Of course, Hershel. I'm the mayor!

A roleplay blog starring Clark Triton from Professor Layton puzzle game series.

[papatriton]

Luke’s wife

resembles Luke’s mom. I was just looking at her last episode and thinking, if I edited her hair she could pass for Brenda.

I guess it’s just a prerequisite for all Triton ladies to be extremely cute.

Addendum: 

I will believe these are Clark and Brenda none of you nerds can stop me.

[creyton-blog1]

I was playing Last Spectre last night and well- something hanging in Clark’s office seemed awfully familiar huh… //speculation intensifies

[baby-clive-deactivated20211129]

OH MY GOD

[ladylayton23]

We see where he gets his style from

[papatriton]

LUKE’S HAT MAKES SENSE

LMJ anime screenshots below, beware of spoilers:

First off: yes I’m absolutely certain that’s Luke. Why? Couple of things. Here’s a quick side-by-side to point out the main similarities. I also included Clark because I think some of these points were taken from his design, but I’m not entirely certain.

Uses a backpack. Little Luke always used a type of satchel. It’d make sense that he likes to have a way to carry around all those hint coins he’s got or whatever.

Attached earlobes. We can’t really see Clark’s earlobes because he’s got them covered with his mighty sideburns. But Brenda definitely has attached earlobes.

Big feet, now you can’t really see the feet of both Layton and Luke because of those subtitles, but I kind of have the feeling that Luke’s are bigger. Or at the very least, he uses the same kind of shoes Clark does.

The hair feathering out: Clark’s hair isn’t in one big spiky lump. His tends to be two groups of hair that stick outward. Luke seems to have more spiky hair. It’s possible he styled his hair this way?

Now I know what you’re thinking. So what? Surely lots of people have attached earlobes because of the style, and who cares if Luke doesn’t use a bag and what is up with that fedora? 

First off. Attached earlobes. A little tricky to see with the style but I’m certain someone in the professor Layton games doesn’t have attached earlobes.

Compare his ears with Luke’s.

Clive’s ears do seem to have the illusion of being detached. Maybe if people paid closer attention they might’ve noticed that Clive was a fake sooner? 

Regardless if it was on purpose or not, Clive didn’t use any kind of bag or satchel. Which kind of makes sense as Luke looks more like a schoolboy and getting rid of the bag doesn’t seem like a stretch. But, we all know that Luke is actually very organized (like his father) and he’s usually carrying about some type of notebook/agenda that he can access quickly to keep things straight. Like in Eternal Diva. Taking notes and drawing out the floor plan actually helped him solve that one puzzle to get to the King’s Chamber.

And now for the reason why I even made the post in the first place. 

The Hat.

I’m no hat expert, but I think I know the origin of that hat. Look at Clark’s study in Specter’s Call/Last Specter.

Let me zoom in on that for you (thanks, waifu 2x)

Now back to the mystery Luke.

Doesn’t that hat now look familiar? 

Granted, it’s a little darker in the Luke image, but it can be due to lighting or maybe a coloring mistake! But, in general, it looks the same! My theory on this hat: it’s Clark’s. It IS in his study, after all. He probably used this before being a mayor, or when he was younger. So yes, ladies and gents! It seems Luke got that hat from his dad!

Thanks a lot for sticking with me this round of meta analysis. Here, have a little bonus meme. And an alternative crack theory to throw in to the chaos.

[papatriton]

@verduresapiens replied to your post “A mini-meta idea”

((Reading this post, the thought occurred to me that it could also be a sort of shrine to Claire? I'm not sure if that's something he'd do, but it doesn't feel too far-fetched to me.))

//Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s the case: Luke doesn’t seem to know who Claire is in Unwound Future until he’s filled in by Layton.

Still, it’s a very sweet head canon, and this was before Clark and Brenda were even conceptualized so maybe they could retcon it, kind of like they did about Luke being born/raised in London.

[papatriton]

Also like - Layton is super protective of Luke, not to mention he has razor sharp intuition. If there was even the slightest indication that Clark or Brenda were abusing Luke, Layton would know and there is no WAY that he would ever let Luke continue living with them or allow him to leave with them at the end of UF.

Sorry I didn’t notice this ask until now.

But yeah that’s another good point: abuse always leaves signs, however subtle they might be. 

If they were psychologically abusing Luke, they wouldn’t ever let him get out of their sight because abusers isolate their victims to get control over them. Also, he wouldn’t be trusting. The only time he shows deep mistrust and anger is actually in AL thanks to the double-betrayal of Sycamore AND Emmy (hell, even Emmy held up a piece of ice against his neck and he’s FREAKING). Right after that, his resentment is clear and he shows that he doesn’t like teaming up with Descole until he prevents Luke from getting fried.

If they were physically (and sexually but L5 ain’t ever gonna hint THAT in their games) abusing Luke, he would show averseness to adult touch. He really doesn’t. He actually hugs Layton literally a few hours after they “met” (Layton already knew him but Luke was a baby).

