#Tom Maddox

[stephenist]

Rudy Rucker has posted free epub, mobi and webpage formats of the seminal sci-fi cyberpunk anthology ➡️ Mirrorshades. ⬅️

[x-files-scripts]

The X-Files - “First Person Shooter”

Written by William Gibson & Tom Maddox

February 7, 2000 (YELLOW)

Teaser with storyboard art:

Mulder as the star of his own science fiction movie...

Scully is battle ready...

[thepastisalreadywritten]

(CNN) — What was supposed to be a 10-hour journey to the Titanic shipwreck ended in tragedy, with all five passengers on the missing submersible killed in a catastrophic implosion.

Their deaths were confirmed Thursday, concluding a week-long search for survivors that was closely watched around the world.

The US Navy detected a sound that would match an implosion on Sunday, the day it went missing, and search teams have since found fragments of the Titan submersible, confirming those on board have perished.

But many questions still remain as authorities continue searching for debris, including when the implosion happened and what exactly went wrong with the sub.

Here’s what we know so far.

What is a catastrophic implosion?

An underwater implosion refers to the sudden inward collapse of the vessel, which would have been under immense pressure at the depths it was diving toward.

It’s unclear where or how deep the Titan was when the implosion occurred, but the Titanic wreck sits nearly 13,000 feet (almost 4,000 meters) below sea level.

The submersible was about 1 hour and 45 minutes into the roughly 2 hour descent when it lost contact.

At the depth the Titanic rests, there is around 5,600 pounds per square inch of pressure – several hundred times the pressure we experience on the surface, according to Rick Murcar, the international training director at the National Association of Cave Divers.

A catastrophic implosion is “incredibly quick,” taking place within just a fraction of a millisecond, said Aileen Maria Marty, a former Naval officer and professor at Florida International University.

“The entire thing would have collapsed before the individuals inside would even realize that there was a problem,” she told CNN. “Ultimately, among the many ways in which we can pass, that’s painless.”

Experts say it is unlikely any bodies will be recovered.

The US Coast Guard said Thursday it will continue the search in an effort to recover what it can but warned it was “an incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the sea floor.”

What’s next for the search effort?

Besides searching for the passengers, authorities will also continue to search the sea floor in hopes of discovering more information about what led to the implosion.

It will take time to put together a specific timeline of events, the US Coast Guard said Thursday, calling the underwater environment “incredibly complex.”

So far, they have located the Titan’s nose cone and one end of its pressure hulls in a large debris field, and the other end of the pressure hull in a second, smaller debris field.

“What they would do now is go back to that site and, like cookie crumbs, try to find a trail as to where that would lead,” said Tom Maddox, CEO of Underwater Forensic Investigators, who took part in a Titanic expedition in 2005.

He added that the debris pieces could still be “slightly buoyant” and be carried further away by ocean currents.

“So the big project right now is going to be trying to collect those parts,” he said.

“They’ll mark them, they’ll indicate where they were, and they’ll lay out a map of where those parts were found.”

What is the timeline of the disaster?

The expedition set out from Newfoundland, Canada, on June 16, with the Polar Prince support ship carrying participants to the site of the Titanic wreck.

Then on Sunday, June 18, the five passengers began the dive in the submersible, launched from the support ship, which remained on the surface.

They began the dive around 9 a.m., with their last communication to the surface at 11:47 a.m, according to Miawpukek Maritime Horizon Services, which co-owns the Polar Prince.

They were expected to resurface at 6:10 p.m. but were not seen; authorities were notified at 6:35 p.m. and the rescue operations launched, according to Maritime Horizon.

There seemed to be a brief window of hope after reports emerged that search teams on Tuesday heard banging every 30 minutes, though they were unable to locate the source of the noise.

But the submersible had only been equipped with 96 hours of oxygen, setting Thursday as a key target to locate and retrieve the submersible.

By Thursday afternoon, authorities confirmed the submersible had imploded, saying there does not seem to be a connection between the banging noises and where the debris was found.

A senior US Navy official told CNN the noises were likely some form of natural life or sounds given off by other ships and vessels that were part of the search effort.

It’s still not clear when exactly the vessel may have imploded.

The Navy detected a sound that was “consistent” with an implosion on Sunday, but it was determined to be “not definitive,” so the search for survivors or remains of the vessel continued.

The US Coast Guard said on Thursday it had set up sonar buoys in the water for at least the last 72 hours – meaning from at least Monday onward – but they did not record any sign of an implosion.

