Author Topic: Chrono Reflections - The TV Tropes version.  (Read 4643 times)

skylark

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Chrono Reflections - The TV Tropes version.
« on: April 05, 2018, 11:08:05 pm »
Hello again all. It's me. Welcome to another unorthodox attempt at me making notes for my next story... since I don't have a reliable way of keeping notes. *cough*

With my last story, Sea of Dreams, it was a full-blown story synopsis. This time, it's the wonderful life-ruining magic of TV Tropes! :D

Disclaimer: Due to the nature of TV Tropes, there will be SPOILERS for a story that hasn't been written yet. Yes, it is madness. No, I don't give a crap.

Edit: Also, because there is no 'spoiler' type font or html that I know of around here, things that can be considered spoilers will be put in parenthesis.

Disclaimer 2: Because said story has not been written, I don't want to actually put this on TV Tropes quite yet. Not until I can find a way to get off my duff and start writing.

Disclaimer 3: If characters seem familiar to those who actually read my Sea of Dreams synopsis, that's because they are. Not because I'm lazy...

...okay, partly because I'm lazy. Partly because I had so much fun thinking up these characters that I don't want to put them on the shelf yet.

Alright, that should be everything. Enjoy the Tropes for Chrono Reflections and its prequel, Reflections: Before the Fall.
« Last Edit: April 06, 2018, 01:09:20 pm by skylark »

skylark

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Re: Chrono Reflections - The TV Tropes version.
« Reply #1 on: April 05, 2018, 11:10:18 pm »
General Tropes

[Tropes that apply to both stories]

An Aesop - "Power in and of itself is neither good nor evil, but dependent on the person wielding or pursuing it. Any suffering that comes about is ultimately the moral failure of the user or seeker, but all the same, one should never be afraid of taking the risk when it could possibly help others."

"While there are no absolutes or certainties when it comes to mankind's potential, the same cannot be said for other aspects of life. After all, there will always be a consequence, for good or for ill, for one's actions."

"Being free from the suffering of one's past is a noble pursuit, but not at the expense of those left behind. Moving forward without thought, consideration, or closure will only invite misunderstanding and resentment."

Book Ends - Alphard's death and the deterioration of Cain and Schala's lives (thanks to the Frozen Flame and Lavos) begins in the core chamber of the inner bowels of Zeal. (The final battle of Reflections takes place in a Black Omen reconstruction of the core chamber of Zeal where Cain and Schala destroy the last shades of Lavos and the Frozen Flame.)

Childhood Friend Romance - Between Cain and Schala. One of the major plot points of the Reflections project. Played with in just about every way imaginable. To wit:

* Played Straight - Cain and Schala first meet as children and go on a brief adventure through the kingdom, though she never learns his name before they're caught.

* Subverted - When they officially meet again as bodyguard and charge, Schala doesn't quite recognize him while Cain never forgot her. They remain friendly with each other however, at least until King Zeal's death.

* Deconstructed - Due to a massive misunderstanding, Schala comes to resent Cain, even after she learns that Cain was the little boy she met so long ago. Even worse, Cain is completely oblivious to any of this, and comes to unhealthily see Schala as his single emotional anchor/Morality Chain and refuses to imagine life without her.

* Inverted - Once Reflections rolls around (an amnesiac Schala as Zero) develops feelings for Cain while the latter unconsciously avoids her (thinking she's just a doppledoll and not the real Schala. One Heroic Sacrifice, one restoration of memories, and one look into Cain's past later, Schala) laments never realizing or returning Cain's feelings until after (he was gone, or so she thought).

* Reconstructed - Finally, after loads of Character Development from both of them and a massive heart-to-heart talk, they finally play it straight again and hook up near the end of the story.

Foil - Ironically enough, (Cain and Schala are this to each other. Schala is calm, polite, and tries to seek peaceful solutions to problems if possible while Cain is brash, impulsive, and uses force as his first response to issues, both mindsets excerbated by their respective positions as princess and bodyguard respectively. They both find a middle ground by the end of Reflections and marry in the epilogue.)

* (In a more extreme sense, the same can be said of their alternate counterparts. Post-Chrono Cross Schala believes the past only causes pain to the point where she rejects it entirely. The Cain who would eventually become Daere, on the other hand, clings so tightly to the past that he believes that since the future he wanted is forever out of his reach, that nobody deserves a future. Contrasting the above, they both die cursing the other and never reconcile each other's mindsets.)

Mook Horror Show - Cain has a tendency to bring these out. First time, he leaves behind the bodies of a good majority of Zeal's population. Second time, he's charging solo through squadrons of elite Porrean troops. (Both times lead him to a confrontation with Dalton, funnily enough.)

Named Weapons - Quite a few.

* (Former holy sword Masamune, corrupted and wielded by Dalton.)

* With a different origin than the one in Chrono Cross, we have the Einlanzer, royal blade of Zeal, wielded by King Alphard (and eventually, his daughter Schala.)

* Crono's custom katana (Dreamseeker).

* Daere's evil sword/spear hybrid is named Izanami. (Kinda fits, all things considered.)

* Cain's spear (doesn't technically have a name, but a Mystic calls it Izanagi due to nearly getting blinded by the sun reflecting off its blade, and it sticks despite Cain's protests.)

* Glenn calls his armor-piercing rifle (which he only uses in extreme situations) The Negotiator.

Poor Communication Kills - (Perhaps if Cain had told her upfront the crap he had been through because of their people and that he had been fending off an assassination attempt on HIS life, Schala probably would not have developed her 'all power corrupts everyone' mentality and would probably not have come to resent him. On the flipside, if Schala had just told him she had witnessed the above event and thought he was simply just abusing his new position, Cain probably would have reigned in his anger enough during his rescue attempt that he would have caught up to Crono and the others and had an actual chance to save her. Unfortunately, neither of those scenarios happened, leaving us with the tragedy that was Daere and post-Chrono Cross Schala.)


[Tropes that apply to Before the Fall]

Bullying a Dragon - The Enlightened Ones put Cain through so much shit that it's no surprise at all that (he finally snaps at the end of the story and kills most of them.) The fact that his magical abilities are only surpassed by the royal family makes it worse.

The Chew Toy - Cain, played for drama.

Central Theme - Absolute pacifism can be just as dangerous as absolute corruption of power, especially when those close to you suffer because of it.

* At what point is it time to put away the olive branch and unsheath the sword?

Dark and Troubled Past - The story depicts the beginning of Schala's, and goes into a little detail of Cain's.

Doomed By Canon - The Kingdom of Zeal as a whole, thanks to Lavos, (Cain, and Schala).

Downer Ending - Zeal is destroyed, every other sympathetic character is either dead or sucked through time gates, (Dalton pretty much gets off scot-free for everything), (Schala ends up bonded to Lavos), (Cain is either dead or left in 1000 AD a broken man), the threat of the Fall of Guardia in the future looms over like a dark cloud, and Alphard's dreams of Zeal, for which he lived bled and died for, have been pretty much discarded.

Hope Spot - Cain decides to help Abel (in his coup) while more or less making his feelings for Schala known, and Schala seems to finally be on the way to getting over her father's death. (Unfortunately, Abel is killed by Dalton, the Prophet shows up, and everything snowballs downhill from there...)

Maternal Death? Blame the Child - Basically the MO of Cain's father Duke Cray, and the underlying source of all the misery Cain suffers throughout his youth.

Offing the Offspring - Ultimately, both Cain and Schala are subjected to attempts at this.

Roaring Rampage of Revenge - Cain, disillusioned by humanity in general, invades Zeal and cuts down everyone that gets in his way, especially those who had gone out of their way to torment him throughout his life. However, he's mainly trying to save Schala, making this more of a Roaring Rampage of Rescue, but the implications are still there.

Yank the Dog's Chain - The end of the second act is written as though it might avert the canon events of Antiquity. (NOPE.)


[Tropes that apply to Chrono Reflections]

[A - J]

(The Apocalypse Brings Out the Best In People - With the exception of Shald's Zealots and Valkor's remnants of the Anti-Human League, everyone from Porean militarists to even the more prideful mystics and demi-humans drop the animosity to help each other out when Daere's actions threaten all of existence.)

(Apocalypse How - Daere plans -and has succeeded in different realities- to create a Class Z. Thanks to our heroes, he never makes it past a Class 1.)

Central Theme - Has a few of these:

*Are the past and the future truly irreconcilable?

* Trying to move forward by forgetting and abandoning the past solves nothing, but clinging to the past at the expense of the future is not the right answer either.

* Those left behind by the march of time, and what lengths they will go (or depths they will sink to) when they are given no say in their circumstance.

* (The Power of Love, and what it will drive people to do if it isn't reciprocated.)

(Breaking the Fellowship - The resultant fallout of Schala regaining her identity and the assumed death of Cain in the beginning of the second half of the story causes the party to drift apart for some time. It is only after Schala re-embraces her past and reclaims her birthright that she begins Putting the Band Back Together.)

Cloud Cuckoolander - Reika is this, full-stop.

 - Cloud Cuckoolander's Minder - ...leaving Cain and Glenn generally saddled into this role.

Darkest Hour - By the final act of the story, (Guardia and Porre are in tatters thanks to the war, with Choras following close behind. Large chunks of the Medinan continent have risen into the air for Daere to terraform into a new Black Omen, and the archipelago of El Nido has been split in half with Termina caught in the crossfire. The only real bastion for humanity at this point is Terra Tower, and even that gets knocked to the sea before the final battle. All that stands between Daere and total world annihilation are a band of six misfits.)

Deconstruction - Of Chrono Cross, just as Cross was a deconstruction of Trigger. On a more personal level, the story deconstructs the character of Schala and her motivations through the series.

* Decon-Recon Switch - (In the case of Schala specifically, it addresses not only the consequences of her Suicidal Pacifism and unwillingness to reconcile the past, but also the Unfortunate Implications on the entire 'Daughter-Clone' situation, making her out to be more callous and overall unlikable. The Ruination arc reconstructs her character by having Zero!Schala retain the kindness and positive aspects that made her such a beloved character to begin with.)

