#i love lmda actually

[darkartistyt]

I SAW THE TAGS U LEFT ON THAT DES ART I DID AND YOU GET IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU GET IT SO GOOD!!!!!!!!! the fact that hershel did the exact same thing his dad did and how des loves his brother so so so much but is just so angry because hershel fell for the same thing his father fell for, and how desmond did everything right as a parent but lost his wife and daughter but hershel, the golden son, got to have three kids and he just left them, and how in LBMR al is mad towards his father but in LMJ/LMDA kat seems so happy to have him back and how it furthers the parallels of al/des and kat/hersh and not even to think about how flora feels about all this, always being left behind by the prof and now it’s her siblings’ turn to get left behind with her, just OOOOUUGGGHHH THE LAYTON FAM… AAAAUUUUGGHHH

I DIDNT EVEN THINK ABT DES'S FAMILY FUCK THIS MAKES EVERYTHING SO MUCH WORSE (/pos)

looking back at the post itself i am now realising that it cut off the last couple of tags for some reason. probably hit a tag limit or smth idk. so since it didnt keep it there i'll mention it here; there's no way in hell that the happy ending we got in LMDA is going to last

its like. kat's satisfied but al's pissed, des is pissed, and flora doesnt even know how to feel about the whole situation. i imagine with her its like "well this happened before but then it got better but then it got infinitely worse so how do we know it wont happen again." she cant trust that he'll actually stay this time, and it'll probably lead into her growing distant from him. she'll still stay close to her siblings, of course, but how can she trust that their father will be there to, yknow, be their father

meanwhile alfendi and des are unable to put the past behind them and move forward (des i think more so due to trauma but knowing al i think he'd be more vocal about it). so with alfendi it's more like "you left your family behind and we all went through hell and back in the meantime" but with des its more like "you are not only abandoning everyone but you are also continuing the cycle." and its like, the parallels between des and leon are way more obvious and in your face (mostly in the character designs) but with hershel you gotta think about it for more than five seconds. so it makes me wonder how much of leon does des see in hershel...

not to mention the fact that des suffered so much with at least two of his families being stripped away from him and here's his little brother--the one family member he has left, the person who was so disconnected from his bio family that he didnt even know he was a part of it for most of his life--pulling the same shit that fucked up des's entire life in the first place

istg trauma spice and abandonment issues just run in this family... i want to send all of them to therapy

[call-me-rucy]

Oh, when you said main character jumping off a skyscraper, my mind immediately went to Espella, but I guess the Bell Tower isn't...exactly? a skyscraper?

I... hadn't about that.

You see, that was my biggest problem making the poll: how do I make it specific enough to evoque a known scene/character without accidentally referencing others but also vague enough that I can describe it in an option and not bore the reader.

I did look up the definition of skyscraper when writing the options: it seems that it needs to be 10 stories high or more, so I'm afraid the Bell Tower wouldn't count. ^^"

Thanks for the ask!

I'm now gonna take the liberty to rant about other possible answers to each option that I thought of. I'm sure there's ton of them that I didn't count, please if someone has a "well, technically this can also count", add it, I'd love to hear it. Spoilers for basically everything below.

A main character jumping of a skyscraper: So there's the CV hang glider, which is explicitely onscreen. But then there's Descole and Layton jumping from the Obsidian Tower in Azran Legacy, which is not onscreen per se but it does happen. Even the Mobile Fortress escape in UF can count as "A main character jumping of a skyscraper" if certains descriptions are streched enough.

And now you mentioned Espella which I totally forgot about! If we're counting the Bell Tower as a skyscraper, we can also count the first Masked Gentleman appearance in MM. So much jumping of high places.

An explosion with 10 casualties is worded this way so it's specifically the UF one. Loads of explosions with "we hope no casualties" in almost every game/movie.

People in cages being thrown into fire is worded this way so as to not to contradict what is later revealed is really happening.

The extintion of an species: Now thinking about this one, it could be argued that Azran Legacy also depicts this. Maybe? I'm not gonna. But it could.

An avalanche with unknown number of casualties. I did look up the exact definition of avalanche to make sure floods by both water and sand didn't count. Also the reason is "Layton games/movie" is because, with my luck, someone I don't remember in LMDA has a tragic backstory with an avalanche.

An actual ghost: I was thinking of Sophia in the cutscene, and though some people would think Claire but I just now remembered about Melina! She could easily count as ghost too!

[libraryleopard]

top 5 bits from king arthur stories

Oh don't mind if I do! (I'm in a class on Arthurian legend and fiction this semester and also just generally really like mythology, so I have THOUGHTS.)

6. I know you said 5, but also Gawain self-flagellating himself in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight because he flinched in the moment he thought his head was about to be cut off and deciding to wear a girdle as a reminder of his own shame except then is just catches on as a fashion trend at the court in Camelot.

5. Lancelot being raised by the Lady of the Lake. This keeps being briefly mentioned in texts like The Knight of the Cart and not being elaborated on, but I would like more details on this please! (My kingdom for a Lancelot novel where he's well-meaning and passionate and a little tormented and bisexual and kind of weird because he was raised in a lake by a fairy woman.)

