Elemental Chess Trilogy: Difference between revisions

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The first story, ''[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6813723/1/Flowers_of_Antimony Flowers of Antimony]'', [[Continuation Fic|begins about three years after the Promised Day]]. Al is returning to Amestris for Ed and Winry's wedding, and Ling Yao decides to follow and essentially crash the party. Due to his new status as Emperor of Xing, Fuhrer Grumman schedules a welcoming parade and all sorts of nonsense for the inadvertently political event. [[Chandler's Law]] is then invoked when Central is attacked by unknown invaders. ''Flowers'' was the only installment of the series intended to be read as a stand alone story.

 

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* [[Affably Evil]]: Acheron has shades of this.

* [[Affectionate Nickname]]/[[In-Series Nickname]]: After her marriage, the men of Team Mustang feel strange calling Riza 'Hawkeye,' but they can't call her 'Mustang' for rather obvious reasons, and they've never been comfortable using her first name. So they give her a nickname of their own: Ladyhawk (or occasionally, just "Lady" for short).

* [[Altum Videtur]]: Seen in a few of the chapter titles in ''Flowers of Antimony.'' Justified, as they are actual alchemical terms.

* [[Amoral Attorney]]: The prosecutor in ''Three Generals,'' who is on Acheron's payroll. {{spoiler|So is the judge.}}

* [[Badass Boast]]: Roy gives one in ''Brilliancy.''

* [[Badass Grandpa]]: Grumman.

* [[Badass in Distress]]: Riza, during most of ''Brilliancy.'' She gives her captors plenty of trouble, and even {{spoiler|kills the one who was supposed to kill her}}, but that doesn't change the fact that she's been kidnapped and stuck in the desert.

* [[Bearer of Bad News]]: Repeatedly in ''Three Generals''. Armstrong weeps as he tells Roy and Riza that {{spoiler|Grumman's office has blown up with him in it}}. Later, Havoc, Rebecca, and Ed have to be the ones to tell Riza that {{spoiler|Roy's been arrested for blowing it up}}. And Ed has to be the one to tell everybody that {{spoiler|he's been convicted of the crime and sentenced to death}}.

* [[Beauty Is Never Tarnished]]: Averted hard, especially with Riza; not only does she still have the scar on her throat from the Promised Day, but {{spoiler|after she's recovered from her kidnapping in ''Brilliancy'', she's bruised, bloodied, filthy, and has a twisted knee.}}

** Ling Yao does not take kindly to anybody threatening his people, his friends, or his little sister.

** Major Armstrong has a huge problem with men who would "endanger a kind and gracious woman to further [their] own political agenda!"

* [[Breaking the Fellowship]]: After {{spoiler|Roy's arrest}} in ''Three Generals'', the allies are split up and sent away to either Briggs or Ishval, because they're needed to bolster the military forces there. (At least, that's the excuse that's given by the people pulling the strings.) Only Ed and Winry are able to remain in Central with the homebound Riza.

* [[Brick Joke]]: In ''Three Generals'', Grumman can't decide what his future great-grandchild should call him. Roy jokingly suggests "Grummy," which is dismissed and the idea is never mentioned again. {{spoiler|Cut to the last chapter, and this is exactly what ''all'' the children of the allies call him.}}

** Before setting out for the Promised Day in the canon, Roy gives his subordinates [[Try Not to Die|an order not to die]]. This order gets mentioned in each part of the trilogy.

** When Riza is missing in ''Brilliancy'', a fevered Roy remarks that he's not surprised that he's sick, because he's been out in the rain ever since she was kidnapped. (For the Flame Alchemist, that's his way of saying he feels helpless.)

* [[Canine Companion]]: Riza's dog Black Hayate is this to both her and, after their marriage, Roy. He becomes something of a living [[Memento MacGuffin]] in ''Brilliancy''; Roy won't allow the dog out of his sight the entire time Riza is missing because, as Havoc points out, he's the closest thing they have to a child {{spoiler|at first}}.

* [[Captain Obvious]]: Invoked by Ed in ''Flowers of Antimony,'' when he addresses Roy as "General Obvious."