Expy - While there are quite a few reptillian-based Dragonians, the author bases his idea of the humanoid ones off of the Au Ra of Final Fantasy XIV.

* Glenn Zweibreicht's character design shares similarities with Solid Snake and The Man With No Name.

Five-Man Band - For the first half of the story:

 - The Hero - Cain

 - The Lancer - Glenn

 - The Big Guy - Tarvos

 - The Smart Guy - Lavenda

 - The Chick - Reika

 - Sixth Ranger - Zero

For the second half of the story:

 - The Hero - (Schala)

 - The Lancer - Lavenda

 - The Big Guy - Tarvos

 - The Smart Guy - Glenn

 - The Chick - Reika

 - (Eleventh-Hour Ranger - Cain)

Five Bad Band - Despite more or less acting independent of each other, all the villains of the story can easily fall into this dynamic:

 - Big Bad - (Daere)

 - The Dragon - (Dalton)

 - The Brute - Valkor

 - The Evil Genius - Shald

 - The Dark Chick - Sigma

For Want of a Nail - For the Fall of Guardia as a whole, Cain is that nail, stopping the invasion in its tracks and outright saving the lives of Crono and Marle in doing so. (His Evil Counterpart Daere also counts, whom of which ends up rendering the entire conflict moot.)

* For Dinopolis and the Dragonians, Lavenda is this. (In the Chrono Cross timeline, her death ends up leading to the war with Chronopolis. In the Reflections timeline, she lives, the war is averted, and the Dragonians end up being the dominant power of El Nido by the time of the main story's events.)

The Four Loves - What ultimately (after two stories' worth of character development) separates Cain from (Daere).

* Storge: Melchior, Abel, King Alphard, and Lucca

* Philia: Glenn, Reika, Tarvos, and Lavenda

* Eros: Schala

* Agape: The change of his beliefs to Humans Are Flawed but capable of becoming Special, and the chance of humanity bettering itself is something worth fighting for.

Godzilla Threshold - (Daere has been defeated, and his conciousness is being quickly devoured by the remnants of Lavos. Knowing his days are numbered, he kills himself, his death opening a portal to the pocket dimension keeping the Time Devourer out of reality. The heroes respond with a threshold of their own; using the Time Egg, empowered by the collective potential of every man, woman, and child from every timeline, from every reality, to overwhelm and negate the Devourer's existence.

(Happy Ending Override - For post-Chrono Cross Schala. Her unwillingness to reconcile the past ends up getting her killed when said past comes back to haunt her.)

Hope Bringer - The second half of the story involves the party (now led by the newly reawakened Schala) traveling the world, fighting off (Daere's) machinations at every turn (to try and salvage some kind of victory in the wake of Cain's sacrifice.) (They eventually inspire the world's remaining population to band together for an eventual Last Stand.)

Impossible Hourglass Figure - A bit more realistically than the trope norm, but every non-child female character in this story sports one of these in some way or another, with none of them other than perhaps Marle and Lucca having lower than a C-cup. Word of God admits that this isn't just Author Appeal at work, but the fact that it is much easier for him to draw characters with this body style.

[K - S]

Meaningful Name - The story's title of Reflections. (Cain and Schala are, in a sense, reflections of each other, while Daere is literally Cain's Evil Counterpart.)

Ms. Fanservice - Quite a few of the girls. Amongst the main characters for this trope are Reika, Rosemary, Flea, and to a lesser extent, (Sigma, Zero once Marle sets her up with more appropriate clothes, and Zelbess.) Special mention goes to Reika's mother Yulie, being a succubus and all.

Modesty Bedsheet - Near the end of the story on the night before the final battle, (Cain) wakes up to take stock of his adventure and sudden (reversal of fortunes). (Schala) wakes up moments later to pull off this trope.

Mythology Gag - This story in particualr has quite a few:

* One for the Crimson Echoes fangame, Dalton unleashes the Lion Tank upon Cain in the closing moments of the Porre/Guardia war. (He also infiltraes Guardia Castle the same way he does in the game.)

* Another for Crimson Echoes. The 'nuke' Daere casts near the end of Act 2 that devastates a good portion of Porre? Its name is never said in-universe, but Word of God says it is Atash-Kadah.

* 'Zabie' is the voice-code unwittingly uttered by Reika to free the party from their cells in Daere's flagship. Given a lampshade by Glenn.

* Yarlen Shald is a direct reference to Lynx of Radical Dreamers in that: A. He is the provincial governor of Regiorra. B. He is said to have a manor rivaling that of Viper. C. He is a high-ranking clergyman of the Order of Blue Fire. And D. His nickname is Lynx.

Nice Job Breaking It, Hero - Dalton coming to power and shaping Porre into his own empire is the direct result of Crono and co's time traveling. An indirect result of it leads in the bandits and criminals who once called Porre their stomping grounds to flee to Choras to escape the militarization, causing the various gangs to form a mafia of sorts that terrorize Choras for the next ten years.

*All a part of Shald's plans, of course: Swoop in and annex Choras under the guise of saving them from said mafia. Fortunately, said plans are ultimately thwarted in 1001 AD by a freshly formed mercenary group made up of a gunslinger on a quest for vengeance, an out-of-place mermaid, and a misanthrope time-displaced Enlightened One with no qualms against committing genocide on his enemies.

Orphanage of Love - Glenn and his sister grew up in one of these after their parents died, and its caretaker is the closest they have to a parental figure. Keeping the place running is the very reason Glenn became a mercenary. (It is one of the few places in Choras to survive relatively intact when Daere terraforms the continent, ironically enough.)

Person of Mass Destruction - (Daere. He practically nukes half of Porre off the face of the earth, terraforms Choras so badly that the majority of the continent becomes one giant mountain, and splits the archipelago of El Nido in half.)

Putting On The Reich - What Porre is clearly shaping up to be under (Dalton).

Ragtag Bunch Of Misfits - The heroes of our story are, in order: A run-of-the-mill mercenary, a kind-but-ditzy demi-human/fiend half-breed, a demi-human warrior monk, a Dragonian matriarch, (the amnesiac husk of an ancient princess), and an emotionally-crippled Knight in Sour Armor (whose alternate universe counterpart is the story's main villain).

Reconstruction - After deconstructing many of the ideas of Chrono Cross, the story eventually reconstructs both Cross and Trigger by reconciling both mindsets.

Shout Out - A very unintentional one on the part of the author. Apparently, this isn't the only instance of a Zero and Sigma with a bitter rivalry.

[T - Z}

(They Do - After two stories and a half of misunderstandings and miscommunication, Cain and Schala officially get together before the final battle with Daere.)

True Companions - While they amass quite the number of allies throughout their adventure, it's clear that the main six of Cain, Zero(Schala), Glenn, Reika, Tarvos, and Lavenda end up becoming this after everything is said and done.

World Half Full - (Despite reaching Chrono Cross levels of pessimism at times, the story ultimately settles firmly on this side of the scale.)

You Can't Thwart Stage One - Despite all their efforts, Cain's party is (unable to prevent Dalton's invasion of Guardia.)

(Will be updated semi-regularly. Keep checking back from time to time.)
« Last Edit: October 07, 2018, 12:48:13 am by skylark »

skylark

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Re: Chrono Reflections - The TV Tropes version.
« Reply #2 on: April 05, 2018, 11:11:20 pm »
Character Tropes - Heroes/Important NPCs

------------

[Reflections: Before the Fall]

Cain Cray: A young man seen as a pariah amongst the people of Zeal. His potential for magic and arms is eventually noticed by King Alphard, impressing the latter enough to make him Schala's bodyguard. After the King's death, he tries his damndest to keep Schala safe from the coming storm...

Because You Were Nice to Me - A very young Schala Zeal was the first person in Cain's life to ever show him any kindness. He's been in love with her ever since.

Blade on a Stick - As a royal bodyguard, Cain is one of the few people in Zeal allowed to carry a weapon. For him, it's a tri-pronged spear. Even when bereft of it, he's still a dab hand with Good Ol' Fisticuffs.

Bodyguard Crush - (Revealed in Reflections to be tragically one-sided.)

Cain & Abel - Subverted. (It isn't him that kills his mentor, but Dalton using his spear to frame him.)

(Canon Character All Along - The first half of the epilogue reveals that Cain was eventually reincarnated as Serge. The Astral Amulet that Kid owns also once belonged to him.)

Clear My Name - (He is framed for the murder of his mentor Abel during the final act by Dalton and sent to die in Mount Woe. Ultimately averted after he escapes since he knows the people of Zeal had long since made up their minds about him.)

Doomed By Canon

Elemental Powers - As a denizen of Zeal, he has access to a multitude of elements, including:

 - Playing With Fire - Cain's primary go-to power, and his elemental innate.

 - Blow You Away

 - Shock & Awe/Dishing Out Dirt

 - Casting a Shadow

Eye Scream - Near the beginning of the story, Cain slashes out one of Dalton's eyes when the latter interferes in Alphard's promotion exam. At the end of the story, Dalton does the same to him.

(Failure Knight - In the end, Cain fails to save or protect Schala in every possible way...)

Full-Contact Magic - Cain is one of the few people in the setting utilizing this type of magic. (It also makes him incredibly dangerous, as the Dalton Corps find out the hard way.)

(The Hero Dies - At least in one ending, anyway.)

Hero of Another Story - During the Antiquity arc of Chrono Trigger, he is busy breaking out of the lower reaches of Mount Woe while Crono, Marle, and Lucca are rescuing Melchior. He also ends up one step behind the group when they invade the Ocean Palace.

Humans Are Bastards - Dives head-first into this mindset near the endgame, (although Reflections shows that he had been wavering towards this since he was a child.)

It's Beyond Saving - What Cain ultimately thinks of Zeal as a whole by the time Schala is taken to the Ocean Palace... and thus has no qualms about ruthlessly slaughtering the Dalton Corps and anyone else who gets in his way of rescuing her.