Who was on board?

The five men on board included the CEO of the tour operator, a British businessman, a renowned French diver, and a Pakisatani billionaire and his son.

OceanGate Expeditions, the Titan’s operator, said Thursday it believed CEO Stockton Rush and the other passengers to be “lost,” adding that the company’s employees were “exhausted and grieving deeply over this loss.”

Rush, 61, founded OceanGate in 2009 with a stated mission of “increasing access to the deep ocean through innovation.”

In a series of interviews, Rush said he believes deeply that the sea, rather than the sky, offers humanity the best shot at survival when the Earth’s surface becomes uninhabitable.

As CEO, Rush, who graduated from Princeton in 1984 with a degree in aerospace engineering, oversaw the company’s “financial and engineering strategies” and provides a “vision for development” of crewed submersibles, according to his bio.

But in his eagerness to explore, Rush often appeared skeptical, if not dismissive, of regulations that might slow innovation.

British businessman and adventurer Hamish Harding was also on board.

Based in the United Arab Emirates, he was the chairman of Action Aviation, an aircraft brokerage – but was better known for his various expeditions.

He was part of a flight crew that broke the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe via both poles;

He was one of the first people to dive to the Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean, widely believed to be the deepest point in the world’s oceans;

He went to space on the Blue Origin flight; and

He was part of two record-breaking trips to the South Pole.

French diver Paul-Henri “PH” Nargeolet had decades of experience exploring the Titanic.

He served as the director of underwater research at RMS Titanic Inc., the company that has exclusive rights to salvage artifacts from the ship.

According to his biography on the company’s website, Nargeolet completed 35 dives to the Titanic wreck and supervised the recovery of 5,000 artifacts.

He also spent 22 years in the French Navy.

In a statement, his family called him one of the greatest deep-sea explorers in history, adding:

“But what we will remember him most for is his big heart, his incredible sense of humor and how much he loved his family.”

Lastly, Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman Dawood, were from a prominent Pakistani business family.

Dawood Hercules Corp., their business, is among the largest corporations in the country, with a portfolio spanning energy, petrochemicals, fertilizers, information technology, and food and agriculture.

In a statement online, the family patriarch Hussain Dawood and his wife, Kulsum Dawood, said:

“Please continue to keep the departed souls and our family in your prayers during this difficult period of mourning.”

[dasistblod]

Ava being a Tom Lehrer fan is so fucking fantastic what a good character choice

[godscobhhq]

Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland

Name: Maddox Haker Age: 35+ Profession: UTP Pronouns: UTP FC suggestions: Robert Sheehan, Tom Sturridge, Manny Jacinto Availability: Open

Biography UTP

Notable character information: No matter how hard Maddox tries, Pixie Dust keeps calling him back.

[realhousewives-fan]

The Benchmark for Cheating Bastards

As Tom Schwartz struggles to deal with Tom Sandoval, he called the one person who has been in this type of situation before: Jax Taylor.

But was it a productive conversation? It wasn’t very helpful.

And when Jax tells you that you’re a disgrace, it’s saying something. It must hurt to hear such things for such a psychotic asshole.

The thing with Jax though, is that he’s chaotically honest and the biggest liar at the same time.

I wouldn’t trust him as far I could throw him.

But as he said, at least he admitted to his (many) wrongdoings (after being confronted by it, of course). Sandoval, on the other hand, continues to lie and deflect.

The way I feel like I can’t even believe his tears is perhaps harsh, but it doesn’t appear genuine to me.

When he was crying after seeing the photos of him and Rachel Leviss for instance.

It felt like an act. Poor, heartbroken Sandoval.

He compared how the group was treating him to Scott Lee Peterson, a killer who murdered his wife.

He’s spreading it on thick with the passive aggressive sulking.

And it kind of grossed me out the way he was treating his assistant, Ann Maddox. He seemed to mistake her for Cinderella, tiding up his childish mess.

While she’s cleaning up his mess from the pool party, he’s exercising!

Is cleaning up his own mess beneath him or something? Even Lisa Vanderpump is working overtime with forging a path for him to move forward with this group.  

But that pool party, though. Schwartz had to leave because he was so uncomfortable. He also thought it was a bad idea to have that party at the house.

He thought it was weird vibes there, and I believe it, because it’s thirsty randoms and nobodies who’s fighting for his approval to be on the show.

And Sandoval looked absolutely furious when Ariana Madix showed up at the bar.

He was glaring daggers at her! She could physically feel his stare.

