This search thread is to seek some roleplay for a character from the Professor Layton series. I've played all the main series games (as released in my region) and watched the Eternal Diva movie, so I'm up to date on canon. If you aren't familiar with Descole and don't mind spoilers, I'm happy to fill you in.
I will write Descole as theatrical, temperamental, driven, antagonistic, cunning, smug, snobbish and ultimately paradoxically self-sacrificing, as I believe he is in the games. He's an accomplished roboticist and master of disguise with an interest in acquiring particular archaeological artifacts.
I play Descole with the background seen in Azran Legacy. This thread will contain Azran Legacy spoilers, and spoilers for earlier Layton games as well as the Eternal Diva movie.
This means my Descole was once Hershel Bronev, and lived for a time under the name of Desmond Sycamore. I have a lot of headcanon for his early life, his schooling, his career as an archaeologist, his wife and daughter, how he came to meet Raymond and his transformation into Jean Descole. I can and likely will discuss this before play, although I'm willing to keep quiet about it for anyone who'd rather it come as a surprise. I'm also willing to be flexible for anyone who has suggestions or ideas they want incorporated, if they fit with my idea of the character.
Although I've seen a lot of AU versions of Descole and Sycamore, often as separate individuals, that's not what I'm typically playing. If you do want that, ask me.
This thread will be bumped a lot. If you want to contact me, I'd prefer a PM or IM, but you can also quote me here. I prefer private RP, but if your group needs a Descole and the storyline suits me, I may be interested.
• Third person prose, past or present tense, although I prefer past. I can't handle first person at all.
• I favour shorter posts by Gaia standards, but I can work with anything between 100 and 800 words. If you require posts beyond that, I'm not the partner for you.
• I will roughly mirror my partners, but my posts will vary based on what the situation requires to keep the plot and interaction moving.
• I've got a decent vocabulary and a good grasp of the English language. I don't care about Gaia labels for literacy, but I do want this in a partner.
• Characterisation matters to me. I try to get a good feel for the character's voice and want the same from my partner.
• I won't completely carry the roleplay. I want an enthusiastic partner with ideas of their own.
• I want to play with people 18 and over. This is non-negotiable. I'm 26 years old and feel more comfortable with players closer to my own age.
• Tell me the kind of content you're comfortable with when we discuss RP, and I'll do the same. I'm not after extreme scenarios, and particularly disinterested in noncon or romanticised abuse (which doesn't mean I won't play an adversarial relationship).
• I'm open to any combination of genders, though I play Descole as a cis man. Happy to discuss this not being the case for RP.
RP Location:
• I prefer not to play on Gaia. I have AIM (Sighle35) and Skype (Alzire35), as well as email (bubastis35@gmail.com) and Google Docs/Drive. I can set up other IMs if that would be convenient as well. I will play over PMs or on a private thread if absolutely necessary, but it's not my first choice.
• If I do RP in a thread, I'm not doing graphics, coloured text or complicated formatting. Damn it Jim, I'm a writer, not a graphic designer.
• Hershel Layton: Normally I'd want to play with a Layton in a storyline set after Unwound/Lost Future, with either Descole returning to London or Layton running across him in America when visiting Luke. However, I will work with just about any scenario for a Layton who's in character and interested.
• Dimitri Allen: The two mad scientists could collaborate, compete or commiserate. I have some headcanon involving Descole knowing Allen from either university or boarding school, but it's not necessary for play if your Allen has a different backstory. Either way, there's potential there. I would prefer play to take place either during their school days or after Unwound Future.
• Emmy Altava: During or after Azran Legacy. After, having Emmy meet Descole again while she's working as a journalist would be great; during, he developed a genuine affection for her as Sycamore, although he was confused when it was suggested they might be a couple.
• Randall Ascot: Likely during Miracle Mask, but long after it is also possible, as is some kind of timeline-stretching meeting between Randall and Professor Sycamore.
• Henry Ledore: Again, during Miracle Mask, and probably when Descole was disguised as Angela.
