#healanalyses

[heal-the-ashes]

I feel like Hershel and Desmond would both be afraid of themselves.

If they stop and look at themselves. If they realize what they're doing came from years of pain. Would it all lead to a question of "Who else am I going to hurt?" "How many people have I unintentionally hurt because I never realized what I was really doing?" "How many things of my life have I missed because of this?" "How many things do I—or will I—regret?"

I feel like Layton self-sacrifices to a fault. That others get hurt trying to protect him. That he unknowingly drags other people through pain to get to where he thinks he needs to go. To solve every mystery there is. To get rid of his pain from outside sources, he needs to make as much of it himself under the titles "Determination" and "Amazing at solving things" and "Helping others" because then, how could those things ever hurt him? How could they ever be seen as pain? They're not like his (other) traumas. They don't cause pain at all. Not to mention what he thinks about danger. Danger? What danger? There's no danger here. Just people who are willing to hurt others to get what they want—Which is very sad and shows their pain and he'd very much like to help them in any way possible, if possible. If they show that they don't want to be helped, then it's better to leave them be.

But then again, nothing can ever be someone's fault other than his around him. I think he goes over betrayals thinking, "There must have been something I could have done." or "There must've been something I did." or "If I learn from this, I can make sure it never happens again." or... ... I think he has a hard time accepting that things really aren't his fault / there's really nothing he can do about some situations. Actually, when it comes time for Unwound Future and the whole Evil Layton arc... The only time in which he actually raises his voice is at himself. Is at the version of him that betrayed all of the morals in which he's held onto for so long. But a part of me thinks that, if he knew things were actually his fault, he'd have a problem with that, too... I mean, look at how he reacts to him getting puzzle answers incorrect in CV. In CV. In the 4th game of experience that he's had with puzzles. And a movie. With all that experience and he gets something wrong... he's disappointed in himself. Going back to the UF/LF thing... "I demand an explanation!!" I don't think I'll ever forget that line. I think, from his journal... We know he was trying to think of reasons why he would do something like this. Idk. I'm. Thoughts are not thinking anymore. Um. Wow I really lost my thought process. I was also gonna talk about Desmond. But I guess that's not happening at the moment.

[heal-the-ashes]

Azran Legacy spoilers + Thyme's Puzzle Answer

I knew this was about Bronev. So naturally I took up all emotional defenses. A puzzle? Great! I can think rationally!

(Yes this is how I solve these puzzles in-game with the memo pad)

I think Hershel was doing that too.

He was expressing himself, and his problems, and what hurt(s) him,

In the best way for him.

And I think that that's an amazing, phenomenal detail you had in there. If it wasn't for that purpose, then apologies for misunderstanding, but its what I really thought about.

With puzzles, with a rational approach to irrational and scary things, Hershel is able to slow down his mind and calm his heart.

Puzzles are also the one thing he feels he has power over. You can't tell me everytime he does the point thing to accuse someone of their wrongs isn't powerful. This is a thing he needs (and has) control over. It's how he processes things, in distrust of his own emotions and irrational thinking processes. He leads with his mind and not his heart (Ex. "Well, Luke, a gentleman can/can't...")

Those are rules.

Rules he made for himself to prevent himself becoming his vision of a monster.

Time and time again, he's seen what emotions can do. Their destructive nature. Their lies wrapped up in guises of love. The explosive blows that can hurt both the person and those around them. In a way, I think puzzles is a way he dissociates. He disconnects from everything. Himself, the world around him, sometimes even the people around him.

Puzzles are his defense mechanisms against the corroding and corruptive power that love has.

But he hasn't disconnected from everything. Note how I said "sometimes" for the "people around him" part.

You're right to reference his friends in the next coming puzzles.

And you're also right to call out the last puzzle he gives.

He can love. He does love.

They are the subjects of how he expresses himself and how he grounds himself.

(Of course the puzzles can be "weaponized" too. If he made one about Bronev, I think the goal would be to get Bronev to realize "The person in the puzzle is bad. I did the exact same thing the person in the puzzle did. Hershel is telling me that I am bad.")

And now I'm wondering what would happen if a Desmond version of this happened… If Desmond saw Bronev.

Anyway

Wonderful writing Thyme, I really like this :)