4. Guinevere and Lancelot's doomed and terrible and toxic romance in The Knight of the Cart and Le Morte d'Arthur that kind of ruins their lives but that they're unable to walk away from. They're so incapable of healthy communication and and in some ways quite unhappy because of their forbidden romance but way that unhappiness coexists with the passion of their relationship (like Chrétien de Troyes writing it as a kind of religious ecstasy) is actually so compelling to me.

3. Merlin being the son of a demon in texts like History of the Kings of Britain. I love throwing this fact out to people, it's honestly a great conversation starter.

2. Morgan le Fay learning necromancy at a nunnery in Le Morte d'Arthur. One-sentence mention that I need an entire novel about, hello!!!

Mordred and Arthur's confrontation at the final battle in Le Morte d'Arthur. Okay, listen, this one makes me absolutely crazy. Like, first of all, you have the fact that Mordred is introduced at the start of LMDA and then actually comes back at the end, which is surprisingly consistent for a text that is a really bizarre patching-together and translation of other Arthurian texts. Second of all, the fact that Arthur tried to kill Mordred and all other babies born on May Day because of a prophecy but Mordred survives is so utterly wild to read as a modern reader because those are not the actions of a good and noble king and kind of make me root for Mordred a bit! Third, Mordred being pierced by Arthur's spear and hauling himself further along it to wound Arthur is SO hardcore. Like, imagine hating someone–your father, your attempted murderer, your prophesied enemy–so much you are wiling to hasten your own death just to deal them a blow? So tragic and epic!

[aquamarineglow]

I never thought I'd make another post like this but I've found a new contender for worst LMDA character

Her name is Ilda Whitehole. She appears in episode 14 and is the wife of the Police Commissioner.

She grafittis embarrassing pictures of her husband around town of him accepting bribes and being friends with criminals.

It's not so much her actions, but the absolute malice and hatred behind them. She wanted to have him fired, humiliate him and have others laugh at him. She also wanted to ruin the business of the shops she vandalised.

Why? Because she thought he was having an affair.

Why did she think that?

Well, he went to a store that has a lot of female customers.

Then he went to another shop and spoke to the female employee.

That's literally it.

Rather than actually confronting her husband or getting more evidence, she decides to completely ruin his life.

She reminds me of the really toxic girlfriends who look through your phone and forbid you from having female friends.

And surprise surprise, he wasn't having an affair. Actually, he was working hard to hand make a special gift for his wife. Because he loves her.

He made her a special pen because forty years ago he lost one of hers and she got angry with him. Considering this happened so long ago, it suggests me that she never let him forget it and continued to make him feel guilty about it.

So what does Ilda do? Does she apologise to her husband? Does she realise that she is too insecure, jealous and controlling?

Of course not! She's more upset with the fact that she committed a crime and now has to deal with the consequences.

But fortunately Katrielle is there to save the day! She says that Ilda didn't commit a crime because her grafitti made people happy.

What?? It's still a crime. She destroyed public property. And while it does make people laugh, it's at the expense of her husband.

Emiliana is the most relatable character in this scene. She just walks out.

Now that would be enough for her to be a horrible character. But then, she comes back in episode 45.

Maybe she's changed. Maybe she's a better person.

Of course not.

Hastings offers to look after her and she spends the entire time insulting him.

Anybody who knows Hastings knows that he loves his wife more than anything and regrets not spending more time with her.

Ilda on the other hand attempted to destroy her husband's career over a misunderstanding.

She's not really in s position to give relationship advice.

So yeah. Ilda currently holds the title for Worst Layton Character in the anime.

I haven't seen every episode but if I find someone worse than her then God help us all.

[bearofohu]

analysis - wholesome details about layton and luke in unwound future

hi, luke here with another ramble. i’m a sucker for the father/son relationship between layton and luke, so I just felt like comforting myself by typing this up, and also offering some analysis on why they undoubtedly are family. during the prologue of Unwound Future, on the bus scene at the very beginning, Layton says this to Luke while they discuss the strange letter from future Luke

i really really like these two bits of dialogue because during the famous statue scene where luke opens up about departing for america, layton mentions that luke’s father Clark told him about this “a while ago.” 

which means hershel most likely already knew luke was going to move away with his family by now. the reason I think this bit is great is because it implies layton actually depends on luke to a degree for comfort, loyalty, and just having a really close friend around to support you

we never see it, but its quite obvious that in post-unwound future, layton for sure felt seriously empty when luke moved away. perhaps this is why (minor lmda spoilers) he was so quick to adopt katrielle in episode 20. he knew luke was preoccupied with studying in america. perhaps he was desperate for someone to care for, and not feel so terribly empty. (only a handful of years had passed since UF in that episode, so layton most likely was still feeling a heavy void)

he was on the verge of tears when luke was bawling into his chest, and we didnt see him in tears even when emmy departed, or when aurora died, or practically anything else.

and another detail, this one more visual, is when after layton gets teary-eyed when luke says goodbye, in the scene directly after this, i feel like we don’t talk enough about this particular frame

notice how the docks are deserted, layton and his car are all that remain there. everyone else from the previously-packed harbor were probably not there to say goodbye to someone, and if they were, did not care enough to linger near as much.

