#<- because Hershel calls him Desmond

[xolbor-art-creator-again]

I'm tempting myself into writing a fic by drawing art for it now

[call-me-rucy]

Do you think Professor Layton and Sycamore are color coordinated? I suppose Descole and Layton have a cool vs warm color thing going but I wasn't sure if Sycamore's design related to Layton's design in any obvious way. I think I may be over looking something.

Hey, thanks a lot for this ask, this kind of questions are right up my alley! :D

Before diving in, a disclaimer. I'm not a character designer (although I draw as a hobby) so my info/insight on this matter is merely from the unhinged Layton fan perspective ^^

Second disclaimer: I have already a post that touches about this topic, which can be read here: link. But I believe I will be able to better articulate my thoughts on the topic this time, thanks to the question.

Basically, I believe Layton and Sycamore are indeed color coordinated! And I rise the bet: Sycamore had no right to have the same colours as Layton, but he does.

Here is an image where their palettes are compared. They’re identical!

I think it’s pretty clear they have the same colours, now let’s think, why??

Think of Luke, and Emmy, and Aurora. They all have their distinctive, separate colour patterns. Luke is designed in blue so it can even in tiny pixel distorted form be distingished from Layton at a glance. Emmy follows the same pattern. So why on earth would a character designer so worried about character differentiation give two characters the exact same colours? And more so when one of them is the very main character?! In other words: why isn’t Sycamore color coded green?? (Or white?? Or any other colour??)

And it’s not like it didn’t occur to the character designer. Look at the Decapolice cast, also by Nagano:

The answer I propose is this:

AZRAN LEGACY SPOILERS FOLLOW:

I think this is because the main character of the Professor Layton series is Hershel Layton. And that’s the character that owns the orangey-red and black pallette, the one who screams to us “main character”.

Let me explain: According to the story, the main character of the Layton series was going to be Hershel Bronev. And it is because of this original role of main character that he has the orangey-red and black pallette. And that's so fucking smart.

It would have been so easy to just give design pre-Hershel Layton as the one with the red-black pallete and give the other character another colour. But instead!! The colour goes with the role!! So when Theo takes the role of "Hershel" and "main character", he takes the colours associated with those things, too!!

And this is a bit more watsonian but Hershel gives up the name and the role but not the red-black combo cause they are no other colours for him. So Des keeps his colours (which from a doylistic perspective, he doesn't strictly have to) and Hershel uses Hershel's colours so they both use the same, and also they have the same hair colour and skin colour which totally makes sense. And the Bostonius is the same colour as the Laytonmobile. Because of course it is, they're the same thing!

So here's Desmond Sycamore, a design that copies the professor's main character energy on the basis that he was supposed to be it but is also inspired by Descole's design (see the purple buttons and the shoes) so you see him and he looks like the ultimate rival. (But also Nagano managed to despite using the same colours, make it enough visibly different?? Which is so hard??)

Meanwhile, in a darker timeline where they didn't think the designs as much:

Would still have screamed rival, yes, but it doesn't say "we're made of the same thing" as the true design does.

I think it's impressive, honestly. It's peak storytelling STRICTLY IN COLOUR CHOICES. I wish to be half as good writer/designer as whoever it was that made this call (Nagano or Hino).

And this concludes this session of infodumping. I hope you enjoyed if you stuck enough to read this far.

Thanks again for the question, sweet anon! <3

Please, everyone feel free to send more Layton inquires and/or add your own thoughts to this post. Cheers!

[flwrcrxwnlyon]

Des probably shows Pirandellian character traits: fun analysis (SPOILER AZRAN LEGACY)

First of all, I'm just a student who studied Italian literature as a subject at school, so please take all of this with a grain of salt and feel free to add your considerations. (And I hope that my teacher doesn't have Tumblr because it would be very embarrassing.) Also, maybe there are some regional differences, for reference I'll use the italian version of the game.

We all know that Descole is a broken husk of a man; Desmond Sycamore is dead; stuff like that. But I want to share with you guys a personal point of view about his character while using what I studied and STILL STUDYING for final exams ("maturità")

In order to understand what I am going to say, I need to explain a bit of his theories, which are also used in his novels, especially what we call "la teoria delle maschere."

Before talking about it, we need to essentially explain the concepts of life and form:

Life is a continuous change, a stream, and form is the structure where people try to contain life in order to make it more understandable by putting or letting people put a mask on ourselves (for example, a name, a role, etc.) that covers our true selves, our identity, which, just like life, changes and isn't coherent.

But since life is a continuous change, people are destined to face the fact that their identity isn't something stable. Usually it's a peculiar event or some random stuff, and they have different reactions to it. One of them is trying to escape from the form.

An example of this in Pirandello's books is Mattia Pascal, a man with a miserable life who decided to change his identity in order to escape from it, taking advantage of the fact that everyone he knows believes that he died, but in the end he realised that in his new form he couldn't be free, and he couldn't even go back to the old one since everything changed.

Now you may be wondering: What does that have to do with Descole?

His character is mainly centred on the theme of identity, just like Hershel Layton (but he accepts it) and the whole Azran Legacy game, but I wanted to focus on how he was written and especially how his life revolves around this, personally more than Hersh, and how his reaction is different.

Okay, basically the point is that his life is characterised by huge changes, and escapes from the form as a reaction to the event, which lead him to be stuck in an another form.

FIRST FORM: Hershel Bronev

For Pirandello, our first form is the name that our parents gave us. In the case of the Bronev Brothers, they broke pretty easily, and in Des' case, he gave up his name and his form in order to let his baby brother be adopted by the Laytons. This led Theo with a new form that wasn't his and Hershel "not being him" anymore.

SECOND FORM: Desmond Sycamore.

We don't know much about the period after the adoption of his brother. The only information that we have is that he was probably adopted by a family (the Sycamores), and he presumedly met Raymond at this point in the timeline. 

Desmond Sycamore is the name of his new form, perhaps even given to him by his adoptive parents. He acknowledges his past but presumebly tries to move on, in fact by getting married and creating his own family. But the event of the death of his family is going to change him even more. Killing off this form.

THIRD FORM: Jean Descole.

Now we start with the interesting stuff.

After the death of his wife and his daughter, Descole claimed that Desmond had died, and he, a broken husk of a man, substituted him.

On a more superficial perspective, the reason behind this change of personality could be grief, but to be honest, it doesn't explain why he thinks badly of his past self.

Sure, survivor guilt exists, but I don't think that it's the reason behind it.

I tried to reflect on it a bit more, and one of the explanations that I could give was that, actually, he could feel responsible for anything that happened to his family.

Maybe he wasn't present at the time that the tragedy had happened, maybe he found them already dead. Because of his incapability of defending them, he developed hatred and rage, so as a reaction, he created a new form. One that wasn't a fool and was the exact contrary of who he was and also with the objective to escape from the sense of guilt by separating his present self by the past one.

AZRAN LEGACY: Trying to go back.

Since Des needed help in order to solve the mystery of the azrans and what their legacy was, he presented himself as his past form: Desmond sycamore.

But the truth is that he can't really come back to be him. Just like Mattia Pascal, he changed mentally. He's a different man from before.

We can see that especially during his interactions with Bronev in the Nest, when his rage almost explodes just like Descole's.

But at the same time, it is clear that this whole travel with the layton crew changed him.

Maybe there isn't much evidence, but I personally think that he started to get emotionally close to them, and we can see that with the fact that he saved Luke from the laser.

At the end of Azran Legacy, he can't go back to be Descole anymore because of this and it's unfortunate how Level-5 didn't focus on this thing (just like the other relationships between the characters.)

EXTRAS: Aurora and Des confrontation.

[Image translation: "Now my wife and daughter are gone, and with them, that fool Sycamore."]

In the extras, we have this interesting interaction between Des and Aurora, where basically they talk about Descole.

After Des said that he isn't Desmond anymore, Aurora rebuts him, explaining how he was still capable of loving and hoping for the future, and that he can't really escape from his past, from his memories.

She calls Descole a character, a mask that he used to cope with his pain, and after Des tried to say that "Desmond is gone," Aurora remarks how technically still exists through his actions.

This is evidence of how Des identity changed again and how, as I explained before, even Descole isn't the same as before.

The extras concluded with Descole with a hidden desire to follow Aurora's reflection about resisting and basically moving on. Not forgetting his past.

Conclusion: Who is the true des?

Now there's a discussion in the fandom about who des really is, mainly divided in Desmond or Descole.

While descole is CLEARLY formed after a huge trauma, we also need to consider that Desmond isn't a "true form" either. This is also evidenced in the game.

At least in the italian dialogue, des talks how when he was still in Desmond form, he hoped that he could have lived a normal life with his family (and in the next lines said that he hoped that he would forget about revenge).

But neither Hershel Bronev is his true identity either now. That belongs to his brother now.

So? Who's the true form?

The scared child that hoped for a better life for his brother?

The man that couldn't save his family?

Or the husk blinded by revenge?

Maybe it's all of them, maybe it's no one. After all, we learned that the people's identities aren't stuck. They evolve, and they are complex and contradictory sometimes.

Personally, I don't think there's a true truth. We can just analyse and express our personal thoughts about it, we aren't this character, and there are a lot of points of view on this story, so there's anything concrete, just his events and his narrative of it.

[quibbs126]

Oh yeah, so does anyone remember that one Professor Layton OC I made back during my Layton phase?

