#the mark of the whistler

[letterboxd-loggd]

The Mark of the Whistler (The Marked Man) (1944) William Castle

September 5th 2023

[mlpgen6]

Lore Spotlight: Cutie Marks

In this world, ponies are born with their cutie marks. All pony races (ponies, pegasi, unicorns, breezies, sea ponies, and twinkle-eyes) have cutie marks, and they view it as a mark of ponyhood and the races' unifying trait.

Ponies are often named after their cutie marks, but they may also be named after their coloration, the circumstances of their birth, or anything their parents want.

Each pony's cutie mark bestows upon them a special talent or power, in addition to those granted by their race. For example, Cinnamon Breeze was born with a cinnamon roll cutie mark, and he soon discovered that he had a talent for baking.

These powers aren't always so clearly shown by the mark. Kimono's cutie mark is a lantern, and her power is to "shed light on" various subjects; basically, she has extremely good memorization and information retention skills, and she's also great with context clues and implications that might fly over other ponies' heads. Rather indirect mark, right?

As for the main cast...

Firefly's cutie mark is a firefly with a blue lightning bolt coming from its tail, and it gives her the power to glow in the dark.  Firefly thinks it’s a stupid and useless power, but it does come in handy in dark places.

Silver Swirl's cutie mark is a swirling silver nebula, and it gives her the power to make portals.  Though she likes her power, she can lose control of it if she’s not in a good mental state.  When she has a panic attack during the Rainbow Restoration ceremony, she accidentally creates a portal in the middle of the wand that summons and controls the Rainbow of Light, leading to it breaking.  The portal is only open for a few seconds, but Silver Swirl manages to peek through it and catch a glimpse of Bright Eyes in the Jewel Caverns.

Wind Whistler's cutie mark is two eighth notes surrounded by a swirl of wind, and it gives her a talent for singing.  Wind Whistler acts like she doesn’t care about her musical talent and buries herself in her studies, but she secretly dreams of becoming a pop singer.

Sweetie Belle's cutie mark is a pink heart with a gradient black swirl. She insists that it gives her a talent for making sweets, but she's not being honest at all.

Bright Eyes's cutie mark is a telescope, and it gives her the power to see through illusions and shapeshifting. She doesn't need to concentrate or do anything special to use this power, and it's always on, so she's not always aware that she sees something different than the others do.

Minty's cutie mark is two candy canes arranged to make a heart, with a ribbon wrapped around their bases.  Unlike other ponies, Minty’s special talent didn’t make itself apparent when she was a foal, and at the beginning of the gen, it still hasn’t.  Minty acts like this doesn’t bother her, but it really weighs on her self-esteem. 

Cutie marks are such a big part of pony culture that most ponies can't conceive of giving theirs up, but it is possible, albeit hard. It's said that if a pony sacrifices their own cutie mark in the pursuit of other magic, they will become a witch. Witches are often the villains in books and fairytales, and though ponies like to pretend that there are no witches anymore, they all know that there are indeed witches, and they could be lurking anywhere.

[the-cricket-chirps]

James McNeill Whistler, Colour Scheme for the Dining Room of Aubrey House, 1873

Mark Rothko, White, Orange and Yellow, ca. 1953

[wotb-blog-2024]

Idea: WoTB tarot cards

[serthra]

Row, Row, Row the Canoe

Taking the canoe out on a rainy afternoon.  

Canon 5D4, Alta Lake, Whistler, BC, September 2022

[mreinberg]

There are some amazing views on top of Black Tusk in Garibaldi Provincial Park, BC. Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV.

[movieposters1]

[tinydefector]

Marine Centre 2- merformers Au

Word count: 1.7k

Warnings: mention of wounds.

Masterlist and rules

Prev

Next

_____________

PHYSICAL EXAM / TREATMENT RECORD: Big Blue

Species: Oceanides. Sex: Hermaphrodite/ Pod Bull

Age: 50+yrs

Recent illness/injury: lacerations to back/ dorsal/ shoulder. Injuries received from altercations with The Meg ( Aggressor), believed to be due to feeding. (Wounds are healing, no sign of infection)

Behaviour: Gentle, Social.