it must’ve taken at least an hour for the boat to both undock AND get as far out into the ocean. and layton is alone. he stood there and just watched the boat sail away.

another thing to note is that claire and luke (and kat, in the anime) are the only characters that are capable of evoking tears out of a character designed to be stoic and protective over his outward emotions, so this pretty much guarantees that luke is viewed by layton as family. 

layton was written to be a stoic man, and that's not necessarily what i would consider a fault in his character. its a really impactful way to show when he truly, truly has a deep connection with someone, is when a person can crack that stoic exterior, and only three characters have been capable of that.

i kinda like making analysis posts like this, its a good way to take a break from memes, so let me know if you want to see more of these.

in conclusion, luke is layton’s son, it is law, lay/luke shippers will never be valid get the hell off my lawn.

i love you guys, hope u enjoyed reading this, remember to drink plenty of water & stay healthy

[dysfunctionalnerd]

5, 11 and 13?

5. Is Luke a soft boy or feral?

Soft!!!! he says good morning to the birds and the worms!! He hugs hershel every night before bed and tells him he loves him!! He demands kisses from his family when hes sad!! his journal is filled with rainbows and sticky notes and glitter!!!! he constantly borrows floras dresses in the summer!! if u make him rly angry tho he unleashes his rare but powerful feral mode. he will bite you.

11. What hobbies does Flora have?

ok i know flora canonically cant cook but!!! yknow what!! she rly likes it so she keeps practicing and gets super good at it after a lot of trial and error! Randall teaches her how to cook like a champ, which stresses hersh out so much bc at forst theyre both a travesty in thr kitchen but they learn together! she also likes when uncle phoenix wright send her letters asking to please god help with this case bc hes lowkey heart of gold dumb of ass ❤. oh and when she turns 17 she picks up the hobby of being cryptic as fuck and sartling people in the most peculiar way possible. her greatest scare yet was when she dressed in all brown and wedged herself between the ceiling and the bookshelf and simply waited for hershel to get home and pick up the book hed been reading.

13. Why didn’t the major characters help look for Layton and Luke in/before LMDA?

ok so sjfhdjfj my knowledge on LMDA is incredibly limited, i only played the game and dont remember much happening there and never watched the anime. That said tho, i mean, idk dude its layton. Hes always fucking off to the most remote areas of the world looking for the next new shiny rock or traumatic experience and picking up his next adoptive child. idk how long they were gone for, 10 years? Flora probably assumed they went on another adventure without her and liked the place so much they just settled down, and being petty as she is, waited for them to tell her skksks. Randall actually went to look for them but hes got stuck in whatever ice mind control whatever theyre stuck in they just havent gotten home yet to find him gone djdbdnfbjzbcnzbd Emmy??? she feels so guilty about betraying hersh like that she still hasnt reached out. probably hasnt even found out yet. She probably meets flora tho, not knowing shes connected to hershel. Descoles too busy being an ASSHOLE to bother having anything to do with hersh. Don paulo probably looked for all of 1 week then just like gave up i guess kdhdkdbd, and clive is in jail for being a lil bitch :)

[nominalbutler]

Is it to late for the ask thingy? Can I get some hcs for LMDA? About anything. Sex, domesticity, a possible wedding?

Wow I’m so sorry this took so long to get to! Even though I love getting them and coming up with responses, I still manage to be one of the worse when it comes to actually answering them! Please enjoy these headcanons about an LMDA date night — movie edition

•Sebastian likes scary movies. He gets super into them, perched on the edge of his seat on the couch, then onto the floor, leaning towards the TV with a pillow clenched in his lap. Ciel watches, rather uninterested, back on the couch. He doesn’t frighten too easily, and thinks the movies are cheap scares, but he loves to spook Sebastian when he’s on edge like this. He’ll sneak up on him, tap him with his foot as the music climbs or grab him around the waist. When Seb gets up to go to the kitchen or the bathroom, Ciel will slink after him and wait for the perfect opportunity to surprise him. It gets annoying after a while, but Sebastian can’t stay mad at Daddy for very long, especially when he looks back from his place on the floor and sees Ciel watching him, this content, sexy smile on his face with a drink in his hand. He pats the couch cushion beside him, indicating to Sebastian to come back and sit next to him.

• Ciel prefers classic movies. Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, John Huston. Older films, still in black and white. Dramas and mysteries. Stuff Sebastian doesn’t really have the patience for. They make deals where if they watch the scary movie about the witch orgy in the woods and the tortured kids that get caught up in it, they’ll watch something wholesome and corny to cleanse the entertainment palette as it were. Once or twice, Sebastian has seen Ciel tear up during one of his movies, even if he’s seen the film before and knows how it ends. It barely noticeable, because Ciel always blinks them away before they fall, but Sebastian hears him sniffle quietly and looks over just in time to see the light from the TV glistening off his damp eyes before Ciel clears his throat and shovels a handful of popcorn into his mouth. Sebastian moves closer to Ciel, legs draped over Daddy’s lap or his head in his chest and bears through the rest of the film because he realizes he likes this side of Daddy.