* [[The Cavalry]]: Ed, Roy and Riza, assisted by Jerso and Zampano, come to the aid of their friends in ''Flowers of Antimony.'' {{spoiler|Those same friends return the favor at Roy's execution in ''Three Generals''.}}

** ''Three Generals'' may also qualify, as it has a [[Shogi]] theme going on with its title and chapter names. Shogi is Japanese chess. If nothing else, the chess motif shows up in the message that Ed sends to the allies after {{spoiler|Roy's conviction, which consists of just one word: '''Checkmate.'''}}

* [[Clear My Name]]: Roy in ''Three Generals'', when he's [[Wrongly Accused]] of {{spoiler|murdering Fuhrer Grumman}}.

* [[Closed Circle]]: Central City, when it gets attacked during ''Flowers of Antimony.''

* [[Cloudcuckoolander]]: Fuhrer Grumman has great fun pretending to be one of these in ''Flowers of Antimony''. He throws his weight around regarding the plans for Ed's wedding, but in the best possible ways. As Havoc puts it, "It's like watching an overgrown five-year-old plan the world's biggest birthday party."

** Probably more of Brotherhood than the manga since {{spoiler|Havoc's legs were better.}}

* [[Cool and Unusual Punishment]]: The traitor in ''Brilliancy'' is placed under Major Armstrong's guard, and subjected to Armstrong's trademark manner of stripping and posturing. In the words of one reviewer, "[[Memetic Mutation|This method of torture has been handed down through the Armstrong line for generations]]!"

* [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass]]: Havoc has shades of this, not unlike in the canon. He's goofy and nostalgic and teases everyone, but when things go south he steps up to the plate.

* [[Dances and Balls]]: Just one, in ''Three Generals'', planned chiefly as a means of luring the enemy into attacking. {{spoiler|It doesn't work.}}

* [[Dangerously Genre Savvy]]: Kimblee, in ''Triumvirate'', quickly figures out a few things the others would rather he not know.

* [[Dead Guy, Junior]]: Averted hard in ''Three Generals,'' when Roy explains to Grumman why he and Riza have decided not to name their baby after Maes Hughes or anybody else.

** Played straight in the same story by Ling and Lan Fan, however, who named their first son Fu, after Lan Fan's grandfather.

** In ''Three Generals,'' {{spoiler|Riza has to promise that she will not succumb to this when Roy is sentenced to death, mostly for the sake of their unborn child.}}

* [[The Dragon]]: {{spoiler|General Piper}} in ''Three Generals''.

* [[Drama-Preserving Handicap]]: Arguably, Roy's fever in ''Brilliancy''.

* [[Driven to Suicide]]: {{spoiler|Riza's pregnancy}} was first written into the story to prevent this from happening to her when {{spoiler|the time of Roy's execution passes.}}

* [[Element Number Five]]: Quintessence, the fifth element of [[Real Life]] alchemy, makes a brief appearance in the title and content of the last chapter of ''Flowers''.

* [[Equivalent Exchange]]: Naturally, given the fandom. The trope is invoked by name in ''Flowers of Antimony'', when Sig points out to Ed that everywhere he goes, he leaves part of himself with the people he befriends and takes part of them with him when he leaves.

* [[Exact Words]]: In ''Three Generals'', {{spoiler|Roy persuades Acheron to promise that he won't do anything to hurt Riza or their yet-unborn child. Acheron consents, and specifically says that no harm will come to them by his orders. When Piper later threatens to have her killed, he points out that Roy never asked ''him'' to promise.}}

** Also in the same story, Roy and Breda comb the five newspapers of Amestris in search of articles that might clue them in to their enemy's movements.

* [[Flash Back]]: ''Brilliancy'' has several of these; the revolving point of view allows different characters to remember different incidents. Not a case of [[Viewers Are Goldfish]], however, because while all of the flashbacks are connected to events from the canon, they usually showcase non-canonical details.

