his story. A desire to understand his path and how it diverged from my own. Looking at a disaster and wondering how I avoided the same. Genes? Upbringing? Dumb luck?

At once I am struck by the things I fail to appreciate in my life. In the midst of the frustration with so much of society, with the struggles with the needs and complaints of so many, I recognize the absolute necessity in reflection. Staring for a moment in the mirror, not at myself in the narcissism of the social media age, but at the people and things around me that keep me from walking those footsteps of the apocalypse, from dancing the sad death spiral Ted seems to be on.

This too shall pass.

A Las Vegas friend with ties to Chicago made an odd comment recently. He was commenting on his enjoyment of Johnny Depp films and said “I’m truly fascinated by the work of those who have been cancelled. Depp, you...”

Wait. I was cancelled?

I suppose, in some ways, I was. My frame is that Chicago was as done with me as I was Chicago but no one can present themselves from within their own lens. Everyone sees everyone else the way they choose to and if some see my trajectory in that way, I suppose it doesn’t change things for me.

It’s that lens thing that gets to the point, right? The world is as you choose to see it. Not so much as a frame for truth (because that whole “I’m living my truth” is some ego-driven prattle) but as a guide for how one behaves.

There are always going to be people who will take advantage you. Always. You can choose to then see everyone as a potential grifter or choose to avoid assigning guilt before specificity. The choice will determine how you approach every relationship you enter into. It will dictate how you treat strangers. It will stipulate the terms of your own social contract.

We are living out big history right now. The events we are enduring are going to be taught in history classes for hundreds of years. For those folks living in 2120, the COVID pandemic of 2020, the reign of Donald Trump, the results of decades of climate change, will all be chapters in the book.

In Brian DePalma’s Vietnam film Casualties of War there is a moment that sticks in my mind. This is certainly a paraphrase so don’t get your little girl panties up in a wad about accuracy but at one point a character looks at Michael J. Fox and states that nothing matters in the conflict. That with the horrors surrounding them, no one is looking at the brutal behavior of single individuals so who cares.

Fox’s character’s response is simply that maybe, when no one is looking, when the world is on fire, maybe it is even more vital to do the right thing. When everyone is angry and misunderstanding everyone else, when war envelopes us all, maybe that is the exact time to be kinder and less angry.

This too shall pass and we will still be here. The world feels like it’s ending a lot more than it did when I was reading The Stand and listening obsessively to Maynard Ferguson. Perhaps the immediacy of knowing at every second what everyone is doing and feeling has something to do with that. I don’t know.

I suspect that the world will never end, at least not in the way our active dreaming envisions it. The world, whether it includes us or not, will continue to turn. Each day will follow the next. Maybe it takes the form of a Mad Max world or a dystopia where Kevin Costner is the postman hero. I can almost guarantee that the momentary vitriol and infighting over identity, over politics, over whether to wear a mask or how we fund college will not be on the radar.

At this particular end of the world it’s that kiss and on my wife’s lips, that FaceTime call to Mom, that fucking dry-ass club sandwich that matter. It’s the fact that I had the privilege to take a hot shower, that I’m remarkably COVID-free, and I own more than one pair of shoes (despite wearing the less durable pair today) that count.

We have bigger fish to fry and even those, too, will pass.

When it comes, at least I’ll be wearing this cool ass vest.

#food for thought #personal apocalypse #casino life

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miamibeerscene · 7 years

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How I’m Approaching Craft Beer in 2018

Credit: CraftBeer.com

January 10, 2018

Recently, I was in Florida on something of a vacation and opted to take in the local beer scene for an afternoon. I went to a pub reporting 40 different beers on tap and over 300 different bottled beers. I didn’t give my choice a bit of thought. I didn’t look around. I didn’t even take a minute. I scanned the list to find the first IPA I wasn’t familiar with and ordered it.

As I sat there enjoying that choice, I began to really review the menu for the first time. I started taking it in and began to feel a growing pang of disappointment in myself. First, I saw a barley wine that sounded very interesting. Then I saw an Alt beer (which I rarely get to try). Finally, I saw an IPA that I had actually been wanting to try for a while.

I suddenly had a moment of clairvoyance. I was disappointed in myself because I never gave this bar a minute when I first walked in. And why the hell was I rushing? I was on vacation.