• The snacks are a key part of movie night. If they’re feeling lazy — pizza, popcorn, beer. Sometimes Ciel whips up a trail mix, or a Chex-mix-like batch of pretzels and tortilla chips and crunchy breadsticks with seasoning. He’s an amateur mixologist, and loves to fix up cocktails to go with their snacks, something sweet to compliment the salty. Sometimes,Ciel goes all out, and because he and Sebastian share a sweet tooth, he’ll slip out of work early if he gets the chance and pick up Sebastian on his way home so he can help him make mini cheesecake bites or triple chocolate brownies. Ciel tries to limit himself, eat the desserts in moderation, but it’s hard to hold back when he’s on the edge of his seat at the end of “Rear Window” or watching Sebastian lick melted chocolate from in between his fingers while he gazes transfixed at the TV screen.

[darkartistyt]

hershey my lovely :)

everyone knows hershel's bi

i think itd be really funny if he just had no idea up until maybe around pandora's box just because i think itd be so funny if he went through his entire friendship with randall and his relationship with claire (who i hc to be genderfluid) and not once question if he was actually as straight as he thought he was, but then this part of his fight with anton happens

and it finally clicks. and yes this hc is a thing entirely bc i think its hilarious and also bc that was the moment I first went "oh he's bi"

i also hc him as aceflux for the sole reason of he's somewhere on the ace spectrum i just cant figure out where so why not the whole thing :]

now as for his gender...

i kinda sorta took like. half of my own gender experience, reversed the agab, and gave it to some british dude in his 40s, but like...

i hc hershel to be bigender, not realizing it at all until some random convo with des or luke or smth in which they tell him that yes, it is possible to have more than one gender, and he realizes he has some research to do. he definitely questioned whether or not he was trans or enby tho, experimenting a bit with some androgyny when he was younger but eventually deciding he probably wasnt trans because he was still comfortable with being a man, even though he didnt really care and even sometimes liked it when ppl thought he was a girl

personally, i think he'll probably realize it kinda randomly and definitely post-canon (so sometime after LMDA). he'll keep using the name hershel bc a) the lore and b) he likes it, but i think she'll also use an alternative name from time to time. so she's both hershel and hera-lee, and she uses both he/him and she/her

Give me a pl character and I'll give you my queer hcs abt them

[bearofohu]

hot take

Layton is not a hero in LMDA and actually behaves incredibly neglectfully. luke would be a much better foster father to Katrielle because even when she wasn’t raised by him he came back 10 years later to solve a mystery for her sake. luke was so devoted to this child he delivered from a woman he met so briefly that he would quite literally go to the ends of the earth for her, and originally planned to do it alone to not risk her or her father or their relationship.

Meanwhile, Layton seems to be pursuing this mystery to fulfil an insecurity that is entirely irrelevant, something that Rosa points out. He insists he’s doing this for her, but it’s plain to see from several dialogue and visual cues his pride is what’s compelling him. layton, loving intentions aside, was willing to leave his family to fulfil a pride-driven journey, WITH THE INTUITION THINGS WOULD GO WRONG.

Luke followed Layton into the journey for an entirely different purpose. He directly challenges Layton’s motive in episode 20, which shows he is not blindly devoted to Layton, and is actually seeing his faulty vision of their purpose. he confronts Layton on his disregard for Kat’s feelings, and Layton proceeds to talk him down by essentially saying, “you don’t understand,” which is incredibly manipulative in context. Layton is willing to sacrifice essentially everyone’s feelings, and maybe even their lives. at this point it feels like Luke was unintentionally used by Layton. because of him, he was incapciatated for 10 years and stripped of his future with his wife. i wholeheartedly believe Layton never intended to hurt Luke, but his intentions or the fact they went together don’t excuse his role in Kat’s emotional scars as a result of the loss, Marina’s emotional loss, and Luke’s loss of his future, all for something that was not necessary to begin with. the plot thus far is making it clear that this was pride-driven in Layton’s part. if Luke had raised Katrielle, I believe he would’ve demonstrated much more consideration and sensitivity in the long run. despite being a student, I believe he could’ve had the strength to raise her himself. he was even fucking HESITANT to part with her. HE WAS READY TO RAISE HER. and he came back 10 YEARS LATER to be there for her sake. he is a married man with his own future, he didn’t have to do that, but he did.

in a nutshell, Layton is the indirect cause of everyone’s suffering, Luke should’ve raised Katrielle, this anime should never have been made in the shit way it was, and I want a Luke solo game on Switch, stop making chicken and waffle lays, they’re disgusting, have a great day everyone

if you want episode sources, let me know and I’ll cough them up, but i suggest you just rewatch the plot episodes for yourself.