Granted, that was right after seeing a huge freaking monster destroy the building right in front of you and Layton was walking out of the room. But that’s actually a bigger point. The “specter” struck down. To a traumatized Luke, this would resemble a slap from a towering adult (either parent could fit the bill, if they were abusers). So he wouldn’t be seeking comfort from an adult, or even care about the fate of adults after being reminded of his trauma. For all we know, he’d be curled up into a ball, waiting for it to pass. A possum response. 

Even outside of immediate danger he still seeks out the comfort from an adult.

[papatriton]

A mini-meta idea

I just wanted to share my theory as to what 

that thing is.

Keep reading

[papatriton]

Addendum: it could also be one of those inspirational mood boards. 

(image from: http://thechalkboardmag.com/how-to-inspiration-boards-with-sugar-paper)

But I still prefer the first theory. It’s a bit plain for an inspiration board.

[papatriton]

A mini-meta idea

I just wanted to share my theory as to what 

that thing is.

No, it’s not a desk. Luke already has a desk. And the support where the picture is is very thin.

I love this picture btw because we can get so much from Luke’s personality with this: he takes after his dad in organization, he likes reading and even plays baseball-- or at least catch. But that’s not the point this time around.

Look at how wide that weird shelf-thing is! It’s right behind Luke’s hair: it’s very thin, and it’s not too far away in perspective so it’s not a trick of the eye.

So I blew up the bedroom image using waifu2x to get a bigger and clearer image of Luke’s room and...

My mind went to:

(image from: http://www.thepeoplesprayer.com/alters)

An altar shelf.

Now I know what you’re thinking: what?! What’s an altar shelf doing in a kid’s bedroom? Why aren’t there candles or a crucifix or a book that could hint-hint-nudge-nudge that it’s the Bible? What’s the text on top of the picture? And what’s that random picture doing there?

Let me address these questions briefly: 

From what I know of Catholic homes, making an altar in one’s bedroom is perfectly normal. I haven’t been able to get much information on Anglican tradition, but that does raise the question of whether the Tritons are Catholic or not. It should be noted that out of Japan’s small Christian population, most of them are Catholic.

Candles are probably a bad idea to give to a young child to have in their room, even if your kid is as smart as Luke. Crucifix is an obvious no-no when it comes to NoA localizations. As for the Bible... alas: I have no idea. My only clue is that the altar shelves I’ve seen usually don’t have Bibles but rather images and candles. 

So... what’s the text?

It could just be a quote from the scripture or even a prayer! There is some exquisite decoration surrounding the text, so it bears to reason that it’s something special. Perhaps it’s some kind of religious embroidery?

(image from: https://www.etsy.com/listing/499672434/prayer-and-petition?ref=shop_home_active_35)

Now for the picture below the text. You can see, there are two heads. So... the picture could just be a Madonna?

(image from: https://writeortakeanap.wordpress.com/2014/11/08/its-babyspeak-mama/)

Yes, it could be that. It’s a very common view in home-altars, so it wouldn’t be surprising if it were that.

... Did you know that sometimes people put on altars pictures of people that are dead or missing? Or just pictures of people that they’re praying for? If Luke is praying for someone (or two people) who could it be? I think the answer lies in a picture that’s actually not that far from Luke’s bedroom: in Clark’s study.

When clicked on, you get the following comments:

So if Clark’s got a picture of himself as a young man, who’s the other person posing with him?

So it’s entirely possible that the study picture is of Clark and Brenda during their youth. Which might mean that the picture in Luke’s room could be a picture of both of his parents, probably a bit older.

He does seem to be surprised at the picture of his dad as a young man. But it’d be a nice touch if he were praying for both of his parents. He does seem to think both of them are in some kind of supernatural danger.

But then again... if Clark placed a photo of himself and Brenda in the room that he spends most of his time, then maybe his own son would put a photo of himself and Brenda in the room that he spends most of his time. It’d add another layer of sadness at how both father and son are mourning the disappearance of Brenda Triton and yet even with this common point they couldn’t connect and talk about it until the very end of the game. 

Also: a picture of just Luke with Brenda, in a very interesting way, could circle back to the idea of the picture being a Madonna. A picture of a mother and her child, without a father-figure within it.

[papatriton]

Meta, but this time with screenshots

Under the cut are some actual screenshots FROM the games to counter-act the strange headcanon that the Tritons are the shittiest parents in the games in some shape or form (most commonly Clark, but recently I’ve seen posts with Brenda too so sure why not). 

This is in no way a personal attack for those that disagree, just a way of compiling the proof from the source to show that they aren’t neglectful or abusive. In fact, quite the opposite: their relationship is one of the healthiest family dynamics in the plverse!

Can be considered an expansion of my Clark meta post if you haven’t read it yet but the points are mostly the same.

"But Clark never shows any interest in his son’s well-being and Luke has no respect for this father”

Are you sure? Just read “The Family Bond” episode on Last Specter. (Here’s the condensed version)

Or, more recently in Azran Legacy:

“Brenda is really distant from Luke/shows no interest in him!”