(Killed Off for Real - Cain confronts Dalton in the Ocean Palace after the latter escapes from Crono's group and is fatally injured after being on the wrong end of one of his traps. He barely manages to make it outside of the Mammon Machine chamber before succumbing to his wounds.)

Lady and Knight - Cain and Schala have this dynamic despite the setting being thousands of years before the Middle Ages.

Madden into Misanthropy - Janus' condemnation of his failure to protect Schala, the refusal of the Earthbound ones to rise up against their oppressors and help him save her, and the majority of Zeal taunting to his face that her life is worthless when compared to their imminent immortality utterly destroys what little faith Cain had in humanity.

Magic Knight - Adept in both martial and magical ability, as expected of a bodyguard of Zeal royalty.

Parental Abandonment - His mother died giving birth to him. Unfortunately such a circumstance was seen as a bad omen in Zeal, so much so that not even his own father wanted anything to do with him.

Rage-Breaking Point - After being framed for murder, nearly beaten to death, and having nearly drowned in the collapse of Mount Woe, Cain snaps and backhands Janus when the latter condemns him for not doing more to save Schala.

Say My Name - Cain practically screams out Schala's name as he's dragged away by the Dalton Corps after being framed for (Abel's murder).

Scars Are Forever - (In the second epilogue, where Cain lives, there is a long scar running down his left eye where Dalton slashed him. It's still there five years later when Chrono Reflections begins.

(Self-Made Orphan - His father dies during his rampage in the final act.)

(Spared by the Adaptation - In a sense. The second half of the epilogue takes place in a timeline where Cain barely survives his fight with Dalton, only to get thrown into a Gate to 1000 AD where he's found in his sorry state by Lucca, and utterly broken by his experiences, setting up Chrono Reflections.)

Star-Crossed Lovers - With Schala. Wether or not she ever reciprocated his feelings over the story is left deliberately vague. (Chrono Reflections reveals that his feelings were sadly one-sided...)

Un-Person - (After he is arrested/framed for the murder of Abel,) Cain's name is stricken from all known records, and even speaking his name risks pain of death. By the time Crono and his party first arrive in Antiquity, Cain Cray practically no longer exists. Even after the fall of Zeal, everyone from the Zeal survivors who hated and/or feared him to the Earthbound who were unnerved by him continued refusing to acknowledge his existence, therefore cleanly explaining why he is never mentioned in Trigger.


Schala Zeal: Alphard's daughter and Princess of the Kingdom of Zeal. Was once a bright and spirited girl, but after her father's death, she became withdrawn and meek, almost to the point of self-destruction...

Actual Pacifist - She refuses to resort to violence after her father's death (due to her belief that trying to destroy the Frozen Flame was what got him killed to begin with.) Chrono Reflections reveals that she also (secretly resents those who don't embrace her new mindset, which unfortunately includes the one person whose JOB is to protect her.)

Blessed With Suck - The incident that took her father from her also branded her as an Arbiter of the Frozen Flame. As Arbiter, she is able to commune with Lavos. (It turns out she isn't the only one.)

Death Seeker - It turns out she has been this since her father's death. (The death of Crono a year later cements it completely.)

Daddy's Girl - She loved her father more than anything, and is understandably devestated after his death.

Despair Event Horizon - Crosses it twice. First is after her father's death. Second is after (Crono is vaporized.)

Foregone Conclusion - Her story does not end happily. Not until Chrono Cross anyway, (and even then...)

Forgets To Eat - Cain learns a bit too late after she collapses from a communion with the Mammon Machine that she has been neglecting her diet and at times outright refuses to eat. Cain absolutely refuses to leave her bedside afterwards until she has a proper meal.

Forgotten First Meeting - She remembers bringing a young Cain with her on a children's adventure when she was little, but doesn't recognize him when he's first presented as her new bodyguard. It's only before everything goes completely to hell for them that she finally remembers.

Genki Girl - Was this in her youth when she first met Cain. Much more subdued when she's older, but still there. Stops being this entirely after her father's death.

Hidden Buxom - The dresses Schala wears are generally on the baggy side, befitting her shy nature. However, during Cain's second week as her bodyguard, he unknowingly catches a glimpse of her silhouette behind the curtain of the royal baths, showing her to be rather stacked for her age.

It's All My Fault - Blames herself entirely for her father's death (and her mother's insanity), with nobody able to convince her otherwise.

Living Emotional Crutch - For Cain.

Nice to the Waiter

The Paragon - Cain certainly sees her as this, and she certainly tries to be one, but see Secretly Selfish below.

Secretly Selfish - For all her kindness towards the less fortunate, her insistence that her mother can be saved takes precedence above the well-being of her people and those around her. So much so that she chooses to destroy herself than live with the fact that her belief amounted to nothing. (It's also revealed in Chrono Reflections that she came to resent Cain for not following her ideals of pacifism.)

Star-Crossed Lovers - With Cain, although she never openly reciprocates his feelings (because her massive guilt complex prevents her from realizing them. Reflections adds another wrinkle in that she wouldn't have reciprocated even if she did.)

Suicidal Pacifism

Survivor's Guilt

Used to Be a Sweet Kid

When She Smiles


Alphard Zeal: The King of Zeal. His death ends up becoming the catalyst for the Antiquity arc of Chrono Trigger as well as his kingdom's eventual destruction.

(And I Must Scream - His spirit is literally trapped in limbo because of the fall of his kingdom and the fates of his family.)

Armor-Piercing Question - (To Zero!Schala.)
(King Zeal: If you are not my daughter, then why did you come here? Why seek absolution from me instead of living as you saw fit? Or do you somehow believe yourself responsible for my daughter's mistakes?)

Bodyguard Crush - Was once his wife Samaela's bodyguard during their youth.

Cool Sword - Einlanzer.

(Disappointed In You - In Chrono Reflections, his spirit appears before Schala in his tomb admonishing her for not having the strength to do what needed to be done to save Zeal and its people and for throwing away the memories of those who cared for her, lamenting that the lessons he had tried to impart to her proved meaningless. His words end up serving to light a fire under his daughter, triggering her Character Development.)

Foregone Conclusion - His death, which kick-starts the plot.

Perfectly Arranged Marriage - Was this with Queen Zeal back in the day.

* (He attempts to invoke this between Cain and his daughter, all due to the fact that that the seven-year-old Schala would never stop talking about the first (and only) friend she ever made. When said friend is found years later haggard and developing a massive chip on his shoulder, the king implores Abel to take the boy in for training, confident that Schala's kind nature will eventually mellow the future king out, and is disappointed when Schala doesn't recognize him at first. (His death ended up making it all meaningless.)

Sacrificial Lion

The Good King


Janus Zeal: Alphard's son and Prince of Zeal. A bratty introvert who is heavily attuned to the Black Wind.

Bratty Half-Pint

Hypocrite - Openly condemns Cain for not doing more to save Schala, yet hid his true power from everyone and let Schala suffer in silence. Cain - rightfully - calls him out on this.

'The Reason You Suck' Speech - Gives a scathing one to Cain in Algetty after Schala is kidnapped... only to get himself backhanded and given a retort of his own.

Right-Hand Cat - Alfador

You're Not My Father! - Has a variation of this attitude towards Cain, and hates him utterly. By the end of the story (the hate is mutual).


Abel: Commander of Zeal's security forces under Alphard. Nearly a year after the latter's death, (he attempts to lead a coup to depose the maddened Queen Zeal and destroy the Mammon Machine, but is murdered before it can even get off the ground.)

Cain & Abel - Subverted. (He is killed, not by Cain, but by Dalton's treachery.)

(Killed Off for Real - By Dalton, who immediately usurps his position and pins the blame on Cain.)

Meaningful Name

Poor Judge of Character - He allowed Dalton into the ranks of Zeal's military. To his credit however, when the latter shows signs of discontent, Abel immediately has him watched. (Unfortunately, by then it's already too late.)

Reasonable Authority Figure

Smart People Wear Glasses


Melchior: Zeal's Guru of Life. (He is part of Abel's conspiracy to destroy the Mammon Machine, but is captured, charged with treason, and sent to Mount Woe along with others.)

(My Greatest Failure - When questioned in the second epilogue by Lucca about why he or the other Gurus never mentioned Cain, Melchior states not only the obvious in that he thought the latter was dead, but is haunted by the fact that he should have done more to reign in his vengeful streak.)

Parental Substitute -  For Cain, in that he's eventually the closest thing the latter has to a father figure.

Ultimate Blacksmith - Forged the Ruby Knife that would eventually become the Masamune. He also personally forged Alphard's sword Einlanzer from shards of the Sun Stone.


Crono

The Cameo - Cain witnesses him fighting the Giga Gaia, in particular cutting off one of the creature's arms with Fire Sword.

Marle

The Cameo - She is seen in Crono's party during the battle with Giga Gaia.

Lucca Ashtear

The Cameo - She is seen in Crono's party casting Fire Sword during the battle with Giga Gaia. (Unlike her companions, she ends up playing a bigger role in the second epilogue.)


---------

[Chrono Reflections]

Cain Cray: In Guardia, 1005 AD, five years after Before the Fall, Cain has made a name for himself as a member of a mercenary company, all the while searching for a way to find Schala. An incident involving a junior member sets off a chain of events that will eventually force him to confront a past long thought buried...

Act of True Love - What his (Heroic Sacrifice to protect Zero!Schala during Guardia's Fall) basically amounts to. (It didn't matter to him that she was a clone of the original, he prioritized protecting her over settling his grudge with Dalton.) This ends up triggering the start of (her Character Development.)

(Angst Coma - Falls into one of these after his Heroic sacrifice due to learning that Schala secretly hated him during the events of Before the Fall. Considering his love for her was the only thing that had kept him going, it's no small wonder he nearly gives up on living.)

Anti-Hero

Blade on a Stick

(Big Damn Heroes - During the final battle with Bishop Unit Sigma, Cain saves the party in the nick of time.)