(also, I encourage everyone to form their own opinion, but if you’re going to discourse, do it somewhere else. my father was incredibly abusive and neglectful in my childhood and I have a personal outlook on this storyline.)

thanks guys, I love you 💕

[bearofohu]

Professor Layton Anime Theory - Luke’s Possible Betrayal (LMDA Spoilers!)

hi guys its luke today i’m making a callout post on luke 

 this is probably the most cursed theory i will ever create and i promise this is pure speculation, i don’t WANT this to happen i don’t think this SHOULD happen i know the layton community will systematically explode if it does so please don’t unfollow me i am a sensitive boy 

summary of the theory: this theory analyzes the possibly of luke betraying layton in the relic stone mystery similarily to emmy based on several aspects of luke’s two appearances in the anime and what we know about the future of the anime so far.

warning: swearing, implications that luke is a good boy gone bad

ps: sorry for the typos im so fuckign tired

full theory under the cut! 

alright, lets go lesbians

me and the bros were talking on the layton community discord, and i mentioned something that has been bothering me about luke, a theory if you will. @officialchampionred summed up my thoughts on my own theory pretty well after i told them about it

i originally was just going to not do anything with my speculation, but i figured since the one i made about luke being kat’s father was so well received, even if i ended up being incorrect, i would take another shot at a theory that i think has a good chance of being realized somewhere down the line

ok so the theory summary sounds like a load of baloney when you read it for the first time, right? well hear me out, because i have several points to bring up that may rattle ur bones. without further ado, here are the points:

1. Luke’s Design and its Similarity to the Relic Stone Thugs In Episode 10

im going to start with one point that several people have caught on with all ready, but i don’t think anybody has ever really tried to connect the dots here. so you know luke’s new design, right? the fedora, the jacket, very cute

EXCEPT

here is an image comparison of luke’s design and the outfits of the men, we’ll call them the fedora fellas, we see that attack by don paolo’s orders in the museum 

now i know what you’re thinking, “that there is just coincidence” or, “THEY MUST ALL HAVE TO WEAR FEDORAS ON MONDAYS” but i assure you, the similarities here are not accidental. there’s just no way. the design team wouldn’t love the same horrible design enough to just use it on multiple characters just cause they want to. there is just no way this has no relevance. 

while some accessories and colors may be different on luke and the men, the general design is still in place, especially with the hat being an exact copy every time. a uniform protocol is being followed here. luke is most likely not wearing choice clothes. this is a uniform, and the men are also following this uniform.

it’s also worth mentioning that even don paolo has a SORT OF similar design change to the color schemes we see in the henchmen and luke

its not entirely relevant, but the red color kind of fits the bill, and i don’t think they would also change paolo’s design for absolutely no reason.

@muzzable also made an amazing color comparison for this theory between luke’s uniform and the fedora fellas, so full credit there! 

this image analyzes the color differences between luke’s outfit and the ones worn by those men. note that obviously its not exact, and its probably not supposed to be.

that’s because this is the shit akihiro doesn’t want you to pay much attention to while watching, and its WORKING. 

this is so in the event of a betrayal it will smack you upside the jaw (my jaws been broken before, it hurts)

now another counterpoint could be, “maybe its relevant but it doesnt automatically mean that luke works with the fedora fellas or don paolo” and you’d be fucking spot on you funky little luke fanatic, but i got a lot more up my sleeve to tell you.

at the end of this theory, we’re going to move to discuss luke’s motives, but for now, we’re going to stick with the essential points. now we’re going to move onto point 2, which isn’t entirely as direct as point 1, but still holds relevance if you squint

2. Luke’s Nervous/Suspicious Behaviour in Episode 10 & ESPECIALLY 20

watch out, this point is the biggest one analysis wise

you wanna know something i noticed about episode 10 and 20?

luke looks and acts noticeably nervous in almost every scene he’s appeared in

for one example, did anybody else notice the repetitive anime sweat drop going on with no character BUT luke in episode 20, ESPECIALLY the closer they got to the relic stone chamber?

he’s sweating in a LOT of scenes, and on top if that, if you pay attention to his behaviour a lot of it is him just looking generally... worried. a lot of people discredit the anime sweat drop as a cosmetic trope, but a lot of animators actually use it to convey genuine fear or anxiety that offers hints to the direction of the plot.

it’s like he knows something we don’t about the relic stones, like he has something to hide, and he gets worse the further they go, like the closer they get to the relic stones the more nervous luke gets that he’ll have to betray the professor IN THAT MOMENT

and hershel isn’t worried or nervous at all because he TRUSTS luke and i know you could be like, “oh but luke, hes just a nervous boy” and thats all fair and good, we can safely say that luke COULD be a naturally anxious character, but these little details and luke’s general behaviour are VERY noticeable once you pay attention to them for the first time, and also the concept of him being a nervous character was never in place when he was a boy with no malicious motives that we’re speculating now

the pattern of looking luke generally troubled is also shown in episode 10, though perhaps not as noticeable as it is in 20.

while they’re discussing the relic stones and luke is explaning the situation to marina (who im pretty sure is not aware of luke’s outside motive), he gets a little nervous and hesitant when they start talking about why he was doing it. layton then finishes his sentence for him, saying it was for katrielle, indirectly saving luke from having to scramble for an explanation.  he just looks OFF.