PHYSICAL EXAM Examined by: Dr Bayley Quin

time:12:42pm

Date: 23/05/XXXX

Wt 253.592 Kg. Temp 21.8°c

GA:

Blue and red Oceanide with swirling patterns across the body, fins and gills are red fading into blue. Larger than any of His Pod. Eyes: blue

INTEG: covered in many scars from, Fighting, feeding and Mating.

External Parasites: lamprey

RAVS Animal Condition Score: Good

Reason for RAC Score assigned: For Release out of Pool 4

Addtl Comments: big blue has recovered remarkable from his injuries and is ready to be set back out to the Lagoons with his pod.

________________________________________________________________

PHYSICAL EXAM / TREATMENT RECORD: The Meg

Species: Oceanides. Sex: Hermaphrodite/ Pod Bull

Age: 50+yrs

Recent illness/injury: lacerations to head and stomach/ bite wounds to arm. Injuries received from altercations with Big blue ( The Meg was the Aggressor), believed to be due to feeding. Wounds still have not headled due to scratching.

Behaviour: aggressive, Terratioral, temperamental.

PHYSICAL EXAM Examined by: Dr Bayley Quin

time:2:54pm

Date: 21/05/XXXX

Wt 269.52 Kg. Temp 24.8°c

GA:

Dark grey, light grey with red markings, fins and gills are red . Larger than any of the Oceanides in the centre. Eyes: red

INTEG: covered in many scars from territory fighting, feeding, and mating.

External Parasites: none

RAVS Animal Condition Score: bad

Reason for RAC Score assigned: request to keep Meg in Pool 3

Addtl Comments: the Meg still hasn't fully healed due to scratching and grinding against the pool floor.

_______________________________________________________________

PHYSICAL EXAM / TREATMENT RECORD: Cherry

Species: Oceanides. Sex: Hermaphrodite

Age: 30+yrs

Recent illness/injury: scale Rot on running up tail and fins

Behaviour: (normally) hyper, Social. (Recently): withdrawn, Depressed.

PHYSICAL EXAM Examined by: Dr Bayley Quin

time:1:08m

Date: 26/05/XXXX

Wt 221.32 Kg. Temp 24.2°c

GA:

Red, black and Grey Oceanide. Eyes: blue

INTEG: scales have been showing severe signs of Scale rot,

RAVS Animal Condition Score: bad

Reason for RAC Score assigned: to be kept in Pool 2 until medicine Takes effect.

Addtl Comments from (-----l : Cherry has fallen really badly into Depression, request for Shimmer to be allowed to visit and stay with until recovered.

____________________________________________________________________

Addtl comment from (Dr Bayley Quin): Permission granted, I'd ask that Strom, Screech And Whistler be let out of Pool 7.

______________________________________________________________________

The centre is rather quiet in the afternoon with only a few people being there this late. "Afternoon Nola, how are you handling the flyers?" They call out to the older woman.

Nola sighs wearily as her younger co-worker approaches. "Those rusalka give me more trouble than all the others combined, I swear," she grumbles accent coming out thick.

Gesturing out toward the large pool the three currently rest in, she continues, "They hardly stay put long enough for a proper check! Always zooming about." She huffs.

"Whistler is a right negodyay," Nola remarks with a shake of her head. "I'll keep an eye on them tonight, but going to go check Big man and make sure he eats today, then I'll feed the demons before letting them out, Quins gave me the go ahead to let them back out to the pods" they state with a chuckle.

Nola nods sagely at the caretaker's plan. "You do that, dear - wouldn't do to have the big lug go hungry. Just take it slow and watch Him. one wrong move and..." She mimes a massive set of dentae snapping shut for emphasis.

“I will Nola, he's not that bad, he's just a grumpy big lug, ain't the first time I've fed him, think it's the reason Quin has me feeding most of them.” They remark while scooping fish into the buckets and barriers on the cart out of the fish pools.

"Hey there Big Man" they say softly walking to the edge of the water standing there to see what mood the large grey Oceanide is in. "Are you going to try and eat me again?" They call out. Within the pool's cool depths, a massive form begins slowly stirring their approach. After all, the Oceanides could feel the vibrations of their steps. The Meg glances toward them with a rumble, crimson eyes glinting with annoyance.