But she showed that he’s not getting back into the group without a fight.

[kwebtv]

The Ipcress File  -  ITV  -  March 6, 2022  -  April 10, 2022

Spy Thriller (6 episodes)

Running Time:  60 minutes

Stars:

Joe Cole as Harry Palmer

Lucy Boynton as Jean Courtney

Tom Hollander as Major Dalby

Joshua James as Philip "Chico" Chillcott-Oakes

Anastasia Hille as Alice

Ashley Thomas as Paul Maddox

David Dencik as Colonel Gregor Stok

Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as General Cathcart

Paul Higgins as Douglas Campbell MP

Matthew Steer as Professor Dawson

Tamla Kari as Deborah

Anna Geislerová as Dr. Polina Lavotchkin

Corey Johnson as Capt. Skip Henderson

Mark Quartley as Pete

Chris Lew Kum Hoi as Lin Hai.

Nora-Jane Noone as Dr. Karen Newton

[quasi-normalcy]

Legacy character who have appeared on Paramount+ era Trek by series:

TOS:

Kirk (SNW)

Spock (Disco & SNW, PRO kind of)

Pike (Disco & SNW)

Number One (Disco & SNW)

Uhura (SNW, PRO kind of)

Scotty (SNW, PRO kind of)

Sulu (LWD kind of)

Chapel (SNW)

M'Benga (SNW)

Harry Mudd (Disco & Short Treks)

T'Pring (SNW)

Sarek (Disco)

Amanda Grayson (Disco & SNW)

Khan (kind of) (SNW)

Romulan Commander (SNW)

TNG:

Picard (PIC)

Riker (PIC, LWD)

Troi (PIC, LWD)

Worf (PIC)

Data (PIC)

Geordi (PIC)

Crusher (PIC, PRO kind of)

Wesley (PIC, LWD)

Q (PIC, LWD)

Ro Laren (PIC)

The Borg Queen (PIC, LWD kind of)

Bruce Maddox (PIC)

Lore (PIC)

Guinan (PIC)

Holodeck Moriarty (kind of) (PIC)

Jellico (PRO)

Okona (LWD & PRO)

Zephram Cochrane (kind of) (LWD)

Leah Brahms (kind of) (LWD)

Sonya Gomez (LWD)

Nick Locarno (LWD)

Sito Jaxa (LWD)

B4 (kind of) (PIC)

Literally a background Romulan (Disco)

DS9:

Kira (LWD)

Quark (LWD)

Rom (LWD)

Leeta (LWD)

Martok (kind of) (LWD)

Odo (kind of) (PRO)

I guess Worf, technically? (PIC)

VOY:

Seven of Nine (PIC)

Tom Paris (LWD)

Janeway (PRO)

Chakotay (PRO)

One of the refugee kids from "Counterpoint" (PRO)

Dr. Chaotica (LWD)

Fear the Clown (kind of) (LWD)

Michael Sullivan (LWD)

Lizard babies (kind of) (LWD)

ENT

Agent Daniels (Disco)

[dykeseesgod]

hello!

do you think it would be possible for you to list which of your hometown usa characters are based off of which particular tom leher songs? sorry if that’s too much to ask- love your blog btw

whether this ask is answered or not, have a lovely day!!

omg no of course i can do that :3 under the cut due to the sheer amount of them

in toyhouse sorting order....

al feelder - 1 verse in it makes a fellow proud to be a soldier

anthony pollocks - the love song of the physical anthropologist

ben repair - be prepared

doe peller - the old dope peddler

eddie sharpless - 1 verse in it makes a fellow proud to be a soldier

endel longmann - loosely the end of the news

felicity gray - when you are old and grey

fred peale - 1 verse in it makes a fellow proud to be a soldier

george humphry - george murphy, whatever became of hubert

holden eadmine - i hold your hand in mine, 2 verses in my home town

iris ballot - the irish ballad

luke tennant - 1 verse in it makes a fellow proud to be a soldier

mason kist - the masochism tango

matthew maddox - thats mathematics, new math

monica hacohen - im spending hanukkah in santa monica

nevada ragburn - the vatican rag

nicholas carol - a christmas carol

pete zipgunn - 1 verse in it makes a fellow proud to be a soldier

polk solari - the folk song army, national brotherhood week

sadie kist - the masochism tango

sam humphry - 1 verse in my home town

saul longmann - so long mom a song for wwIII

sawyer otis - selling out

seth mutt - smut, 1 verse in my home town

snija devi - s-n snore sniff and sneeze

sophia lougie - sociology

sue waye - the subway song, the love song of the physical anthropologist

thea hunt - the hunting song

tommy gray - when you are old and grey but only by extension

wade west - the wild west is where i want to be

wendall gray - when you are old and grey

wernher von wultz - shes my girl, the wiener schnitzel waltz

will algo - we will all go together when we go

[phantomato]