Yeah. No. 

This woman LITERALLY just got taken out of captivity (for what is commonly agreed in the community to be about 6 months but I'll admit I haven’t found canon evidence of it) and the FIRST thing she does, is ask about the wellbeing of her son and then her husband. 

She’s also quite proud of Luke’s achievements in puzzle-solving. She showers him with praise and even is encouraging of his new hobbies.

And this care is reciprocated! Luke knows that Clark’s white lie of his mom being on a trip is bullshit and he calls it out.

Not to mention, Luke and Brenda are shown together in both end credits where Brenda even appears in the game.

In fact, in LS he’s even crying as he run towards her arms. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but I think that means “Oh God I’m so happy to see you again I was so worried” in body-language.

And in Azran Legacy they’re clothes shopping together to find Luke’s new “style” after the prequel trilogy. And we see the infamous punk jacket.

Admittedly, Brenda is seldom criticized in the community as being a “bad mom” so I won’t preach too much to the choir. Let’s get back to Clark.

“Clark was a jerk in LS!”

Yes that’s definitely true. But also, this isn’t very common with Clark. Both Luke and Brenda have said so.

Even Layton, the friend that hadn’t seen Clark in literally years, noticed that something was wrong and unusual with the Tritons.

But in the end of the day, Clark Triton’s harshest critic is himself.

So yeah. Clark made many mistakes during his time as mayor. But most of these mistakes were because he was too afraid to go against Descole who was literally threatening his family if he didn’t obey. 

Even Brenda says so:

Out of Last Specter, what do we know of the Tritons?

They share stories about Layton. Most likely because Clark and Layton were old schoolmates. In fact:

Layton, Brenda and Clark would share puzzles during their time in Gressenheller.

So it’s likely that these “stories about Layton” were also anecdotes from the Clark and Brenda’s youth. (Perhaps on how Clark met Luke’s mother?)

In the end, there is much love and respect in the Triton family. 

And that concludes my mini-rant/screenshot dump. If you made it this far, congrats! Here’s a couple of extra pics for your time and a conclusion.

I definitely agree that it’s reckless to let your 13-year old son to wander around the world with your old college friend. At least Layton’s a good dude and he didn’t just sell Luke’s liver and kidneys in some black market or something terrible like that.

But sometimes, overprotecting your child and isolating them from danger doesn’t prepare them to face the world without fear. And if your child doesn’t feel confident or capable of facing the world on their own, how can you expect them to survive when you aren’t there to protect them?

[mintteaandmemory]

Thanks for the flowers

[papatriton]

“Yeah.”

“I can imagine.”

[verduresapiens-archive]

[There’s a man outside of the city ‘walls’, examining the thick vines and the flora woven into them. He’s got short black hair, and is dressed in a general gardeners outfit. What he’s doing near Misthallery is anyone’s guess.]

[papatriton]

“Holy shit, look at that giant fucking hedge.”

“And it’s humid as balls, too. Kinda like Misthallery. Haha. Hey, you! Are you also looking for a good fishing spot?”

[mintteaandmemory]

 @papatriton​ liked your post: It is said that women in labor leave their bodies…

“…?”

[papatriton]

[mintteaandmemory]

Thanks for the flowers

[papatriton]

“Yeah. I was.”

“Hey. I dunno a lot about the kinda stuff your Descole did. But it’s gonna be hard for me not to consider him an asshole. So it’s ok if you’re scared of me and stuff. That other Clark must’ve done quite the number on you.”

[fxtedtemsik-archive-deactivated]

"You got licked by an Anonymous? Dude. You should get tested for that that's gross"

“I know right, I think I got a disease now. It’s nasty.”

[papatriton]

“I can hook you up with a notary.”

“It sucks to see someone so young die, man.

[fxtedtemsik-archive-deactivated]

"You got licked by an Anonymous? Dude. You should get tested for that that's gross"

“I know right, I think I got a disease now. It’s nasty.”

[papatriton]

“You got a will or something? Just asking, man.”

[mintteaandmemory]

Thanks for the flowers

[papatriton]

“Uh. No? I’m not much of a friend of the Descoles.”

“No matter the timeline, they always kidnap Brenda and Doland. And threaten me with them. Or with kidnapping my son.”

[magicboyangus-blog]

"Hey kid. Why are you gawking at my car? Never seen a Citroen before? Ha ha!"

“Well uh, I’ve seen something like this…” He shuffles around. “I’m uh… I’m a little lost, sir. could you help?”

[papatriton]

“Yeah. He fucking eats people.”

“That’s bad.”

[arcadiancaptain]

"Hey dude. Nice eyepatch."

[ It’s a miracle anyone could see the eyepatch through the batch of hair that covers it. ]

“Thanks.” [ The captain simply said before turning his attention back to whatever he was looking at. ]

[papatriton]

“Yeah. I can see Brenda asking me to not go on a revenge spree.”

“Thanks, man.”