His fins and gills flare briefly as if to try and scare them off but after it doesn't work a grumbling noise comes from him. They slowly sat at the edge waiting for him to come closer, even if he didn't let them touch it at least gave them the opportunity to check his wounds to make sure they were healing.

They bring the bucket of fish to sit beside them almost like bribery. "Don't you growl at me" they call out with a glare while grabbing a fish and holding it up to see what they had for him. With immense leisure he slowly prowls closer through the water.

He circles the tiny creature slowly, letting the churning wake of his bulk send ripples lapping at the pool's edge in a rumbling wave of threat. But as they make no move borne of fear, merely proffering bribes of fuel and medical care, a grudging respect glints within those warped features.

They put on a brave face while lowering the squirming fish into the water, holding it by the mouth. "Come on Big man, just want to see how you're healing" they say softly while waiting for him to approach.

His maw parts, releasing a snarl that vibrates the waters ominously - yet he doesn't charge or attack. He swims close, browling again before taking the Fish from their hand.

The fish vanishes into his mouth followed by crunches, a deep rumble leaves his chest and he glares at them waiting for another.

His form seems to ripple and swirl the water as his tail flicks slowly. They are gentle while reaching out very slowly to touch his face checking the fresh scars. Their other hand grabs another fish, holding it out for him to eat. "Gentle big guy, I'll get you more, no ones stealing your fish" they hum.

A disgruntled rumble resonates from his massive frame as their hands trace the recent wounds. The fish vanishes as quickly as the first before a low whistle leaves him as he lets his head rest on their lap as they feed him more fish.

"You need to stop getting into fights with Big blue, gonna get yourself hurt even more. You two bulls are a nightmare sometimes he's not trying to take your pod or fish" they state softly bring the bucket closer so Megatron could pick out the fish he wanted to eat.

His dentae snap down on another before he grabs for the squid and clams, the crunching of the shells echoes in the quiet night. A low, primal snarl rumbles up from the depths of his chest which has them tensing up. His gills flexes and flare, as he sniffs the air.

"Easy big man, easy" they coo, tracing the flared fins of his face. "That angry at him huh?" They nearly whisper. "The more you two fight the more you both end up back in here till your wounds heal, no ocean swimming till you heal"

he hisses, tail lashing hard enough to send waves crashing against the pool's rim. growls leave him and he quickly flicks around away from them. They sigh as he darts back into the water, sitting there for a while before tipping the rest of the bucket into the water so he still had fish, kelp and clams to eat. He submerges himself in the pool's cool concealment once more. They give the large mer one last look before grabbing their cart and leaving him.

Making their way to the next lagoon. The three sea skipping Oceanides head immediately snap towards the newly-arrived scent of food. The trine observers with fierce scarlet eyes, powerful frames arching and twisting through the water with the grace.

Screech breaks the surface first, fins flared with a Shrill. circling nearer the waters edge.

Whistler calls out in a little song of delight to see them wildly, breaking the surface with a splash. "Hello you three, giving Nola trouble again?" They ask rather disapprovingly.

The trine draws near as one, awaiting food eagerly. They sigh as the three mers hiss, thrill and rumble at them. "Yea, yea, I know dinner time." They hum while moving to the cart. "Don't you drag me in!" They warn before tipping the barrel of fish into the water. No sooner do the fish spill into the water than a trill rings out. powerful arms snake about their waist - and with a mighty splash, Whistler drags them into the water!

The seeker coos and thrills madly, spiralling through the depths with his prize clasped close against slick violet and black scales. Bubbles stream from his grinning maw. A deep snarl leaves the Blue Oceanides, only for Whistler to let out a soft whine and he tries nuzzling against them. They cough and spit water, trying to swim to the side not wanting to get caught in the feeding frenzy.

Storm appears quickly snagging them from the purple Mer pulling them safe against his body. It's a deep rumble from Storm, screech subsides with a sulky snarl but quickly swims off to catch fish. They cling onto the blue Oceanides as he slowly helps them back onto the land. "Thank you Storm" water drips from their now drenched uniform. They glare at the other two mers.

