#marie-dufresne

[absinthc]

@marie-dufresne

-

Astrid had fallen into Marie’s life as if some force had dropped her there. Sure, Mr Dufresne was her target, and her eventual dispatching of Arthur seemed more inevitable than intentional—but to say that she intended to muddy the waters of her contract by fraternising with the target’s daughter was a gross misunderstanding.

She took her in as her protege, knowing that even though Marie wasn’t entirely innocent, she was still breaking a part of her open. The very same piece of her that had shattered in her teens when the Collective took her as their own. She didn’t care at first. She was entirely supportive of Marie growing some edges.

Until she wasn’t.

Something within her grew, demanding some form of domesticity with the blonde. Maybe it grew between arguments or the many times Astrid had returned after taking a contract covered in a mixture of blood and exhaustion—the many nights she could not even speak to Marie, let alone look at her.

And sometimes, it just felt good to be in her presence. She didn’t know why, but didn’t care to question the change.

Eventually, though she spent months with her, Astrid didn’t return to the estate she had them glamorously hibernating in. First, it was a little at a time—a few days or a week, but nothing unusual given her job—and then she didn’t return one day. Not for the days or weeks that followed or the weeks that turned into months.

She didn’t return for the money, either.

But there was one night when the air hung thick, and a wrongness seemed to permeate empty streets, and it was just the same as the nights when she earned the higher value contracts, where she had finally made her return. She had entered soundlessly through a window and stood for a time watching Marie as she applied her makeup, eyeing her as a wolf eyes its prey.

“Leaving so early, pussycat?” Her long legs stalked toward the blonde. “Or are you staying?”

[ofgeneticperfection]

@marie-dufresne for National Kiss Day:

Isrieal was great at keeping a poker face, Marie had caught her at a bad time, always having to drop off some cake or cookies at the most opportune moments. She was in the midst of reviewing camera footage in the labs when she wandered in with a tray. “Um..” She glances at the screen and stands up. “Don’t you think food is better left in the break room? Wouldn’t want it to get contaminated back here.” One would barely notice the small dent in her brow. “It looks delicious though, as always, yes...”

She just had to come in the one small moment that Isrieal was caught on camera getting a little too close to the Professor for whatever little attention game she had been playing with him at that moment. The moment Marie leaned in to set down the tray Isrieal jumps up, leans half over the desk and grabs her face between her palms, pulling her in for a deep kiss. She drags it on for a few long moments, eyes glancing at the screen until all was clear. She let’s her go and takes a step back. “Well! That was fun!” She smiles and lifts the tray into her hands while her heart pounds in her chest. “You smelled so good I just couldn’t resist!” 

She balances the tray on her hand while grabbing Marie’s wrist with the other, dragging her along out of the room. “Let’s go eat these somewhere chemicals wont get all over them, yeah?” 

[stingslikeabee]

❛  there’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead.  ❜

the Princess Bride starters . accepting

They faked it well - but the two girls sitting together at the police station were more used to these surroundings than they cared to admit. Of course, pretending to look intimidated and scared of the bright lights, the non-stop calling noise and the dangerous individuals temporarily under custody earned sympathy. With Melissa and Marie side by side, one wouldn’t believe him to be anything but victims.

Or so they hoped.

The last stint they had pulled during a fraternity party hadn’t ended too well - while the younger girl was almost a professional at slipping away with the money the boys never saw being removed from their wallets, one of Marie’s targets hadn’t been as drunk as she supposed; the guy was willing the blonde girl get away with it as long as he had some reward - the type that would involve dragging her back to an empty room and getting her petite frame onto a bed.

No one had to imagine that was he wanted - the guy had been yelling these words by the time Melissa arrived at the house and saw him trying to grab Marie’s wrist. Luckily, his alcohol-fueled stupor prevented the older girl from being spotted, the brunette hitting him over the head with an empty bottle picked from the yard as she ran towards her sister. However, the sound of the glass shattering and blood dripping to the ground immediately drew more attention than they wanted.

Well - desperate times called for desperate measures; but unfortunately the party had disturbed enough neighbors to have them call the police, and by the time the siblings had managed to break free of the last problem to run home, they were caught red-handed by the police (quite literally in Melissa’s case; some of her own blood was mixed there, caused by the way the bottle splintered).

Now sitting at the precinct with her own hand bandaged and accompanying Marie, an officer came around with a clipboard in hand and looking rather skeptically at them. He scratched his head and then said:

“Are you two the girls related to that fraternity boy with a nasty concussion?” the policeman questioned, almost as if he doubted that they could have caused such a massive chaos to a bigger, bulkier man. Melissa breathed with relief then - good; it meant their pity act was working as usual. The brunette nodded, and the officer whistled lowly.

“Well, you ladies did a number on him alright - he looked mostly dead when the ER took him in, but looks like he’ll make it,” he reported, and then Marie looked up at the officer with a rather indignant look, clutching her bigger sister’s hand in a demonstration of solidarity.

“There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead,” she said defiantly, and then Marie’s eyes went wide almost as if she had realized how bold her claims were; the girl’s demeanor changed immediately, and she lowered her gaze more demurely, facing the floor instead. “I’m sorry, sir. He wanted to... To do bad things to me, my sister, she... She only...”