(VISIT: U.S. Breweries with Beer Hotels)

This got me thinking about the guests at the taproom where I work. They see tap lists that provide a ton of options, and some may not always be as familiar as a stout or an IPA. I can understand the notion of sticking with the tried and true in most arenas — jeans, shoes, pizza toppings — but small and independent craft beer relies on us as beer drinkers to be as daring, knowledgeable and thoughtful as the brewer himself. Complacency is the ultimate adversary to progress.

In 2018, let’s do our part. Let’s embrace our role in enhancing craft beer. I have nine thoughts on how we as beer lovers can think, and drink, in the new year.

1. Try Something New

Scott Miller is the founder of Cobblehaus Brewing Co. in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. (Cobblehaus Brewing Co.)

This one’s simple and easy. Scan a menu until you see something unfamiliar, and then order it. Don’t be afraid. When I was on vacation, the first thing that my eyes jumped to upon entering the swanky little pub was that white slightly curved tap handle with the familiar green bulb on top — but I know all about Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale. I can have it at home. Seeing as I was in a new area, I wanted to try a beer that I couldn’t have back home. I wanted the secret stuff that the locals keep in a back room and don’t like to tell outsiders about, lest there not be enough for them.

Scott Mills, head brewer for Cobblehaus Brewing in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, says, “[This] is something I am very interested in. Every time I see someone coming out with something I have not seen before…I typically target those [beers]when visiting other breweries.”

This doesn’t mean you have to ignore all beers you’ve already had. Just make an effort to give someone else’s beer a try. Who knows. You may even love it.

2. Don’t Dismiss a Beer Based on Beer Style

It’s something I hear incessantly while working at the pub: “Oh, I don’t want that, I don’t like brown ales.” I get it. You’ve had several brown ales, maybe you’ve even had a lot of brown ales and you know it’s just not your thing. Still, try to keep an open mind, and don’t shy away from these just because. Talk to the bar staff. That’s why they’re there. The brown ale on the list could be a traditional English Brown Ale rather than the different American Style Brown Ale you may often have. The differences can be more complex and subtle.

Andrew Volanski, the general manager for Voodoo Brewery’s Pub in Homestead, Pennsylvania, says, “I think the longer you drink craft beer, the more you are able to appreciate different aspects of all different kinds, which is why I think it’s important to cycle back to a style you maybe didn’t like in the past.” Don’t shy away from an amber because it’s too similar to a brown. Don’t ignore a saison because you didn’t like the last one you had. Give each beer a chance to stand on its own.

(READ: 3 Overlooked Beer Styles to Pair with Food)

3. Treat Every Beer with Respect

Every beer you will encounter is a labor of love. Small and independent craft breweries are out there doing what they do in the interest of making good beer. They want to push boundaries and explore new concepts, and at the end of the day, the thing they want most is to put a good product out there.

Scott Mills agrees. “All brewers put a lot of time and effort crafting the beer for your enjoyment.”

When you offer a critique, allow some respect for the beer and the brewer to permeate your comments. Don’t simply comment, “I don’t like that at all,” or, “That’s awful.” Not only are those not helpful comments, it’s disrespectful. Brewers work very hard and just because you don’t care for a beer, doesn’t mean it is bad. In fact, it may be someone else’s favorite. Everyone is unique with a varying palate and though you may encounter a beer that you don’t like, that just means that it may not be for you.

4. Follow the Hype

There’s no real secret in something that’s hyped up. (That’s kind of the point isn’t it?) I, for one, never much understood why people wanted to ignore or dislike things that are popular. If you try them and determine that they’re not for you, then fair enough. But if you haven’t tried that latest and greatest thing people are talking about, what are you waiting for? Like Andrew from Voodoo says, “If people are talking about it, there’s a reason why.”

Of course, it should be mentioned that obsession with any one style can be dangerous. Shane Walters, a senior member of the Three Rivers Underground Brewers (TRUB) Homebrew Club, cautions, “Sometimes [these cause]people to forget about the other great beer styles out there.” Still, this is where the bleeding edge of craft beer innovation lives right now. Don’t be afraid to explore it.

(LEARN: 75+ Beer Styles)

5. Learn Something New

Do you know why different beer glasses are shaped differently? Do you know why beers on nitrogen gas instead of CO2 have a silkier texture? Now is the time to find out and do some research. Personally, I believe my best interactions at the pub as a bartender happen when I can tell someone about something that they didn’t realize and seriously enhance their experience. Learning more about beer helps you to be a better student of the craft, which in turn allows you to give better feedback to brewers.