(Blood Knight - At first, before learning Daere's identity.)

(Brought Down to Normal - Sacrifices his ability to use magic naturally in order to nullify Daere's powers.)

(*Brought Down to Badass)

Chekov's Gun - Cain's Element Grid, which he prefers not to use. (Fast-forward to the Final Battle after he's been Depowered, and he's wielding Elements like a pro.)

Dark and Troubled Past

(Declaration of Protection - The day before the final battle, Cain renews his vow to Schala to watch over and protect her.)

(Despair Event Horizon - Cain crosses it after Daere's attempt at assimilation causes him to see the latter's past: Specifically, Project Kid, the Frozen Flame... and Daere murdering the original Schala.)

(Desperately Looking for a Purpose In Life - He's based his entire life into looking after and protecting Schala after a single act of kindness, and after five years of her being missing, the cracks in his psyche finally begin to show.)

Dreaming of Things to Come - Cain has a particularly vivid nightmare durning the start of the second act (forshadowing Daere's identity).

(Earn Your Happy Ending)

(Epiphany Therapy - Ultimately subverted. Although he does undergo genuine and significant character development over the course of the story, it is made abundantly clear that his deep-seated disdain of people and his overreliance on Schala's prescence won't go away overnight, and it is only after Daere's destruction that he finally gets a chance to heal.)

(Evil Me Scares Me - When the truth about Daere comes to light, Cain becomes far more wary than usual. Not just because Daere attempted to assimilate him and saw his past in the process, but for the fact that had his first mission with Glenn and Reika turned out differently, Cain would have become just like him. It's one of the reasons he refuses to wake up from his Angst Coma.)

Heroic Nuetral - Began as this during the interim between Before the Fall and Reflections. Then Reika dared him to be the better person after a job nearly goes wrong, leading to him becoming a Knight in Sour Armor.

(Heroic Sacrifice - During the final battle with Dalton, Cain throws himself in front of Dalton's Phantom Blades spell in order to protect Zero. Barely able to stand, Dalton conjures a wave of force to knock him over the edge of Guardia Prison's bridge into the abyss below. Subverted due to the fact that he survives.)

I Did What I Had To Do - How Cain ultimately justifies (his commiting genocide upon his fellow Enlightened Ones) during the events of Before the Fall. To his credit, he knows it's no excuse.

Jade-Colored Glasses

Knight In Sour Armor

My Greatest Failure - Has never forgiven himself for failing to protect Schala during Before the Fall. (It's another reason he refuses to awaken from his Angst Coma.)

(My Greatest Second Chance)

(Never Found the Body - After Dalton is defeated, Schala and the others attempt to search for Cain in the ravines below Guardia Prison, but find nothing but his spear. It's eventually revealed that a Gate opened beneath him as he was falling.)

(No Holds Barred Beatdown - Pulls one on the depowered Daere.)

Playing with Fire

(Prodigal Hero)

(The Power of Love - Schala's vow to become stronger and her pleas to not leave her eventually cause him to awaken from his Angst Coma.)

Red Right Hand - Inverted. Whenever he unleashes his (Super Mode), his right arm becomes surrounded by red runic rings sparking with energy.

(Relationship Upgrade - With Schala after a LONG heart-to-heart talk.)

(Retired Badass - The Distant Finale epilogue shows that he ultimately inherits Melchior's forge and lives a simple life as a blacksmith in Truce.)

(Sacrificial Lion)

Shoot the Dog - The party member most likely to do this when necessary.

(Was It All A Lie? - What he asks himself of his life with Schala as Lavenda carries him away from Porre's battlefields after being curb-stomped by Daere. The shattering of his perfect image of Schala is enough to send him into a massive BSOD.)

What You Are In the Dark - (He had the perfect opportunity to kill Dalton at the end of the Fall of Guardia arc, but Dalton would have killed Zero before it happened. Instead, he forgoes his revenge and takes the hit meant for Zero. This act alone cements him as different from Daere, especially considering just a day earlier, he learned that the person whom Zero resembles that he's spent his life in love with secretly hated him.)

 - (This trope pops up again in the Sigma arc in Magus' Castle. Without any ulterior motive, he gives Malovia's Boon to Magus, even after the latter tried to kill him, and despite his own hatred of the man.)


Glenn Zweibreicht: Chain-smoking leader of a band of mercenaries founded in Choras. Although seemingly laid-back and uncaring, he takes his job seriously for his little sister's sake.

Big Brother Instinct

Blow You Away - His innate element is green.

Brilliant, But Lazy

Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass

The Gunslinger - Wields two of them with great precision.

Hitman With A Heart - Not afraid to get his hands dirty with more morally ambiguous jobs, but only if it's for the right cause.

The Lancer

The Medic

The Men First

Named After Somebody Famous

Tranquil Fury - Whenever Yarlen Shald is mentioned (thanks to the death of one of his protégés.)

You Gotta Have Blue Hair - Has a bit of a forest green mane.


Reika Onin: A member of Glenn's band of mercenaries and the daughter of a merman demi-human and a Mystic. An eternal optimist even during the most trying of times.

The Anti-Nihlist - In the backstory, during a time when Cain was on the cusp of abandoning Glenn's group for his own mission to look for Schala (in no small part thanks to their contact at the time betraying them), Reika pretty much dares him that if people really are just bastards, then it's his job to be better than them and do good regardless. (He's kept her words to heart ever since.)

Archer Archetype

Buxom is Better

The Chick

Cool Big Sis

The Heart

Making a Splash - Her innate element is blue. She is also the only one in the group other than Cain and Zero who can use magic naturally.

 - An Ice Person

Ms. Fanservice

Supreme Chef

Team Mom

You Gotta Have Blue Hair - Hers is a deep violet.


Tarvos: A tiger-type demi-human warrior monk from Guldove. Jovial and boisterous. Has an on-again, off-again rivalry with the young Lord Viper.

Amazingly Embarrassing Parents

An Axe to Grind - It's almost as big as he is.

The Big Guy

Boisterous Bruiser

Dishing Out Dirt - He is a yellow innate.

Mighty Glacier

Papa Wolf

Religious Bruiser

Warrior Therapist - Becomes Cain's, regardless of wether the latter wants to listen or not.


Lavenda: Dragonian Grand Matriarch from an alternate Dinopolis. Rules El Nido jointly with the Viper Clan, but with the growing tensions between Porre and Guardia, she realizes that battle lines will soon need to be drawn...

A-Cup Angst - Granted, she is not small by any means, but Reika is far out of her league, and Zero has her beat in the chest department by a millimeter. Her pride takes a noticable hit after the discovery.
Lavenda: I will NOT be the bronze medal of this ensemble!

Anime Chinese Girl - Played with. She has the oriental aesthetic in her attire like with the majority of the Dragonians, but does not suffer the sterotypes typically seen with the trope.

Bi the Way

Black Magic - Many of her skills have this flavor.

Casting a Shadow - As a black innate.

Non-Mammal Mammaries

Not So Above It All

Older Than They Look - Over ten thousand years old, yet she still looks in her early twenties.

Ship Tease - With her aide, Rosemary.

The Smart Guy

Voluntary Shapeshifting - She can transform into a full-sized dragon.

Whip It Good

You Gotta Have Blue Hair - Hers is the color of her namesake, lavender purple.


Zero/(Schala Zeal): A mysterious girl found by the group during an infiltration mission into Porre territory. Her full designation is Progneitor Unit: Zero, in which she was used as a battery and template for mass-producing an army of magic-wielding soldiers. (In truth, she is the husk of Schala's past self split off from the Time Devourer during the formation of Kid and left to rot before being found by Norestein Bekkler...)

[Tropes as applied to Zero]

Adorkable

Identity Amnesia - She does not remember her life at all before becoming Bekkler's guest, nor most of the time she was used in Daere's cloning experiments, and wonders if she herself is a sentient Doppledoll. (The truth is a bit more complicated.)

Cool Sword - Uses a blade stolen from one of Daere's 'Rook' units, and can conjure a phantom blade for dual-wielding. (Once she regains her memories as Schala and gets hit with a massive dose of Character Development, she takes up her father's Einlanzer.)

Empty Eyes - Her green eyes have no highlights or pupils, showcasing her lack of identity and otherworldliness. (Her pupils return once her soul repairs itself.)

Empty Shell - What she was before Bekkler found her, and Daere attempted to make her this. (Being in proximity to Cain causes her soul and memories as Schala to start repairing themselves due to both being bonded as Arbiters of the Frozen Flame.)

(Expendable Clone - Was meant to be this, her purpose rendered meaningless once the real Schala was free from Lavos, only to be unknowingly usurped by Kid.)

Graceful Ladies Like Purple

Have We Met? - Zero's appearance causes Cain great distress. (Having Schala's face will do that.)

(I Am Who?)

Kicking Ass In All of Her Finery - The outfit Marle picks for her is both functional and elegant.

Light 'Em Up - Although she uses all elements, she is primarily a white innate.

Lightning Bruiser

Marshmallow Hell - Unknowingly pulls this on Cain when trying to stow away on the Porrean cargo ship.

Meaningful Name - Zero is practically the perfect name (for a living husk with no soul or memories.)

Of Corsets Sexy

Rapunzel Hair

She's Got Legs - The skirt of the outfit Marle picks out for her has a long slit up one side, showing her to have long, supple legs. Of course, she's wearing Modesty Shorts to protect her decency, but the trope still applies.

Ship Tease - With Cain.

Un-Person - What she's afraid that she'll become if she ever regains her memories. (Thankfully, this fear ends up becoming unfounded, as Schala keeps Zero's memories close and comes to adopt many of her views and mannerisms.)

Violence Is the Only Option - Zero shares Cain's belief that there are those in this world who are too selfish, evil, or deranged to ever see reason, and that they must be dealt with - harshly and permanently. (Schala, after regaining her memories, is finally forced to accept this harsh truth when Cain sacrfices himself to save her from Dalton.)