• OCs: I am actually open to OCs of any gender, provided you can tell me about them beforehand. OCs that catch my interest will exist beyond wanting romance with a canon character, and have a story and motivations all of their own.
I'm up for platonic RP with anyone from the Layton universe, from Don Paolo to Flora. Chances are I'd be willing to interact with the character you're interested in playing. If you vehemently dislike any of my pairings, it won't feature. I'd love non-romance RP with any of the above characters just as much, and chances are my shipping taste won't come up in that.
Although this thread is focused on Descole, I can play other characters. I would play Layton for another Descole roleplayer, and I've been wanting to try out Henry or Randall for a while.
"Doubling":
This seems to be about romance, but I like playing side characters. For example, if Descole is interacting with Layton, it seems logical that Luke, Aurora or Flora would be around. I'm able to pick up those characters and have them present during scenes, or share them with the other writer. The most obvious example of this for Descole is Raymond. Unless it's a very unusual situation, Raymond will be by Descole's side, and I like writing him when he is.
I'm very unlikely to play an extra romantic lead, or accept a scenario where I play Descole to an OC while the other player plays a canon character to my OC. I'm not compromising by playing a canon character, it's my preference. Therefore, I don't need to have you fill a role for me in return. If you play an OC, they must be a person I'll find interesting without any attempts at sweetening the deal.
Storyline:
I normally RP with an ongoing storyline, which is sketched out before we start playing, and negotiated during the RP. I'm willing to work with your ideas as well as offer my own. If I have a pairing listed, I have a storyline for it beyond the brief blurb I've written up there.
I'm also willing to work with AUs within the Layton canon. For example, I would be willing to write a Descole kidnapped along with his parents, or a storyline in which the kidnapping never took place. I would also be interested in writing concept-based AUs (Mirrorverse, historical, space etc) although I do prefer the canon universe.
Crossovers/Fusions: I can compromise with players who aren't interested in playing a Layton universe character, usually with a crossover.
▶ Note: I may not be aware of your fandom. However, I'm willing to work out a crossover if you'll give me the relevant information, or if you don't mind the characters meeting in a scenario taking place outside either universe.
This list isn't a comprehensive one of every fandom I'm in, simply some highlights and those I'd be interested in doing a crossover with.
• Ace Attorney: Well, this one is a given. I'm yet to play the official crossover, but working out something for Descole in the world of Labyrinthia or within the actual Ace Attorney universe would be possible, as would bringing Ace Attorney characters through to the Layton universe.
• Harry Potter: Either the Bronevs as a wizarding family, or Descole encountering the hidden world of magic as a Muggle. I'd rather work with the universe past school age, but I could be convinced to do young Slytherin Sycamore (or possibly Ravenclaw -- I'm inclined to go Slytherin because he's driven by his need for large-scale, ambitious revenge, not just because he's a villain).
• Sherlock Holmes: Most versions, but I do prefer canon and Granada. Mostly plot-focused play for this, although I could be sold on a pairing.
• Arsène Lupin: The original, not the Third; I'd accept the latter but I know nothing about him. As for the original Lupin, he's one of my favourite fictional characters, and I'd love to see him interact with Descole. Whether they will be antagonists, allies or something else depends on the player and storyline.
• His Dark Materials: The dæmon element more than the rest of the setting, although it's negotiable. Descole's dæmon is female Eurasian magpie named Tzviya.
• Star Trek: Professor Layton as a holodeck game, perhaps? This is not an idea I've considered thoroughly, but it's up here to show I have interest in a broad range of media, and I'm as willing to work with science fiction as fantasy.
• Superhero Comics: As a supervillain, anti-villain or even in a reformed capacity as a hero. I'm particularly interested in the Batman universe, but other DC, Marvel or original superhero settings aren't impossible.
Here's two samples, one as Sycamore during Azran Legacy, and one as Descole in a fusion AU scenario. Hopefully this gives a sense of my writing style. They're unedited from the time I posted them.