6. Take a Trip for a New Beer

Breweries are producing new beers all the time, and the best place to get a sample of those experimental elixirs is at the brewery itself. Moreover, given that brewing innovation requires considerable creativity, it’s no great stretch to imagine that creativity would spill out into taproom. Shane from TRUB feels the same way: “I [sometimes]consider it more [about]the brewery than the beer itself.”

Often unpredictable and rarely redundant, you will find a unique atmosphere at each and every brewery. Whether rustic and worn or chic and modern, you’ll find that the breweries themselves can be just as interesting as the beer that they’re producing. Why not take that couple-hour day trip you’ve been meaning to for a while now?

Check out a new town, take in a new pub and try yourself a new beer. That is kind of the overarching message here anyway. We have a ton of beercation destination ideas right here on CraftBeer.com to help you plan.

(VISIT: Find a U.S. Brewery)

7. Volunteer at a Beer Festival

For the most part, I am sure that any craft beer enthusiast has been to a beer festival. There are thousands throughout the country. In fact, I’m sure most have an agenda of festivals to hit throughout the coming year. Why not just volunteer at one of these? Festivals are often looking for volunteers to help them pull off a massive amount of work, and they can be a great way to help out the community. It does require a bit of work on your part (almost certainly lugging bags of ice), but most of the time you get to attend a festival for free, maybe chat with a brewer and get to see and appreciate just how much work goes into these events. It’s definitely worth your time.

Andrew from Voodoo has a lot of experience working festival events, and he says volunteering creates an excellent and unique perspective: “From a community standpoint there’s nothing better. You get to hang out with all different breweries…I would encourage anyone who’s interested to help out at a festival if the opportunity presents itself.”

8. Share a Bottle with a Friend

It probably goes without saying, but the beer you will find in New Mexico will probably be unlike almost any beer you can lay your hands on in Boston. If you have a friend who lives in another part of the country, reach out to them and arrange an exchange of beers when you two meet up (taking great care to properly handle the beer during your travels so that the beer arrives in your friend’s glass the way the brewer intended it to taste).

9. Visit a Homebrew Club Tasting

Find a local homebrew club this year. (CraftBeer.com)

This is where alchemy is happening! Homebrew club tastings are where the beer runs the gamut from simple to downright bizarre, and it’s an excellent place to get your taste buds on something no one else has had before. Nothing gets the creativity gears turning like a nice hibiscus and elderberry Berliner Weisse (not kidding, that was an actual beer I had one time).

“I think that by visiting a homebrew club meeting one would have access to much more in-depth knowledge of how beer is created…from malts [and]hops to perceived bitterness and tannins…it may open their mind to what they are tasting,” Shane from TRUB says.

Homebrew clubs are fairly ubiquitous. Do a search on the American Homebrewers Association’s website to find one nearby. Clubs usually meet on a fairly regular basis to talk shop, trade beers and of course drink a few. They are very open and welcoming, so don’t be afraid to meander into a meeting.

(WATCH: What’s the Next Trend in Beer?)

If there’s one thing that’s worth taking into 2018, it is that beer is an art form that people invest in varying degrees. Regardless of how ardent your passion for beer, the best thing that you can do to help the entire craft beer industry is to drink it and respect it. Offer constructive critiques if you must, but more importantly, work to learn more about it and try to understand better what you like and why. Realize the basis of your preferences while still permitting an appreciation for all styles and efforts. The success of any industry such as this relies on the consumer as much as the producer. The brewer can make the beer, but without the customer giving good feedback (which comes from learning as much as possible about beer), the industry would stagnate. Creativity and innovation are born as much from the desires of the individual as from the drive of the artist themselves.

So for 2018, let’s all do our part and put our collective heads together. Beer is an amazing thing. There appears to be no limit as far as a creativity and innovation ceiling, so let us ride this Wonka-vator to wherever it will take us. Drinkers, keep encouraging the brewers. Brewers, keep feeding the drinkers! Here’s to 2018.

Andrew Jockers

Andrew Jockers is a dental student in the real world, but he works for Voodoo Brewing Company as a bartender in their Homestead taproom to help maintain his sanity. He also works as an events representative for Voodoo in the Pittsburgh area, raises his newborn son with his beautiful wife and enjoys writing freelance when there’s a moment to breathe. In whatever spare time he doesn’t have, Andrew also loves music, homebrewing, rugby, hiking and rafting.