The other two continue to cavort and squabble over fish. Storm calls out softly to them which earns him a quick glance. They move back over to another bucket grabbing it grumpily, moving to sit in front of the Blue mer. "Well since those two want to be demons I guess you get the treats" they mutter while pulling out a handful of clams and sea weed for him.

Screech slinks nearer across the waters with a loud purr. Whistler chitters excitedly, zipping through the shallows to plaster himself against his pool mates flank, whining pleadingly.

What really makes the other two mers whine is when they pull out the Squid. Letting Storm eat it smugly. Screech shrill warbling of outrage pierces the quiet air the moment the squid is given to the blue mer. shrieks, and gills flared along with his wings which twitched in barely restrained fury. Whistler writhes and chitters jealousy. He eyes the succulent mollusk. "No you two want to be demons, no treats." They huff out not falling for the thrills and chritters.

A little after they finish feeding they move to open the canal that leads back into the cove. All three shoot up in excitement, jetting out the moment the gate is open. Excited thrills and calls leave them which others echo back at them.

_________

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[orgonongurlz]

today marks 6 years since supermarket scandal aired which means… ITS CHIP WHISTLERS NON-CANONICAL BIRTHDAY!!

chip means the actual world to me and to celebrate his birthday i wanted to top what i did last year!!

so this time i redrew 9 of my favorite frames from each of his episodes!!

im so happy this is the second birthday of his ive been able to celebrate

happy birthday chip!! (and also andromeda.., and tildromeda…)

[writer-at-the-table]

Marriage Contract by Ben Shahn, 1961, Ink, watercolor, paint, and graphite on paper

Most decorated Jewish marriage contracts use ornamental motifs as framing devices for their written Aramaic text. Ben Shahn's Ketubbah is a marked departure from this model. In the superb execution of this document, the artist has integrated floral and foliate decorations within his lyrical Hebrew calligraphy, the predominant design element.

While Shahn's artistic personality emerged through the religious themes in his illustrations for the 1931 Haggadah for Passover, he would not return to such subjects for many years. The artist spent most of the 1930s and 1940s as a social realist painter. Along with so many other painters and sculptors during those difficult years, Shahn felt that art could help right the inequities of society. His terse visual commentaries on such topical subjects as the Sacco and Vanzetti case, Nazism, poverty, and labor problems brought him great recognition as both a humanitarian and an artist. It was after World War II that he turned inward through what has been called his transition from social to personal realism. During this period he incorporated allegory and religious and philosophical symbolism in his work, often based on his own cultural heritage.

Shahn's updating of the traditional ketubbah results from his changing stylistic and subjective concerns. He became fascinated with letters, both Hebrew and English, which became essential elements in his work. This calligraphic preoccupation led to his 1954 illustrations for The Alphabet of Creation, a book which related a parable of the origin of the Hebrew alphabet. His own combination of these twenty-two letters become a personal stamp and appears on most of his prints and drawings after 1960, including this Ketubbah.

Like the butterfly stamp of James Whistler and the Japonist monogram of Toulouse-Lautrec, this symbol shows Shahn's stylistic inspiration as coming from outside mainstream Western culture. The expressive style of Shahn's Hebrew characters changes with the meaning of each theme he depicts. For this Ketubbah, which is presented at the joyous celebration of marriage, he develops a commanding but elegant Hebrew appropriate to the legal nature of the document and the solemnity of the moment-a calligraphy markedly different from the flame-like evanescences in his tribute to the Feast of Lights, Hanukkah. As had been the custom of Hebrew scribes throughout the ages, Shahn adds eccentric elements to certain letters. Most notable here is the oft-repeated, stylized Star of David.

Shahn's meandering floral and foliate forms refer to Psalm 128:3, a common visual allusion in Jewish marriage contracts: "Thy wife is a fruitful vine in the midst of thy house, thy children are as young olive trees set around thy table." (Kleeblatt, Norman L., and Vivian B. Mann. TREASURES OF THE JEWISH MUSEUM. New York: Universe Books, 1986, pp. 192-193.)