You Gotta Have Blue Hair

[(Tropes as applied to Schala)]

(Amnesiac Dissonance - Becomes disgusted with herself after remembering how much she judged others based on her Suicidal Pacifism morality, even more so the fact that she drove her brother to destroy himself and that she had shoved Cain in with the likes of Dalton because of it. Keep in mind, this happens after Cain's Heroic Sacrifice, compounding the guilt.)

(Belated Love Epiphany - Had begun falling for Cain as Zero. Doesn't realize it until after his Heroic Sacrifice. This, combined with how she once thought of him sends her into a crying mess.)

* (Love Revelation Epiphany)

(Broken Pedestal - For Cain, and by extension, Daere. Ultimately subverted due to not quite being the real Schala.)

(Cloning Blues - She was created by the original Schala to be the one to find Serge and rescue her, only to be discarded and abandoned because she looked too similar to the latter's old self. She is not happy when she finds this out. Ultimately a moot point due to not only the original's death, but the fact that Cain, having gone through a crapload of character development himself, doesn't care about that.)

(Earn Your Happy Ending)

Fanservice Pack - (Schala is a bit curvier in Reflections than she is in Before the Fall. Justified in that not only did puberty catch up with her, but she's no longer malnourished thanks to Bekkler's care.)

(I Hate Past Me - Summed up in a single line near the end of the story.)
(Cain: The old Schala would definitely not have condoned that kind of thinking.
Schala: *bitterly* The old Schala was also someone who would throw anyone who didn't subscribe to her personal morality under a carriage. As far as I'm concerned, her opinion is suspect at best.
)

(Insane Forgiveness - She forgives Cain for his Roaring Rampage of Revenge in Before the Fall. When he tries to call her out on this, she shuts him up by asking what would've happened had the Ocean Palace project succeeded.)

(Legacy Character - Even though she's a clone of the original, by the final battle, she more or less IS Schala Zeal.)

(Must Make Amends - She feels herself to be responsible for her original self's decisions due to the latter being no longer amongst the living.)

(My God, What Have I Done? - After reawakening her memories in the wake of Cain's sacrifice, she finally realizes her feelings for him and is understandably pained by his absence... and then realizes that in her efforts to abandon the past, she had forced that same loneliness on him for the past five years.)

* (Compunding that is the fact that after her father's death, she began to see him as no different than people like Dalton and had hated him despite eveything he had tried to do for her, all because he didn't believe in her views of pacifism... and realizes that in a sense, Daere became the monster he is because of her.)

(Prodigal Hero)

(Relationship Upgrade - With Cain after a LONG heart-to-heart talk.)

(Tomato in the Mirror)

Walking Spoiler

(Warts and All)


[Chrono Reflections Major NPCs]

Crono

Marle

Lucca Ashtear

(Magus)

Advertised Extra - (He really only has prominence near the end of Reflections to eventually give Cain some closure and Schala's Amulet, although his actions as the Prophet have left a lasting mark on both Cain and Schala.)

Canon Welding - (It is heavily implied that this is the Magus that faces the Dream Devourer in Chrono Trigger DS. Cain even watches him leave through that very Gate.)

(Right for the Wrong Reasons - He tosses his amulet to Cain after Malovia's Trial ends, citing that since he is about to reunite with Schala, he won't need it anymore. Oh, he finds Schala alright, but...)

Walking Spoiler


Hope Zweibreicht: Glenn's younger sister, working as a housemaid to an orphanage in Choras.

Spared By the Adaptation - In Skylark's Sea of Dreams project, Hope was an Ill Girl Posthumous Character. In Reflections, she is alive and well.


Yulie Onin: A succubus from Medina and Reika's mother.

Annette: Tarvos' daughter.

Direa: Shaman of Guldove.

Rosemary: Lavenda's advisor and magic/element tutor.

Thyme: Lavenda's Master of Arms.

Gaspar: Guru of Time and caretaker of the End of Time.

Norestein Bekkler: A temporal wanderer seeking places of merriment, and founder of the art of creating Doppledolls.

It's All My Fault - He was powerless to stop Daere from taking Zero and his research, and blames himself accordingly.

Lord Viper: Governor of El Nido's mainland island. Joins Porre's side in their war against Guardia due to familial obligations.

Friendly Enemy - To Tarvos, seeing him as a warrior's equal.

Heel-Face Turn - After the war's end and Dalton's defeat, he surrenders to Marle's judgement upon realizing that his clan had been decieved into fighting for Porre.

Might Makes Right - Has this mindset when first introduced. Fighting in the war against Guardia ultimately causes him to rethink this stance.

Not What I Signed On For - Porre takes advantage of the Viper Clan's filial piety and sense of honor by feeding them lies about Guardia's treatment of Porre's people in order to recruit them. However, once Tarvos convinces the him that the war is only for the sake of Dalton's ego (as well as the fact that it's a war of extermination, something Viper finds deplorable), he surrenders on the spot.


Garai: Grandmaster of Viper's Four Devas.

Blood Knight

Climax Boss - He is the last opponent standing in Glenn, Reika, and (Crono's) way before (Lord Viper's surrender.)

Undying Loyalty - To Viper, to the point that (when the latter willingly surrenders, he follows suit.)

The Worf Effect - (Gets one-shot by Dalton)


Bacchus Onin: Reika's father, a merman demi-human who has thrown his lot in with Ozzie's Anti-Human League.


Miguel: A citizen of Guardia and King Crono's squire.

Shell-Shocked Veteran - At the end of the war, he's barely able to function without being reminded of the carnage he witnessed. He gets better, but he ultimately moves away from the mainland and retires to El Nido.


Ishito: A consummate soldier of Porre and Tenth Seat of Porre High Command. He has a son named (Norris.)

Malicious Misnaming - His nickname amongst the more hardline Porreans is "Ishito of the Bleeding Heart". (Ironically enough, the compassion that they mock is what ultimately saves him, his men, and the eventual survivors of Porre's fall from potential Guardian reprisal at the end of the war.)

(Will be updated semi-regularly.)
« Last Edit: August 14, 2018, 03:55:19 am by skylark »

skylark

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Re: Chrono Reflections - The TV Tropes version.
« Reply #3 on: April 05, 2018, 11:12:11 pm »
Character Tropes - Villains/Minor NPCs

---------

[Reflections: Before the Fall Villains]

Dalton:

Combat Pragmatist

Doing In the Wizard - The story reveals the true nature of Dalton's parting shot 'burp' attacks; They're flasks of highly potent Golem secretions that he drops in order to make a quick escape.

Eye Scream - Has his eye slashed out by Cain during the latter's promotion exam. Dalton eventually returns the favor in the Ocean Palace.

It's All About Me - Everything he does is for his own self-interest, and shows no empathy for anyone other than himself.

(Klingon Promotion - Steals the title of Commander of Zeal's armed forces from his superior Abel by killing him. For extra cruelty, he uses Cain's spear to do it and frame the latter.)

Social Darwinist - Takes Zeal's views on might makes right to it's logical conclusion.

Trying to Catch Me Fighting Dirty - (In the final moments of the Ocean Palace arc, Dalton knows Cain isn't going to give him the chance to escape, so he tosses one of his Golem Secretion vials directly at his opponent, debilitating the latter long enough for him to secure the kill.)


Queen Samaela Zeal:


(Dead All Along - In a way of speaking. In the aftermath of her husband's death, whatever once remained of the queen was long gone, replaced by a madwoman seeking immortality.)

Foregone Conclusion - She survives the events of Before the Fall, but as we know from Chrono Trigger, that won't last.

(The Power of Love - Her love for Alphard was the only thing keeping her from succumbing completely to Lavos. Ultimately deconstructed. Once he dies, she gives up fighting.)

True Companions - Abel and Alphard were this in her youth, with Samaela eventually marrying the latter. (Becomes a Tearjerker by the time the events of Chrono Trigger happen, as Alphard has passed and Samaela, at this point little more than Lavos' mouthpiece, writes off Abel's murder as unimportant.)

Start of Darkness - In her desire to learn how and why (her father the previous king went insane), she discovers the existence of the Frozen Flame and orders it excavated. The rest is eventually history. (She is already partway corrupted by Lavos by the time Cain is inducted as Schala's bodyguard, with Alphard's death sending her completely over the edge.)


----------

[Chrono: Reflections Villains]

Dalton:

Casting A Shadow - Is ultimately a Black Innate. (Which makes his curb-stomp of Garai even more impressive... and terrifying in retrospect.)

Complete Monster

Evil Weapon - (The Masamune, as per canon. Unlike canon, it has been in Dalton's hands for ten years, most likely thanks to Daere.)

Irony - (He is ultimately killed by Schala, who up until this point was one of the least violent characters in the entire series.)

It's All About Me - Has become even worse about this since Before the Fall. Everything he does, from morphing Porre from a simple vassal state to a militant xenophobic superpower to invading and destroying Guardia is all for the sake of his twisted ego.

(Killed Off For Real)

Red Herring - Cain was built up to be his nemesis since Before the Fall, (but his final fate ends up in Schala's hands.)

(Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated - He allows Guardia's forces to believe him defeated while he infiltrates the castle through the Dimensional Distortion.)

The Thirty-Six Strategems - Dalton kicks off the war with Guardia by ultilizing #3, having the Acacia Dragoons do most of the dirty work, giving him the perfect opportunity to take advantage of #5. (Cain one-ups him using #6 and #28, but Dalton finally wins the day using #32 and #21.)

Took A Level In Badass

The Worf Effect - He one-shots (Garai of all people).


Yarlen Shald:

(Boom! Headshot - Glenn unceremoniously ventilates Shald's skull when the latter's war faction attempts a power play after the war's end.)

False Flag Operation - Stations a unit of soldiers to test a new weapon uncomfortably close to Guardia's borders, then disguises himself as a noble patron in the hopes that the potential reward would incite some short-sighted mercenaries to 'save the kingdom from the Porrean threat'. (It works, lighting the fuse for Porre's invasion of Guardia.)

