au where basically everything is reversed and layton is our titular gentleman-cambrioleur.
to note:
The black ravens are still a bunch of streetkids, and crow is the leader running a long con, while working on the side as the youngest police intern. The black ravens will sometimes lend information to layton as long as he pays them in return.
The triton family are one of the more powerful organized crime families in france. They, alongside the Ascot family and the Tuilerons family (angela maiden name in this AU), essentially run france. The Tritons are the main force in the Aquitaine région.
Clark and Brenda didn't want luke to get too involved with the family business while he was young, and were genuinely surprised when he showed an interest in crime and the strange thief who arrived in their town.
Layton's first heist was the abkadain ruins in england. In fact, Layton is a native born englishman, but moved to france in his youth with his adopted parents. This is where he met the stansbury gang. He'd agreed to follow Randall's detective nose all the way back to england when they were teens, where he found the treasure but lost randall. After this, he gave up on crime and went clean.
Layton, Clark, Brenda, Paul, Dimitri, and Claire went to university together, but parted ways after Claire's death. Layton was enamoured by Claire and she was where his desire to become a gentleman came from. Her death was also what pushed him to become a thief again, in order to get back at the rich and powerful for the death of his beloved.
Clive, a french journalist, lost his and Clark's parents in the same accident that took Claire's life. He then swore revenge on the noble who had commissioned the experiment. Who then got elected as the prime minister of france, named Billiam Hawks. His assassination plans aren't going so hot at the moment, but after finding out that the phantom thief who saved his life as a child was back and causing mayham he vows to try and make good on his treason.
Bloom is the lead detective on the case of the international criminal Jean Descole. He's the youngest prodigy of the Sûreté Nationale, and he is utterly bored in his job. The most excitement he gets is when Jean Descole pulls another dangerous stunt, but even then the guy is such an asshole that it ruins all the fun of the chase. He's this close to quitting and becoming a criminal himself. Can successfully stop Descole's schemes a solid 6 times out of 10. He's also very sick of putting up with this newbie private detective who popped up and is trying to catch Descole. This guy needs a vacation, or enough alcohol to drown a horse.
Randall, with all his amnesia for the accident all those years ago, ended up moving back to france when he caught wind that a certain criminal popped up there. As the lost heir to the Ascot house, he holds a lot of power he doesn't even know about. Rather, he spends his days as a private detective with an incredibly high solve rate. After moving to Monte d'Or to catch Descole on his next heist, he decides to finally pick up an assistant and grabs the next dude on the street who seems willing.
That dude happens to be Nils, who is a totally law abiding citizen and definitely has never committed grand larceny in his life. Swear on his mum's soul. He hangs out with Randall because he thinks its fun watching him solve cases, and it gives him opportunities to do perfectly legal things thank you very much. Has a girlfriend named Colette that he steals things for. The two are in a very loving relationship, and also love causing problems to everyone in a 50 mile radius together.
Flora Reinhold is the daughter of an incredibly rich baron in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes région. Sequestered away in the alps, she's lived her whole life sheltered. After she meets Layton and Luke, however, she become determined to become a gentlewoman cambrioleur in her own right. Runs away from home to force layton to adopt her, and basically hostages herself on him. Now she's training under him as his second unofficial apprentice.
Emmeline (Emmy) is a freelancer writer and reporter who's been following the recent crime spikes. She works frequently with the Sûreté Nationale to cover and investigate cases. Works frequently alongside Detective Bloom and Clive. All three are basically a friend group. She's probably the one person Bloom actually likes in his job.
Bronev is part of some cult or something. secret society protecting a treasure who noped out on his kids to go do that under duress or something. idk about him ngl i didn't think about it much.
Renowned globally, Desmond Sycamore is one of the leading British Investigators on the Jean Descole Case. His record is immaculate, and people wonder if there's any case he can't solve. He's crashed several of Descole's heists. He's also the secret true identity of Jean Descole. He moved to Paris in order to pursue the criminal. Bloom thinks he's a prick. Randall admires him greatly.
Anton Herzen is one of the oldest Dukes in the country. He lives in the Hauts-de-France region, in a massive castle with his butler. He is eventually returned a jewel he once had stolen from him after Layton steals it back from a greedy noble who had pillaged the castle in the dead of the night.
anyways yeah thats fhe lore ive got rn. im so nromal about phantom thieves guys i promise....