[pelorsdyke]

making a new pinned post to neaten up my fic links! my name is k, i love writing wlw ships, and ill be so real with you rn a lot of them are rarepairs. find me here on ao3. my tumblr fic tag is here, and I often post wip peeks for tag games.

some ships I’ve written once or twice include: spemily (pll), buffy x tara (btvs), jackienat (yellowjackets), donnajoey (the west wing), maggie x sophie (leverage), and wayhaught (wynonna earp). I also wrote a lot of ronance (stranger things) during the s4 era.

marjan marwani & nancy gillian (911 lone star):

who will come into my kitchen and be hungry for me (test kitchen au)

and love isn’t a fact, it’s a hunch at first. (paul helps marjan come to terms with her feelings for nancy)

and your keys, your ring of keys (marjan starts to realize some things about herself, with the help of an oc. lesbian marjan)

underneath your hands I become poetry (some celebratory sex after tommy announces nancy will take over as interim captain while she’s away. inspired by the bts pic where nancy appears to be wearing a name tag that says captain gillian)

your essence is the ink in the word forever (nancy has tattoos. marjan notices.)

so swing your hips and do a little dip (nancy, marjan, and tarlos go to a gay bar)

I will do my best to get it right (nancy and marjan’s first anniversary plans go awry)

I’m gonna love you for a long time (marjan’s lesbian flag hijab, but also just like. 1k words of established fluff)

I’ve been under scrutiny (you handle it beautifully) (marjan and nancy are actors on the firefighter show austin 126. nancy may have a tiny baby crush)

everything I’ve ever let go of has claw marks on it (post-canon, nancy thinks about moving on. it’s kind of terrifying.)

speed queen marj versus the big tortoise (a coda to 5x01 wherein nancy & marjan continue their banter and kiss a little bit. a secret relationship fic)

lucy tara & kate whistler (ncis: hawai’i):

the room is empty, and the window is open (a spiderwoman lucy au, the tumblr tag for the series is here)

february, the thirteenth (kacy celebrates valentines day early, as per lucy’s way of handling holidays)

blue scooby-doo fruit snacks and unrequited love, probably (high school au kacy flirting)

sit down, breathe, and just listen (post-3.04, kacy talks about marriage and promises)

in response, your glorious laughter (a snapshot of a sweet married kacy early morning)

hear the desert wind roll by (kacy first meeting cowboy au, pwp)

one single thread of gold tied me to you (kai buys lucy a virtual meet-and-greet with her celebrity crush, kate whistler. it turns out they may be a little more familiar with each other than lucy’s remembering.)

hen wilson & karen wilson (911 abc):

I did think, let’s go about this slowly (karen and her instinct to let insecurity drive her decision-making.)

I wanna get stuck in your head (some soft henren fluff about parenting, flirting, and finding the time to talk to your wife.)

[alonglistofbirds]

[2466/11080] Cinnamon-breasted whistler - Pachycephala johni

Note: Clements considers this bird to be a subspecies of the drab whistler, P. griseonota.

Order: Passeriformes Suborder: Passeri Family: Pachycephalidae (whistlers and shrikethrushes)

Photo credit: Mark Sutton via Macaulay Library

[lutiaslayton]

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva

ＰＡＲＴ　０１

〚ＦＩＲＳＴ〛〚ＰＲＥＶ〛〚ＮＥＸＴ〛

Disclaimer: This is a fan-translation for the Japan-exclusive novellisation of the movie Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. The original novel was written by Aya Matsui under the supervision of Akihiro Hino, and belongs to Level-5.

This translation only aims to be a pleasant read for non-Japanese fans, nothing more: I made a few deliberate changes while translating in order to get the writing style closer to what is usually found in English fanfictions, as the Japanese storytelling can sometimes be different than what we are used to.

♪

As we rise out of the sea The stars’ glimmers sing praises This soul remains close to your heart

As the sunlight filtering through the foliage sparkles The forest’s raindrops sing praises These eyes shall sleep and watch over your dreams

Count the lives that sank at the bottom of the sea We believe that someday This prayer will reach you

Now let the eternal slumber alone prevail The tears of the beloved Dissolve into the sea

Beyond a thousand nights If the day ever comes When you smile once more We will never cry again

Beyond a thousand nights Watch in our dream The day we meet again As we sing this song

Believe in the promise Beyond the far-off time We will see your smile again

As you stand in the future when the skies intersect You must let our thoughts guide you back to that day

We will never run out of the tears That are destined to none but you We lie asleep dreaming of you

We shall now sleep Always thinking of you Our beloved...