Soft sniffling noises followed, and the officer seemed to despair at the sight - he apologized and offered Marie some tissues, not missing the way Melissa looked at him; almost as if the older woman was blaming the law enforcement individual for the pain caused to her sister instead of the drunk, reckless fraternity boy who thought himself above the law. Murmuring something about grabbing a hot chocolate for Marie, the officer went away - and as the blonde girl sneezed delicately, Melissa patted her on the back softly.

Marie grinned at her sister from under her curls, and the brunette chuckled softly.

“Works like a charm, doesn’t it,” Melissa mused, and then became serious all over again when the figure of the same police officer emerged from the end of the hallway, “Do your worst, honey. Perhaps we can get a free meal out of them too.”

[absinthc]

“It is certainly a relief to know that I don’t need to go rifling around for my things.” She flashed a smile, but it wasn’t genuine. It dripped with something only two shades off from cruelty. “Especially when I was… certain something would go missing.” Her other hand reaches for Marie’s shoulder, which traces a small circle over her skin.

Something within Astrid’s gaze flickered like a lamplight, and it was older and more significant than jealousy, bordering the edge of contempt. It was a part of her that blackened at the mere thought of any competition—the very part she used to try and suffocate, only to find herself strangling anyone who dared lay claim to anything she deemed hers.

Marie was no exception.

It was nearly primal and even further from any tenderness she could ever manage. It tempted her to take out one of her knives and plant it deep into the blonde’s dress, to ruin it and prevent her from even thinking about wearing it again.

“A man?” Then, she lowered herself to Marie’s level, her eyes forming a penetrating gaze. “Even when I have eyes and ears everywhere?” the wolf within her beckoned and glowered, and she drew closer. “I’m like oxygen, Marie; I’m all over and inside everything. So meet your little man-friend. Feel free.”

Then, her hands release the blonde and return to her sides. Her parting was too swift, blunt, and bordered on a shove. “I’m going to get my things,” her gaze was away from Marie this time.

“I’ll even keep house for you—I know you’re coming back.”

@eteriskromling

There was a duality to Astrid, of course. She was never indeed in one place or the other, never the same woman as the one she allowed people to meet. It was her talent. It was a fool’s dream to remember her past before her indoctrination. Marie never met that version of her, anyway.

Marie met the version of her that she was today or at least some iteration of it. The sharp version, two parts bitter, sugared after she knew she was safe. And, even then, she was severe.

She clicked her tongue before a hand grabbed the blonde’s face, her other one preparing a monogrammed handkerchief to dab the other woman’s tears. Despite the intimacy in her actions, her tone is nearly medical.

“Now, now… Don’t cry; you’ll ruin all of your work.” Her hands were precise, dabbing at the liquid to not smudge her mascara. A smirk was building upon her face, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

Her lover’s reaction almost amused a part of her, and admitting that truth to herself was borderline sickening. She hadn’t realised how callous she’d grown, and for a moment, realised something; she was turning out like her mother, even after trying not to. Even after never meeting her.

“I’m not going to lie to you. You’re better at laying low than I thought.” Two fingers suddenly sat beneath Marie’s chin, lifting it to look her in the eyes. “But if you lay low, darling—I’m underground. It’s what I’m good at.” She didn’t bother asking Marie if she missed her. Her reaction showed that she was devastated by their parting of ways.

And, there was a part of her that felt the same. She would never acknowledge her vulnerability, and her bitterness numbed the feeling even now. Two slices of her left thought it was what Marie should have expected, but she didn’t muddy their interaction by bringing it up.

“So, I trust you watered my plants?”A smile formed upon her face, but it was dripping with something akin to cruelty instead of companionship. “Kept all of my clothes?” She ran her finger upon the other woman’s forearm, barely pressing into the skin.

Marie couldn’t respond right away. She didn’t fight the way Astrid tidied her face and she didn’t beam at the compliments as she may have in the past. Her face was, in this very rare instance, almost entirely blank.

“Your plants are fine,” she whispered finally, standing and leaving the vanity, turning from Astrid, unable to look at her, “and selling off your wardrobe would negate laying low.”

True, she hadn’t sold them, but that didn’t mean there weren’t a few key pieces now tucked away in Marie’s own closet from nights that had been particularly difficult to bear, when a gown or a blouse was akin to a toddler’s security blanket.

Lifting her cocktail dress from where sh had laid it on her chaise, the blonde still refused to meet the eyes of her lover. Former lover? It was difficult to tell with Astrid. “I’m meeting a man tonight,” she said, a little bit of courage settling into her spine and shooting out of her words like ice, “and now I have half a mind never to return.”

[katana-otoko]

@marie-dufresne

There was flour in her hair and sticky smudges of jam on her apron from where the children had tugged, pulled, or snuggled that morning. It was a hot day, but their RV was fitted with all the luxuries they could need and the air conditioning hummed quietly.

A smile lifted up both sides of her face when she caught Balto's gaze, having looked up from his reading to watch her roll out her pie crusts. When he blew her a kiss, she giggled and looked back down, focusing on her pastries.

"You can come here and give me a real one," she suggested, "or you can continue to be a tease."

A light laugh follows that demand, he shuts the book after setting a page marker. Balto sets the book aside and stands, strolling further inside--taking care to avoid striking his head against some low-hanging supplies. Balto towered above Marie, brushing those curls aside as he leans closer to her neck, only to pause: "What if I pick the one you don't like?"

[unknown171204]

Starmania 1979

The French singer, author and composer Michel Berger one day heard about a surprising news item . Patricia Campbell Hearst, the daughter of a billionaire, kidnapped by terrorists ended up joining their movement out of love for one of her kidnappers !