Not Eileen, I’m talking about this guy here. The character who was unnamed but was part of an idea I had for a Layton story (and also an ex of Descole’s)

Well, I actually named him ages ago, as well as gave him a bit more stuff (not a lot, just a bit), and about 2 hours ago I just randomly decided to draw/redesign him again. For no particular reason, I just did it

If I’m being honest, I don’t think the redesign turned out half bad. I didn’t do much, just changed up his hair and outfit a little, but I think it works. Ironically I was using Ace Attorney characters as more of my reference here than Layton. Maybe not the best but it works

Also I know his cane arm looks weird, but shh

I wrote most of the stuff about him up there, but his name is now Claude di Adone, for reasons I don’t remember. I do remember where Claude came from though, it was @notllorstel’s Twisted Fates AU Descole that was Layton. And also that his name was supposed to sound both vaguely French and Italian

As I recall, the hypothetical plot centers a good deal on parts of Descole’s past (though not a lot on Descole’s character development), where Layton and co come to this town where at least in public, everyone dresses similar to Descole. Not necessarily because of him, but rather because it was based on the bauta masks and the fact that apparently people in Venice once commonly wore these outfits and that sounded cool

Actually I think I remember the name of the story now, I believe it was City of Masks or something like that

Edit: I found the original post, it was Town of Masks

Anyways, Claude was the one who called Layton here, as he wanted him to solve some mystery going around the town that I never really figured out, and had done so after learning of his reputation

However, there’s more to Claude as he actually once knew Desmond Sycamore when they were younger. The image says “friend” because they weren’t just friends, they were actually dating, but Claude might not make that fully known. There are hints prior to this revelation that Claude knows a bit more than he should about Layton from the papers, or at least on a level that he shouldn’t for a complete stranger, like trying to call Layton by his first name. This is because Claude has been fully aware of the Hershel twist for years as this was before Desmond got super secretive about his former life and considered Claude someone he could trust. So from Claude’s perspective he’s meeting the famed younger brother of an old friend/ex of his that he’s never fully gotten over his feelings for, and he occasionally forgets that Layton probably doesn’t know that

But not only does Claude have a past with Desmond/Descole, but Descole himself happens to be in the town as well, albeit with a bout of amnesia. Note that this is supposed to take place sometime after the prequels. Claude is well aware of this, and this is the second secret reason he called Layton, as he knows Layton has a past with both Desmond and Descole, and hopes that Layton will be able to jog his memory, especially as Claude himself has been struggling with that due to the large gap in time from when they last met

Also, there’s the matter of his cane. Originally I said that he used one due to an injury in the past, but now I’ve decided he’s just always had weak legs, and has been using a cane pretty much his whole life. His cane does still secretly have a sword though

Claude is a nice guy, and can be rather generous, such as letting Layton and his friends stay in his house for their time here, since he’s rich with a big house and lives alone aside from some servants, so there’s plenty of room, and he does ultimately have good intentions, but he can also be shady as fuck sometimes and you probably don’t know him as well as you think

And yeah, I just felt like sharing that. Don’t know if anyone cares but I did

[mirza-majoris]

Chapter 6 : Chocolate and bitter thoughts

–Dad... Is this it ?

Leon frowned a bit turned to look at his son. After Raymond has gone to pick up his mother, they had decided to take something to eat while waiting for the Scottish man to return and the archaeologist decided that it would be fair to let Desmond –the young boy still wanted to be called like this, to him Hershel was now his little brother and he was safe, somewhere out of Targent's reach– choose what he wanted to eat before dinner. The boy had looked around and there was nothing but a little cafe right in front of the park, where Ray had left them. This was a logical and pragmatic choice and, as a matter of fact, the boy was having a very rational mind, seeking pragmatism most of the time, especially not to make his father's life more complicated than it already was. They had sat outside and ordered while waiting for Raymond, and so Desmond had asked for some pancakes and hot chocolate while Leon had only taken a coffee. Black, no sugar. Better to stay awake since he hadn't slept the previous night and almost not the night before either. But he forced himself to smile and keep a rather positive mindset for his son's sake. However, the question got him perplexed.

–What do you mean, my boy ?

Desmond looked down at his chocolate and sighed.

–Are we going to stay here ? I mean... longer ? I... You know, I just wish that we could settle down a bit... maybe a year at least, and do what... what a family do...

Leon's expression grew sadder in the instant and he gulped while trying to restrain a few tears to the corner of his eyes. Of everything, that was what he regretted the most, not being able to protect his family. In fact, he had not been able to do so. And it was because of him, because ofthe Azran– no, because of HIS enthousiasm regarding this ancient civilisation and how much ambition he had put into it, neglecting the danger such a discovery had brought upon him and upon his family. It was HIS fault if these guys showed up one day at his door and tried to have him in a sort of a cult. It was his fault if they had put their threat into act and had taken him and his wife away. Desmond had told him what had happened after this. For two months, both brothers had been living alone in their house while trying to think of a way to stay together but in the end they ended up getting separated and Desmond too was about to get adopted if Leon hadn't come back to pick him up and flee from Targent. And it was all his fault, because if he hadn't tried to escape, Rachel would still be alive at least and Theodore –now Hershel Layton– and Desmond wouldn't have been targeted by a terrorist organisation.

–Dad ?... I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry !

The english man jolted and opened wide eyes before getting dragged out of his thoughts, realising that in fact he was indeed crying, just a few tears but crying anyway. Damn, his father would've called him a crybaby for sure, especially now that he was himself a father. But in this instant he couldn't help but to let out a shy sob. He tried to smile and wipped his tears quickly before shaking his hand.

–No, no, it's fine my boy, it's fine ! I... I'm just a bit tired, that's all... But, to answer your question... I truly don't know... this whole story seems kind of crazy and I don't know if Raymond's mother is going to accept such a proposition.

He wasn't the best when it came to catch the hints Desmond was putting into the conversation, usually Rachel was better at this and she always had the good words, the right words, to comfort their children. But he thought that maybe it would be a good idea to dig it up a bit. If Desmond was asking him about settling down, it probably wasn't coming from nowhere.

–You'd like to have friends I guess ?

Desmond shook his head and looked away, a bit embarrassed. He had tried to hint it when he had said his father he would like to have other sources of knowledge but maybe even that was too subtle for him.

–Not really... That would be nice, indeed, but I... I'd like to go back to school, you know... To learn new things and... maybe go to high school later ? I'd like to learn more, to know more, there is so much I'd like to see, so many places I'd like to go, and–

He stopped and looked at his father, almost desperate by his own words. In his mouth, it sounded incredibly pretentious, petty, ungrateful, but he didn't want to live like a runaway for the rest of his life. But then, with all these questions came the means and the way to achieve such schools. Especially financially.

–I-I can work too, to help you with everything, and–

But his father only chuckled a little and messed with his hair before offering him a bright smile.

–These are grown-ups anxious thoughts, my boy. But I'll tell you. If you want to settle down, then I'll do anything so you can settle down. If you want to go to school, then I'll make sure you'll be able to. If you want to study, I'll make sure you can. So don't worry about anything else but what you truly want, and let me worry about these things. Whatever you want, wherever you go, I'll always support you. Always.

This was enough to make the boy cry, and for a moment Leon thought he had said or done something wrong but his son jumped off his chair and then hopped on his knees to hug him tight and let out all this pressure that had been put on his shoulders for months by now.

–––

In the park, near the gate in front of which the cafe was, Ray was sitting with his mother on a bench, looking at the boy and at the English man, puzzled but certain of something : these guys had been on their toes for far too long, they needed a place to land, a place they could rest knowing there was no enemy outside or inside. His mother was knitting something, her work was done mechanically as if she didn't even had to look at it, and she indeed hadn't taken her eyes off these two people.

–So... Ye truly like this sassenach and his beag, don't ye ?

–They are good people. And ye could come more of'en at yer cottage, mà. We would take good care of it. And the boy could be safe too, loek at him.

–Alright then. Let's not wait any longer, the ballach beag is cryin' !

She put her knitting work, whool and needles in her purse and stood up, already coming to see the boys with a very quick pace. Ray smiled and shook his head, almost having troubles to follow her. If anything, she had never been able to resist a child crying, she always wanted to see happy faces and hear laughters instead of sobs and tears.

When Leon saw them approaching, he seemed a bit confused and anxious, not knowing exactly what to do. He couldn't stand to greet her since his boy was still on his laps, and he couldn't even shake her hand or Desmond would've fallen down.

–O-Oh, hum... Good evening madame !

–Oh, call me Maighread an' quit the salutations, sassenach ! So, who may ye be, lads ?

Leon and Desmond looked at each other and opened wide eyes when they heard her accent. Ray chuckled and shrugged while taking a sit.

–Don't act surprised, A know she's got a helluvan accent, A'm just an amateur, pale. Now, mà, let me introduce to ye... hum...

Leon thought it could be a good way to break the ice a bit and to try to apologise for his rudeness regarding how surprised he had been by her speaking manners, and so he made sure to put Desmond down, stood up carefully and gulped before offering Maighread a hand to shake.

–P-Please to meet you madame... My name is Nikolaï, Nikolaï Sycamore, and this is my son, Desmond.

–Greetings madame, it is... it is a pleasure !

Desmond added before smiling a bit, not knowing how to behave either. The old lady smiled like the happiest person in the world and she seemed to love the idea of having her son bringing people home.

