#ranlay rivals au

[gilded-7]

ranlay rivals au because i can:

basic overview is that randall and hershel are both professors of archaeology at gressenheller. they have offices next door to each other, work closely as members of the same department, and they do not like each other, resulting in a sort of rivalry between them. the games all happen mostly the same (except miracle mask) but this time a spite-fuelled randall tags along and they bicker constantly.

the set up for this au has the two of them as best friends in stansbury in the same way as canon. randall struggles with the other town’s people, his family and close friends not believing in him and his ambitions, but finds comfort in the support of his best friend hershel.

the key difference in this au is hershel refusing to go to akbadain with randall, refusing to support the idea even. randall has had some wild ideas before but an expedition like this is way too far; at best it’s risky, at worst it’s madness. fearing for his friend’s safety, he refuses to condone the idea in any way. already wounded by the dismissal and contempt from everyone else in his life, randall sees this as a massive betrayal and the two have a big argument over it, causing a major rift between them.

randall storms off to akbadain alone and miraculously somehow doesn’t get himself killed in the ruins. i’m undecided on if he’d go public with his findings at this point, perhaps he’d suspect a wider mystery relating to the azran and choose to continuing researching privately. either way he feels vindication of everyone who looked down on him or doubted him in his home town. he never returns to stansbury, believing there to be nothing and no one left for him there, and goes on to study archaeology at university.

meanwhile in stansbury, hershel feels guilt over the disappearance of his former friend, with no way of knowing his fate. compared to canon it’s a less personal responsibility than letting him fall to his supposed death, but the loss of randall weighs on hershel all the same. not wanting to let randall’s grand ambitions go to waste should the worst have happened to him, and unsure of anything else he’d rather pursue, hershel goes on to study archaeology at gressenheller.

through his years of study and hard work, hershel does grow an affinity and love for the subject, becoming the professor layton we know and love. he’s most excited when his first day as professor of archaeology rolls around, that is until he is introduced to the other newest professor at gressenheller.

at the door of the office next door to his, he is greeted by a familiar pair of thick-rimmed glasses sitting below bright red hair, styled a bit neater than before though still just as vibrant. his initial reaction is shock followed by relief and joy to see his friend alive and well. this is cut short when the man opens his mouth. this randall is very bitter, all snarky comments and disdain (i imagine his personality in this au as a toned-down version of how he is in the climax of miracle mask, and also somewhat similar to sycamore, minus the tragic backstory, plotting for revenge and maniacal alter ego). hershel does his best to remain civil - he is trying his best to be gentlemanly these days after all - but randall is making it very clear he doesn’t want to be friends in a way that is oh so infuriating.

over the years of working next door to each other they settle into a comfortable mutual dislike of each other. they are competitive in both their work place and archaeology careers, their relationship developing into a fierce rivalry. this remains constant for several years, until one day hershel is summoned by an old friend to aid with a troubling situation involving a spectre. randall insists on tagging along, forming a most unlikely investigative duo. little do they know this will be the first in a series of perplexing and exciting mysteries, incredible archaeological finds, and perhaps some reconciliation for the pair.

highlights of this au include:

bickering. constantly and unendingly. hershel tries not to rise to it at first but his resolve breaks very quickly. their students joke about it a lot.

they frequently try to outdo each other in their research work, to the point where any and all arguments can be trumped by ‘yeah, well i discovered ___ so…’

randall’s insistence on tagging along out of spite causing even more problems for the uni because now they’re down two professors and dammit you two, someone has to teach the classes.

post- last spectre, luke spending time at gressenheller often finds himself in randall’s office. cue them competing to be luke’s favourite. luke is now the apprentice of not one professor but two.

randall interacting with emmy. randall interacting with clark. randall interacting with sycamore. basically randall with everyone.

possibly even randall meeting claire? and being around whilst hershel is grieving her death. they still don’t get on in this time but there are small moments of concern when needed - they may dislike each other but randall isn’t completely heartless.

miracle mask would be entirely different. i’m not really sure what the plot of it would be and who it would involve, but it should still involve as akbadain as this would have them confronting their past and bad feelings for each other, acting as the turning point in their dynamic towards a more positive one.

it’s enemies to lovers because it’s my au and i get to choose the tropes i cannot be stopped >:)

randall being present for azran legacy and witnessing the truth of the azran civilisation first hand.

this got super long but if i have any more thoughts i might post some more about it (and if anyone wants to add anything that would be awesome i’d love to hear more thoughts 👀)

[gilded-7]

hershel and randall reunite after years apart (ranlay rivals au)

___

As soon as the Dean rounds the corner at the end of the corridor, Randall turns on his heel to face the other professor. Hershel is still staring in bewilderment, but after a moment his expression softens slightly to one of relief. “Randall, I-“

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Hershel flinches at his former friend’s harsh tone. He lets out an awkward chuckle. “I could be saying the same of you.”

“Do you know how tirelessly I worked for this?” The words rush out like a dam bursting its walls. Randall takes a step forward, becoming more animated as his voice rises. “I’ve put everything I have into making it this far. My entire life has been dedicated to reaching my goals and now you waltz in here to take it from me like it’s nothing?”

“Randall, it’s not like that.” Hershel attempts weakly but the redhead is too agitated to hear his words.

“And I bet you’re oh so smug and proud of yourself too. So much for the Hershel who thought archaeology was beneath him, who thought it far too trivial to be worth his time.” Another step. Hershel takes one back to maintain the distance between them. “No, here he is now, the big shot professor. I bet Stansbury is so proud of its golden boy who could do no wrong.”

At the mention of his home, Hershel’s eyes narrow defensively. “You never did return to Stansbury. Everyone was worried about you.”

Randall scoffs, a look of disgust gracing his features. “I outgrew them. Everyone in that backwater town is afraid of ambition. I was happy to be free of them.” His attention shifts back to Hershel as he shoots a fierce glare at him. “But now here you are, riding the coattails of my success. You’re just as spineless as the rest of them.”

“You aren’t being fair, Randall.”

“Unfortunately, dear Hershel, I’m beyond needing your approval.” He takes another step and this time when Hershel moves further away his back meets the wall. Randall leans in towards him, face full of contempt. With nowhere left to move, Hershel can do nothing but meet his intense stare with one of his own. When Randall next speaks his tone is dangerously low.

“Now, you listen here Layton. We may be coworkers but I have no intention of being civil. I won’t let you continue to look down on me and I certainly won’t let you make a fool of me. If you really want to continue playing at being the genius academic then so be it. But stay out of my way.”

With that he retreats to his office before Hershel can form a response, the door shutting behind him with a definitive slam.

[gilded-7]

FUCK yeah I love enemies/rivals to lovers and I think this method is a lot lower-stakes than the route I chose, lmao -- but what do you think the breaking point is for the rivalry, the point where they become friends?

(also...are there any homoerotic swordfights...?)

omg i didn’t think about sword fights that’s a GREAT IDEA. idk how it would fit here, their rivalry is more of a petty one than serious enemies so they wouldn’t actually want to hurt each other hhhdhhfjd,, perhaps there’s a fencing competition at the uni, or maybe one of their mysteries calls for them to make a show of fighting in order to get to the true culprit

i think the initial turning point is definitely revisiting akbadain. it’s a big reminder of why everything fell apart in the first place for them and it would force them to have some uncomfortable but needed conversations about their past and their hometown. this wouldn’t resolve things entirely but it definitely helps to soften their relationship. the real turn around is then likely azran legacy - the gravity of everything that happens would be a real wake up call for them i think. for randall in particular the azran have been his main area of study and the driving force in his efforts to prove himself to the world, so seeing that fall apart before him would definitely change his outlook a lot.

do you also have a rivals/enemies au? :0 i would love to hear your take on it!!