This true story will fascinate him, to the point of starting an album inspired by this story :

This will be the “Angelina Dumas” project .

Ultimately the album never saw the light of day and only one song that remained of Berger's work remained that he recorded as a duet with his wife France Gall :

Frustrated by what he considers to be a failure, Michel will not let go of what he thinks (rightly) is a good artistic vein

thanks to his wife who will make him meet the Canadian singer Diane Dufresne, Michel will work with his lyricist Luc Plamondon with whom he created the most famous rock opera in France :

The story takes place in an undated future (despite a now outdated reference to the year 2000 and the 80s) Humans now live in underground galleries redeveloped into a huge city called Monopolis. The only mirage of happiness for ordinary citizens is the number 1 television show "Starmania" where everyone can become a star for one night .

We simultaneously follow the lives and actions of several characters :

Johnny Rockfort : A young anarchist leader of the terrorist group " les étoiles noires " ( the black stars )

Sadia : A transvestite student co-creator of " les étoiles noires "

Marie Jeanne : The depressed waitress who works at the " Underground café "

Ziggy : A mythomaniac and ambitious homosexual record store owner

Cristal : The host of Starmania

Stella Spotlight : A sex symbol on the decline

Zéro Janvier : An extremist politician running for became president

Gourou Marabout : An extremist politician also competing in the presidential election

Roger-Roger : the TV presenter

Brilliantly the duo Berger / Plamondon went out of their way to organize the broadcast of a special television program in 1978 in order to present the songs to as many people as possible :

The show was performed for a short month for 33 performances at the Palais des Congrès , but it is considered one of the greatest French musicals

DISTRIBUTION :

Daniel Balavoine : Johnny Rockfort

France Gall : Cristal

Fabienne Thibeault : Marie-Jeanne

Étienne Chicot : Zéro Janvier

Diane Dufresne : Stella Spotlight

Grégory Ken : Ziggy

Nanette Workman : Sadia

Roddy Julienne : le Gourou

René Joly : Roger-Roger

Due to his short presence on stage, the show did not have the right to a complete recording (it is today considered a highly sought after lost media) but fortunately the audio of the show has available in its entirety !

To get an idea of ​​the visual identity of the show I had to dig into the TV archives :

The repetitions :

Full live audio of the show :

한국어 자막과 함께 :

Single :

Monopolis / Quand on arrive en ville / Le blues du business man / La complainte de la serveuse automate / Ziggy / Le monde est stone

But the most memorable song is " SOS d'un terrien en détresse "

A song renowned for its difficulty and which launched the career of Daniel Balavoine then, years later, that of Star Academy 2004 winner Grégory Lemarchal :

ANECDOTES :

The original album contains two songs missing from the final show :

Petite Musique terrienne Part 2

L'air de l'extraterrestre

This extraterrestrial is a deleted character who only appeared physically in two production ( Francis Martin in 1980 and Marc Gabriel in 1986 , in this last version we discovered that Roger-Roger was in reality an alien ) the song, or rather its theme, will be recycled in several subsequent versions .

The show also contains several unreleased and missing songs from the album that will never be reused !!

La serveuse et les clients

Jingle de Stella

Sex shops , cinéma porno

Les parents de Cristal

Le tango de l'amour et de la mort

...

Claude Dubois (the original voice of Zéro Janvier) is the only one of the singers present on the album who did not reprise the role on stage, unfortunately it was because of his drug addiction, he took his revenge in 1989 when he replaced Richard Groulx on stage ( thanks to miss-starmania for the archive picture and additional information )

...

Michel Berger abandons his role of Grand Gourou to Roddy Julienne without any explanation ?!

...

In this version, in addition to randomly attacking wealthy people in the street, scratching their cars and raping girls in parking lots, les étoiles noires of 79 are a bit more extreme than in the other versions … Roger Roger specifies that the terrorists deliberately disconnected the oxygen ventilation of an entire neighborhood, killing all the residents ! This free murder will be deleted from other versions

...

The name Johnnie Rockfort (a complicated pun to translate which can mean "strong rock'n'roll " or just the cheese of the same name ? ) is perhaps not a coincidence , the producer of the show Roland Hubert, not being convinced by Balavoine, completely unknown at the time, he fought (in vain) with Berger so that the role was offered to the rocker Johnny Halliday

...

According to the memories of France Gall, during one of the performances a disgruntled spectator had fun whistling throughout the show exhausting Daniel Balavoine who patiently waited for the curtain call to jump into the audience to beat him up while he was still wearing his bulky costume ( the one below )

...

France Gall speaks about the show :

For more Starmania or to discover other French musicals I invite you to follow the path of my main masterlist to learn more about French musicals and their stories :

[undeath1245]

Headcanon full names for the TD contestants

I figured that I should share my list of headcanon full names of each of the characters of Total Drama, with a couple of exceptions here and there (i.e. Chris McLean, Blainely O'Halloran, Alejandro Burromuerto, Cody Anderson, Harold McGrady, Devon "DJ" Joseph, Dakota Milton, Lightning Jackson, Cameron Wilkins, Nichelle LaDonna, Valentina MacArthur). Results may possibly vary.