Fantastic Racism - Wether they be Dragonian, Demi-Human, or Fiend, they are all monsters that threaten humanity to him.

Fruedian Excuse - His ancestors were clergy stationed in Manolia Cathedral when it was taken over by Yakra. His family has held a grudge against Fiends ever since, eventually spreading that hate towards ALL non-humans.

 - Fruedian Excuse Is No Excuse - That said, his actions to destabilize Guardia for his agenda are rightfully seen as monstrous, (and our heroes show no sympathy in taking him down.)

(Karmic Death)

(Killed Mid-Sentence)

Mythology Gag - Somewhat for Radical Dreamers. He is an influentail figure in Porre, has Lynx as his in-universe nickname, and is the provincial governor of Regiorra, a Porrean province in this story's continuity.

Red Baron: He's known as 'The Lynx' for the ferocity of his sermons.

Shut Up, Hannibal! - (Glenn enforces this by shooting him in the middle of a Villainous Breakdown.)

Sinister Minister - Two-fold, in that he's both Dalton's advisor and Porre's most prominent man of faith.

Villainous Breakdown


Daere: A mysterious masked individual working with Porre. A powerful combatant with an army of magic-wielding soldiers at his beck and call, the top brass regard him with a sense of dread. As they should, because he makes no secret that he has his own agenda...

Amazon Brigade - What his (doppledoll) soldiers are clearly meant to invoke. (It's also not the first time he's made such an army.)

(Alas Poor Villain - Schala gives him one of these after the final battle, lamenting he could have been able to do great things had he not let his hatred consume him. Even Cain admits that life dealt him one of the worst hands possible, but still states it's no excuse for what he became.)

Assimilation Backfire - (Attempts to assimilate Cain during the Fall of Guardia, but it doesn't work due to this Cain being psychologically incompatible. During the final battle, Cain takes advantage of this in order to nullify Daere's powers.)

(Big Bad)

(Brought Down to Normal - During the final battle, Daere's access to the Frozen Flame (and therfore his powers) get nullified thanks to Cain overclocking his own magic, leaving him a literal punching bag for the latter and resulting in his final defeat.)

(Dies Wide Open - And with the most demented grin imaginable to boot.)

(Disney Death - Averted. Although the heroes - and therefore the readers - don't see the impact, Daere's broken corpse is seen shortly afterwards.)

Dragon With an Agenda - To Dalton. (His 'game' for this timeline involved helping Dalton rise to the very height of world domination, only to in the end destroy it all in front of him until he's left with absolutely nothing. Needless to say, he is not happy when Cain throws a wrench in his plan by attempting to stop Dalton's invasion of Guardia.)

(Driven to Suicide - Once the final blow is struck, all Daere can do is stand and see Schala and Cain standing triumphantly. Together. One can only imagine that he's thinking about the life he could've had. Unfortunately, he once again proves he's too far gone as he falls over backwards into the abyss... only for his death to open a Gate into the Darkness Beyond Time...)

(Evil Counterpart - He is Cain from a seperate reality entirely, one who had not only given up completely on humanity, but actively embraced his growing misanthopy and hatred after learning about Project Kid. Then he gets his hands on the Frozen Flame...)

Expy - (He is basically Oersted, with a little bit of Grahf and Albedo thrown in for flavor.)

(He Who Fights Monsters)

Humans Are Bastards - Believes this completely and utterly.

Irony - (He ends up being exactly the kind of monster Schala at one time believed him to be.) Pointing this out is one of his biggest Berserk Buttons.

* (He ended up becoming just like the Enlightened Ones he so despised, complete with the hubris that he was above morality, good, or evil, and eventually overtaken by Lavos' power.)

It's All About Me

Malevolent Masked Man - How he appears when he is introduced, at least until the halfway point of the story. (Once the mask comes off, hoo boy...)

Meaningful (Rename)

Misanthrope Supreme

(My Death is Only the Beginning)

Neck Snap - How he kills (Schala).

(Oh Crap - When Cain manages to nullify his powers during the final battle, he shows genuine fear for the first time in ages.)

Omnicidal Maniac

Person of Mass Destruction - (He has destroyed an unknown number of timelines before the start of Reflections, due to a combination of the Frozen Flame and assimilating his alternate counterparts to increase his power. Proven at the end of the Fall of Guardia arc when he drops the magical equivalent of a NUKE on Cain. He manages to escape thanks to Lavenda, but the blast devastates a good portion of the Porrean mainland, while the shockwaves from it destroys much of the city.)

The Power of Hate - Spite is the only thing keeping him going.

Red Right Hand - His entire right arm looks as if it was made entirely of a malleable black ooze. (It is a sign of Lavos corruption.)

Start of Darkness - (Begins as an alternate timeline Cain Cray brought to a reality where he never meets Glenn and Reika, and therefore his misanthropy and disgust for humanity is forever cemented. Searching on his own for a way to find Schala, he eventually discovers the ruins of Chronopolis, where he learns from Balthezar about Project Kid. The revelation that the Schala he knew and loved was lost to him, and the realization that she knowingly left any memory of him behind, causes him to snap. He kills Balthezar, absorbs the Frozen Flame that the Guru had been looking after, then uses its power to find Schala and murders her in cold blood. He takes on the name Daere and begins destroying timeline after timeline.)

(Super Power Meltdown - Having absorbed the Frozen Flame into himself, Daere occasionally struggles to retain control of its power. During the final battle, he finally loses control and the backlash morphs him into an amalgamation of himself and Lavos' humanoid form, with all the Body Horror it contains.)

Tainted Veins - They frame his face, (and are a sign of Lavos corruption.)

(That Man Is Dead)

(Then Let Me Be Evil)

(White Hair, Black Heart)

Wild Card - What Porre ultimately sees him as. (They have no idea how right they are.)

Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds - (Deep down under all of the hate and rage and pain is someone who only wanted to be loved, but was denied. Someone who is unable to understand the concept of moving forward and finding peace, someone so mentally and emotionally shattered that all he can do - all he even wants to do - is lash out violently just to make it all stop. Unfortunately, he is too far gone, far too deranged, and had done too much to be truly sympathetic.)


Sigma: One of Daere's Doppledoll soldiers and his right-hand commander. Her full designation is Bishop Unit: Sigma. (Differs genetically from the rest of the Schala clones by her white hair and red eyes, with the implication that she is developing a soul...)

All Love Is Unrequited

(Body Horror - Contracts Daere's Lavos corruption sometime during the story. During her final battle with Schala, she is covered in black veins. After being defeated, she is absorbed into a bizarre fusion dance with Giga Gaia, her new monstrous form sticking out from its stomach.)

(Dark Mistress - She is Daere's. Word of God confirms that he uses her to... 'relieve stress'.)

Evil Counterpart - To Zero, and by extension, (Schala.)

Expy - Her increasingly deranged mindset and her general mannerisms are eerily reminiscent of (Queen Zeal. Schala is not blind to the implications.)

Love Martyr

Sadist


Ozzie:

Fat Bastard - Though not as much as his ancestor or his father. (Not nearly as much of a bastard either, in the end.)

Fatal Flaw - Pride

Freudian Excuse - His whole life, he was raised on the stories of his ancestor, but he saw what he believed was his father debasing himself and throwing away his pride at the behest of human 'apologists'. (Unfortunately, those stories he was told were purposefully whitewashed, so he never believed there was actually a reason that his family was on a lot of people's shit lists until the truth literally slaps him in the face in the form of Valkor.)

Goldfish Poop Gang

(Heel-Face Turn - When it becomes clear that Valkor is going too far. His position as leader of the Anti-Human League is usurped by the latter for his troubles.)

(My God, What Have I Done? - Despite his disdain of humans, he never actually set out to hurt anyone with his movement, much less promote genocide. Valkor ends up showing him just how far his views could be distorted.)

Three Amigos - Never too far from Slash or Flea.

Well-Intentioned Extremist - Everything he does, he does for non-humans everywhere, and believes wholeheartedly that the Medina Accords will be the death-knell of Demi-human pride and independence. Thus, he founds the Anti-Human League.
Anti-Human League slogan: We will never bow again.


Slash:

Dual-Wielding

Goldfish Poop Gang

(Heel-Face Turn - When it becomes clear that Valkor has gone too far.)

Three Amigos - Never too far from Ozzie and Flea.

World's Greatest Swordsman - At least, that is what he wants to prove.


Flea:

Abhorrent Admirer - Develops a crush on Cain rather quickly, despite her views on humans. Cain does not want her affections whatsoever. (She was also this to Reika, with more or less the same result.)

Bare Your Midriff

Bi the Way

Buxom Is Better

Cute Monster Girl - (And unlike her ancestor, she is a actual girl, despite her true form being an amorphous blob.)

Goldfish Poop Gang

(Heel-Face Turn - Once it's clear that Valkor is going too far.)

Hermaphrodite

Ms. Fanservice - Gives Reika a run for her money.

Three Amigos - Never too far from Ozzie and Slash.

Viewer-Gender Confusion - In honor of her ancestor. She purposely takes the form of a hermaphrodite.
Flea: Power is beautiful, so why not have the best of both worlds?


Valkor: A renegade Mystic in hiding, asking for a place amongst the Anti-Human League. He provides funding and connections to the movement... (and when he takes it over due to believing Ozzie too soft, weapons and soldiers.)

Felony Misdemeanor - The first hint of Valkor being a (bad guy)? He's on friendly terms with the Dwarves.

(Kill 'em All - He believes the Anti-Human League should quite literally live up to its name.)


(Time Devourer: The last remnant of Lavos, separated from Schala by Serge and the Chrono Cross, left to starve in its own pocket dimension... until Daere's suicide opens a Gate to its freedom... and its revenge.)

Mythology Gag - (Kato's unused plotline for Chrono Cross with Serge becoming one with the Time Devourer is basically given life here.)

One-Winged Angel - (Daere's, of whom has completely been absorbed by Lavos as this point.)

 - (Clipped Wing Angel - Having said that, without Schala to perpetuate its existence after its defeat, it dies just as any other monster. In exchange however, Daere's hatred causes Lavos' destructive potential to increase to its absolute limit.)


[Reflections: Before the Fall Minor NPCs]

Cain's Father:

I Have No Son - Says this with no remorse, with no regret, to Alphard's face when the King is looking for said son.

Karmic Death - Dies during Cain's rampage at the end of the story. Cain doesn't even bat an eye.

You Should Have Died Instead - It becomes very clear very quickly by what little we see of the man that he loved his wife far more than he did his son. (It's even his Dying Curse.)


[Chrono Reflections Minor NPCs]

Wren: A new hot-headed junior member of Glenn's mercenary group. His glory-seeking tendencies are ultimately responsible for one of the major conflicts of the story.

Alas, Poor Scrappy - Wren is rude and generally inconsiderate of his superiors, and generally thinks he's hot shit. He ends up dying scared and alone before Cain and the others can catch up to him. Later on, when his actions posthumously land the party in hot water, Glenn is forced to (metaphorically) throw Wren under the bus to preserve their reputation.

BFS - One he can barely lift, much less swing. To his credit, he thought he would be facing fresh cadets, not seasoned soldiers and a warmech, and picked up the first weapon he could find.

Child Soldiers: Wren's only fifteen, yet was allowed to join a mercenary group. (It's implied Cain took pity on him due to being an orphan and reminding him of himself.)

Decoy Protagonist - The narration for the first chapter after the prologue focuses mainly on him until his death. He even gets a 'Good Morning Crono' moment.

Glory Hound

Half the Man He Used to Be - He is cut clean in half by the Porrean war machine's heat sword.

Hot-Blooded

I Just Want to Be Special - Unfortunately, his inexperience causes him to fall for Yarlen Shald's False Flag Operation, were he is promptly killed when trying to deal with the situation alone.

Kid Hero - He is the only teen in a cast where every other main character is over twenty. Ends up brutally deconstructed, showing what could really happen when a kid who knows little about war tries to fight.

Killed Off for Real - In his introductory chapter, no less.

Small Role, Big Impact - The fact he's only around for one chapter is the reason he's only a minor NPC.

Unwitting Instigator of Doom - All he wanted was to defend his home and country. His zeal in doing so is more or less indirectly responsible for sparking Porre's war with Guardia in earnest.

We Hardly Knew Ye


Malovia: Legends speak of this being as the founder of modern Mystic society, having brought the scattered demon tribes together under a single banner. Another legend claims that his spirit still resides somewhere in Medina to this day and that he will grant a boon to any he deems worthy...

Keeper of Knowledge - (Has the power to create a Gate to any place in any era the user chooses. Honoring Cain's boon, he teaches this power to Magus.)

(Let's You and Him Fight - Ends up pitting Cain and Magus against each other as part of his trial.)

Locked Into Strangeness - (He has been trapped beyond time in the ruins of Magus' Castle ever since Lavos was summoned. That castle itself flickers in and out of time every so often.)

Mythology Gag - You know that four-armed demon statue in Magus' Castle? (That's Malovia.)

 - Ends up being responsible for (Magus confronting the Dream Devourer in the Chrono Trigger DS ending.)

Secret Test of Character - Doles these to those who actively seek him out. Cain and (Magus) are the next in a long line of seekers. (The TRUE test is to see what Cain would do with his 'boon', which Cain ends up passing with flying colors.)


Fargo: A former Acacia Deva that has been disgraced for speaking out against the Viper Clan's possible involvement in Porre's upcoming war with Guardia. He is one of Tarvos' closest friends.

Small Role, Big Impact - Attempts to urge (the demi-humans of Marbule to drop their isolationism in order to aid in the struggle against Daere. Thanks to a timely intervention by Zelbess and Schala's party, he succeeds, laying the first brick of reconciliation between humans and demi-humans in the process.)


Zelbess

The Cameo

(Spared by the Adaptation)


Grobyc: A Porrean assassin having undergone an experimental procedure that replaced most of his biology with cybernetic parts. He is defeated by the party and imprisoned during the prologue.

(Heel-Face Turn - He is witness to Schala defeating Dalton, and defects from Porre due to his philosphy.)

Starter Villain - Of the Prologue.


Grobyc's Handler

(Action Bomb - Blows himself up to at least take out Cain. He fails.)

Mr. Exposition - (He ends up knowing a bit too much about Cain for the latter's liking, and mentions a 'Man in Black', foreshadowing the existence of Daere.)

One-Scene Wonder


(Schala Zeal - Post-Chrono Cross)

(Broken Pedestal - For Cain. Doubly so for Daere.)

Fatal Flaw - Pride, which caused her to approach life in extremes.

(Freudian Excuse - It is implied later on that it was ultimately her unwillingness to let go of who her mother used to be -her unwillingness to let go of the past- that led to all of her troubles in the previous games. Unfortunately, she went so far into the opposite mindset that she never realized her folly before it was too late.)

(Karmic Death - Depending on wether one has more sympathy for her or for Daere, her being killed by the very past she tried to abandon might be this.)

(Killed Off For Real - Ironically by the very man once charged by her father to protect her.)

(Let The Past Burn - Has come to believe in this philosophy whole-heartedly. Deconstructed in that she never once bothered to consider or care wether or not anyone caught in the figurative blaze was still alive.)

(Neck Snap - Cain -sorry, Daere- kills her by crushing her windpipe.)

(Unfortunate Implications - According to Zero!Schala, she was created for the sole purpose of finding a certain someone to free her original self, only to be discarded once finished... only in the end to be discarded and left for dead much earlier. If this much is true, then it could possibly mean that the original Schala intended to discard Kid to the ethers of time once her job was finished. Meaning that, in the end, she became no different than Daere...)

(Small Role, Big Impact - The whole second half of Reflections is entirely her fault.)

(That Man Is Dead - She has left the identity of Princess Schala behind her, along with everything and everyone it entails. One person in particular was not happy about this.)

(Took A Level In Jerkass - Yep. That's a... yep.)

(Tragic Keepsake - Subverted. She's only using the Astral Amulet until she finds Serge, then she's tossing it. Keep in mind that as far as she knows, it's the only thing left of Cain. Ouch.)

(Unwitting Instigator of Doom - When alternate-reality Cain finally finds her, does Schala let him off easy by telling him she's no longer who she once was and he need to learn to move forward? No. She screams that he should have died and more or less tells hims to fuck off and go to hell. Not only does this merciful decision destroy any sense of hope left in Cain, it utterly destroys any chance of him ever being redeemed. Thanks Schala. You had one job.)

Walking Spoiler - And for good reason.

(Will be updated semi-regularly.)
« Last Edit: August 26, 2018, 02:21:19 am by skylark »

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Re: Chrono Reflections - The TV Tropes version.
« Reply #4 on: April 05, 2018, 11:16:42 pm »
Crowning Moment of Funny

[Reflections: Before the Fall]

Alphador is the story's biggest source of humor, mostly for how many times he gives Cain Amusing Injuries.
Cain: *muttering* And this is why I'm a dog person...

---------

Cain's lack of social norms is usually Played for Drama, but there's one incident where it's Played for Laughs. In his second week as Schala's bodyguard, he tries to follow her into the royal baths. When the handmaiden tries to stop him, he asks why, with complete and utter sincerity. Both Schala and the handmaiden stare in utter bewilderment.
*beat* *looks to Schala* Poor thing. They gave you a stupid one.

After Cain is forced out into the hall, a short while passes before a loud noise comes from the baths. Spear in hand, Cain rushes in to find out what the commotion is... and common sense finally clicks into place when he see Schala's shadowed silhouette behind the curtains. Needless to say, the handmaiden is less than thrilled, and drags him back to the hall by his ear, muttering about history repeating itself.

The kicker is the implication that a similar incident once happened between King and Queen Zeal.

-----------

[Chrono Reflections]

Any time the party finds a Nu is subject to some laughs.

-----------

In the last part of the story in the downtime before the party infiltrates the Final Dungeon and (Cain and Schala are finally reunited), the former two have a conversation with Marle. In the middle of it, (while she didn't see much of a problem with it as Zero, Schala) has been wondering why the slit on her skirt is so high. Marle simply says it was a stylistic choice for a certain someone's benefit, while giving Cain a knowing smirk. Cue a Luminescent Blush from (Schala) and a flustered Cain trying - and failing - to change the subject.

-----------

Marle in general is prone to these. In the beginning of Reflections, Cain, Glenn and Reika are technically introduced to the story because of Marle unknowingly holding Truce's candy shop hostage. As in, she's taking so long to order that bsuiness has effectively halted. There's a massive line of worried customers, the shop owner's too afraid to say 'no' to royalty, and even Crono can't coax his wife out of the store. Nice to see some things never change.

Even better, this isn't the first time that Glenn's group has has to deal with this. Last time, Cain (with over half the royal guard) had to pull her away by force, and it was still a hell of a struggle. This time, Glenn suggests a bit more subtlety and uses this as an opportunity to test out his new smoke bombs. The store owner is led to safety in the ensuing confusion while only one person is needed to get Marle out of there. The whole thing plays out like a SWAT team rescue mission, complete with a breach and clear.

Some time after, Reika (who has no idea what just went down) shows up having bought two full bags of candy, and gives one of them to a grateful Marle, causing everyone else (guardsman, mercenaries, and the king alike) to stop just short of facefaulting. Also serves as Reika's Establishing Character Moment.

----------------

Marle and Lavenda's first meeting, thanks to a single line. "I fear for the future of your nation." The line itself isn't funny. The fact that Lavenda is staring straight at Marle's chest as she says it is. It takes a few moments for realization to set in, even more so for Crono, Marle, and Lucca, as they are immediately reminded of Ayla.