* [[Hero Worshipper]]: Paul Douglas, who grew up hearing about Roy Mustang and "his merry band of brigands" and specifically requested to serve under him in Ishval. {{spoiler|This is easier to understand once it's revealed that Paul is a relative of Maes Hughes, Roy's deceased best friend.}}

* [[Hidden Agenda Villain]]: Acheron

* [[Hope Bringer]]: Part of the reason the men send for Roy Mustang when Central City is attacked during ''Flowers'' is because they figure that having the Flame Alchemist in their midst will boost the morale of the Amestrian defenses. (It does.)

* [[If I Do Not Return]]: Roy in ''Brilliancy,'' when entering the building in the desert.

* [[I Have Your Wife]]: Sort of inverted in ''Brilliancy'' - it's more the question of "''Who'' has my wife?"

* [[Ill Girl|Ill Boy]]: Roy's wedding in the first story is delayed because he comes down with a devastating fever; he relapses in the second story, partly because of his wife's abduction.

* [[Incredibly Lame Pun]]: Havoc, at Roy and Riza's wedding, has probably the silliest line of the entire trilogy.

* [[Infant Immortality]]: In basically half of the chapters author notes for ''Three Generals'', the author takes the time to specify that nothing happened to {{spoiler|Roy and Riza's baby.}}

* [[Insistent Terminology]]: Acheron refuses to use military titles when addressing his adversaries, preferring to call Roy by his full name. When speaking to or about Riza, however, he refers to her as "Lady Mustang."

* [[The Man Behind the Man]]: What Acheron is hoping to become in ''Three Generals.''

* [[Meaningful Name]]: [[Big Bad]] Acheron shares his name with the Acheron river in Greece. In ancient mythology, Acheron was one of the five rivers of Hades, and was known as the 'river of pain.'

* [[Memento MacGuffin]]: Riza's silver earrings; as he explains to Winry in ''Brilliancy'', they were a gift from Roy when they were teenagers.

* [[Miscarriage of Justice]]: The circumstances leading up to {{spoiler|Roy's execution}} in ''Three Generals''.

* [[Morality Pet]]: Riza is this for Roy in the canon, but in ''Brilliancy'', his speech to the traitor makes her seem more like a [[Morality Chain]]. Ed is only able to keep Roy from killing the guy by pointing out that she wouldn't want him to do it.

* [[Morning Sickness]]: A recurring problem in ''Three Generals''. {{spoiler|In an odd twist, it probably saves Roy's life at one point.}}

* [[My Name Is Inigo Montoya]]: Roy does this just once, when confronting [[The Mole]] in ''Brilliancy''.

* [[Neck Lift]]: Mustang performs one on {{spoiler|Sikorsky}} when he finds out they're responsible for Riza's kidnapping and possible murder.

* [[Out of the Inferno]]: In ''Brilliancy'', {{spoiler|Roy enters the building where he's been told he'll find Riza's dead body. Several minutes later, it explodes, and the rest of the company think he's committed suicide. As they're preparing to leave, Roy and Riza both show up in this fashion.}}

* [[Papa Wolf]]: ''Three Generals'' makes Grumman something of a Grandpa Wolf.

** [[Played With]] in ''Three Generals,'' when Fuery shyly asks Riza for "permission to hug."

* [[Pimped-Out Dress]]: While it never gets described, Winry's wedding dress is implied to be this if Ed's [[Jaw Drop|reaction]] is anything to go by. Lan Fan's wedding dress plays it straight.

* [[Playing Drunk]]: Fuhrer Grumman, at Ed's bachelor party.

* [[The Power of Friendship]]/[[The Power of Love]]: The driving motivation of all of the good guys, in one way or another.

* [[Precision F-Strike]]: {{spoiler|Riza}} gets off a beauty when confronting [[The Dragon]] in ''Three Generals'', though not with that specific word. It's noteworthy because up until that point, the worst thing anyone had said in the entire series was 'damn,' and it also doubles as a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] for the character.

* {{spoiler|[[Pregnant Badass]]}}: Riza, in ''Three Generals''. Part of the reason {{spoiler|Riza's pregnancy}} was written into the story was so the author could [[Troper|add this trope to the fics trope list]].

* [[Protectorate]]: Riza, to the members of her security detail.