marina’s face is also the official mood for this post

anyway, level-5 loves using body language in their animations. in cutscenes, the characters often perform actions that define their thinking and their motive. for example, layton puts his hand on his chin and walks around, oh boy he’s going to expose someone. descole slams his hands on the piano keys in eternal diva, oh boy he’s pissed. layton points at someone, oh boy they’re the culprit. 

was luke ever THIS nervous and hesitant in the games, when he was a boy? no, not passively nervous. he was only really nervous in the face of danger. as a boy, he was actually pretty confrontational and confident.

so why act so strange here? what changed? 

luke looks pretty nervous in this anime, oh boy i wonder if there’s something bothering him that nobody knows about

i feel like now would be a good time to issue a disclaimer that also supports my points, this theory is NOT meant to imply, “oh luke’s a heartless bastard he hates layton and wants the relic stones for himself”

i have very little faith in the idea that, if luke is doing this, he would be doing it for himself, or because he wants to.

i’m confident in this theory, but im not confident that luke’s motives are just plain evil, because while his character can change and realistically SHOULD CHANGE, i don’t think he has it in him to just become evil. i think someone’s either forcing his hand (maybe similarly to clark’s situation), or giving him something he can’t refuse in return for layton. 

but more on that later.

now we move onto point 3!

3. Key Hint Passively Given by Picarats 

u guys know picarats, right? the guy that provides us with the streams, my bro, an awesome guy...

a guy that is in direct kahoots with level 5 and knows exactly how everything in the anime going to work out

beelieve it or not, picarats is actually a member of the discord server that i run (https://discord.gg/ZYxmPP) and he posts there occasionally. he’s pretty vocal with our community so it’s really not that much of a shocker that he would give us hints from time to time. we’re true bros. i love u my guy

but that’s not the point, the poINT, THE JUICY PART, the REASON why im bringing picarats up... is because he’s provided us with a crucial hint to support my theory, mainly during the episode 20 stream 

THE KEY HINT THAT PICARATS HAS GAVE US WAS...

LMDA’s storyline, in its current form and in its future presumably, is a  reflection of the events of Azran Legacy.

now this is something picarats DID say, though not entirely in verbatim, during the episode 20 stream. i promise u with every ounce of gay power in my body that he said that the anime’s storyline reflects azran legacy’s.

unfortunately, i do NOT have a screenshot because i was too busy having a psychiatric breakdown in the middle of the episode. if anyone took a screenshot of him saying that, pls send it to me, i will credit and love you forever. <3

that single hint during that stream is EXTREMELY crucial and most likely the most important one, it was one of the things that spurred my thinking about this theory, so essentially

BUT you may ask, lUKE, what is so important about the fact that the anime is supposed to mirror azran legacy?? whats the significance of that?? 

well.. u mere mortal... im about to give you a series of events from both azran legacy and LMDA

azran legacy was an adventure to discover the secrets of the azran, right?

right.

emmy, his loya resourceful assistant and friend of whomst he TRUSTS, is with him up until they are moments away from unlocking the secrets, right?

right.

then, this devastating shit happens.

emmy shows remorse for betraying layton but tells him she was doing it for someone else and wouldn’t have done it otherwise.

everyone dies.

are you following my thought process so far?

now lets go to LMDA’s current canon storyline

layton reunites with luke, who is acting nervous constantly and wears an outfit similar to the people who want the relic stones for malicious intent 

layton, fully trusting luke, leave katrielle to go on an adventure to find the relic stones, a series of artifacts that are linked to the azran.

they go on the adventure and then become moments away from unlocking the secrets of the relic stones

LAYTON GOES MISSING.

thanks picarats, that single sentence you said in a stream has turned me into a conspiracy theorist

are we broken yet? are we all nice and broken yet?? good. now we get to talk about LUKE’S POSSIBLE MOTIVES.

Luke’s Possible Motives for Betraying Layton

now this is yet another juicy part of the theory, and probably where the biggest counterargument might come into play, which is:

“bUt LUkE WoUld NeV ER dO tHAT”

bUT i will give you my theories on luke’s possible motives for concocting a scheme that wild, but before i do, i would like to give u a memorable quote from clove dive that basically sums up the point im about to make:

we, as a fandom, are collectively forgetting that it is unrealistic to think luke has barely changed in terms of personality and motive

do i blame us? no. after all, we’ve known luke as an innocent boy for about 11 years now. 

hino knows this. hino knows how good we think luke is. that’s why i said that his attempt to make us ignore the hints is WORKING.

and like i said, i can’t blame any of us at all for wanting to believe that luke hasn’t changed, but its simply unrealistic. 

as much as we don’t like to believe it, luke and layton have basically barely if not at all interacted for several years up until this point

luke is not a boy. something about luke has changed. 

and this theory attempts to connect just what that change might be.

like i said before, i wholeheartedly disbelieve that in the event this theory is accurate, luke has ‘turned evil’ just like we all believe emmy didn’t turn evil.

they were forced to do it for something that they deeply cared about.

they were forced to betray their friend for something bigger.

and i think that’s a damn exhilarating plot device.

Conclusion 

now you might have guessed that in this point in the theory i’ve gone from being serious into shitposting as my thought process usually does, and also i’ve been working on this since 3 AM, so im gonna go ahead and wrap this up with a disclaimer before you throw a chair at me.

i am in no way implying that this is canon or SHOULD be canon. i love luke and don’t want to see him betray layton, but this theory is meant to purely speculate the possibilites of the future of this anime

in a nutshell...

its just a theory.

A GGAAMMEE TTH E EE O RR Y.

(c) luke’s terrible and scatterbrained theories vol. 2

[bearofohu]

The Story of Tonight  - Professor Layton LMDA Fanfiction

Rating: K+ (Mentions of birth, newborn babies, panic attacks.)

Summary: Luke and his wife Marina have been anxiously waiting for the arrival of their son for months. After a difficult night of his wife in labor, Luke is faced with his newborn son, a child of his own. Luke is overtaken by panic as he accepts his failure as a father before their life together even begins. Hershel sheds some light on what it means to become a true father to a child.

Author’s Notes: I’ve written so many edgy fanfictions, here’s a wholesome one for once! This is a one-shot and pretty vague without context so make sure you read the summary! If you read my text post before I posted this, you’ll know why I wrote this. My Evil!Luke AU fanfiction is coming out soon for all you guys who love my overbearing angst. The story is actually a lot longer than it was supposed to be. My emotions are a wreck. Also, see if you can catch the shameless Hamilton references.

NOTE: This takes place during the timeline of LMDA, however in an alternate scenario in which the relic stone mystery is never pursued and everyone lives happily ever after as a big ‘ol puzzle family. Hino and his bad writing have no power here.

Luke’s delicate heart seized and ached as the little pink and red bundle in his arms gave a meek whimper of the tiniest discontent as the nurse accelerated the heart machine, so the steady and healthy heartbeat of Marina would be more audible for her inspection. Marina’s pale violet eyes slowly opened and in spite of her exhaustion, she beamed sympathetically and passionately at her sensitive husband as he slowly succumbed to the tears, mirroring the anxious sorrows of his confused newborn son.

“Luke, lovebug,” she said dotingly, sitting up a little straighter in the bed. “It’s alright. Our little boy is okay.”

Luke lowered his head, and his shoulders heaved, overcome with a foreign anxiety, a kind of sympathy pain he had never felt before. The crying of his son was almost unbearable. It made him feel like he was failing as a new father. Already failing.

He remembered Kamilia as her body seized and convulsed with unmedicated labor. He remembered her piercing cries as he clutched her hand and worked on the baby girl that was slowly entering the world.

Luke averted his eyes from his son from just a moment to look up at the six-year-old Katrielle as she sat beside Alfendi on the couch in their room. She was watching him, her eyes shining with passion; she looked rather mystified by this whole ordeal. Young Alfendi was hunched beside her, leaning a little bit over his father’s lap, absolutely dead to the emotional scene around him in exchange for getting consumed by an intense, loud game of Pokemon Red on the Gameboy.

And Hershel sat at the very end of the hospital couch, his eyes trained on Luke, his apprentice. He looked incredibly somber, but the shining sympathy and the threatening mistiness of his eyes allowed the private notion of understanding to pass through the two of them. Hershel knew. How could he not?

Luke knew he would be lying to himself if he said he never ever thought about how life would be different if she had been his daughter.

Kamilia had told him he would make an excellent father as he held Katrielle at her shoulder. How could he make her proud, how could he be all she thought he was if his son was already sobbing in his arms mere hours after birth?

There was a heavy silence in the air as Luke silently sobbed, in spite of the fact the baby boy’s whimpers had long since ceased as their nurse awkwardly excused herself on regards that Marina was in full health. The nurse seemed to be getting pretty sick of being their nurse all day and into three o’clock in the morning, or more specifically, maybe she was getting sick of Luke’s overbearing worry.

“Luke, darling,” Flora said a little flatly, a bemused smile on her face as she rubbed Marina’s back, as the labored woman slowly began to flutter back into sleep, “you do know that newborns cry no matter what, right? You’re not doing anything wrong.” She smiled a little broader at her childhood friend. “Goodness, do you ever stop being a worrywart?”

Luke’s moistened lips parted as the tears that never stopped coming dripped down past them onto his chin, “I-I, I just-- I don’t know w-what to do. Does he w-want me? Did I m-make him cry?”

Kat spoke up a bit meekly, though the emotion in the voice was loud and clear, “Of course he wants you, Uncle Luke!” She said confidently. “He loves you, I know he does!” She turned to her father and nudged him in the shoulder rigorously. The sorrow emitting from her surrogate uncle was obviously making her upset. “Right, papa? You tell him!”

Hershel was completely silent for a few more heartbeats, watching Luke’s shoulders tremble and heave as he lowered his head to rest it lightly on the small and fragile body of his son, who was now peacefully asleep, taking the small and whispering breaths newborns usually take. Then, Luke’s mentor put his hands firmly on his knees and stood up with a bit of aging effort, and came over to his apprentice’s side very slowly. He stood with his shoulder pressed against Luke’s, and then raised a hand to put it down on his apprentice’s shoulder, the grip firm and confident, the aura of Hershel Layton’s assurance and support falling over him once again, like it had when he was a boy, a gesture that soothed his panic and told him to think a bit clearer.

“My boy,” Hershel spoke very softly, and gently, his eyes hard into Luke’s own, forcing them to make eye contact. “You are having a panic attack, and you look very pale. Come to sit with me.”

Katrielle made a huff of displeasure, obviously, this was not the assurance she was expecting. However, Luke was beginning to feel the lightness of his head, his physical health succumbing to the mental strain of his panic. He nodded very slowly, tears falling from his chin.

Flora abruptly stood up from Marina’a sleeping side and was briskly there in an instant, almost eager to get a chance to hold her surrogate nephew a second time. “You sit, Luke.” She said firmly. “I’ve got your little dork.”

Luke couldn’t stop a weak but genuine smile from entering his features. Taking one more hard, affectionate look at his son, he passed him over into the arms of Flora as gently and gingerly as possible. He found himself beginning to lean against his mentor’s shoulder as the faintness of his head got worse and worse. Sensing this, Hershel began to slowly lead him towards another small couch near the back exit of the room, supporting nearly all of his weight until he slowly settled the younger man down into a sitting position, and then sat beside him.

Everyone watched the pair as Hershel put a comforting hand on Luke’s knee after a long silence. Luke was slowly feigning nausea by putting his eyes in his hands and breathing deeply.

“Luke.” Hershel said slowly and clearly, rubbing the knee of his apprentice just a little bit, “Do you remember when you helped deliver?” He prompted quietly. Luke quickly picked up on the vagueness of the question, as to not make Katrielle uncomfortable by making it obvious they were recounting her difficult birth. She simply watched them, oblivious, but intent.

“Y-yes.” Luke rasped, shaking vigorously only one more time before his trembling began to die down.

“She cried, did she not? As you held her, did she cry?” Hershel pressed, refusing to break eye contact despite Luke’s face being held in his own hands.

“She cried,” Luke breathed, slowly removing his humiliated, tearful face from his hands.

“Luke.” Hershel said very softly, almost too quiet for everyone else to hear as he touched Luke’s chin and lifted it up with his two fingers to where they were looking each other straight on, “when babies come into the world, it is entirely foreign to them. They weep to convey things they do not understand. They do not cry because they are not happy with who is holding them. Your little son is only three hours old. My boy, look at him.”

Luke followed his mentor’s gaze. Flora stared back at him as she sat at Marina’s side, his newborn son sleeping softly in her arms.

“Your boy fell asleep in your arms, even though he cried at first. It was because he was confused. He does not understand the world around him. But your presence soothed him into sleep.”

“That’s a pretty stupid baby,” Alfendi muttered under his breath from where he sat next to his sister, obviously simply upset because his Gameboy had just lost battery. His words were not made from spite or hatred for his uncle’s newborn… his Gameboy was just dead, and he was hungry, and he didn’t want to go to school tomorrow. Katrielle elbowed him in the ribs from where she was sitting, causing him to yelp.

Luke was oblivious to exchange happening to Hershel’s two children, as was Hershel. They were simply staring deeply at each other, two souls afflicted with similar losses, one had watched the other grow up, and now he sat with the honor of watching the boy he practically raised receive his own son.

Hershel’s eyes fell downcast for just a moment as if he was deep in thought before he turned back to look Luke straight in the eye.

“I remember when Claire and I held you, in a room just like this. When you were only a few hours old. Your mother was exhausted. Your father was overwhelmed with emotions I had never seen from him.”

A stricken silence fell on the room.

“I will never forget how you cried and cried, Luke. Nonstop. You were just like your baby that is with us now. I handed you back to Claire over and over again because I was terrified I was hurting you.”

Luke began to give quiet, strained sobs as he lowered his head and pressed it against his mentor and dear friend’s chest.

“Listen to me. Do not accept failure before your journey even starts.” Hershel said firmly.

“Your son will love you and Marina as much as I did. He will dote upon you both.”

“I know he will.”

[call-me-rucy]

On Layton names

Just a bunch of different facts about characters names in the Layton series that I’ve been meaning to share but I didn’t know how, so whatever, I’ll just do a list.

Clive’s name in the japanese verision is, as you may know, Klaus. But his surname also changes. His full name is Klaus Albatross, and yes, it is still a bird.

Lando, the name people used to refer to Randall before official English version was anounced, is not a fan-made name, but a mistranslation. His name in japanese is spelled “rando”, so Lando was the most similar.

Emmy doesn’t have a full name in the original  version. Like, her name is “Remi” and that’s it. No Emmeline.

Someone messed Bronev’s name when translating it, because in the original version, Bronev is his first name, not surname. Bronev Rainer became Leon Bronev. So yes, those other people’s surname is also Rainer. I probably still like more “Theodore Bronev” than “Leppard Rainer”.

I love calling teenage Layton Froshel. Afro+Hershel=Froshel. Idk who came up with it but I love it.

The girl Marina in DB/PB and the woman Marina in the LMDA anime have actually different name in the original version. One is Mah-ree-nah and the othe is Meh-ah-ree-na.

And that’s it for now. If I can think of more, I’ll add them late :D