Sycamore's smile was again slightly tense, but this time some of it reached his eyes, revealing that they crinkled easily at the corners. He paid due enough attention to his appearance that he was easy to mistake for a younger man, younger even than Layton himself. It wasn't as if Layton was any less than handsome, but his hat was his most distinctive feature; he had a pleasant enough face but not an otherwise memorable one. If studied in detail, the family resemblance was there, but Descole had given no one other than Raymond the opportunity to examine his unadorned face in some years now.
"I haven't had the privilege of attending one of your lectures. I have it on good authority that you're an enthralling speaker," Sycamore said. He'd also heard that Layton was disorganised and sometimes downright unreliable, but eccentricity was easy to tolerate in a teacher so brilliant, and so famous. He searched Layton's eyes for an acknowledgement of some kind, then sipped his own tea, with manners as good as his counterpart's.
Although there were some local spiced biscuits spread on the table, Sycamore didn't eat. Raymond might scold him for neglecting the gift, but he'd never been one to dunk anything in his tea, or have supper if it came to that. The drink became something to do with his hands as much as a pleasant nightcap.
"I knew the Azran were capable of stunning feats of engineering, but they are advanced beyond my capacity to measure," he observed, after considering the topic. "I uncovered various fragments in my research, and enough inscriptions for me to decipher a good portion of their language, but nothing as astounding as what we've been seeing. Or even what you've discovered yourself; I followed the news from London over the past few years."
His pleasant mood soured and a harshness marred his expression, his lips thinning into a frown. "Of course, Targent control those sites now." One of his hands -- the left, unoccupied by his fine porcelain teacup -- clenched, so tightly the knuckles turned white. It was impossible to keep himself steady when he thought of them.
The creaking hulk of the Targent airship didn't look as if it had any right to fly. It was salvaged technology under a thin lick of flaking paint, patched together until it held, but it was never going to be attrative no matter how it was decorated. The clunky lines made it seem even stranger that this smoke-spewing machine stayed up in the air. It was roughly rectangular, aside from the wings, engines and propellers that kept it running, and hung making its slow, boxy way across the otherwise empty skyline.
If it looked ugly, it sounded worse. The groaning efforts of its engines made it almost impossible to hear in the lower reaches. It was to Descole's advantage: he had two of the idiot minions unconscious before they even noticed his presence, though his dress shoes were hardly stealthy on the hard metal floors.
He shook out his cloak and adjusted his hat, smoothing out some of the imperfections that hiding in a cargo crate for what had certainly felt like hours had left on him. Satisfied by what he could see -- there was no chance of a reflection on a ship so grimy -- he set about his work.
"Good afternoon, despicable Targent pawns!"
The voice echoed over the airship's speaker system, a strange lilting enunciation made crackly with static. It certainly caught the attention of the uniformed agents; there was a sudden scurrying of activity, and voices barking orders.
"Find him before--"
"It's already gone."
Descole's laughter -- maniacal, of course, there was no overdoing this role -- filled the air, and he continued. "Thank you for locating the Ambrosia tablet for me! You've been unusually competent, send my regards to your master."
The ships lights flickered and died; the already gloomy atmosphere became pitch black and stifling. The reason became apparent when a single globe burst back into life, blindingly bright and highlighting the masked figure beneath it, giving him a dramatic silhouette as he stood on a high walkway.
Of course, there was promptly a rifle aimed at him, but he'd expected that.
"Really? For an organisation obsessed with knowledge, Targent seems to hire the most ridiculous nitwits. This tablet is far more important to Bronev than your insignificant lives." He dangled the marked clay over the balcony, just to make his point. "Let me assure you, he'd rather I have it intact than see it shattered."
My first is the feminine, the possessive case,
My second a remnant, playing the song of the sea.
My third sets down the nature of the place,
And my last is the weight of a century.
My whole makes the name of a puzzling gent,
And it is for him alone that this message is sent.