* [[Rank Up]]: All the allies, except for Riza, get promoted at the ball in ''Three Generals''; this is partly an overdue reward for their efforts on the Promised Day and partly a reward for helping the Mustangs in ''Brilliancy.'' It also gets explained why Riza jumped from being a Lieutenant to a Colonel - a four-rank promotion - at one shot. (She had been refusing promotions for years in order to stay in Roy's unit.)

* [[Reasonable Authority Figure]]: Fuhrer Grumman; also Olivier Mira Armstrong, in the third story.

* [[Sequel Hook]]: The end of ''Brilliancy''.

* [[Settle for Sibling|Settle For Best Friend]]: Rebecca accuses Havoc of having done this in ''Three Generals''.

* [[Side Bet]]: Several. Mustang's men are notorious for it, and Falman has a history of winning. Creates a [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]] in ''Three Generals'', when {{spoiler|they take all the money they each bet on the gender of Roy and Riza's child and use it to buy baby gifts}}.

* [[Something Only They Would Say]]: The members of Team Mustang come to Ishval in ''Brilliancy'' because they receive a letter written in Roy's old chess code, which no one outside of their group would know. {{spoiler|As it turns out, that's not quite true...}}

* [[Squad Nickname]]: The former members of Roy's unit refer to themselves as Team Mustang. Later, when they're reunited to form Riza's personal security detail, they call themselves "all the queen's men."

* [[Stuff Blowing Up]]: The building explosion in ''Brilliancy''; {{spoiler|Grumman's office}} in ''Three Generals.''

* [[Suddenly-Suitable Suitor]]: See above

* [[Switching POV]]: No character controls the narrative for more than one chapter at a time.

** In ''Triumvirate'', the story and chapter titles are all military terms.

* [[That's an Order]]: In ''Brilliancy,'' when the group is getting ready to go rescue the kidnapped Rebecca, Roy tries to order Riza to stay behind. She flatly refuses, although circumstances require her to do so after all. Later, after {{spoiler|Riza is recovered alive, Roy says this as a follow-up to "[[Please Don't Leave Me|Never leave me again]]."}}

* [[They Do]]: All three couples who get married in ''Flowers of Antimony''. However, considering their [[Maybe Ever After]] fate in the canon and the hoops they have to go through to get to that point, the trope probably applies most to Roy and Riza.

* [[This Looks Like a Job For Aquaman]]: Nearly everyone's unique talents get put to use at some point. For example, ''Flowers of Antimony'' makes use of Fuery's skill with communications equipment and Sheska's ability to recall esoteric information she's read, while part of ''Brilliancy'' relies heavily on Scar's alkahestry and his access to his brother's encoded research. {{spoiler|The ritual he uses in ''Brilliancy'' becomes a [[Chekhov's Skill]] in ''Three Generals''.}} Even Winry's ability to make delicious apple pie comes in handy.

* [[Unbroken Vigil]]: When Roy falls ill in ''Brilliancy'', one of the allies (usually Winry) is appointed to hold one at all times.

* [[Undying Loyalty]]: As in the canon.

* [[Unwitting Pawn]]: In ''Three Generals'', {{spoiler|General Hakuro}} is actually innocent. He has no idea what he's helping the bad guys achieve.

* [[Verbal Tic]]: Acheron has a weird accent. When the allies meet him for the first time, Falman notes that he pronounces Roy's name as ''Arroy Moostangy.''

* [[Wham! Line]]: In ''Three Generals'', via telegram, a single word to let the allies know the outcome of the trial. {{spoiler|Checkmate}}

* [[When She Smiles]]: Riza, although considered pretty under normal circumstances, is shown this way in Dr. Marcoh's flashback in ''Brilliancy.''

** ''Three Generals'' ends with this, but also has something of a Where Are They Now ''Prologue'', with Ed bringing Winry (and the reader) up to speed on what's happened since the end of ''Brilliancy''.

* [[Writers Cannot Do Math]]: The age of Elysia Hughes in both the first and third stories had to be corrected after the stories were posted.

* [[The X of Y]]: ''The Game of Three Generals''

 

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[[Category:Troper Works]]

[[Category:Fanfic]]