♪

── London・Present

☆ Janice Quatlane

The sound of thunderous applause brought me back to reality.

This was just a rehearsal for tomorrow’s performance…

I could now remember that I was on the stage of the newly built opera house in London. And yet, I still found myself thinking: “The sea that was just now spread out before me, where did it go?”

The azure blue sea softly embraces the island of Ambrosia, the gentle waves lapping at the shore…

“Miss Quatlane, what a wonderful voice!”

“This fabled opera, The Eternal Kingdom… Nothing could be more fitting for the inauguration of this opera house!”

“Oh yes, I can already see the audience going wild!”

“They had better be! Tomorrow will mark the second time it was ever performed!”

The impresarios seemed to be praising me, but their voices were all drowned out by the sound of the waves that were still echoing in the depths of my heart.

Swoosh… Whoosh… Always thinking of our beloved Eternally dancing to and fro between sea and land

Looking at the sea was like looking at myself, wandering back and forth between dream and reality…

“The memories of the melody…”

All I could do was mumble these words. Standing here, after the end of the song, made me realise… There was something that I had carefully buried inside of me, out of my sight, never to look back. But now, the melody of The Eternal Diva was the key that had just unlocked it: the memories from three years ago.

Memories that were made not of images, but of feelings and emotions…

Joy, sadness, sorrow, pain… I want to see you, I yearn to see you, I languish without you, I want to see you…

These thoughts and feelings all came back to me in a single instant, and they pierced through my entire being. I was almost crushed by this tsunami of emotions, leading me to reconsider my previous decision. Was it really a good idea for me to sing The Eternal Kingdom tomorrow, in front of a live audience?

I could not believe that these memories were still occupying so much space in my mind, even after all this time…

It was a selfish request of me, but the composer, Mr. Oswald Whistler, had graciously accepted to let me sing it again. The reply in his letter was filled with such warm words:

Miss Quatlane… No, I will call you Janice, just like old times. How long have I waited for the time when you would ask! I know what you said three years ago; that you wanted to seal The Eternal Kingdom forever… Still, even from that very moment, I had been hoping to see your role as its diva rise again one day. I understand how much pain and grief it caused you at that time. But Janice, you must never forget that I wrote this opera for you, and you alone. To me, music is the most sacred thing in this world. No matter how foolish and fragile the human heart may be, only music will never burn its wings and fall alongside it. I am with you, Janice. You are an angel chosen by the muses. Please, by all means, I want you to embrace the whole of London with your great love as the diva. It truly is a pity. I would already be rushing over to the opera house and supporting you if I could, but we both know that reality will not make this possible. 　　　　　　　　With all my love, 　　　　　　　　　　　Oswald Whistler

When his letter said that this opera had been written only for me, of course I believed him. I already knew this was true.

Thinking of his words again made me understand: this was a piece that I needed to carry on singing, again and again, for as long as I would be able to. This was my fate.

However, one important thing that few could know, was that this opera never was mine. This, too, was fate.

I only sing for you.

Can you hear it, Melina?

My best friend…

I’m coming back tomorrow, to see you.

All I can do now is keep hoping, thinking back to that time three years ago, when we spent time with Professor Layton…

　↚　　　　　　　⇛

[harryandmeghansussex]

Harry and Meghan are heading back to Canada - they are heading to Whistler later in February to mark one year to go until the Invictus Games '25 - the first Winter tournament for Harry’s Invictus Games.

[101flavoursofweird]

The Time Traveller and the Eternal Queen

If Layton and Janice parallel one another, then so do their partners, Claire and Melina.

In the present of their respective stories, Claire and Melina are both ghosts. Memories. Dead women walking. 

One died ten years prior to PL3 in an experiment gone wrong. The other died of illness a year before Eternal Diva.

It’s easy to blame Bill Hawks for Claire’s ‘killing���, but what if they hadn’t run the experiment early, behind Dimitri’s back? What if they have worked through those fatal complications? Travelling through time still would have been a dangerous endeavour, regardless, and I think Claire still would have offered to be the test subject.