–That's so cute, ye truly are a very distinguish li''le boy, right balach beag ?

She then looked up at Leon and chuckled a bit, which was enough for the archaeologist to relax a bit. Maybe he wasn't making such a bad impression after all. The lady was quite common looking, her hair was like Ray's, her hazel eyes were clearer though and she was older, maybe around 60 probably, but her smile would've make her noticeable anywhere at anytime. Her clothes were common too : heels, a beige skirt with merely a embrodery on it, a rose maybe, and a blue cardigan, and of course a hat, the most sophisticated part of her outfit, carefully pinned on her hair.

–That's delightful to have people comin' here ! Ray barely comes to see me, but can A blame him ? He's a free spirit, as they say these days !

She took the time to stare at the English man and was quick to notice that he seemed to have eat nothing but air for the last past months. She grasped his face and frowned, rather with concern and a bit of reprobation.

–Gracious Lord, look at these cheekbones ! Ye needa eat something boy ! Good thin' Mà Bannag is there ! Now... Ray, ye can go with yer motorbike, A'll take the bus with Nikolaï and his son. This way ye can clean up a bit, it's probably dusty and needs some fresh air, me boy.

–Màààààà... A'm no handyman...

Raymond blushed a bit while scratching the back of his neck. Ah, ntohers, they always know how to embarrass their children, don't they ? However he couldn't say no to her, she was always very comprehensive, never angry, or at least he couldn't think of one single day during which she would've shown anger, and she was never asking him anything anyway. She deserved a lot more than just some help with the cleaning.

Finally, he gave up.

–Fine, I'll do it. Don't be late, OK ?

But before he could go to his bike, Desmond grabbed the edge of his jacket and his eyes were shimmering with excitement.

–Please, can I come ?!

Maighread was having the fondest smile ever hanging on her lips while Ray was surprised enough to open his eyes wide, but not enough to really be cought off guards. Seeing how the child loved mechanics already, he could tell how fascinating a motorbike could be.

Leon, as for himself, was livid. It was as if every trace of colour had left his face and his hand was trembling a little while he was gulping nervously. Let his son go by himself with a total stranger ? Sure, Ray had saved their life once, but Leon was always having his son near him, not too far, and if he had to leave him alone to go to London for example, he would do it knowing there were people ready to take care of him, like in their previous village, or when he was absolutely certain there was no danger. And yet he would never leave for more than an hour, two at best. But right now, leaving his son going by himself with Ray, in a foreign country, alone, on a motorbike, in the countryside, that was too much for his little heart.

And what if they had an accident? What if Targent was there, looking for him and his son even here in Dingwall ? What if Ray was not a good person in the end ? What if he had given his trust to someone dangerous ? What if he was putting his son's life on the line again, just like he did with Rachel and Theodore ? His breath got shorter and his heart seemed to want to jump out of his chest, so much that he was wondering if he wasn't having a stroke.

–Hey, sassenach... !

A firm hand on his shoulders brought him back to reality and he looked at Ray who was trying to understand what was going on here, his hands on his shoulders and a worried frown carving his forehead. Desmond was not saying anything but he bit his lower lip whike clenching his fists and looking away. He was young, right, but he knew his father wasn't fine and in fact he knew that his father was having these kind of struggles rather often. Most of them late at night.

–Y-yeah... I'm fine... I'm fine, I just- I...

–Dad, you're not...

Leon could feel his heart beat painfully in his chest, because he was now again feeling guilty for his behaviour, for his choices and for what he was showing to his boy. No no no, he had to be better, to show him that he was there, even if times were hard, he had to show him that he could protect him. It was his goddamn role, as a father ! He forced himself to smile but his face was still pale, and he bags under his eyes were contrasting so much with his carnation that he seemed to almost be sick.

–I'm just a bit tired, t-that's all.

–No, it's not...

–Sassenach...

Raymond sighed, knowing perfectly well how the English man's brain was reacting and thinking about the boy's wish. He trusted no one. He trusted his son and that was all, and deep down Ray couldn't blame him, that was a way to survive, a very good strategy when you had very few allies. But it was a vicious circle, because you couldn't have allies if you were not able to put some trust in people.

–A doubt ye'll trust me on ev'rythin', but... A swear A wanna help ye... ye both... So, if ye don't feel like lettin' your boy comin' with me, A won't try to convince ye otherwise. Yer son's lucky to have ye as a father...

He looked at his mother who just smiled sadly, as if both were understanding each other without a word, and he shrugged before messing with the boy's hair.

–Don't worry, maybe later balach beag.

–W-Wait...

Everyone looked back at Leon who was trying to take a decision. His face was still showing how uneasy he was, how internally he struggled to give an answer, and how much he wanted the best for his son, even if he was crazily worried for him. He began to fidget a bit, playing with the edges of his coat, and he gulped nervously before taking a deep breath.

–I... I am trying... really... it's just...

Suddenly, and before he could say more, Raymond seemed to have an idea and he clapped his hands together, making Leon jolt again.

–A know ! What if we get on me bike and A drive in front of yer bus ? This way, ye can see us, and the boy's getting a ride !

Desmond opened wide sparkling eyes and a large smile flew across his face before he looked back at his father, with bug puppy eyes pleading for it. Leon seemed to ponder the idea and, after a sigh, he bit his lip and nodded, even if his smile was a very poor mask to hide his worry.

–...I... Yes, why not ? But... you'll be careful, right ?

Raymond smiled. But this time it wasn't a cynical grin or anything, it was a true smile, a kind one, showing how touched he was, to be entrusted with the child. He patted his shoulders a few times and winked.

–No worry, sassenach, we'll be just right ahead.

Desmond almost jumped in his father's arms and hugged him as much as he could, knowing perfectly fine how much this decision was costing him.

–You're the best, dad... thank you.

Leon couldn't help but offer him a smile in return and caressed his hair before kissing his forehead and letting him go with the Scottish man. In fact, seeing them getting on the motorbike, he had almost forgotten that they were four and not three. When Maighread pinched his cheek, his winced a bit but blushed, embarrassed, and stared at her whole she was staring at him, calmly and happily.

–Ye're a good boy, fer sure. Ray's right, yer son's lucky ! Now... come, son, A think we need a li''le chat here.

Ahe looked to her left, Leon followed his eyes. A few meters away, there was a bus stop and, away again, a bus coming right to it.

-> First chapter

-> Previous chapter

[101flavoursofweird]

12. "There you are.” “where else would I be?” with Swift and anyone else (maybe another agent? Maybe Desmond or Leon. Your choice)!

((Thank you for the prompt! Sorry Claire isn’t technically an agent… but I got this TargentClaire AU stuck in my head and something possessed me to write it. I also wanted to see her interact with Swift, a fellow scientist and risk-taker :D))

Title: The Phoenix

Spoilers: For PL3 and slight spoilers for Azran Legacy

Set: An AU set after the explosion at the Institute of Polydimensional Physics. Claire, somehow, survives the experiment, thanks to Targent’s intervention. 

Warnings: Claire and Dimitri in Targent’s captivity… Targent threatening people, as they do… Dimitri going on a hunger strike, though not in great detail… Reference to dead characters… and reference to scars after accidents

“Ah— there you are…” 

Claire glanced up from the workbench as her supervisor (her warden) strode in to the lab. He was tall— taller than Dimitri— with a shock of blonde hair, and a scar running across his nose and his cheek bones.

That wasn’t what made him intimidating, though. (Claire had plenty of scars herself, since the accident…)

It was the way he looked down on anyone who didn’t agree with Targent’s ‘glorious mission’; how he talked about the Azran civilisation as if they were the masters of the universe…

Wouldn’t the Azran still be here, if that were the case?

“Where else would I be?” Claire responded flatly. She gestured around the lab— far larger, more orderly, and more advanced than what she was used to— but it still felt like a prison.

It was a prison— she must never forget that.

After her ‘rescue’ from the ruins of her old lab at the institute, she had been brought here— to Obsidian Tower, in the Nest.

When Claire had awoken, still heavily bandaged and hooked up to painkillers, her ‘saviours’ had introduced themselves as Targent.

Despite her benumbed state, Claire knew of the agency already (Hershel had warned her in the future)… 

Still, she’d nodded along as they explained who they were, how they had saved her, and why they had moved her to their headquarters— to facilitate Claire’s recovery with their cutting-edge technology.

Claire had thanked them and asked if her fiancé, Hershel, was here. (She needed to tell him she was alive!)

He was not, but her colleagues, Bill and Dimitri, were…

Like Claire, Bill had been flown in to the Nest— though, he had been somewhat conscious and he had made a faster recovery than her…

Dimitri had been entirely conscious when the agents had stormed in to the smoking remains of their old lab. He could recall how he was dragged away from Claire’s body, before he was bundled into an airship with Bill.

Whenever Claire questioned this, Targent’s medical staff would dismiss it; perhaps Mr. Allen had hit his head…

Later, when Claire was well enough to speak with Dimitri alone, he had told her the whole story, including how Bill had been in contact with Targent beforehand. Targent had financed the time travel project, as a matter of fact!

(Claire had pretended to be surprised.)

Targent weren’t primarily invested in time travel, but they were obsessed with Azran technology… and the time machine had just so happened to contain an Azran energy source.

While she was stuck in the medical ward, Claire had been given books on the Azran (propaganda) to read. Her requests to call Hershel, her parents or someone outside the Nest had been constantly overlooked.

When she was strong enough to leave her hospital bed, she had been given a dull room next to Dimitri’s. It had felt like an upgrade, if only for the privacy she was granted.

Still, Claire was not allowed to contact Hershel. She kept pleading, but Targent argued they needed to keep her safe. They’d revealed that nine people had died as a result of the institute explosion. 

Nine innocent bystanders, dead, because of Claire and her colleagues’ disastrous experiment.

It wasn’t the first time Claire had heard that, but the horror still felt fresh— not helped at all by Targent’s insistence that the authorities were after her, Dimitri and Bill.

Claire needed a distraction while she figured out how to contact Hershel, or how to escape without putting him in danger.

Targent had offered her work in the labs. Claire had accepted.

So, here she was.

“I thought you were with your colleague,” Claire’s supervisor drawled, making his disdain for Dimitri clear.

Claire bit her tongue. As much as she wanted to defend Dimitri, insubordination would not put her in Targent’s good books.

She needed to play the part of a bright, but demure scientist investigating the Azran.

“I did visit Dimitri earlier,” she admitted.

She had taken some bread rolls to his room, but Dimitri was determined to continue with his hunger strike. He looked like a scarecrow, lying across his bed in his baggy blue lab coat.

Claire, too, had taken to wearing a blue coat like the other scientists— if only to protect herself in the labs and to conceal her scars.

Dimitri hadn’t stepped foot in the labs yet.

Apparently, Dimitri didn’t have anyone Targent could threaten on the outside. 

The only people he cared about— Claire and Bill (debatably)— were trapped with him, and his life’s work had gone up in flames.

Why should he comply with Targent? Claire wouldn’t— if she didn’t have her family, her friends and Hershel to think about.

Still, Claire hoped Dimitri would concede soon— at least when it came to eating!

Without Dimitri— without a friend she could trust and talk to properly— Claire would go mad in this place.

Neither of them had seen Bill since his ‘promotion’, but maybe that was for the best. Bill had neglected to mention that they were in the pockets of a military organisation!

No wonder he’d been so eager to test the time machine…

(Ten years later, Bill would be dead.)

Dimitri was still under the assumption that Bill had tricked Claire into entering the machine— as if she hadn’t noticed its flaws. Claire hadn’t corrected this assumption because, well… 

How would she survive if Dimitri shunned her? How would Claire discuss escape plans with him? If the opportunity arose, if Dimitri wasn’t ready, would Claire have to leave him behind?

(She hadn’t seen Dimtitri, or herself, in the future, but she had found Hershel, with a wedding ring on his finger, and two children in tow. One of them was Luke, Clark and Brendas’ son. The other was a teenage girl, Flora.

Though Claire hadn’t asked for details— she’d had to deter Flora from telling her too much— Hershel had promised her everything would work out in the end. 

And he had instructed her to find one Desmond Sycamore…)

Her supervisor’s grunt dragged her back to the present. “You seem distracted.”

For some time, Claire had been staring down at the work bench— at a purple Azran crystal. She glanced up at her supervisor sharply.

“I’m— just worried about Dimitri,” she stammered. 

A scoff. “If he wants to stay cooped up in his room, that’s his choice.”

Claire frowned slightly.

Even if Dimitri left his room, like Claire, his freedom wouldn’t extend any further than the upper level of Obsidian Tower.

Claire could solve the puzzle on the lift’s control panel— Targent knew that— but Claire also knew what the punishment would be if she got caught.

She didn’t care what they did to her. She had already risked her life by stepping into the Time Machine, and now, she was paying for it with her servitude to Targent.

While she didn’t mind doing mundane jobs around the lab, sooner or later, her superiors could order her to do something dangerous.

Another violent experiment… A lethal weapon… A legacy that could reshape the world in Targent’s image…

This was why she needed Dimitri’s cooperation.

Maybe, together, when it was dark, they could climb down the Azran pillar…?

“He really is missing out,” Claire sighed wistfully. She picked up the Azran crystal— feigning fascination— inspecting it as she had seen Hershel do with ancient artefacts.

“Spectacular, isn’t it?” Her supervisor peered at the crystal with her.

Claire nodded. “I was wondering— if there might be a way to access the power within this crystal?” 

She let remorse bleed into her voice. “Back at our lab, in London, we used all these cables to connect the… the time machine up to the energy source, but the cables weren’t… strong enough…” Her fist clenched around the crystal.

Claire’s supervisor hummed. “I will acquire you some cables— far stronger than the equipment at your pitiful institute, I can assure you.” He smirked. 

Claire was about to let out a grateful gasp,  but on second thought, that might be a bit much…

“Thank you…” Claire sniffed, instead. “But please don’t talk about the institute like that. It was my first lab and I have a lot fond memories, despite the… accident.”

That part was true. Claire missed their dingy old lab. She missed working with Dimitri and Bill. She missed the street where the institute was based…

She missed Hershel, waiting outside the building to walk her home. She missed curling up on the settee with him in the evenings.

She missed her life. 

Claire’s eyes were damp with real tears.

Much to her embarrassment, her supervisor noticed. His smirk softened into an expression of concern.

“There’s no need to be miserable now,” he murmured.

Claire waited for him to proclaim that she was part of Targent… something, something about her joining a noble cause in their search for the Azran Legacy… and she should just forget about her boring old life.

But he was silent for a few moments. Then, he removed his dark sunglasses. Without them, his scar seemed a lot less obvious, because Claire was drawn more to his eyes— one green and one blue.

Of course, Claire had heard of heterochromia, but she had never met anyone with the condition before.

Her supervisor gave her a crooked smile. “As a child, people used to tease me about my eyes… As a young man, I gained this scar…” He scratched his nose. 

Claire felt the left half of her body itch; along her face, her arm, and her leg. The side of her that had suffered most from burns after the explosion.

“…and people started to fear me instead,” her supervisor finished.

“Where is that scar from?” Claire whispered. “I-if you don’t mind me asking…”

He took no shame in sharing the story, though his eyes gained a faraway look. “I was involved in an accident years ago— a cave in during an expedition.”

(Hershel had lost his high school friend during an ‘expedition’.)

Perhaps her supervisor— one of her captors— was fishing for sympathy, but 

Claire couldn’t help mumbling, “I’m sorry…”

Her supervisor blinked, his eyes hardening. He shook his head. “It’s in the past now. What matters is that I survived, just as you survived.”

Claire found herself agreeing. “Yes…”

“Like a phoenix rising from the ashes,” her supervisor recited.

At that, Claire couldn’t help snorting. “I wish!” How she wished she could sprout wings of fire, soar out of Obsidian Tower, and leave it burning behind her.

“You could be the Phoenix,” her supervisor suggested. “That could be your code name.”

“Hm…” Claire pursed her lips. 

She had noticed how many Targent agents were named after birds.

Did Claire really want to have a name in this archaeology-bird-obsessed cult?

“It’s too… grandiose for me,” Claire said carefully.

“I don’t think so,” her supervisor said. “You were the first human test subject of a Time Machine— that’s more experience than most recruits bring to the table.”

Maybe if Claire could enter his circle of trust, then she could find her way out…

Claire stitched on a smile. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Phoenix it is then!” Smiling in return, he put his glasses back on.

“What’s your codename?” Claire wondered, while she still had his consideration.

“Swift.” Small, agile birds— similar to swallows.

“I… didn’t expect that,” Claire said. For him, she’d thought of an eagle or a falcon; something large and intimidating.

Swift offered no further explanation. He turned away from her and strode to the door. “I’ll get you those cables,” he called over his shoulder. “Until then, keep up the good work.”

“Yes, Swi— I mean, sir!” Claire’s gaze returned to the Azran crystal, but her mind was already formulating an escape plan.

She would be the Phoenix, but not under Targent’s command.

Soon, she would break out, bringing Dimitri with her, and they would run. She would get in touch with her loved ones, somehow, and she would warn them.

She might not be able to reunite with Hershel right away, but at least he would be safe, while she tracked down Desmond Sycamore.

Claire was going to survive this.

-

“I’m aware that you are the one who provided Claire Foley with the means of escaping,” Bronev grumbled, glaring at Swift from behind his desk.

“Forgive me, sir,” Swift muttered. 

All he had given her was a reinforced cable. She had climbed down the Azran column— Targent’s most sacred artefact— with a cable, and the help of her colleague. 

“We managed to capture her colleague,” Swift pointed out, “Dimitri Allen.”

“That does not excuse your glaring oversight, Swift.”

“No, sir.” Swift bowed his head. 

He had let his guard down for a new recruit— for a woman who had formerly been a lab assistant!

A scientist who might have travelled through time.

How much had Claire Foley kept hidden from them? Had she recognised Targent from the start? Did she know what would become of their agency in future? 

Would they unlock the Azran Legacy? Would Claire Foley stand in their way? 

Despite her betrayal, Swift still regarded her as a burning phoenix. A bird who had broken out of her perceived captivity, and left a blazing trail in her wake.

A cunning adversary for Targent. For Swift.

Swift had expected some sort of punishment for his mistake, but instead, Bronev said, “Take a wing of assassins to London. Find Hershel Layton.”

“What then, sir?” Swift said.

Bronev smiled. “Wait for Claire Foley to return home.”

[sweeetrandall]

love your laymons! hershel is very fluffy <3 i’m a lil curious tho, are rachel and leon an ampharos and a gallade? or is descole just special

hehe thank you. i dont think too hard about how the genetics work for laymons because in pokemon world the species is always the mother's but in real world thats not how genetics work. also i think the designs of layton, des, and leon are all pretty distinct in themselves, and layton and des especially kind of look nothing like each other so im willing to bend the rules and let them be whatever species i think fits them. im not completely married to des being a gallade and it gets even more blurred when hes trying to disguise himself but descole's disguise mostly hinges on nobody knowing who he is in the first place, and imo as desmond he isnt even trying...so he could easily just put a mask on and call it a disguise.

in my FURRIES version however, leon is a lion (lol) and rachel is a dog. layton inherited more dog but has lion characteristics like retractable claws and a mane, it comes together for him to pass as a normal cat. des is a lion with unretractable claws and kind of weird mane characteristics so he has his bread hair

[wordsofawanderingsoul]

2022 Fanfic Meme

Thanks to @101flavoursofweird for tagging me in this!

Word count for the year: 41,757

Number of stories posted to Ao3: Altogether, 7. Mostly focused on my long fic.

Pairings written for:

Claire/Hershel

Phoenix/Hershel

Desmond/Dimitri (which I never thought I'd write)

Fandoms I wrote for:

Professor Layton

Ace Attorney

Most popular story: "Our Scattered Pieces" with 111 kudos and 2106 hits. Makes sense since it's my longest story on there. But in second place is "Finding a Way Home" with 59 kudos and 412 hits.

Story I'm most proud of: Has to be "Our Scattered Pieces" simply because I haven't done a long fic in so long and getting back into it this year has just been so fun.

Funniest: "Surprise!" mostly because Randall and shenanigans of keeping well meaning secrets.

Saddest: "Finding a Way Home" Just because the whole thing is an angst fest with a tiny bit of fluff at the end.

Least Popular: "Say Yes to the Dress" with 10 kudos and 51 hits. It's only been up for a few weeks, so that makes sense.

Most Cringe-worthy: I don't really like to call things cringe, I think that it's just another word people use to mock things they don't like. So instead I'm going to say that the fic that put me the most out of my comfort zone this year was "Say Yes to the Dress" because it was a present for someone else and I had to write it in a way that I hope they liked.

Favorite opening line(s): From "Torn"

"Raymond disapproved of his methods, Descolé was well aware of this. His oldest friend kept giving him that look that clearly said, ‘I hope you know what you’re doing.’"

Favorite Closing line(s): From "Say Yes to the Dress"

"Gray-blue eyes caught his and Phoenix’s smile turned soft. “Everything good, love?”

“Absolutely wonderful.” Hershel smiled, pulling him down for a kiss as the snow fluttered around them and bells chimed in celebration."

Top scenes from anywhere I would choose to have illustrated: The scene from "Finding a Way Home" where Phoenix almost tackles Hershel from how happy he is to see him.

Story I haven't yet written, but intend to: After I finish "Our Scattered Pieces" I'd like to start on another long fic where Phoenix is an actual phoenix and Hershel is an outlaw (lightly based off Tangled).

Fic-writing goals for 2023: I'm not sure how many chapters I have left in Our Scattered Pieces, but I'd like to get a lot more of it done and also finish the "A Brothers Regrets" series since it only has two left to post.

If you want to do this, feel free, but I'll tag, @bamsara @rainymeadows @targentbronev @darlingatlas @viktuurishipper96

(If you don't do writing feel free to ignore me)

[multiversal-madness]

Professor Layton - Second Chances Au

Hershel died in the Azran Sanctuary. Then he woke up in Stansbury, 19 years before their adventure had started.

The only proof of the time jump aside from his memory? Aurora’s pendant and a large almost star shaped burn across his chest.

Now Hershel has to stumble through his day to day life as a teenager and try to act normal while he figures out what to do with his foreknowledge.

Here’s some additional details about Hershel’s first day in the past:

On the night/very early morning he wakes up, he ends up telling Lucille and Roland that he remembers his older brother and the fact that he was adopted. They confirm this and even add on that they’re still in contact with him, which has Hershel feeling all kinds of betrayed (mostly because of the 30 years they’d gone without telling him any of this).

Hershel decided (against his parent’s suggestion to take a day off) that he’d go to school on the day he woke up. This goes about as well as you’d expect because dealing with multiple crises at once makes it quite difficult to act like your teenage self.

He has to stop himself from commenting on what a gentleman would do and more than once he reached to fix his hat which wasn’t there.

When him and Randall fence, he has to make a conscious effort to hold back because of how much he’s improved since he was 17. When he gets lost in though he ends up winning easily.

Randall, Angela and even Dalston notice something isn’t quite right with Hershel, but he brushes off their concern, insisting that he’s fine.

By the end of the day, Hershel is barely holding it together. When the end of school arrives, Hershel quietly slips out while Randall is mid discussion/argument with mr Collins

He pretends not to hear Dalston calling out to him as he leaves campus, same for Henry’s greeting when he walks past him in town. He doesn’t want to go home yet, so he ends up heading to the Wall of Norwell to brood

Sometime later, the whole Stansbury gang shows up to check on him, leading Hershel to remember just how close they were before everything went wrong

He doesn’t tell them about the time travel, but he does tell them about how he found out he’s adopted, he has an older brother and that Hershel wasn’t even his name (and uses his discovery of this to excuse his behaviour)

(Angela has to elbow Randall into silence when Hershel mentions his father being the archeologist to find proof of the Azran and his older brother being Desmond Sycamore)

Even though Hershel is keeping the true extent of his current crisis secret, the four of them help him through it

After that day things fall somewhat back into a normal routine, but it only get more complicated when the day Randall tells them about the mask comes along…

[lutiaslayton]

Clay: Because he's your brother. Me: WELL, this is gonna cause emotional damage! Hershel:>Is strongly implied to have fainted after that revelation< Me: Called it! But from the sounds of it, we're getting Descole/Desmond involved! That's going to be fun. And they'll have a family reunion that doesn't involve trying to kill each other! That's going to be interesting to see. Can't wait to see more!

Ah, dear Anon… if only he had fainted. If only :)

Anyway, indeed, Desmond/Descole is going to get involved very soon! (…in-universe, that is.) To be entirely honest (and hype you all up way too much), the entire subplot arc that introduces him into the story was single-handedly my motivation for writing the fanfic.

At the time, I still had no idea what Clay's mystery was, so I didn't want to write a story which had the same LMJ vibe as "guess we'll never explain Sherl"; but this subplot was just so epic on its own, that I still wanted to write it anyway. And after a bit of thinking, Clay's origins actually got an explanation that would be set in stone, and cement the fact that this fanfic HAD to be written >:D

Just one thing: bold of you to assume that Hersh will not want to (metaphorically) murder his brother and parents for having kept from him this MAJOR secret for more than twenty years, and having had to learn it instead from a straight up amnesiac stranger lmao

[radiant-absolute-radiance]

Cute headcanon I’ve been swearing by is that when Roland and Lucille kept in contact with Desmond throughout his whole life he would send them letters asking how his brother is doing and telling them about what he himself has been up to. This was done in secret after Hershel forgot about having a brother but after Azran Legacy they show all the letters to him because they kept them. The last one was sent at some point after Spectre’s Call and before Azran Legacy

[conundrumish]

i'm interested in the details behind your wha au, mind talking about it?

sure! everything about the au is below this read more:

luke triton is the unknowing son of misthallery village's lord clark triton and doctor brenda triton! brenda's obviously one of the village doctors, typically taking care of medicinal needs & caring for patients. her physician knowledge is PEAK. while, clark is basically on good terms with the witches around his area and encourages healthy relationships between his villagers and said witches.

clark is, unfortunately, kidnapped in this version by jean descole - who is a brim hat - and brenda is extremely worried for her husband. that said, luke is the one who witnessed clark's abduction and is forcefully given a tattoo. it was essentially jean's intent to make luke into his apprentice, but he also knew about clark's connection to his younger brother and it's for his 'master plan.' you know, securing the legacies... which are forbidden magic items from the pre-pact days.

hershel hears of the news, hides luke's tattoo from the knights view, and takes him in as his apprentice. brenda knows about this, but it's generally kept hush-hush since she's from a witch family and all. hershel's not chasing after the legacies, despite his interest in magic archaeology & history. he's chasing after jean, believing that the brim hat has answers to why he's forgotten a lot of his childhood.

hershel's watchful eye is randall, who is also his best friend and they snuck out at lot in their assembly days to hang out. randall is extremely into hershel, but it's not public information to the apprentices. this is an open secret to the other witches, due to how quick rumors spread.

i'll have more notes below in bullet points, because i don't like writing paragraphs if they're not in narrative form.

additional notes:

luke's full name is lucrentius. he goes by luke, which isn't a mouthful to call him by. lucrentius also means 'wealth', tying into the themes about knowledge and wisdom that's in both original sources!

emmy is a member of the knights moralis whose spearmanship is well-respected and her physical combat skills are something to behold. she's erased memories before, but tries her best to not feel guilty about it.

desmond leads a double life of brim hat and pointed hat. he's not suspected due to his fame and previous apprenticeship underneath the sage of friendship. jean descole is his brim hat persona, due to the nature of brim hats never revealing their faces.

+ desmond also uses transformation magic - which is forbidden - to shift into different forms. it's tattooed across his entire body, except for his face and hands, which is why he's selective & private about his connections.

hershel's other apprentices include: flora, alfendi, and katrielle. all three are his adopted children with different circumstances.

claire is technically deceased, but she's been revived with time reversal magic - it was bill hawks' idea to experiment with it. she's in a loop, repeating the same day with her memories in-tact. shame.

clive is a pointed hat on the tip of becoming a brim hat, mostly to beat the shit out of bill hawks. the dove house is also a bloodline from the day of the pact, like the reinhold house.

luke's magic tattoo allows him to communicate and understand animals. yes, clark also has one, but it's less advanced.

aurora is a golem, another feat of forbidden magic, from the azran empire. she's pretending to be an apprentice under desmond's watch and isn't too well-versed in the modern world.

there is no targent, but brim hats are independent and know each other by name. bronev reinel is one of them - he's responsible for a lot of things in this au. lol.

[sunnyskies281]

Des’s Wife Lives AU

Basically Olivia (which is my name for Des’s wife, I got the name from a few fanfics I read and I’ve developed and entire character based off of it) is kidnapped by targen and manages to escape. The daughter isn’t as lucky, however, and dies due to the air quality in the nest being terrible and not suitable for a 5 year old to breathe for hours and hours on end.

Des doesn’t know Olivia is alive, he was told she died with his daughter. He creates the persona of “Jean Descole” to get revenge on Targent.

More under the cut

After last specter, Olivia starts to theorize that Descole is Desmond. She thought Des was dead, but it turns out he might not be. And “Descole”… what an interesting name. She decides to create her own alter ego. If her husband was going to dress up as Erik, she might as well be Christine.

Her alter ego’s name is “Christine Jetpardon,” the last name being derived from the French phrase “je te pardonnes” (apologies if I spell it wrong)

Descole is derived from “Désolé”

Descole= I’m sorry

Je te pardonnes= I forgive you

So Olivia is trying to signal to Des that she doesn’t blame him for what happened.

She hears about the Eternal Diva opera, and decides to investigate. The plot is incredibly similar to a play she was writing before her abduction, and it turns out Descole and Whistler had based the Eternal Diva of of what she had written.

She manages to talk to Janice before all hell breaks loose, warning her to be wary of Descole, and also telling her not to hurt him.

She makes it to the end of the game with Hershel, Luke, and Janice, but she can’t build up the courage to confront Descole. After all, how was she sure this was Desmond? Des had told her he had a brother, perhaps this was just his brother? If she was wrong, that could put them both in grave danger. Also, if Descole really was Desmond, he wouldn’t be doing such horrible things, right? He was one of the smartest men she knew, he’d find ways to get revenge that don’t involve putting peoples’ lives in danger.

Ultimately, she runs away.

But she never lets that feeling of knowing Descole go. So when she hears about a “masked gentleman” in Monte d’Or, she goes to investigate.

She immediately deduces that the masked gentleman must be Descole. I mean, the fashion sense just screams Descole, after all. When she tries to tell the police this, they laugh. Well, when she tells Leonard Bloom, who was sent from London, he fidgets nervously and chuckles unconvincingly and says “You must be mad, there’s no such person”

Eventually, it’s revealed that Descole was actually just pulling the strings, and he wasn’t the masked gentleman.

She tries to chase him as he runs out of Monte d’Or, but he escapes.

And then Azran Legacy happens.

She joins Hershel, Luke, Layton, and Emmy to go find Desmond. She may or may not have threatened Emmy that she’d expose her secret if she didn’t invite her to come along. Olivia knows Emmy from her days in the nest, but her being the niece of Olivia’s daughter’s killer definitely soured what little friendship they had.

But once they get to Froenborg and she sees Targent, Olivia runs away. She can’t risk being seen by the organization, as they’d surely kill her if they found her again.

Let’s skip ahead because I’ve already written a lot.

Descole comes back after sacrificing himself for Luke.

“Stop the beams, you say?” He’s ready to die to save the world.

“Wait.”

A voice calls from the corridor leading to the final room.

In steps Christine Jetpardon, roughed up but determined.

“If you’re going to die to save the world, let me join you.”

“Who are-” Descole starts, but Christine runs up to Descole and kisses him right on the lips.

“I missed you, Erik,” she says, kissing him again, hugging him close.

“As.. as did I, Olivia,” Descole says, crying. “…je suis désolé, ma chérie.”

“je te pardonnés, mon amour.” She says back. “I love you.”

Then Olivia takes Leon’s place and sacrifices herself, meaning leon has absolutely 0 redeeming qualities/hj

And that’s my AU.

There’s obviously more detail but I don’t want to type too much into one post.

I hope y’all enjoyed!

[fallen-feather1992]

Winding the Future - An Unwinding Future Oneshot

Hi guys! I decided to write a oneshot set in my Unwinding Future universe! I'm going to post the link to it on AO3, as well as post it here, under the cut! Here's the summary!

Summary: How exactly did the future become so bad? How did Hershel, Desmond, Flora, and Luke get captured, while Raymond managed to rescue Alfendi? What led to London’s downfall, and the rise of the Family? This is what originally happened, when Al and Future Luke did not go to the past to warn their future selves.

I suggest reading Professor Layton and the Unwinding Future first before reading this.

Alright, the story is under the cut. Or you can use the link to read it on AO3. Have fun!

Professor Layton frowned slightly as he entered his flat, twenty-minutes to one. He’d noticed, for the past two days, two people following him.

He was… worried, to say the least. Because of this, he cancelled his afternoon classes, planning on picking the kids up from school, just in case.

But until their school let out, he was trying to figure out all he could about those following him. Yesterday, it was a sweet, little old lady, but he wouldn’t put it past the possibility that it was someone in disguise.

The other person following him, who had been since the middle of the week, was less subtle. It was a man in a suit and sunglasses.

He sat at his desk in his home study, looking through notes on previous cases, trying to figure out who would follow him now, and why. He wasn’t able to get through much, however, before there was a knock on his door. He stood, dropping a bookmark into the book on his desk, before answering.

“Desmond?” he gasped, staring at the man.

“We don’t have much time. I know I’m ten minutes early, but if we’re going to deal with whatever’s going on, we need to do it now.” Desmond pushed Hershel further into the flat and closed the door behind them. Layton simply let him, shock rolling through his body.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” Layton said, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

“Your letter? Friday, at one?” Desmond pulled the letter from his suit pocket, holding it up. “The second message in it?”

“Letter? But I didn’t send—I thought you were dead.”

Desmond froze, gaping at his younger brother.

“What?”

“The last time I saw you was at the ruins of the Azran Temple while it was falling apart…” Layton said, pulling the brim of his hat lower to cover his eyes.

“Hershel, I—”

BANG BANG BANG

Both men jumped and turned to the door, which shuddered in it’s frame. Desmond’s eyes widened at that.

“We don’t have any more time. Do you know what’s going on?” he demanded, backing away from the door. Hershel shook his head.

“No idea,” he said.

“Then I suggest—”

BAN-CRASH

The door slammed inwards, and three men forced their way into the flat, crowding the entrance hall. Hershel and Desmond quickly backed away.

“Boss says yous have to come with us,” the first man said, wearing a nasty grin.

“And who are you?” Hershel demanded, the anger only just contained to his voice at these men breaking into his home.

“You can call us… The Family.” The first man lunged forward. Desmond darted forward as well, jumping up and landing a wheelhouse kick on the man’s face. The man stumbled backwards into one of his companions, but the third managed to jump out of the way, grabbing Desmond by the back of his coat before he could land, and throwing him into the living room. Desmond hit the floor and slammed into the side of Hershel’s couch with a groan.

“Desmond!” Hershel yelled, before turning to face the men, the second having recovered. Both moved to grab him, but he jumped back, grabbing his coat rack and flinging it across their path as he moved, causing one of them to trip. Desmond let out a soft groan and started to push himself up, much to Hershel’s relief, but he knew they had to get out of there. He darted into the living room, dragging Desmond the rest of the way up and with him as he did so, and over to the window that faced the back alley, where the Laytonmobile was parked.

“Hershel?” Desmond muttered.

“Get to my car. I’m right behind you,” he said, pushing Desmond towards the window. He then turned to face three members of The Family, and his blood ran cold.

They had guns.

As the first lifted the gun towards them, Hershel dove towards an end table, grabbed the first thing his hand landed on (a rare puzzle box), and threw it at the man, distracting him from taking aim. The gun went off, the bullet striking the ceiling above Hershel, but it was enough time for him to dive out the window after Desmond. The two ran for Hershel’s car, and he tore out of the alleyway.

***

“Argh! Why are all the other kids at school so stupid!” Seven-year-old Alfendi trailed after Flora and Luke as they got off the bus, not too far from the Professor’s flat.

“Not everyone can be as smart as you, Al,” Flora giggled, glancing back at the boy she saw as a little brother.

“Still,” Alfendi huffed. “It’s almost like they try to be stupid.”

“I doubt that,” Luke said, shaking his head. “But maybe you should try to be nice to them? It’s what a true gentleman would do.”

Before Alfendi could respond, a hand grabbed his arm in a tight grip, yanking him backwards. He went to yell for help, to alert Luke and Flora who were in front of him, but a rough hand was pressed over his mouth.

