Desmond Sycamore through The Azran’s Legacy.
Spoilers for those who hadn’t played the game or watched the gameplay and daydreaming about playing it but you didn’t have the console. You have been warned.
First thing I want to stand out is how they put perfectly clear that Sycamore was Descole all allong. On the freaking trailer. It was so clear, they didn’t even gave us an animatic with the reveal! So we missed everyone’s faces when he showed up…. such a wasted opportunity...
And all they had to do was leave this on the trailer:
Since we had seen Raymond all the time with Descole, anyone would have figured out with this that Desmond was Descole.
So, we knew it was the freaking Descole ALL. THE. TIME. We heard him talk about casual things like the weather, and being completely polite and all that, and especially when people talk shit about him and he had to bite his damn tongue or he would blew out his disguise! LOL He had to be so chill all the time and not be the usual drama king he usually is…
Inner Descole: Does it pay off to have a cat littering my so clean airship so my companions can solve some puzzles? Uhm…. ug, fine.
Inner Descole though all this: listen up you brat! I don’t have to steal anything! I’m a recognised archeologist and I can just ask to check them out! Ok, Descole just don’t say anything… yeah, let’s agree with Layton on not diggin on me for now…
He’s a run-away so if he hears about police those are bad news. Clue for those who didn’t watch the trailer.
And these other times when his disguise was about to be compromised….
She was lucky he didn’t break his character that time.
We all know that “storm inside” included day-dreaming about murder with giant machines. XD
The rest of the journey Sycamore barely does things that stand out to the rest of the team, I suspect in order to not look suspicious. But he couldn’t help but to let some things slip, so we have things like these:
First hint of having someone that was gone for good. TT_TT
Followed by a hint of his true self by put in doubt Julien’s sanity. I loved that.
This kind of dropped like a bomb to all of us. And it hit HARD. He had a freaking family, with a kid and all.
His smug personality and show-off self stands out a little by letting us know that he would rival with Layton anytime on knowledge just because he still wants to prove Layton that he can do things better than him.
More sad wisdom come from experience. :(
But Desmond always losed his temper anytime Targent was involved, and especially when Bronev was in the room.
He totally broke character here. I can’t blame him, because we could read between the lines that Bronev ordered Sycamore’s family’s death, and that made Desmond turn into Descole.
So, he finally gets everything he needs from the team, and leaves them behind.
But things were not as easy as he thought.
On this trip, he used as disguise his old self before turning into Descole. Which means that re-using this face meant:
He had to act again as how he used to be.
Act as how he used to be means get in touch again with his old self.
Number 2 leads to re-touch ways of being that he hasn’t since he put a mask on.
He re-asumed ways of being, so he got in touch again with old feeling and his usual coping mechanisms of violence were not an option, because that would break character.
He didn’t play to be Sycamore, he was returning to be him again. Or at least, half in the journey.
All that journey made him dig out old feelings, and what was left of his heart.
So, when he went back to the team, this time not hiding his actual thoughts….
Luke is angry at him, and throws at him all that anger all the time everytime he has the chance…
… at first, Descole is completely chill with it.
But then, Luke hits the spot where hurts, and he shows regret.
He jumped to protect Luke.
Let’s put aside his origin story that he told when he has in the ground and down, except for the part that he finally put the cards on the table, and showed what was inside of him all this time, and the extend of how much he has hold a grundge to Targent.
After it, he, at first just leaves it all on Layton’s hands, but he decides to get back up again:
(no, the dialogue is not complete, I just used the most important parts)
All of this speaks for itself.
But when all it’s over, though, he doesn’t come back as Sycamore, he keeps on as Descole, also sepparates from the group for good.
What did I get from all this emotional journey Descole went through? He gave up most of his self-destructive behaviour and regain the will to live. And all thanks to get in contact with his old self and with two special young ones that made his heart awake again. Even if he couldn’t return to his old self after all what happened, he found a new spark for his life. Thanks to Aurora mostly.