Original Total Drama contestants

Gwendolyn York (sharing the same name as the York Region)

Trent McAllister

Duncan van Jensen

Courtney Ferrera

Heather Yang

Lindsay Berglund

Tyler Greenwood

Bethany Collins

Geoff Baskerville

Brigette Heinemann

Justin Carroway

LeShawna Martin

Isabella Crampton

Eva Alexandrova

Sierra McAnthony

Katie Bisonette

Sadie Jeong

Ezekiel Brimstone

Revenge of the Island contestants

Michael Holmvik

Zoey Abendroth

Brick Hopkins

Scott Bronson

Josephine "Jo" Arnold

Samuel Braxton

Anna Marie Lombardi

Dawn Nicholson

Beverly "B" Norwood

Staci Murray

Pahkitew Island contestants

Shawn Romero

Jasmine Abbott

Sky Rouleau

David Corduroy

Sugar van Hoffman

Amanda Dufresne

Samantha Dufresne

Topher Fellows

Ella Grimm

Maxwell Hunter

Scarlett McGrady

Rodney Fieldston

Leonard Hammersmith

Winslow Beardman

The Ridonculous Race contestants

Devin Letterman

Carrie Brennan

Thomas Wesley

Jennifer Walcott

Brody Simpson

Stephanie Fairchild

Ryan Carmichael

Rosalind Sanders

Josée Guillaume

Jacques Beaumont

Emma Zhong

Katherine Zhong

Stuart Rockford

Theodore Spudman

Dwayne Broker Sr.

Dwayne Broker Jr.

Kelly Greenwood

Taylor Greenwood

Jay Henderson

Mickey Henderson

Ennui Craven

Marie Crimson

Tammy Lundgren

Laurie Delcroix

Kristoffersen Miles

Ellody Newton

Marie Poindexter

Chet Levett

Lorenzo Antonelli

Gerry Drummond

Peter McLean

Total Drama Revival contestants

Caleb Edwards

Priya Rouhani

Millie Baldridge

Hezekias "Zee" Wanchai

Julie Martinson

Mary Kate "MK" Chung

Wayne Rupert

Raj Samaroo

Bowie Davison (based on the late English pop star)

Emma Wahlgren

Damien Laurence

Ripper Alderman

Axel Emerson

Chase Rodgers

Lauren "Scary Girl" Metcalf (sharing the same name as the actress)

Why don't you share me your fan name ideas?

[msn-04iinightingale]

Exhumation

Helios

Langogne (Small village in the eastern mountains along the river Coen)

2400 Hours

Adept Marie Dufresne sat in the old leather chair, staring at the communications array before her. The message had come in several minutes ago, but she had yet to really process it.

Outside, the wind howled as it rattled the walls of the old Church.

Marie had been stationed at this hole in the wall outpost for...Blake, how long had it been now...five years? But she knew the place had been around for far longer. If she had to guess, back to the closing days of the Jihad. The church and village of Langogne were even older, the small farming community nestled in the mountains east of Coen City. The church was stone, and local wood, dedicated to some branch of local religion brought by the original colonists of Helios. Normally, that would make problems, but no one came up here anymore. The few times she ventured into the village, she heard the locals whisper of curses, of how the woods around here were a little too dark, the nights too long, of spirits that haunt the old church and surrounding woods at night. When she first arrived, she laughed.

Now, she was inclined to agree.

She sighed. It didn't matter anymore, they'd be leaving soon. Or dead.

The message was simple, and once she had decoded the BEO level encryption, she had stared at it for several long minutes. She read it again, just in case she was mistaken.

Coen Fallen. Open the Casket.

She felt a chill run up her spine. It carried the authorization of Precentor Herschel. She remembered she had been so honored at first, when he had given her this position. In person no less. She was so proud of this task.

That was before she knew what that task entailed.

She stood, feeling the cold more acutely than she had ever before as she made her way from her office. The room she had selected as hers had been, she suspected, part of the rectory.

Outside, in the hall, waited Acolyte Mateo Gilabert. A heavily built man, he provided security for the small outpost, what little was needed. No one knew they were here, after all. He saluted her, Mauser Laser Rifle slung over his shoulder as always. Mateo was a good man, quiet, but a good soldier.

"Your orders, Adept?" he asked, his voice strong and deep.

"...it's time, Mateo." she spoke, finally.

"...I...I see Adept." the soldier replied. "Then we will be leaving soon?"

"Yes, we will...once we have opened it."

Mateo nodded.

"I'll begin prepping the supplies. We will need them for the journey south. With any luck, we will hit loyal lines in a week."

"Good...see to it." she said, forcing conviction into her voice where she felt none. The prospect of moving through difficult terrain on foot during the current weather wasn't appealing, however, staying was even less. The invaders, this, SLDF, would be able to find them from the communication they received. It was likely, they were already sending people to investigate.

She frowned slightly as she continued her journey to the tomb. They were the enemy, invading armies of hostile soldiers, mechwarriors, and more. But still...she was not without pity for them. She doubted they deserved what waited below.

Her footsteps rang in the empty building, as she made her way through the chapel and to the entrance of the crypt below.

Fitting, she supposed.

She descended the stone stairs and was greeted by the out of place sight of a heavy blast door, featureless, save for the keypad along one side. She punched in the code by memory, all 28 characters of it. There was a hiss of hydraulics, and a psssssssh of a releasing seal, and the door swung inward. She stepped inside, boots clacking along the metal flooring as she walked to the next chamber.

Acolyte Karel Nistor looked up from his terminal. The technical expert of the three, he was the one in charge of monitoring and maintaining the...

"It's time. We need to open it." she said.

The thin, pale man only nodded, adjusting his glasses as he began to work. The process, as she understood it, was a complicated one on his end. He began the incantations and rituals of appeasement for the machine. She watched him, pointedly ignoring what lay in the center of the room. He was quite the technology whizz, she understood. She liked him, and wondered how he came to find himself with this of all duties.

Finally, when she could no longer ignore it, she turned to regard...

It.

The center of the converted crypt was taken up by machinery, large, arcane in nature, it thrummed with power quietly. Most of the equipment defied easy identification, but in the center of it, placed horizontally, was the Casket. A stasis casket. Measuring 1.5 meters by 3, the oblong rectangle of metal lay like a sarcophagus in the middle of a tomb. A hand print scanner inlaid along the top, delicate scripture of Blake's holy word traced the entire lid. The only other feature, was...the window. Set along the "head" of the Casket.

Marie stared at the frosted window with something approaching dread. She vividly remembered when, after about three weeks here, she had gotten curious, and, against Acolyte Nistor's advice, had brushed the coating of frost from the armored glass.

She remembered screaming.

She shuddered, but tamped it down. She would get to see the occupant in person soon enough. Her eyes strayed down along to the only other feature of note on the lid.

A name, old earth French.

Gévaudan.

---

//Cycle#46853481// //00:32:45//

The Clan Battle Armor slumped forward, the visor pierced by their hand, silencing the struggles of the pilot within. The other four lay broken around them. They were getting very good at neutralizing enemy Battle Armor while unmounted.

A heavy infantry squad opened fire, sending machine gun fire tracing through the ruins. The reverse trajectory calculations showed the exact position of the combatants. Targets listed by priority of threat to themselves ran down the side of their vision.

/ENGAGE ADRENAL ENHANCEMENT /ENGAGE SYNAPTIC OVERCLOCK

They darted through the plentiful cover, moving on all fours to keep a low profile. Before the soldiers could react, they were amongst them.

Black iron taloned manipulator hands reached out and broke the neck of the first, easy as a grown man would a dry twig.

/ENGAGE VIBROBLADES

They lashed out with blade limbs, cutting down the infantry with ease and sprays of crimson. They panicked, and screamed, firing wildly.

Inefficient, and ill advised. Indeed, they registered at least one case of friendly fire, the soldier taking at least three rounds to the chest from one of their companions.

/IMPACT DETECTED, MINOR CHASSIS DAMAGE

They spun, lashing out with a leg to grab the soldier that shot them by the head, wrenching them off their feet and slamming their head into the floor.

The final soldier attempted to run. They brought them down from behind, the forearm mounted laser burning out the back of their skull with a snap.

//END CYCLE//

The datastream fed in a new battlefield, this time, they were in a battlemech. An unfamiliar battlefield, against familiar opponents. The Wolf's Dagoons came for them. They were ready.

//Cycle#46853482// //00:00:00//

---

"Almost ready, Adept." Karel said, breaking the near silence of the crypt.

"Good, good." Marie replied, looking his way. She removed a data chip from her pocket. It was the other part of her message. It's orders. Whatever they were, she knew they would mean nothing but death for the SLDF. She slid the chip back into her pocket, and waited.

---

//Cycle#46853482// //00:20:36//

The Black Warhammer with the red hourglass slid free from the retractable blade of their Deva, cockpit ruined. Around their damaged mech, three lances worth of Dragoons lay dead or eliminated.

They assessed the damage to their mech as the data stream cycled. This marked the 213th time they had run this scenario. It was the 200th that they completed successfully.

//END CYCLE//

The landscape changed again, this time, a cold, snowy world, lots of mountains and trees. This one was a new addition. They had yet to complete this one. The enemy was...skilled. The Black Timberwolf stalked through the trees, slipping in and out of sight. They readied themselves.

//Cycle#46853483// //00:00:00//

//CYCLE SUSPENDED//

//BEGIN REANIMATION PROTOCOL//

---

Karel gave her a nod. It was time.

Marie inhaled, and then, placed her hand on the scanner. It whirred and beeped, and there was the thrum of a laser scanner. There was a klunk, as the locks disengaged around the lid, and the hiss of the seal releasing.

The lid began to rise.

---

They...were awake.

It was a novel experience after so long asleep. Not that they had been idle. They calculated it was close to 75 years, Terran standard since they had been put into stasis.

Idly, they wondered what the Sphere was like now. Evidently, it was bad enough that they were needed once again.

Pneumatically enhanced lungs drew in breath.

Hydraulically assisted blood began to pump harder through a synthetically enhanced heart.

Multi-spectrum sensing eye lenses winked to life.

They grinned. Not because they had anything to grin about, but because they couldn't not grin.

After all, it was hard to change your face when it was made of metal.

They raised themselves up, myomer muscles heating up, limber and strong.

Jaws worked into the grinning head of a wolf skull slid open.

"...I await your orders, Adept." came the voice, cold as the grave.

[esoterium]

top 100 characters statistical "which character" is similar to yours personality quiz

**picking five characters i know to add to the list while i take a couple!!*

Nomi Marks (Sense8): 83%

Marianne (Portrait of a Lady): 83%

Inej Ghafa (Shadow and Bone): 83%

Salvatore Romano (Mad Men): 82%

F o x M u l d e r  (T h e X - F i l e s): 82%

Torvi (Vikings): 82%

Baby (Baby Driver): 82%

Ally Maine (A Star Is Born): 82%

Marie Kreutz (The Bourne Identity): 81%

Riley Blue (Sense8): 81%

Elisa Esposito (The Shape of Water): 81%

Buck Vu (The OA): 81%

Alice Cullen (Twilight): 80%

Abby Sciuto (NCIS): 80%

Ben Hargreeves (TUA): 80%

Andy Dufresne (The Shawshank Redemption): 80%

Floki (Vikings): 80%

Rogue (X-Men): 80%

Amanita Caplan (Sense8): 80%

Juliana Crain (The Man in the HC): 80%

Ola Nyman (Sex Ed): 80%

Willow Rosenberg (Buffy): 79%

Neo (The Matrix): 79%

Ariadne (Inception): 79%

Guinan (Star Trek: TNG): 79%

W i l l G r a h a m  (H a n n i b a l): 79%

Bonnie Bennett (TVD): 79%

Monica Dutton (Yellowstone): 79%

Sam Button (The Perks): 79%

Frenchie (The Boys): 79%

Robin Buckley (ST): 79%

Marianne Sheridan (Normal People): 79%

W a n d a M a x i m o f f  (WandaVision): 79%

Violet Parr (The Incredibles): 79%

Luna Lovegood (HP): 78%

Nymphadora Tonks (HP): 78%

Trinity (The Matrix): 78%

Jasper Hale (Twilight): 78%

Toni Topaz (Riverdale): 78%

Kalinda Sharma (The Good Wife): 78%

Han Lue (Fast & Furious): 78%

Amélie Poulain (Amélie): 78%

Maeve Wiley (Sex Education): 78%

Cassie Thomas (Promising Young Woman): 78%

River Tam (Firefly): 77%

Omar Little (The Wire): 77%

Morpheus (The Matrix): 77%

William H. 'Shakespeare' Hill (This Is Us): 77%

Jonah Byrde (Ozark): 77%

Chris Washington (Get Out): 77%

Lane Kim (Gilmore Girls): 77%

Céline (Before Sunrise): 77%

Ada Shelby (Peaky Blinders): 77%

Jonathan Byers (ST): 77%

Benjamin Button (TCCBB): 77%

Heloise (Portrait of a Lady): 77%

Lily Iglehart (Sex Ed): 77%

Naomi Nagata (The Expanse): 77%

Hester Prynne (The Scarlet Letter): 77%

Remus Lupin (HP): 76%

Maeve Millay (Westworld): 76%

Daniel Jackson (Stargate SG-1): 76%

Rosalind Walker (CAOS): 76%

Storm (X-Men): 76%

Hernando Fuentes (Sense8): 76%

Dr. Sean Maguire (Good Will Hunting): 76%

Mozzie (White Collar): 76%

Kinsey Locke (Locke & Key): 76%

J o h n W i c k  (John Wick): 76%

Ekko (Arcane): 76%

Albus Dumbledore (HP): 75%

Inara Serra (Firefly): 75%

D'Angelo Barksdale (The Wire): 75%

Janis Ian (Mean Girls): 75%

Damian Leigh (Mean Girls): 75%

Dom Cobb (Inception): 75%

Michael Scofield (Prison Break): 75%

Jughead Jones (Riverdale): 75%

Darlene (Mr. Robot): 75%

Wyldstyle (The Lego Movie): 75%

Nairobi (Money Heist): 75%

Penelope (The Odyssey): 75%

Aunt Polly (Peaky Blinders): 75%

Penelope Garcia (Criminal Minds): 75%

Joyce Byers (ST): 75%

Will Byers (ST): 75%

Angela Montenegro (Bones): 75%

Maleficent (Maleficent): 75%

Kang Sae-byeok (Squid Game): 75%

Jules Vaughn (Euphoria): 75%

Viktor (Arcane): 75%

Suzuha Amane (Steins;Gate): 75%

Natalie (Yellowjackets): 75%

Jyn Erso (Rogue One): 75%

S i r i u s B l a c k  (HP): 74%

Elizabeth Bennet (Pride & Prejudice): 74%

Black Widow (MCU): 74%

Paul Smecker (Boondock Saints): 74%

Ciri (The Witcher): 74%

Kurt Hummel (Glee): 73%

[ofgeneticperfection]

💗

From: (Still Accepting) Send 💀 to be captured by my muse. Send 💗 to be rescued by my muse.

Isrieal had warned Marie time and time again not to go into the Drum. That it wasn't the place that she once knew. It was restricted to limited personnel for a reason and of course she just had to go poke around in it. She always did want to peer into the face of the unknown.

Isrieal was usually sent to deal with 'intruders' on the rare instance anyone would willingly walk into those labs. The alert already had her on her toes but once she realized who it was she was bolting down the halls. Not only did Marie go where she should not have gone, but a containment breech. Meaning something was in there with her.

The doors to the ward fly open as the word "Marie!!" echoes in a scream through the air. She was face to face with one of those monstrosities born of twisted Soldiers standing over her with its sharp claws. "Get down!" She shoves her aside and holds out her hand, capturing the monster telekinetically as it was mid-strike. It's hand was now frozen in the air fighting against an invisible force as Isrieal seemed to struggle the same until it was sent flying back against the wall.