There’s no one to blame for Melina’s illness, unless you believe the Azran marked her with the same fate as the Ambrosian queen. (It’s me, I believe that because Azran were awful.) I’m sure Whister and Descole did everything they could to cure Melina. Maybe a Golden Garden with its pure air could have helped…

Although Claire appears in the present, her body shows signs of molecular instability. Dimitri— gripped by heartbreak and guilt and pride— struggles to stabilise Claire’s existence, like Whistler and even Janice fight to stabilise Melina’s existence. 

In the Eternal Diva novelisation, after Melina’s death, Melina describes waking up in Janice’s body and communicating with Janice. Melina is determined to ‘disappear’ (much like Claire wanted to disappear) but Janice insists she needs to stay.

“I’ve just found you again… Do you realise how much I missed you? I can’t let you go on like this. This isn’t just for you. This is also for me. Melina, you may not understand, but the grief and suffering of those left behind is so strong… Losing my best friend not once, but twice, would surely break my heart…”

Janice’s determination and desperation here reminds me so much of Dimitri!

Melina champions Janice’s self-sacrifice and her noble, pure heart. If you look at Dimitri in another light, his ten long years of dedication to the time travel and saving Claire could be seen as noble and self-sacrificing… kidnapping scientists aside!

Janice voluntarily buries her personality and persuades Melina to stay, so there’s no problem, right…?

I love how Melina enjoys living life through Janice and it takes Melina a while (Maybe a couple of months?) to realise this is wrong, both for her and for Janice. The two of them need to move on, even if it hurts.

It makes Melina feel more flawed and realistic. It makes me wonder if Claire had similar hopes of surviving when she first landed in the present.

Claire and Melinas’ lives were preserved through scientific means that broke the laws of nature— requiring memories— by grieving loved ones, who were manipulated by a mastermind.

Claire begged Dimitri to quit his work on the time machine and to free the kidnapped scientists. Melina wanted her father to stop stealing the lives with the Detragon so that she could survive.

When Claire and Melina felt they alone couldn’t get through to their misguided ‘saviours’, they turned to Hershel Layton.

‘Celeste’, after helping the gang escape from the research facility, confides to Layton that she knows Claire was quite fond of him. Melina, after her identity is revealed, admits that Janice is very fond of the Professor indeed. 

Melina, through Janice, wrote to the professor. Although Janice had assured Melina he would be able to help, Melina kept her identity hidden. Maybe Melina feared her father and Descole would find out, which would have made it difficult for her to slip away.

Claire pretended to be ‘Celeste’, her younger sister. This would have spared Layton, Paul and others from more heartbreak…

Unfortunately, when Layton reveals Melina’s identity, this enables Descole to complete his plan. He whisks Melina away on the Detra-Gigant and orders her to sing A Song of the Sea. Melina— hoping to save her father and friends— complies. Layton and Luke, in turn, fly up to save Melina. 

There’s nothing wrong with a character needing to be saved, as long as they’re given time to interact with others and actually… be a character, as Melina is. Layton isn’t there insisting Janice stays in the shed while he and Luke investigate the gothic castle. See Level 5 where was this writing for Flora

Luke convinces Layton that he should be the one to leap onto the giant machine to rescue Melina…

Similarly, Claire convinces Layton to let her go back for Clive on the Mobile Fortress, because Clive isn’t the only one to blame. 

Both Claire and Melina take an underserved amount of self-recrimination and regret for the grief that their deaths caused others. Even Claire, knowing the risks of time travel, didn’t ask to die. She didn’t ask Dimitri to build another Time Machine, anymore than Melina asked Whistler to use the Detragon.

It’s not fair how Claire and Melina each lost the futures they were looking forward to - it’s not fair how Layton and Janice were left grieving twice - it’s not fair that Bill and Descole got away with their crimes (Redemption or not, how many of those kidnapped people needed therapy?) - but fate isn’t fair.

At the very least, Claire and Melina live on through everyone’s memories. The time traveller and the eternal diva, immortalised.

[mreinberg]

Whistler backcountry has some amazing views, BC. Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV.