#Foley Legacy

[justkillingthyme]

Happy Hershel Haturday!

‼️Major AL and UF Spoilers‼️

1/?

[working-dreamer]

The Person Within: An Analysis Of Professor Layton's Hidden Character Development

Spoilers for practically all of the Layton games!

Hershel Layton as a character is sometimes criticized outside of the fandom for having no personality other than his gentlemanly nature and taking the concept of enjoying puzzles to the extreme.

While I think this criticism shows a blatant misunderstanding to his character, I do think from a different angle that perspective makes Professor Layton more interesting.

Think about it. Most of his personality is taken from the tragedy of those around him. Randall was the one who was originally obsessed with archaeology and puzzles. Claire was the one who originally perceived Hershel as a gentleman (thus giving him the idea.) We don’t really see Layton take these aspects of his personality onto himself until tragedy strikes and these people are taken away from his life.

In the case of Randall's death, Hershel blamed himself for surviving and moved out of town because of his self-loathing and guilt. And when Claire disappeared Layton paused his studies for an unknown amount of time trying to find out what happened until he was beaten into a coma by a group of people associated with her death.

And yet instead of grieving like you’d normally expect from a person who lost his best friend and girlfriend, he internalized their interests and aspects of their personalities into himself. He wears their passions and dreams as his own to remember them. In a way, he’s always reminding himself that he couldn’t save them.

However one might wonder how Layton really feels about those things outside of his previous losses. Does Layton even enjoy archeology and puzzles? Or is it something he has grown to accept in his life simply because he is living out Randall’s dream? Does he feel like he has a choice in the matter?

I can easily imagine Layton having doubts deep within himself: Randall didn’t get to live and it’s my fault. His dreams should live on. I don’t deserve anything else.

Same with Claire. She saw him as a gentleman but he certainly didn’t feel like one after her disappearance if his memory of events is to be taken seriously. How long did it take for him to turn into the perfect gentleman? Especially if it's just a painful reminder of her loss?

It’s probably after waking up from his coma that he starts to really embrace the idea that he has to be the perfect gentleman because he knows he can never get her back. So all he can do is embrace what she thought of him before she died. So with all of this in mind is Layton’s gentlemanly persona genuine to who he is as a person? Or is it just a persona created in order to keep her memory alive?

Layton has kept the shadows of his lost loved ones close to his heart for years and probably would have always done so had he never gotten any closure. However, when Randall turned out to be alive Layton now has the opportunity to let go of that guilt. Claire came back in the future momentarily and Layton got to say goodbye. He no longer needs to keep their personal traits as his own.

So why does he still embody Randall's passion for archeology and puzzles and Claire's perspective that he's the perfect gentleman?

I think it's because Layton doesn't know who he is without these borrowed parts of his personality. Without those aspects that he adopted into himself… who is Hershel Layton? Deep down he is someone who has silently mourned his loved ones and repressed those emotions. And yet most of his life has been embodying said grief. It makes me wonder if Layton would ever look deep within himself and realize that he doesn’t have anything to claim as his own. His entire personality revolves around past guilt and trauma from people he loved and lost.

Shoot even his name isn’t his own! Hershel Layton was actually the name belonging to his brother and in a moment of sacrifice switched names so our Layton could be adopted. So our Layton loses the only family member he has left without even knowing who that is for the majority of his life!

So we have a man who feels guilt and remorse for the deaths of his best friend and his girlfriend so he doesn’t allow himself to develop his own interests and personality because he doesn’t feel like he deserves to be his own person. It's even implied that he believed for a time that he didn't deserve to be the one who survived the events that killed his best friend and girlfriend. And then adding to the fact that he never knew his real family so he most likely felt a different kind of loss by not knowing where he came from. All and all we find a man that feels alone and tries to make it right by embodying the traits of those he cared about.

We don’t get to see Layton develop his thoughts on all of this but we do see an interesting development later on. I’d like to think that Layton slowly began to heal after his adventures thanks to adopting Katrielle in the anime.

This is because, for the first time in Layton’s life, he had a family to look after. Someone who doesn't need a mystery-solving archeologist or a perfect gentleman detective. Someone who doesn't need the grand "Professor Layton." This little girl just needs someone to be her father and, while he tries his best, he doesn't really know how to do that.

Sure he had a familial relationship with Luke and Flora, but he never called himself their father. I don’t think he allowed himself that privilege because of all the self-loathing he had been dealing with before. When he adopts Kat it feels like it’s the first time we see Layton truly allowing himself to be a father figure. And yet he is still uncertain about if he should be the one in this role.

Layton feels like his adopted daughter should know where she came from (something he didn’t get to have) before he can start thinking of himself as a father. He’s scared that if he gets attached then it'll hurt worse when she eventually returns to her own family should she decide that is her wish. But if he finds her family first then he doesn’t have the go through that heartache. He wants to find them first so she can make an informed decision.

And he says this with the logic that he always had as “Professor Layton” with that calm and collected smile. Notice that he says "I want to solve this puzzle so that we can become a true family." He doesn't say "so that we will become a true family." It’s almost as if he is going to let Kat decide if she wants to stay with him or go back to her real parents and that choice will be up to her. However, it's somewhat implied that he already thinks that she would naturally choose her real parents if she had the opportunity.

Despite his wishes to be her father, he still seems to be internally preparing himself to say goodbye (hence why he disappeared for so long in the first place.) He just doesn’t want to get too close to another person only to lose them and suffer alone again.

It makes sense why he is distancing himself, but he’ll still solve the mystery. It's what “Professor Layton” would do and he’ll have to accept whatever happens once Kat learns the truth. He doubts that she would still see him as her dad if she could be with her real parents. He doesn't even know himself outside of the role of "Professor Layton" so how can he be a true father to her? She'll go away with her real family eventually anyway. Why would anyone choose him?

And yet when he sees her again Layton is surprised when she immediately cries out for him. She still calls him papa. She wants him to be her papa.

In a public display of overwhelming emotion, we see Layton openly weep for the first time. He is so overcome by these emotions and for once doesn't repress them. He's just so happy to see his daughter again (to truly call Kat his daughter again) and allows himself to fully express those feelings for perhaps the first time in decades.

If Layton from the original game trilogy saw himself like this he would have been mortified by this “un-gentlemanly” behavior. His mindset back then was that a gentleman never cries because he has trouble coming to terms with his emotions. He even chastised Luke in Unwound Future because “a gentleman never makes a scene in public.”

However, he was never a gentleman for himself. It was always for holding onto the guilt of losing his loved ones while trying to honor their memories at the same time. But he doesn’t have to hold himself to those impossible standards anymore. He no longer blames himself for their deaths, he found closure, and now he has found himself in a family who chooses to love him not because of those attributes “Professor Layton” embodied, but because she loves him for the person hidden under that persona. And that is enough for Layton to openly weep as he embraces his child.

I believe Kat's words here helped Layton more than she'll ever know.

So who is Hershel Layton if he’s not a gentleman or a fan of archeology?

The solution to that puzzle is really quite simple.

He is a caring person. And that’s all he ever needs to be.

[whoops-im-obsessed]

If I had a nickel for every time I had a character who was an english puzzle enthusiast turned unwitting detective with an L name that isn't his own, childhood trauma, and an estranged brother, and where the plot involves some kind of identity hijinks and swapping with the brother in some way, and he is assisted by a redhead and a child and one of them has a name which means 'of light/light-giving', and he at one point goes to visit his school mentor who taught him about puzzles as part of an investigation, and there is some angst about how he has no significant other or family and he's a terrible driver

I'd have 2 nickels. Which isn't a lot but is better than no nickels at all ig anyway go play professor layton and watch ludwig

[c4n1d43cup1d]

more bronev brother swap au, layclaire (theoclaire??? clariedore???) still happens but since theo isn't in school he works as a librarian and meets claire that way instead. she flirts w him but he doesn't realize until she decides to be more straight forward and ask him out LOL

[just-a-gamer-daydeamer-girl]

Day 3 Dream

I sleep better with something to hug.

I wonder what Phoenix is dreaming of?

(Screen shot does not belongto me)

[sunnyaliceart]

More Purrfessor Layton characters!

Which one's your favorite?

[re1gn404]

some drawing ideas inspired by some of @justkillingthyme’s ideas…! (they aren’t very good)

f!layton claire

azran apocalypse (unfinished)

[iknow12555]

I can't with this man

And uh..this , don't ask why he's like that I don't know

So stupid

[laytonnpcbracket]

ROUND 1 POLL 1 SIDE B

About the NPCs (may contain spoilers -- proceed with caution!):

Claire was Hershel's girlfriend before she died in the time machine incident. However, she did very briefly travel through time, arriving ten years in the future.

Otherwise known as: Celeste (pseudonym); サリアス・フォーリー/クレア・フォーリー (Japanese)

Leon Bronev is Targent's leader. He is also the father of Hershel Layton and Desmond Sycamore.

Otherwise known as: ブロネフ・ライネル (Japanese); Léon Bronev (French)

[probablygayattorneys]

I haven't found out yet what happened to Randall or any of that, I'm only a little bit into the flashback sequence in Miracle Mask, but there's a really clear throughline that's making me emotional about Kat and her story.

Kat considers herself a world-class puzzle solver and loves them. She learned how to love them from her father, who taught her how to solve them and left it behind with her when it was his time to go

But what we see in MM is how he came to become a world-class puzzle solver who loves them. He learned how to love them from Randall, who taught him how to solve them and left it behind with him when it was his time to go

And that's not the only example of this!

He gave her her top hat, which matches his, which was a gift from Claire. He also taught her how to be an English gentlewoman, like how he is an English gentleman, which is another thing that Claire started.

So much of who Katrielle comes from who her father was, and so much of that comes from those that he loved and lost but still found a way to live on in his actions and character, which made him who he was so he could love his daughter and leave her with his legacy, and all any of us are is an amalgamation of those who loved us, who in turn are the amalgamation of those who loved them, and so on and so forth, and I think that's beautiful.

[justkillingthyme]

‼️MAJOR PL SPOILERS‼️

Song is Over & Over by Rio Romeo

[magicwhiskers29]

Hypothetically speaking if you put three people who are good at puzzles in an escape room, it would go well. However. See, if it's the wrong three people...

River and I were chatting about the disastrous potential that would be putting Claire+Clive+Descole in a room together, and go figure, an escape room would be the peak of that....

[mirza-majoris]

Ok so I wanted to draw but I don't have the nerves to do so. Instead, I wanna write something about that silly AU of mine and it appears it has no name. Why not Professors of the Caribbean ? Or maybe you can choose if you have something better ^w^

Well first let's see about the roles : Let's call it "The Curse of the Azran gold" XD

Hershel Layton : a young preceptor working for the governor of Port Royal, to teach his daughter Claire Foley 👀 Rescued from a shipwreck by her when they both were children, he grew up at Port Royal with his father and mother, not knowing he was indeed adopted ( that will still be like in the games, I love the twist it will bring X3 ). Becomes a pirate unfortunately, to save his dear Claire from the pirates that came and kidnapped her. Not a real fan of the one that brought him into being an outlaw though X3

Desmond Sycamore : probably no Descole, but the name of the ship could be the Death Call, dunno, what do ya think ? Anyway, a pirate, alone, strange-mannered, having a lot of hate for a particular pirate and swearing revenge. He convinced Hershel to steal a ship to save his damsel, is an excellent swordsman but doesn't like to play fair and is a master of wicked plans XD

Claire Foley : daughter of the governor, fascinated by pirates, wants to be as free and independent as them sometimes. She likes Hershel A LOT and is not that impressed as first by the pirate captain. Well, before knowing he's literally a living dead X3 tbh Desmond is more a damsel in distress than her !

Leon Bronev : here he is, the bad guy ! Commited a mutiny against his captain and son after having some disagreement about the Azran gold. He has no beating heart now, cruel but great at being a treacherous man and a liar X3

Dimitri Allen : the commodore ! Because he needs no grey wig XD and because he is in love with Claire X3 a good man, having trouble with pirates and trying to get rid of them as much as possible. He will potentially know a very sad end but hey, like a hero though X'3

Luke Triton : not gonna lie, it's hard to include him in there but maybe a little sailor on the Interceptor asleep when Hershel and Desmond steal her X3 so he has to go on a little voyage with them, will probably talk to the parrot XD like Layton a lot but not Desmond X3

Raymond : ..... let's hope I have a better fate for him that what crosses my mind right now X'3

Macaw and Robin : Pintel and Ragetti, no doubt ! XD

Swift : the Second-in-Command because he is freaking cool *^*

For now, this is how I would see the main plot X3 most characters are here buuuuuuuut maybe my brains works faster than my typing skills ( and will to write something more consequent ) so I will probably right other things but not tonight X'3

Don't hesitate to tell me what you think about it ^^

[c4n1d43cup1d]

Let's give up. Let's stop. The world is connected

Let's dance. Let's laugh. The dance has already begun

The beginning and the end. Everything that matters will become zero

Don't resist. Accept it. Everything is connected

[pocketsizepunk]

(ID in alt)

@layclaireweek day 5 - au

is azran!claire au a thing? i'm thinking something vaguely along the lines of atlantis: the lost empire. claire isn't a princess though, she's the mechanic in charge of building aurora. that seems more fitting to me