She had enough time to draw her fanblades as it got back up, ready to leap. Lightning crackles through the air as her blade strikes into it, sending volts in all directions as they shock through the monsters body. It was quick to shake off its stun as it now focused on Isrieal, shrieking at Isrieal. With a swift bound it leaps towards her, claws digging through her forearm as she uses the proximity to slam her blade up through its chest. She glares into its soulless eyes as bursts of lightning erupt from within it and finally it crumples lifeless to the floor.

She staggers to the wall, panting to catch her breath and wincing at the surge of pain in her head. The shooting headaches she always got when using any of her psychic powers. She puts a hand breifly to her head and eyes the broken tank that it had broken out of with a look of confusion. How had it gotten out? And then there is Marie huddled on the floor.

She quickly sinks down beside her, soaked in blood from the creature and the gauge upon her arm that already seemed to be knitting itself back together. With a firm grasp upon her wrist she pulls her to look at her. "What are you doing in here?! That thing could have killed you! And thats not the only one..." Far from it. This place was littered with those hidden monstrosities. The secrets she's kept of what Hojo has been up to as of late. "I mean it when I say you can't come here. You can't come here again." Her palms press against her cheeks as her gaze pierces through her eyes. "Do you understand?"

A distant metallic ring has her head turning quickly in the direction of the sound, letting out a controlled sighed as nothing proved to be nearby. She grabs Marie's arm to help her up. "Let's get you out of here."

@marie-dufresne

[nearmidnightannex]

The 10 best librarians on screen?

The 10 best librarians on screen (bfi.org.uk) Staff at the [British Film Institute] Reuben Library nominate their top 10 librarians in film and television. 5 February 2016 By Emma Smart, Sarah Currant

Think of a librarian and chances are a certain image will form: generally female, early middle age, neat yet frumpy clothes, glasses and possibly hair scraped back into a tight bun. This is an image that the past 100 years of cinema has done little to counteract, and the moving image archives are littered with painful examples of the ‘spinster librarian’ type: bitter, dried-out husks surveying their reading rooms with a gimlet eye, and generally acting as killjoys when any fun appears on the horizon.

The reality couldn’t be more different!

So we’ve handpicked those screen representations that contradict the stereotypes and prove what those of us in the know knew all along. Librarians are pretty cool....

[NB: list edited due to yr humble editor's taste, what has actually been seen, and to limit post length. If you want to see the complete list and accompanying text, click on the link up top -- ed.]

Bunny Watson (Katharine Hepburn) – Desk Set (1957) - Katharine Hepburn’s wonderfully acerbic Bunny Watson is the librarian that everyone wants to be when they finally grow up. She loves a drink and a party, and is in possession of both a fabulous wardrobe and a wicked sense of humour. These are little-known yet essential qualities for any would-be information professional. More importantly however, she is a consummate professional with a degree and postgraduate qualification, she has an encyclopaedic knowledge of her collection, and an absolutely formidable memory. She was a walking Google before Google was even a thing.

Marian Paroo (Shirley Jones) – The Music Man (1962) - Possibly the quintessential representation of what most people think of when they picture a librarian, Shirley Jones’s prim and proper librarian Marian has a special place in the hearts of the BFI Reuben Library team. She may come across as officious and unyielding, not afraid of the librarian’s ubiquitous defence against noise pollution (the crisply enunciated “Shh!”), but underneath the surface of that devoutly professional exterior is a passionate woman waiting to be unleashed. And when she figures out con-man Harold for what he really is, yet again it’s a librarian who saves the day.

Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) – The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - The only innocent man in Shawshank prison, Andy Dufresne built up the kind of library most of us would be proud to work in. His sheer persistence and single-mindedness in repeatedly asking for funds and donations from the local authorities proves that librarians, on film as in real life, are a tenacious bunch undeterred by bureaucracy. Tim Robbins instils the role with steely determination hidden beneath the well-mannered exterior, whether it’s painstakingly carving a chess set for Red from the rocks in the prison yard, or building a library up from nothing. Robbins is a librarian we can believe in.

Mary (Parker Posey) – Party Girl (1995) - Arrested after throwing an illegal party in her apartment, 24-year-old Mary is bailed out by her godmother Judy, a professional librarian in the New York Public Library service. In order to repay her debt, Mary is given a job as a library assistant and, after some false starts and personality clashes, she soon becomes the fastest shelver in the place. Party Girl not only captures the spirit of mid-90s New York and the party scene of the time; it is also deeply respectful of the library profession. There are several scenes that will have librarians punching the air with righteous joy – not least when Mary loudly berates a patron for failing to adhere to the Dewey Decimal shelving system. Party Girl is certainly proof that media stereotypes of librarians are just that.

[the-bark-is-worse]

The warmth of the pie added to the comforting words Marie had offered her. A small part of her felt foolish or even a bit selfish to feel upset as she wasn’t the only one with a spouse at war. Spouse, brothers, friends; Petra had only been part of their family a short time, Marie and Nanaba…they were at risk of losing relationships and love built over a lifetime.

But her fear was more than just losing her husband and brothers by law; she had finally started to feel a sense of security, settling into this new life after war had taken her from her old. She feared the same happening again, the chance of their Emperor falling in battle and the enemy invading their empire. The gods were kind in giving her a more favorable outcome in regards to her fate after war; but that did not mean they would do so should it happen to her again.

Letting out a shaky sigh, she nodded, turning to face her sister in law and offering a small smile to her. She did not mean to seclude herself from everyone; she had just been so lost in her thoughts that the world around her seemed to have disappeared.

“I am enjoying my life with Erwin and with you all…I know I should not doubt his capabilities; but I would not want to lose the life you all have graciously given to me…in a perfect world, war would not exist. Though if not for war, I would not be here with you today.”

“  i don’t wanna be scared anymore.  ”

Marie took up a seat next to her sister-in-law, enjoying the coolness the marble steps offered and handing the younger woman a little pie. She occupied this time by baking. And eating.

“The fear…never goes away,” she admitted, watching as several little birds bathed and danced in the water garden before them, “but we can help you live with it, to foster distractions.”

It was Petra’s first experience with Erwin being away at war, off conquering again and though she hadn’t chosen to become an Empress, the princess watched as the affection between her brother and his young bride grew and grew each passing day.

“I wish I could promise you he would come back. He always has…they all have but…”

But nothing was promised, especially not in war. No one man ruled the world and no one man ever had. Eventually they always fell.

“If you keep to yourself, you’ll only fester in anxiety. Come, surround yourself with family.”

[stingslikeabee]

muse feelings and indicators

RULES: bold for usually, italics for sometimes

happiness

being unable to stop smiling. laughter. bear hugs. happy tears. waving arms around. dancing. contently sighing. eyes twinkling. laughter lines. childlike playfulness. skipping. talking more. affection. cracking more jokes than usual. gesturing more when talking. higher pitched voice. squealing. jumping around. clapping.

sadness

tearing up. self-hugging. one-arm cross. an aching chest. scratchy throat. a runny nose. turning away. deep breaths. quivery smiles. crying. infantile sobbing. hands gripping each other or an object. covering mouth. puffy eyes. eyes appear red. voice breaking. a distant or empty stare. monotone voice. asking for comfort. faking a smile. crumbling. shaking. whimpering. abusing an unhealthy habit. withdrawing from others. big teary eyes. doing something even if it could hurt them.

anger

furrowed brows. baring teeth. passive-aggressive comments. avoiding eye contact. sarcasm. headache. sore muscles. hiding clenched fists. irritability. jumping to conclusions. raising voice. going silent. demanding immediate action. keeping it all in until exploding. body tensing. making risky decisions. middle finger.

fear

wanting to flee or hide. what-ifs. images of what-could-be flashing in mind. uncontrollable trembling. rapid breathing. screaming. a skewed sense of time. irritability. keeping silent. denying fear. turning away from the cause. pretending to be brave. nail-biting. lip-biting. scratching skin. a joking tone but a voice that cracks. fainting. insomnia. panic attacks. exhaustion. substance abuse. tics. rushing adrenaline. face draining of color. hair lifting on the back of the neck. feeling rooted to the spot. making body as small as possible. staring but not seeing. crying. a shrill voice. whispering. gripping something or someone. stuttering. flinching at noises. pleading.

exhaustion

constantly yawning. slurring words together. dark circles or lines under eyes. mood swings. hallucinations. calling people by the wrong name. dizziness. denying they’re tired. slow blinking. trouble concentrating. stumbling. leaning on a doorframe for support. sluggish movements. falling asleep someplace that isn’t a bed. becoming irritated by the smallest things. “i’m awake, i’m fine”. shaking so bad they spill their drink. fall asleep in their clothes. lay their head on the table because they’re so tired. passing out.

tagged by: stolen from the void! tagging: @dojimakaichou . @saishuu-heiki . @cwarscars . @svnsworn (for one of your FFXVI muses? I'm going to start the game soonish!) . @marie-dufresne & you!

[lynxindisguise]

cast the marauders in black sails. you know it had to be done.

lmaooo I forgot I queued that reblog last night

but yes of course, highest priority!!

flint - remus

silver - sirius

billy - kingsley

dufresne - peter

jack - james

anne - lily

max - mary

eleanor - marlene

vane - dorcas

miranda - andromeda

thomas - ted

casting the marauders

[detournementsmineurs]

Rose-Marie Perreault dans “La Cordonnière” biopic de François Bouvier - d'après la série de romans de Pauline Gill (1998) racontant l'histoire de Victoire Du Sault (1845-1908) créatrice des établissements Dufresne au Quebec - juillet 2023.

[lightrookiearchive]

closed thread with @marie-dufresne

pale fingers paused in their typing frenzy as elena exhaled loudly , eyes scanning the screen in front of her. they darted back and forth , double , then triple checking her report. data entry was mind-numbingly boring on the best of days , but that didn't mean that she didn't want it to be incorrect. she had standards , after all. a few clicks later and the document was sent with a whoosh to the appropriate inbox.

reaching her arms above her head , elena linked her fingers and stretched. her back popped in a few places , alluding to the length of time she'd spent hunched over writing. a content sigh left her as she lowered her hands and then propped her chin up with her palm , gaze directed towards one of the many windows in the office.

a bright orange was refecting off the the many buildings surrounding the tower she was in , bathing the room in a myriad of dusky tones. she could almost feel the warmth of the setting sun on her skin. the door creaked open , causing her to look the other way. at the sight of the figure , elena let a small , polite smile arrange its way on her features.

‘ marie , ’ she greeted , rising from her desk. ‘ hi , what brings you here today ?? i'm the only one in at the moment. ’ she kept her tone casual and tried to not be as clipped in front of strangers as she normally was. marie , after all , wasn't a stranger. elena had seen the other woman around often , sending her a polite smile whenever they made eye contact. truth be told , she didn't know how to act around her ; elena was used to working with men , and the only other woman she'd been close-ish with was her sister.