10 Characters, 10 Fandoms, 10 Tags

Thank you for the tag, @yletylyf 💖💖💖

Tom Riddle - Harry Potter series

Clive Durham - Maurice (Forster)

Silas Octakiseron - The Locked Tomb

Edmund Pevensie - Narnia

Sakurazuka Seishirou - Tokyo Babylon

Nathaniel - Bartimaeus trilogy

Frank Maddox - David Blaize (Benson)

Bunny - The Charioteer

Edgar Portsnell - The Poe Clan

Ciel Phantomhive - Kuroshitsuji

This was really tough! I limited my school novel answers since those are fandoms of like one or two people, but I could have built an entire list of them. Edgar’s the newest and Edmund is the oldest in the blorbo list. I… like Eds?

(The actual theme is repression and schoolboys.)

Tagging: @mildredmost @graymm @kireia @yorickofyore @half-infinite @moscca @black-bentley @vestiges-of-light @galadriel1010 @aspengray and anyone else who wants to join in!

[cyberianlife]

This is a free online edition of Mirrorshades, as edited by Bruce Sterling.

Posted by Rudy Rucker, September 28, 2022. And with a prayer for Tom Maddox.

Browse the book!

[x-files-scripts]

The X-Files - “Kill Switch”

Written by William Gibson & Tom Maddox

January 7, 1998 (SALMON)

Extended chase sequence:

Scully turns Ninjutsu Princess in the AI simulation...

Alternate ending: Mulder goes back for Scully...

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 9.9

Beer Birthdays

Julius Zupansky (1850)

Gregg Glaser

Ryan Niebuhr (1976)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Hugh Grant; actor (1960)

Michael Keaton; actor, comedian (1951)

Otis Redding; R&B singer, songwriter (1941)

Harlan Sanders; chef (1890)

Leo Tolstoy; Russian writer (1828)

Famous Birthdays

James Agate; English writer (1877)

Mary Austin; writer (1868)

William Bligh; British navy admiral (1754)

Frank Chance; Chicago Cubs 1B (1876)

Frankie Frisch; New York Giants/St. Louis Cardinals 2B (1898)

Jane Greer; actor (1924)

James Hilton; English writer (1900)

Rachel Hunter; model (1966)

Doug Ingle; rock keyboardist (1946)

Michelle Johnson; actor (1965)

The Amazing Jonathan; comedian (1958)

John Kricfalusi; animator (1955)

Joseph Leidy; scientist (1823)

Garry Maddox; Philadelphia Phillies CF (1949)

Anna Malle; porn actor (1967)

Sylvia Miles; actor (1932)

Cesare Pavese; Italian writer (1908)

Dennis Ritchie; computer scientist (1941)

Cliff Robertson; actor (1925)

Adam Sandler; comedian, actor (1966)

Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder; television sportscaster, oddsmaker (1923)

David Stewart; rock musician (1952)

Joe Theismann; Washington Redskins QB (1949)

Henry Thomas; actor (1971)

Michelle Williams; actor (1980)

Tom Wompat; actor (1951)

[undrcssed]

MASTERLIST

A masterlist of muses that I have played throughout the years, that I am always willing to play. I do need to go over some of the FC's and probably make some changes since this list is YEARS old. But I will do that and update it!!

Abigail ‘Abbi’ Abrams FC: Victoria Justice 

Addison Smollen FC: Kendall Jenner 

Allison ‘Alli’ Ortiz FC: Madison Beer 

Amelia ‘Mia’ Abrams FC: Torrey Devitto

Ana Flores FC: Camila Mendes

Angelina Rose FC: Clemence Posey

Apollo Kona FC: Roman Reigns

Augusta ‘Gwen’ Porter FC: Hailey Baldwin

Avery Smollen FC: Kylie Jenner

Bailey Allwood FC: Katherine Langford

Bethany DuPont-Hunter FC: Rachel Bilson / FC: Crystal Reed

Benjamin DuPont FC: Theo James

Blaise Zabini FC: Keith Powers

Bleau St. Claire FC: Val Mercado

Braelyn Carter FC: Alycia Debnam Carey 

Caleb Kyriakos FC: Tom Austen

Callie Haverford FC: Gigi Hadid

Cameron Bartell FC: Natalia Dyer

Cathleen ‘Rey’ Murphy FC: Paige / Saraya Jade Bevis

Chasity Dean FC: Troian Bellisario

Clara Spencer FC: Alexis Ren

Connor O’Brien FC: Cody Saintgnue

Cooper Brozene FC: Joel Kinnaman

Cyrus Morgan FC: Scott Speedman

Daphne Greengrass FC: Pia Mia

Darya Smirnov FC: Taylor Hill

Davina Pace FC: Carmella Rose

Dawson St. James FC: Finn Wittrock

Dean Munroe FC: Jake Gyllenhaal

Demi O’Connor FC: Jessica Lowndes

Destiny Savvin FC: Eiza Gonzalez / FC: Salma Hayek

Dev Ambrogino FC: Nathan Parsons

Diya Gupta FC: Naomi Scott

Dorian Porter FC: Justin Hartley

Dylan Boyer FC: Olivia Wilde / FC: Odeya Rush

Eden Hunter FC: Danielle Campbell

Elizabeth Rush FC: Hayley Atwell

Evelyn Perez FC:  Bruna Marquezine

Genivive ‘Ginny’ Kennedy FC:  Alicia Vikander

Gracie Abernathy FC: Nicola Peltz

Harleen Quinzel FC: Margot Robbie

Hudson O’Connor FC: Charlie Hunnam

Hunter Munroe FC: Kit Harington

Irina Savvin FC: Claire Holt

Isabella Martinez FC: Naya Rivera  Christian Serratos

Isobel Garcia FC: Jackie Cruz

Ivy Hartley FC: Maggie Duran

Jack Collins FC: Tom Holland

Jalessa Myers FC: Jade Thirlwall

Jayden Munroe FC: Leigh Anne Pinnock

Jayson Hunter FC: Dominic Sherwood

Jennifer Martinez FC: Diane Guerrero 

Joanna ‘Joey’ Martell FC: Marie Avgeropoulos

Judith Grimes FC: Daisy Ridley 

Karina Smirnov FC: Irina Shayk / FC: India Eisley

Katherine ‘Katy’ Abernathy FC: Katie Stevens

Katya Ambrogino FC: Ariel Winter

Keith Newman FC: Travis Mills

Kimber Rhodes FC: Karla Souza

Layla Abernathy FC: Emily Kinney / FC: Candice Swanepoel

Leah Douglas FC: Nathalie Emmanuel / FC: Amandla Stenberg

Lee McBride FC: Dan Stevens

Lilliana ‘Lily’ Rey FC: Bella Thorne Luca Hollestelle

Lorelei Ambrose FC: Imogen Poots

Maddox Young FC: Amadeus Sarafini

Madison Nolan FC: Ashley Greene

Makenna Dean FC: Shelley Hennig

Mateo Fiore FC: Theo Rossi

Matheus Silva FC: Chay Suede

Matty Dodson FC: Cody Christian

Maximus ‘Mac’ Porter FC: Austin Butler

Melanie Rhee FC: Lauren Cohan

Mickey Wolfe FC: Troye Sivan

Natalia ‘Talia’ Smallwood FC: Emily Ratajkowski

Nate Ballard FC: Randy Orton

Nikolai Savvin FC: Joseph Morgan

Paige Stabler FC: Madison Davenport

Pansy Parkinson FC: Nona Komatsu

Parker Mercer FC: Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Phoenix Dattolo FC: Avan Jogia

Piper Romero FC: Maia Mitchell / FC: Giza Lagarce

Priyah Jacobs FC: Alysha Nett

Psyche FC: Sophie Turner

Rami Armand FC: Zayn Malik

Reagan Powers FC: Allison Williams

Rhea Lockhart FC: Julianne Hough

Richard Thorne FC: Jon Hamm

Rose Granger-Weasley FC: Madelaine Petsch

Ryan O'Brien FC: Cam Gigandet

Samantha ‘Sammie’ Barker FC: Arden Cho

Sergei Savvin FC: Max Riemelt

Sierra Tsu FC: Dichen Lachman

Stella La’ei Kona FC: Nikki Reed

Sunshine ‘Sunny’ Jacobs FC: Dove Cameron 

Sydney Pearson FC: Zendaya 

Tanya Dash FC: Khole Kardashian Bree Kish

Teegan O'Brien FC: Lili Reinhart

Titus Kona FC: Jason Momoa

Tobias Graves FC: Travis Fimmel

Trent Lancaster FC: Andrew Lincoln

Valentino De Luca FC: Dominic Cooper

Veda Patil FC: Priyanka Chopra

Wyatt Cahill FC: Ryan Guzman

Xavier Waters FC: Don Benjamin

Zion Waters FC: Ricky Whittle

Zoe DiMarco FC: Bex Taylor-Klaus / FC: Ruby Rose / FC: Ash Stymest

[prettymvgic]

my muses ; this is temporary until i figure out how to make things mobile friendly !

FEMALES : poppy : age unknown, pixie, currently captive by a vampire - madelaine petsch. kiana murphy : 22, college student, waitress - samantha logan. kimberly vaughn : 24, 1990's - young!julia roberts. olivia harrington: 22, college student - grace van dien. robyn bailey : 29, model & influencer - laura harrier. sidney prescott : 17-22, scream 1-3 - neve campbell. samantha palmer : 18-23, hs student/college student - katherine langford. marianne parker : 55, ranger wife - diane lane. katherine foster : 42, conwoman - anne hathaway. andrea "annie" bennett : 41, inn owner & keeper, starting over - bethany joy lenz. mercedes hart: 27, influencer & industry plant, upcoming musical artist - ryan destiny. bristol harper : 35, online jewelry store owner, mother to two - hilary duff. evangelina constance : 48, owner of a cult - carla gugino. allison barnes : 38, former nurse now surviving the apocalypse - lauren cohen. lacey thomas : 18-20, college student - nicole wallace. seline castillo : 33, owner of flattop bar & grill, more info upon request - vanessa hudgens. cassandra foxx : better known in her world as ALASKA, 30, sugar baby/escort, more info upon request - vanessa hudgens. marzia vadala : 34, italian, jewelry store owner - phoebe tonkin. gianna ortiz : 34, spanish, receptionist for a corportation - ana de armas. mariana ruiz : 19-22, spanish, hs or college student - alexa demie. holland st. clair : 25, model trying to get her debut, trans-female - hunter schafer. angeline swanson : 23, pornstar - sabrina carpenter. first last : 40, prosecutor - kerry washington.

MALES : marshall "the judge" owens : 49, apocalyptic cult member - andrew lincoln. jude mitchell : 34, lives in an apartment in nyc, struggling artist - andrew garfield. david bascom : 26, 1950's, closeted homosexual - harry styles. casey theriot : 27, nomad. - tom holland. pak dae-hyun : 23, idol struggling with fame - junkook. patrick galloway : 29, blackballed actor starting over - nicholas galitzine. choi minho, 25, establishing actor, mostly indie films waiting for his break - kim jiwoong ( aki. ) hak su-jin : 31, book store / cafe manager in seoul - woo do-hwan. kai kahinu : 19, younger brother to zane, new zealand native, maori - matthew sato. wihan chen : 24, indie musician - first kanaphan puitrakul. ( tashi. ) felix maynard : 30, owner of tart & thyme restaurant, chef - will poulter. caskey dallas : 18-23, outcast, more info upon request - cole sprouse. robin sallow : 28, manager of off beat records, more info upon request - thomas doherty. jesse dylan : 18-30 ( 1985 - 1997 ), teen/convict, more info upon request - dacre montgomery. dean maddox : 22, college student, more info upon request - hero fiennes tiffin. simon parker : 29, lead singer & guitar player of killin' time, more info upon request - joe keery. maverick reed : 26, fisherman's son - rudy pankow. hwan van : 26, mechanic - cha eun-woo choi daehyun : 20, idol, au!fae - felix lee. trevor elliot : 24, college, indie musician, au!fame - felix mallard. kim hanuel : 26, ceo- yeo jin-goo. andrew baker : 19, homeless. - brandon flynn. casper cromwell : forever 20, ghostboy haunting a house. - louis patridge.

THEYS : zane kahinu, 22, older sibling to kai, new zealand native, maori - zoe terakes.

[bluemoonbabes]

Time Gone By

Debris fic. Bryan introspection New Year’s Edition.

It’s New Year’s Eve. The Kazemis’ house swarms with agents and techs and scientists and everything in between, trickling in from Orbital, piling themselves into the living room, meandering along the snack buffet, roving between people and pets. Bryan is the corner, is always in the corner because that’s where he’s safe, back against the wall, no one behind him, everyone in front of him, everyone where he can see. No one to catch him off guard. He’s got some buff, untouched drink in a candy red cup, some beer he grabbed just to hold something, to give his hands something to do, something to center himself on. Beer from that shitty gas station just down the street in a candy red cup just like last year. At least it’s something.

Tonight, though, is mildly pleasant. That’s the best way to put it, standing against the wall and watching the party, beer untouched, always untouched in a crowd like this (inebriation terrifies him, the lack of autonomy, the lessened reaction time, the lessened awareness). Maddox, Tom, Muntz, Alvin, and Lester all throng together in the dinning room, dispersed in various seats that are always being taken and then left and then taken, murmuring between each other things that Bryan’s too far away to hear. There’s one window in the dinning room, and two ways out into the adjoining rooms.

Kazemi and Claire and April have taken to the buffet of snacks spread out among the kitchen (one window above the kitchen sink), chatting as the pick and sniff and judge and taste. Bryan learns a lot being the fly on the wall, every conversation drifting his way, drawn to every little movement. Like how Rachel’s husband wants to get another cat, how Claire’s thinking about going back to college though for what yet she isn’t sure, and how April had the absolute funniest run in with this random stranger in a coffee shop a couple days ago that was such a coincidence.

The front door is clear. Bryan can sprint to it in an instant, that or one of the windows on either side of it. A roar of laughter snatches his eyes to the living room, where Finola and Hamid and Reed and Brandt dip and weave and shimmy and shake as they dance to the music, a collection of drinks in hand. Finola has wine, Bryan thinks, spotting the bulbous glass half-full with the sort of quartz-like color of white wine. They’re in front of the tv, which Bryan is near, against the living room wall, as it bubbles out song after song, songs that are light and groovy, dancing music with a base that rumbles in his chest. But it’s okay tonight. He can tune it out. He has the energy to spare.

He really is mindless tonight, isn’t he? All base instinct, absorbed in the vibrancy before him as Niels and Grace and Gibson come in from the backyard (one door out, two more windows), making some loud comment about how they were freezing their tits off and then promptly going for the alcohol. It’s as much as his brain can process right now, the music and the murmuring, the movement and momentum, but it’s not too much, lingering right at the perfect capacity, consuming his conscious yet not shredding it.

Kazemi hands out champagne flutes, and Bryan just watches her, watches as she weaves between people, making comments as she disperses the drinks. He takes his with a quiet thank you, voice cut, drowned out as the party consumes him, too invaded with what goes on to be much of a conversation. It bubbles, the champagne, a pale gold liquor that mutters to him in a cold, clear glass. His knees are starting to hurt with how long he’s been standing, and tomorrow morning he knows he’s going to wake up a being of nothing but bruise, but that’s tomorrow. Tonight, Finola is walking up to him, a soft smile on her face, her wine glass traded out for the champagne flute.

“How are you doing?” She asks.

Bryan returns that smile, soft and gentle and endeared, because she’s the only one who ever asks. The only one who tries to understand instead of taking the first assumption their brain sputters out. The only one who he isn’t terrified to exist with.

“I’m okay,” He says, “Just hanging out.”

Because that’s the only way he can really put it, isn’t it? Not actively engaging but passively enjoying, watching the people around him, as Kazemi’s catch jumps up onto the kitchen island, and listening, listening as someone shouts out ‘fifteen seconds’.

Finola nods and then the countdown starts, someone shouting out a ‘ten’ and then ‘nine’ as more people join in, ‘eight’ as the entire party catches on, ‘seven’ as it echoes through the living room, ‘six’ as it rattles the house, and then Finola joins in too

“Five!”

And suddenly, Bryan is still.

New Year’s Eve. In five seconds, this year will end, gone to the grave, tucked away for eternity, nothing but a memory as they’re thrust into the next year, only one year, so fleeting. Weren’t they just here celebrating the previous New Year? Or what that two years ago? Or three? Are years really this short?

“Four!”

Time starts to blur after a while. After his brain is rattled by IEDs, after gunshots and shouting chase him down, after the sun beats down on his back for hours and burns his skin, after dust and blood stain his skin, no wash enough, not even now, still slick and warm beneath his fingers. Time starts to loose meaning after the nights spent as days in a land he can only remember, as a car backfires and suddenly there are bullets shooting at him, as he starts to loose touch with himself, floating through life partially out of his own body because if he’s too conscious of it then there’s too much pain, too much freedom for his brain, too much input from the world, too much, too much, too much.

And now he’s going to loose another year.

“Three!”

But at least he got the year.

Asalah didn’t.

Carlotta Orlov didn’t.

Kieran Vandeburg didn’t.

Those farmers from Nebraska didn’t.

Kurt and Clara Cox didn’t.

Luke and Liam Packard didn’t.

George Jones didn’t.

And suddenly the room feels so much more empty than it should, because now Bryan’s aware of just how many aren’t here. Even Asalah, who’s haunted him for years now, painted in his nightmares, clinging to his wrist, hidden in his pocket. Even she still stings, the world around him just a little colder and little more empty than it should be. She should be here, not him, standing in the light as they cry out for the New Year. But then again, this isn’t the first New Year she’s missed. Nor will it be the last. Bryan can only hope that she’s helping the others get through it too, the agony of missing New Year’s as they reside in a place where time doesn’t exist. Or maybe they’re fast asleep, unaware of time at all.

How peaceful that would be. To be so unaware of time. Of the seasons changing. Of how it reminds him of every thing he’s lost, every thing he’s failed, every thing he could never live up to. At least then the pain would stop.

“Two!”

Finola bumps his shoulder.

The world may be a little colder, but it isn’t cold. Maybe a little emptier, but not empty. Not when she stands beside him, the light of the sun itself, beaming at him with freckled cheeks and beautiful eyes. He’s not so alone, as much as his brain tries to trick him into thinking he is, not so isolated, not with Finola here, like glue to keep his feet tacked to the ground and head on his shoulders and brain in the present.

Bryan turns to the party as a whole, the people packed into the living room, shouting together, glasses raised, his coworkers alight as they creep steadily closer to the New Year. And staring at the party, staring at the future, there is a sort of lift off his chest. A sort of acceptance, dare he say a spark of hope. Yeah. Hope. Because he’s not alone. For the first time in a long time, he’s not alone, and staring into the not yet told abyss of the future, he’s not scared. He’s almost excited.

He made it another year. He survived another year, even when all odds were stacked against him. He survived another year through the hell of the Debris. Survived another year even when his PTSD never thought he could, even after the days spent in bed sick and hurting because of how raw it’s worn his body, even after the hospital trips and Orbital scans and blood given to the Debris. He survived another year. So it’s not so sour as it had been the year before. The year before, his survival meant nothing, just that he was continuing, a cog in the machine, just going through the motions until he couldn’t. But it means something this year, in this moment, after months spent across country to contain the Debris, after months spent fighting to bounce back from injuries and missions gone wrong, after months spent with Finola, the closest friend he’s had in years, the only person who means something to him.

For once his survival matters.

“One!”

Bryan looks at Finola, so beautiful, and maybe he didn’t just survive. Maybe he did a little more than that, because she’s gazing at him, bright-eyed, beaming, beautiful. Maybe she’s the hope he feels now, heart fluttering in his chest, the future an abyss for them to carve into shape together.

So he joins in this time

“Happy New Year!”

Bryan leans in close and snakes his arm around her waist, holding her gaze, asking,

“May I?”

Finola’s beaming smile turns into a toothy grin, and then her arm is around his neck, and then her lips are on his, pressing into him, slipping into place, warm and soft and everything he had hoped she would be. She parts, but her arms are still around his neck, over his shoulders, gazing into his eyes, and hers are so brown, so beautifully brown like gemstones.

“Happy New Year, Bryan,” She says.

And then he hears it, sung among the crowd, floating above their heads. Auld Lang Syne. And as it floats, ringing out through the room, Bryan sees someone leave, some one in dark blue and gray worn pale by wind and wear. Asalah. She doesn’t turn to look at him. Just leaves quietly, slipping out and away, no more to say, no more to do, just leaving into the bliss of a tranquil night, where she joins with several others. A little boy. A few people dirtied up and sweaty from a long day’s work. A couple strolling down the street. Two brothers bumping each other’s shoulders. An older man who hobbles his way on.

Bryan just watches them, quiet, passive, accepting as he bids them one last goodbye, one final tear, one final farewell.

Auld lang syne.

And then he lets them be, lets them on their way, lets them rest. The road splits here, where Bryan must go a different way, where it continues on for him, where must keep going even if it’s not so fair, and he returns to Finola.

He grins, “Happy New Year, Finola.”

And for once, for once Bryan means it, because for once, for once the New Year means something for him. A mark of achievement. A mark that he’s survived. That he’s alive, still human and still moving. For once the New Year matters. For once he matters.

He kisses Finola again.