“Alfendi?” Luke asked, glancing over his shoulder, just in time to see the young boy bite down as hard as he could on the hand covering his mouth. The man holding him yelped and released him. Alfendi tried to scramble away, but the man recovered and grabbed the back of his coat, yanking him back again, this time wrapping an arm around the squirming boy’s neck.

“Alfendi!” Luke gasped, while Flora covered her mouth in fear. “Let him go!” he yelled.

“Hmph. I don’t think we will. Especially not after the little brat bit me.” The man’s arm tightened slightly, and Alfendi’s eyes widened in fear. He grabbed at the arm, twisting and squirming, but was unable to get free.

Luke growled at that, flinging his satchel off of his arm, and launching himself at the man, surprising him enough he did let go of Alfendi for a second time.

“RUN!” he yelled at the other two as he punched and clawed at the man’s face. Flora grabbed Alfendi’s hand, and the two took off.

“Wh-where are we going?” Alfendi asked, blinking hard in an effort to not cry.

“Home! Hopefully the Professor is there,” Flora said. Alfendi nodded and glanced back, just in time to see the man yank Luke off of him and toss him to the ground. Luke gasped in pain, trying to push himself up as a van pulled up. Before the boy could react, a pair of arms reached out of the side door of the van and yanked him in.

“No…” Alfendi whispered, before narrowing his eyes, staring at the license plate and memorizing it.

He and Flora then whirled around a corner, getting to the street they lived on, and froze.

A few men, like the first one, milled around the flat, the door broken in. Another black van was parked outside.

“Flora… you don’t think…” Alfendi whispered, scared.

“I… I don’t know,” Flora whispered back.

Just then, more men spotted them. Flora tightened her grip on Alfendi’s hand, and ran in a different direction, pulling him along.

***

Hershel flew through the streets of London, glancing in his rearview mirror every now and again to make sure they weren’t being followed. He was trying to get to the school, to grab the kids, while also trying to figure out what to do. Desmond sat silently in the passenger seat, rubbing the side of his head, where he had smacked it when he’d been thrown.

“Who were those men…?” Desmond finally asked, looking over at Hershel.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen them before,” Hershel said, slowing to a stop at a red light.

“But in your letter, you encoded the word ‘trap’,” Desmond frowned. “You clearly knew something was going to happen today!”

Hershel frowned at the light turned green, and he started through the intersection. “Desmond, I did not send you--!”

CHRASH

The Laytonmobile skidded sideways as a black van plowed into the driver’s side. Hershel’s head slammed against the side with a sickening crack. Desmond fared better, being on the passenger side, and simply hung on until the vehicle came to a complete stop.

“Hershel?” he said, turning to the Professor, whos eyes were closed, breathing ragged. He reached over, grabbing the man’s shoulder, only to jerk back when Hershel flinched in pain. “Hershel, wake up! We need to go!” he said, looking through the window at the van, and the men getting out of it.

“Leave… me…”

Desmond’s head snapped down, and he looked at his brother. His eyes were slightly open.

“I can’t,” Desmond said, shaking his head. Before he could say another word, Hershel’s door was yanked open, metal squealing against metal, and two sets of hands were pulling the professor out roughly. Desmond scowled at that, ready to jump them, to protect his brother, but froze when they leveled a gun to the side of Layton’s head.

“Come quietly, and we won’t hurt him,” the man said. Desmond’s eyes flickered between him, the gun, and the semi-conscious Hershel, before he sighed, lowering his head, lifting his hands in surrender, and getting out of the ruined car.

***

Flora and Alfendi ran as hard as they could, but soon found themselves surrounded. The men closed in on them, boxing them into a corner.

“Flora…? What do we do?” Alfendi whimpered, his breathing quick and shallow. Flora glanced down at him, recognizing the signs that he was on the verge of a panic attacks.

“We stay calm, Alfendi. We try to keep a clear mind. Can you do that for me?” she asked. Alfendi hesitated, before nodding slightly. His eyes then widened.

“Flora!”

Just as he said it, a pair of arms wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her side. Flora gasped, and struggled, but was no match for the man holding her.

“Boy, up here!” an accented voice suddenly called. He looked up, noticing the ladder to the fire escape they were under had been lowered, and threw himself at it, climbing as fast as he could. One of the men tried to grab him, but a flower pot dropped from above, landing square on the man’s face. Alfendi managed to get to the first landing.

“Don’t stop thar, lad. Keep climbing!” the voice barked from above.

“But Flora—”

“We’ll worry about her once you’re safe!”

Alfendi hesitated only a second more, before continuing to climb. Once he was at the top, the roof, he looked back to see the men watching him, and Flora was gone…

He turned to spot his savior, an elderly man with a hook nose, wearing a red suit.

“They… they took her… you said we’d save her too, but we’re too late!” Alfendi whimpered. The elderly man patted his shoulder.

“Now, now, lad. Please, calm down. We will save her, and the others. It just might take us some time,” he said softly.

“The others…? Wait! Luke and Dad? DAD was taken!?” Alfendi wrapped his arms around himself, trying not to give in to the panic that was filling his mind with static. “Who are you? Are you with them?”

“Of course not, lad. I’m… an acquaintance of the Professor’s. My name is Raymond.”

[quibbs126]

More swap au sketches

So first off is Flora trying to comfort Desmond, since she’s supposed to take him under her wing after the whole Locklair situation, which I feel I’ve explained in other posts, but yeah she helps him out and so Flora gets her own apprentice. I’ll try drawing Desmond post-Locklair at a later date

Next I slightly tweaked Hershel’s design, because something about it felt off to me, particularly the hair drooping down so much. I feel like he looked more like a younger version of that director guy from Mystery Journey to be honest. I’m not sure if I should tweak his design more, but I’m satisfied with this one for now

Then I wanted to show Triton actually talking to animals, and this is something he uses both in real life investigations and for inspiration in his novels (for a refresher, Triton is a mystery novel writer. Hershel reads his books). Then I just wanted to draw Triton and Hershel interacting, and just made them talk about it

Last I drew Hershel just reading a book, specifically one of Triton’s books, just because I wanted to and also to draw his hair without the hat, since I imagine he doesn’t wear it 24/7. Normally I’d put this last because I drew it last, but I have quite a bit to say about the next drawing

And I drew Locklair seeing his father again (even if I didn’t show Leon). The idea in my head is that in the same story where the group becomes involved with Targent, Locklair ends up sneaking into the Nest (or wherever Targent’s located) and he finally finds his father (or both parents at the same time, I haven’t decided), and he’s shocked to see him wearing a Targent uniform and trying to find the Azran Legacy, just like the rest of Targent. He had taken off his mask because he thought he didn’t need to wear it anymore, hence why it’s in his hands. Leon ends up seeing him and is shocked, calling out to him as Hershel in disbelief that he’s really there, but Desmond is shocked and confused, asking why he’s wearing the Targent uniform, demanding to know whether he’s working for Targent. Leon reluctantly says yes, but before he can explain, Desmond lashes out at him, asking why they could even think to work for Targent, why they abandoned him and Theodore, how he’s had to spend so long, sacrifice everything just so that he could find them again only to find this, if they had always been working for Targent and their “kidnapping” was just a ploy so they could get rid of the two of them, and basically just lashing out at Leon in any way he can think of, eventually putting his mask back on and leaving in anger. Also, if he knows about Emmy’s connection to the two, he may claim that they replaced him and Theodore with her, asking if it was because they weren’t good enough, or if she was what they wanted instead. During his entire tirade, his emotions are clear on his face, feeling hurt and betrayed, confused about the entire situation, and tears streaming down his face. When Desmond leaves, Leon tries to go after him, but Desmond tells him to leave him alone and never to speak to him again, and the whole interaction leaves Leon devastated. The Bronev parents end up seeing Hershel (Theodore) as well later on (or maybe it’s just Rachel, while Leon tries to find Desmond?), and they’re able to explain things to him and he’s able to understand their situation, even if at first he doesn’t either, though he doesn’t lash out at them like Desmond did. At some climatic point, Leon is able to find Desmond, and in some confrontation between Leon and Targent, Desmond sees that Leon really does care about his family over Targent, and later Leon is able to fully explain the situation to Desmond, and Desmond apologizes for what he said earlier, and they get to have their emotional reunion they originally had both wanted.

One specific scenario I came up with was that Locklair ends up causing trouble for Targent, and one of the other members, possibly the current director of Targent, decides that they’ve had enough of this pest and trains their gun on him, and Leon objects, begging them to not hurt his son, possibly even saying they promised not to hurt his children, only for them to betray that trust, so he tries to take matters into his own hands, but the gun ends up being shot anyways, and while Leon was able to prevent to wound from being fatal, Desmond still ends up getting shot pretty badly and passing out from it, and once Leon sees this, all bets are off and he just turns on the Targent members, beating them up but particularly the one who shot Desmond. Their reconciliation happens after the fact when Desmond is recovering at the hospital

So yeah, essentially that’s what I have for the Bronev parents, though I admit I talked more about Leon than Rachel. She’s here too, and I may change things to involve her more, but I guess I didn’t talk much about her because I want Desmond and Leon to interact, given their interactions in the canon universe

Also I’m not sure whether Desmond becomes Flora’s apprentice before or after the whole Bronev thing, since I envision him as still moody at that point in time, whereas after reuniting with his parents he starts to be happy again (I mean yes he would start to be happy if he’s able to be with his brother like he would if this takes place before, but the whole situation with his parents is still on his mind and makes him still a bit moody). I dunno, I’ll figure it out

But yeah

[mirza-majoris]

Chapter 4 : Train trip

The compartment of the wagon was oddly silent. Well, in fact, neither Ray, nor Leon nor Hershel had anything to say. Or rather they wanted to say a lot of things but they didn't dare to, mostly because they didn't know where to begin.

Hershel was still wondering how Ray had managed to got them a compartment without any reservation, but deep down he already had the beginning of an answer, and it was not all about being legal. For now, and because he hadn't slept very well during the previous night, he was sleeping on the bench seat, with his father's own coat to keep him warm and cosy, after having watched the landscape running outside for quite some time.

Leon was staring at the Scottish man, sitting next to his son and making sure his plushy wasn't going to fall from his son's embrace. His eyes were more tired than before and he had crossed his arms, not ready to let any emotion pierce again through his face. He was thankful indeed, because without him they would be taken to the Nest already, but he was also very distant and worried, because it wasn't common to know Targent, and less common was Ray's abilities. Leon had been trapped in this bloody tower for weeks with his wife and, even if he hated to admit it, Targent's soldiers were good. Very good. And from what he had understood when they quickly got a few explanations while waiting for the train, Ray put four of them to sleep with no apparent difficulties, which was... almost impossible. And the man who was aiming at him seemed to know him well, and to be afraid of him too.

–Are ye goin' to stare at me like this for long, sassenach ?

Leon jolted. Ray didn't even looked at him, he was still looking at the fields, behind the window, and he knew perfectly well what Bronev was thinking in this instant. And in fact, the English archaeologist sighed and looked away.

–Stop calling me that.

Ray smiled a bit.

–Calling ye what ?

–That thing, "sasnar". What does it even mean ?

The man in the leather jacket chuckled and rolled his eyes before looking at the English man. His eyes were tired indeed but he refused to sleep, to have an eye on his son and to have an eye on him too.

–"Sassenach", it means "stranger". Or "English". To Scots, it's the same. Also, A think this name suits ye well since A'm sure ye're English at least. "Nikolaï" huh ?

Leon's face grew more serious and his eyes were almost as cold as a statue in the middle of a winter storm. This was a very sensitive topic indeed but they had to talk about it, or else their alliance was meant to end quickly. Judging by the man's willingness to protect Hershel, and how he looked at him, he had principles and a moral code, and he seemed reliable regarding Targent and his hatred toward this terrorist organisation.

–You heard him, huh...

–Leon Bronev, the famous Azran expert. Ye disappeared from a li'le village near Stansbury with yer wife, 2 years ago. And ye are one of the very few people to have escaped Targent.

Ray paused and stared at Leon who was livid and pulling his son closer from his side, as to protect him from an invisible menace. The Scottish man sighed and looked back through the window.

–Sorey...

–To anyone else, I'm Nikolaï Sycamore and he's my son Desmond. As for you, I'm still concerned about my son's safety since tonight you were clearly out of these agents' league. "Ray", seriously ? That's merely a nickname.

He smiled a bit, bitter, and sighed. This situation was really awkward and making them both uncomfortable but they had to adress the issue because it was the key to build a mere sense of confidence. However, the other man seemed to brush off the idea of talking about his name and focused back on a more important topic.

–Ye're not bad either. Nice hook, by the way.

–Thanks but... you're avoiding the topic. Why are you helping us ? You could've let us go on our own and then go on your own as well.

That question wasn't surprising, and somehow Ray was waiting for it. But even if he was prepared to hear it, he had no answer which would be satisfying enough to give to the archaeologist. This was his sensitive topic, the one he wasn't comfortable with, because the answer was also very unsatisfying for him as well.

–I... made some very questionable choices in the past... and...

He paused for a few seconds and stared at Hershel, or rather Desmond, who was sleeping under the coat and close to his father, before looking away again. In his eyes, Leon was certain to have spotted some guilt.

–Let's just say that I seek redemption... for the people I hurt. And I hope I'll achieve it someday...

Another long and heavy silence. Leon observed the man sitting in front of him with curiosity and yet with the clear impression that he was trying to hide the elephant in the room. And it was working rather well indeed since he had no idea what it could be. But the voice and the eyes of that strange Scottish biker were everything but full of lies. Deep inside, the English archaeologist knew his newly found ally was truly trying to make amend for something that happened in his life.

Ray sighed again but his dark eyes stared at Leon for some time before he finally decided to keep going.

–The past, A don't care. Ye want to be called Nikolaï, A'll call ye Nikolaï, same for yer boy, A'll call him Desmond. But for now... we need to head to somewhere safe. And nowhere will be, unless we put as much distance as possible between us and them.

Leon sighed again and kept his son close while looking outside. The sky was slowly starting to be covered with grey clouds and the air seemed to get colder. Judging by the direction the train took, and by the fact that they needed to head far away from London, they were probably heading north.

To break a bit with the heavy topic, Leon focused back on a lighter matter.

–You're wrong though. I'm not entirely English.

Ray raised an eyebrow. Leon rolled his eyes a bit playfully.

–My father was from Saint Petersburg.

Both men looked at each other before chuckling a bit, to ease a bit that pression that had been concentrated for a few hours now. Ray couldn't believe it.

–Ye're English AND Russian, fer God's sake !

–Da ! Now hush, you'll wake my son up...!

But the more he was thinking about it and the more they both wanted to laugh because that sounded like something absolutely uninteresting and yet oddly funny in this particular context. Ray shook his head and kept going.

–Well, as fer me, A owe ye the truth... Me real name's Raymond and I hate it.

–Oh... it explains a few things.

–Is that so ?

–...In fact no, it's just so... so not Scottish-sounding. Sounds like a French waiter at the Ritz.

They both began to laugh again after a glare from the Scottish man. This sounded rather strange to Leon, to hear himself laugh, because it had been weeks since the last time he truly was able to release all that stress. However, they had to come back to focusing on serious matters.

–I see... But it will still be rather risky and probably hard since being a single father with a young son is rather tough these days.

–We could... be roomates ? Flatmates ? A dunno, what do ye call two people livin' together and both paying the rent ?

If there was any kind of idea that was supposed to be crossing Leon's mind right now, it was certainly not this one ! In fact, this sounded so uncommon and unpredictable that he lost an instant to stare, his mouth wide opened and his eyes round and more round even.

–I beg your pardon ?

Ray raised and eyebrow and his shoulders.

–What ? Can't we somehow make it work ? A'm broke, A can't afford to live in a house by meself. And ye can't take good care of yer boy without an ally. It doesn't sound so crazy to me.

Leon stared at the man, his face, his eyes, his leather jacket, his position on the bench -quite relaxed, occupying the space he had- and his attitude until now and suddenly he began to laugh a bit, and the more he was thinking of the man as a "normal man doing normal things in a normal house", he couldn't help but to laugh a bit louder. This was enough for Desmond to yawn a little and open one eye, then the other, and looking at both adults who seemed to have been discussing important matter during his little nap.

–Hmm ?... Dad, why are you laughing ?

–F-For nothing, ahaha ! No, truly, don't worry, don't worry my boy... ahaha !... it's just that, oh god, Ray here just-

–What ? Is it so insane ?!

Desmond looked at both the men with a confused frown, waiting for an answer to his interrogation, and also rather surprised to hear his father laughing. Raymond sighed and shook his head while explaining a bit more what they were talking about a few minutes ago.

–We were talking about livin' together.

–Wait-what ?!

The little high-pitched voice of the boy was enough to make Leo laugh again, even though Desmond was, after this moment of blunt surprise, was seriously pondering the idea. It was risky, for sure, but at least they were together in this awful situation and they could possibly make it work. His little mind was way too serious sometimes and it was now one of these times.

–Well, it all depends on where we are going to move in... also, I doubt I can still be doing homeschooling. I love you dad but... you always tell me it's better to find knowledge everywhere rather than taking it always from the same source.

His father stopped laughing, opened his mouth with the intention to say something, but in the end he just closed it and mumbled something before sighing.

–That's... true, but... you know we have to be discrete.

Raymond thought it was his time to intervene.

–Neh, don't worry sassenach, ye're not goin' to be spotted where we're headin' !

–Oh, that's true... Where is this train going ?

–To Dingwall. It's a li'le town near Iverness, north Scotland. Targent is never goin' to come here, they wont suspect ye're hidin' with me.

Leon looked at the weather. Yup, typical Scottish weather coming ahead.

–I should've guessed. It's raining, in Dingwall, I guess ?

Raymond stared at Leon for a good minte long anf took a deep breath, trying to stop his tongue from being bitchy, but he couldn't help it.

–Of course it's raining ! Where do ye think Scotland is ? The freaking Pyrenees ?

–Language !

The archaeologist snapped before rolling his eyes and sighed once again.

–Why Dingwall ?

–Because A know where to find a house fer us three.

–A house ? Whose house ?

That was surprisingly... quick. There's no way he had been able to look for a house so soon so here it was, the elephant in the room. At this one too, Ray seemed a bit awkward and he muttered something no one heard correctly. Leon frowned.

–I beg your pardon ?

–... me mom's...

He muttered while blushing and looking away. Desmond and Leon looked at each other and then stared back at the Scottish man.

–.... what ?!

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