[ SECRET POST #2380 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2380 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 035 secrets from Secret Submission Post #340.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[logicbutton]

Sure!

First, I'm mostly thinking of Layton, Luke, and Flora. Second, I specified the first three games because in the second arc (the fourth game on), I've found that Layton and Luke are much more likable somehow. I haven't been able to put my finger on why, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was a writing or localization staff change.

I dislike Flora because her character makes no sense. For one thing, the games make zero attempt to develop her relationship with Layton, even though that would be super interesting. I don't even know what her relationship to Layton is. Also, she's the daughter of a baron and lived a life of crazy privilege until he died, but there is no evidence whatsoever of that in her personality. For example, she's always offering to make sandwiches or tea or whatever for Layton and Luke, but why would it occur to her to do that? Wouldn't that seem like servants' work to her? And I seem to remember her only offering to make food for "you two," and never for "the three of us." She's the living embodiment of the first arc's woman problem, and not just because she's hyperfeminine or a chronic damsel in distress (which usually aren't things that make me dislike a character as such). Probably the stupidest moment with regard to her character was in the second game, when she gives Luke a puzzle in Dropstone, and he says, "Wow, that was a pretty good puzzle, Flora! Where's you learn that?" and instead of saying, "Oh, I picked it up in my hometown, the Village of Puzzle-Dispensing Robots," she says, "I have to keep up with you two somehow! Tee hee!"

Luke was the most annoying little shit. I say this as someone who absolutely adores kids of all ages. He had the most wooden speech patterns of anyone in the first arc, and that's saying something. Speaking of the games' woman problem, in Unwound Future after Layton has a conversation with the student who has a crush on him, Luke says, "Watch out for her, Professor! She's...she's a man-eater!" As though she were being inappropriate, or as though she were the only student in the history of the world to have a crush on a professor, or as though Layton weren't the one with the power in that relationship. The game plays it as though Luke makes a good point, though.

Now, Layton. Layton is less wooden than Luke (not by much), but the only way I can enjoy him in the first arc is by applying my headcanon that he is a sociopath. This is especially easy in the second game! "Luke, why don't you fiddle around with the exposed wires in this abandoned mine?" "What's wrong, Luke? You don't want to cross this dark, foggy, godforsaken chasm on a bridge that's falling apart? Don't you want to visit the vampire's house? What are you, chicken?" "Go on, Luke, YOU open the death box. I want to test a theory." "Oh dear, Flora was kidnapped and left in a barn? We must remember to pick her up on our way home." Furthermore, Layton has no chemistry with any other character in the first arc. Not Luke, not Flora, and certainly not Claire. I did not buy him and Claire at all. I couldn't figure out why she was with him; the game goes out of its way to suggest that she's the Only Woman in London or something, and apparently the dude she's chosen is the one who can barely speak in her presence. But then, I'm biased against all of Unwound Future, which I will probably never forgive for somehow managing to screw up a time travel plot.

[(Anonymous)]

See, Luke is my favorite ever and I adore Layton (I'm okay with Flora), but I absolutely love your criticisms, they're well met.

I don't necessarily headcanon that Layton is a sociopath, but I definitely think that the professor has something seriously wrong with his mind. Who the fuck else would take a small child into such dangerous situations? It's as though he's oblivious to everything, which leads to my headcanon that Layton is probably doped up on some heavy meds or something.

I can also see how people hate Luke so much. It's weird, I'm the opposite of you. I detest children, yet I'm very fond of Luke. I guess he reminds me of Short Round from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, another polarizing child character. I can't explain it, I just like Luke, wooden personality and all.

I'm really iffy on Flora, because like you said she suffers from Designated Female Character Syndrome, and therefore kinda sucks at everything and is generally cute but has no personality beyond that. I'd love to see her grow as a character, but I doubt it'll happen any time soon.

Diabolical Box Layton is the very definition Dangerous Person. The fact that he and Luke forgot about Flora cracks me up to this day. Not to mention Don Paolo running around disguised.

I personally liked that Luke freaked out at Rosanna the Overly Affectionate Student because the way I saw it, Layton legitimately didn't notice because a. he's crazy and b. he doesn't pick up on romantic advances (which is what I also use to explain his relationship with Claire). So I thought it funny at the end how Luke and Flora accompanied the Professor on his "one on one study session" with Rosanna, I saw it as them looking out for him.

It was fun reading your post about them, thank you for humoring me!

[raaj]

I actually really liked Claire in Unwound Future, but I have to admit that a lot of it was in that moment of finally knowing where the title came from and how the line was delivered. Layton did seem pretty stiff/dry in regards to the romance, but I figured that was just his character or something (Unwound Future is in fact the only Professor Layton game I've played thus far).

How was the time travel plot messed up though? It seemed all right to me.