Cue Lucca trying (and failing) to hold in her laughter, Marle covering her chest in embarrassment, Thyme groveling on his knees for forgiveness, Rose facepalming in mortification at her matriarch's antics, Crono hesitantly patting her shoulder in sympathy, and the rest of the party standing there, jaws dropped. All save for Cain, who openly asks Lavenda if she's setting the bar a bit too high, earning him a Dope Slap from Zero.

-------------

(Will be updated semi-regularly. Views on what is funny or not can and will vary from person to person.)
« Last Edit: June 05, 2018, 06:44:24 pm by skylark »

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Re: Chrono Reflections - The TV Tropes version.
« Reply #5 on: April 05, 2018, 11:17:44 pm »
Crowning Moment of Heartwarming

(Will be updated semi-regularly. Views on what is heartwarming will vary from person to person.)

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Re: Chrono Reflections - The TV Tropes version.
« Reply #6 on: April 05, 2018, 11:18:56 pm »
Crowning Moment of Awesome

[Chrono Reflections]

Zero's introduction. Trapped on one of Daere's flagships, Cain's party eventually reaches a hive of stasis chambers, powered by a single large generator. The ensuing altercation with Bishop Unit: Sigma causes the generator to rupture. As it opens up to vent itself and avoid meltdown, a figure bound in every which way, with a painful-looking helmet is seen inside. After suddenly thrashing for a moment, she lets loose a powerful burst of magic that frees her from her bindings, then she immediately proceeds to slap Sigma aside as if she were nothing and decimates the entire battalion sent to detain her. Considering (who she ultimately turns out to be), this is badass indeed.

---

Although it comes at the end of a massive tearjerker, (the newly reawakened Schala finally abandons her Suicidal Pacifism) and stands up to Dalton, years of inwardly built-up anger exploding all at once. Thanks to the last five years she had spent as Zero, she not only matches him blow-for-blow, she eventually overpowers him. Dalton isn't just left speechless when he realizes he's on the back foot; he's completely scared shitless. Keep in mind he is wielding the corrupted Masamune as his personal BFS and has spent years getting stronger in order to destroy Crono and everything he stood for. (Schala's will to avenge Cain) is that powerful.

In the end, (Schala kills Dalton. Let me repeat that. She straight up impales him with extreme prejudice.)
(Dalton: *coughing up blood* How... how could I be... by YOU... of all... people...!!)

------

(Cain's return to the party) at the closing moments of the third act deserve a mention. With (Schala) and the already exhausted party on the back foot against (the Lavos-assisted fusion of Sigma and Giga Gaia), (Cain) grabs the monster's attention before leaping down with a magic-assisted right hook that knocks the creature back into the walls of the large chamber it's in. (Cain proceeds to stand protectively before the party, brandish his spear, fire off a Badass Creed, and ultimately destroy the gigantic monstrosity all by himself.) (After over a story and a half, he FINALLY fulfills his duty as a protector and bodyguard.) My Greatest Second Chance, indeed.

* Awesome for another reason. (Due to Schala being the one to ultimately finish off his nemesis Dalton, it seems thematically fair that he be the one to take out her own.)

(Will be updated semi-regularly. Views on what is awesome will vary from person to person.)
« Last Edit: May 28, 2018, 06:04:22 am by skylark »

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Re: Chrono Reflections - The TV Tropes version.
« Reply #7 on: April 05, 2018, 11:19:32 pm »
Nightmare Fuel

[Reflections: Before the Fall]

{Chrono Reflections]

The very opening lines of the story seem normal for a Chrono fic, with Schala wishing Cain a Good Morning. Then, without any warning, their surroundings transform into a black void, and Schala suffers both Blood from the Mouth and Tears of Blood before graphically disintigrating from the inside. Even worse is the fact that this isn't the first time Cain has had that exact same nightmare.
Schala: Why didn't you save me?


Imagine if you will, coming into this world in a dark lifeless void, unable to move, barely capable of speech, with only a horrifyingly foreboding presence nearby for company. Then one day, a body drops down near you, then another, then another, each one looking less and less like you. Ultimately, the foreboding presence disappears, leaving you with the cold reality that you've been abandoned to die in this void, and that the only reason you still live is that your 'sisters' gave up their life force to you. (These are Zero's first memories.)

(Will be updated semi-regularly.)
« Last Edit: November 20, 2018, 01:42:38 pm by skylark »

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Re: Chrono Reflections - The TV Tropes version.
« Reply #8 on: April 05, 2018, 11:20:19 pm »
YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary)

Alternative Character Interperetation A couple of major ones.

* Where to begin with Schala. Throughout Before the Fall, there are at least a few times where it's implied that her compassion for others isn't quite as genuine as even she thinks it is. Reflections ultimately confirms these implications and brings them straight to the forefront in the second half. Was Schala always deluded about her ability to truly empathize with others with Cain's vision of her mired in bias, or did Lavos ultimately have a hand in making her a worse person like her mother? Either way, it's agreed that King Alphard's death was the triggering point.

* Daere after the final battle. Did he truly off himself to summon Lavos from the DBT out of spite? Or did he finally remember in that single moment who he once was and, upon seeing his counterpart and Schala displaying the strength and determination to realize their ideals, sacrificed himself to give them a chance to end the threat of Lavos once and for all? Even the epilogue brings this up, with Schala hoping for the latter.


Author's Saving Throw - The reveal in Before the Fall's first epilogue (that Cain gets reincarnated as Serge in the Cross timeline) is clearly an attempt at this. It pretty much restores the Star-Crossed Lovers aspect of Serge and Kid's relationship originally seen in Radical Dreamers but absent in Chrono Cross. This in turn makes their interactions in the latter seem far less like a forced Strangled by the Red String situation and more like (the world giving Cain and Schala another shot.)

* The reveal of the Cross timeline being one where, like in Radical Dreamers, Crono remained dead with the implication that Marle eventually passed away in despair. The loss of two people able to turn the tide makes Dalton conquering Guardia in a curb-stomp battle much easier to swallow. (Especially compared to Reflections, where Dalton actually had to work for his victory, with the implication that Daere was ultimately responsible for his success.)

(Will be updated semi regularly.)
« Last Edit: November 20, 2018, 01:26:59 pm by skylark »

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Re: Chrono Reflections - The TV Tropes version.
« Reply #9 on: April 05, 2018, 11:39:51 pm »
Should be fun!

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Re: Chrono Reflections - The TV Tropes version.
« Reply #10 on: April 16, 2018, 05:02:53 pm »
Fridge Brilliance

During the final dungeon, (Daere) is constantly leveling taunts at the party offscreen to try and shake their resolve. One particularly brutal one is levelled at (Schala) and (her search for Serge), only for her to dismissively ask ('Who's Serge?') While this may be yet another nod to the author's dislike of Chrono Cross, it takes a new level once one realizes that (this is a Schala clone cast off from Lavos during the transmutation from the Dream Devourer to the Time Devourer. She has never met or even heard of Serge, and considering by this point she has already hooked up with Cain, it makes perfect sense she has no reason to care about the former.)

------

Cain being a one-man army with story-breaker powers becomes this upon the reveal that he is an (Arbiter like Schala. His experiences, by all accounts, served to forge him into the perfect martial and magical specimen that Lavos had been cultivating. It is also why Lavos ultimately destroyed Zeal, because said perfect specimen was lost to it due to (his death in the Cross Timeline) or (the Planet intervening by shunting Cain through a Gate in the Reflections Timeline).

Fridge Horror

(Schala's creation of Kid is this once you think about it. Using Lavos' power, she is able to create biological copies of herself during her brief moments of lucidity. Unfortunately, as was the case with Zero, she ends up discarding those that don't fit her ideal, and biologically transforms herself bit by bit to repeat the process. The question is: How many times did she do this before she "got it right"?

(Will be updated periodically.)
« Last Edit: November 20, 2018, 12:54:44 pm by skylark »

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Re: Chrono Reflections - The TV Tropes version.
« Reply #11 on: April 17, 2018, 12:11:49 am »
Tearjerker

The aftermath of (Porre's invasion of Guardia. Although Guardia emerges victorious, it is a Phyrric Victory at best. Dalton's last gambit has left Guardia Castle in shambles. Chrono is MIA. Cain is presumed dead. Everyone else is left behind to pick up the pieces.) One begins to wonder if it was even worth it.

Special mention goes to Marle specifically. (Seeing her begin to lose faith in humanity after everything is done is heartbreaking. It gets even worse when Schala tries to console her, only to be angrily rebuffed with an Ironic Echo of her last words in the Ocean Palace. Although she does eventually get better, it's painfully clear that the innocent Marle who believed the world could be run simply on love and peace is gone.)

------------

Before the above is the intial 'victory'. Dalton is believed to have been KIA, so Cain is welcomed back to Guardia Castle to cheers... but something is wrong with him. He is barely walking straight, and is sporting a Thousand-Yard Stare. Pushing his way past his congratulators, he slowly finds a secluded corner of the castle to sit down in before everything (he had learned from Daere) hits him like a freight train. (The knowledge that not only had the real Schala secretly hated him, but had been murdered by Daere, thus making his entire reason to continue fighting on essentially pointless) doesn't just break him; it utterly destroys his will to live. It's no small wonder he becomes sobbing mess. (And then everything gets worse.)

(Will be updated periodically)
« Last Edit: June 09, 2018, 08:46:54 pm by skylark »

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Re: Chrono Reflections - The TV Tropes version.
« Reply #12 on: May 02, 2018, 01:09:24 am »
Bumping this for those who came in late.

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Re: Chrono Reflections - The TV Tropes version.
« Reply #13 on: June 02, 2018, 10:31:34 pm »
I may need to remake this topic. I had no idea the main character's section alone would be as big as it is. =<

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Re: Chrono Reflections - The TV Tropes version.
« Reply #14 on: June 08, 2018, 02:14:30 pm »
Nuuu! Gotta keep this as the top post! D:

Also, now that I've made a sizable enough dent in this thing, what are people's thoughts?