History Fanfic / BetweenThreeRogues

* NiceHat: The Captain's Hat equip item. In-game, it's just an exceptionally powerful piece of equipment, while lore-wise in this fic, it carries a bit of power from every past wearer, from [[spoiler: its original wearer Daccat, to the Larso clan head, and finally to Vyse]]. It even bears two red and blue ribbons that [[spoiler: correspond to Daccat's two wives, and now that it's Vyse's, he plans to add a silver ribbon to it]].

* TakeUpMySword: Or in this case, hat. Rupee Larso has his father’s [[NiceHat old air pirate tricorn]], brimming with spiritual energy. But as Rupee does not wish to be an air pirate, he instead gifts the Captain’s Hat to Vyse instead. It's later revealed to once have belonged to [[spoiler: Daccat]].

--> '''AN:''' You know what's [[UpToEleven better]] than Pirates Vs. Ninjas? Pirates AND Ninjas. Working together.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** Sailing through a tornado-laden sky is going to take a lot longer than a few days, and provisions, fuel and energy are all running on empty by the time the ''Little Jack'' makes it through.
** Raising 10,000 gold in two weeks by just waitressing? Nope, Aika and Fina have to prove their chops as bouncers to earn higher wages (and even manage to turn in some Black Pirates for the bounty money).
** A dash of GameplayAndStorySegregation in that the ''Delphinus’s'' ammo stores are limited on Vyse’s second escape from the Valuan Grand Fortress, and he has to make every shot count.
** Nasrad’s guild master is fully willing to pay 10,000 gold for Daccat’s Coin… if his coffers weren’t cleared out after paying Vyse the bounty for “Loose Cannon” Lapen and the city wasn't trying to rebuild after Valua's attack, and a draft notice is no good either.
** When Vize and his fellow actors start trying to impersonate Vyse and his crew for shakedown money, [[DidntThinkThisThrough they run into a big wrinkle]] in Nasrad, filled with people that had actually met the real Vyse and can see right through the impostors. [[FromBadToWorse And then they get captured by the Valuan Armada]] who jump at the chance at taking down the most wanted people in the sky; it's only luck that the real Vyse and his crew intercepted the cruiser on the way back to Valua for the scheduled execution.

** Similar to the above, [[spoiler: the Silver Shrine's ColonyDrop to block the Rains of Destruction and destroy Soltis's force field happens slightly differently. Fina uses her connection to her Silver Moon Crystal (which Ramirez cut out to fuel the Rains) to put Soltis to sleep, and when the continent's guns threaten to rout Vyse's forces with no chance of retaliation due to the shield, the Silver Shrine drops in to overload the shield]].

* AdaptedOut: Piastol’s Death Hound companion is only used in her very first battle with Vyse; in all subsequent battles, she is without it.

** Vyse is working on adding his own lines to his version of the Code, for a time when Valua is no longer a threat and everyone is free, to keep old hatreds from ruining whatever peace they manage to achieve. By Chapter 57, he has it laid out, and has all his allies sign it.
--->If you would be Free, then fight to make others Free.\\
If you would hold power, then defend the powerless.\\

* DoomedHometown: Windmill Isle a.k.a Pirate's Isle is ''twice'' as unlucky as in canon. In addition to being raided by the Armada and then rebuilt, [[spoiler: it's later ''obliterated'' by Galcian in response to the united armada's challenge to his Eternal Empire]].

** Princess Kikue Tokugawa's tale plays itself out again with her descendant Moegi, whereupon she too left Yafutoma with a legendary air pirate to see the world. [[spoiler: The only difference is that while Kikue marries Daccat, Moegi falls for Vyse's comrade Enrique]].

* IAmAMonster: [[spoiler: Fina]] takes on this attitude after she finds out the AwfulTruth that [[spoiler: not only were the Silvite Elders planning on destroying the world, they had genetically engineered her to want to bear children to repopulate it. It takes her lovers a long time]] to help her through the pain.

* RealWomenDontWearDresses: The rough-and-tumble Aika initially has a problem with Fina when they start travelling together, particularly that she’s too weak and frilly to take care of herself (and a tinge of jealousy that she might lose him to Fina). That soon changes after Fina saves her life with a Riselem crystal.

* SadisticChoice: The crew of the ''Delphinus'' get this reaction when De Loco and his ''Chameleon'' confront them in the Abyss at the world's surface. With their cooling systems not able to last much longer, they're caught between facing him here and succumbing to the heat, or flee for the surface and allow him to pick them off. [[spoiler: Luckily, Moegi comes through with a way to make the first option much more bearable]].

* SecretLegacy. Ilchymis du Argas is from an old Valuan family that supposedly came from elsewhere in the world, with the family motto, “Always to guide, never to rule”. Turns out, [[spoiler: “Argas” (and the name of Arcadia itself) comes from the ancient Silvite word ''Arrakad'', which means “Moon born”, and his family motto comes from the oath taken by priestesses of the Silver Shrine]].

* SelfMadeOrphan: [[spoiler: Nicholas Galcian, disgusted by his [[GossipyHens gossipy]] mother's desire to climb the social ladder and his father's hypocrisy towards their so-called family honor, did this when he was just 12. He arranged things so that his mother would catch his father raping a woman, and while they argued, locked them in and set the whole house on fire.]]

* StartOfDarkness: We see what Galcian's was in Chapter 60: [[spoiler: his mother was a gossip-mongering social climber and the only thing he had to hold on was his father's decree of family honor and reputation... and even that became meaningless when he walked in on his father raping a maid. From that point on, the only thing he knew had any meaning in that cruel world was power.]]

** [[spoiler: When the Blue Rogues confront Ramirez after Galcian's death, he's clearly gone mad, with a torn uniform, bloody face, and dishevelled hair, ranting about how Galcian was the only good man the world.]]

* WonTheWarLostThePeace: Defied by Vyse. Even after assembling the forces of the world to fight against Galcian, he is made aware over and over again of the old grudges and hatreds that could fan the flames of war once again. The revised BadassCreed of the Blue Rogues is his attempt to work past those grudges and truly unite the world, and [[spoiler: once he finally wins, he reworks the Blue Rogues into the Blue Merchant Marines, to both connect and keep peace in the new world they have won, and taking up his role as High Admiral]].

* AdaptationDeviation: In canon, [[spoiler: Ramirez stabs out Elder Prime's piece of the Silver Moon Crystal to use in his plan.]] here, [[spoiler: Ramirez stabs out Fina's Moon Crystal piece instead, and [[RedemptionEqualsDeath Prime gives up his piece to revive Fina]]]].

** If Belleza's thoughts are anything to go by, Lord Galcian has taken her into his bed at least once, but he still doesn't return her affections.

** Vyse is working on adding his own lines to his version of the Code, for a time when Valua is no longer a threat and everyone is free. So far he's settled on "If you would be Free, then live to make others Free. If you would hold Power, then defend the Powerless."

* {{Conscription}}: After Galcian forms his Eternal Empire, Ramirez personally requests for Doc's mandatory re-enlistment into service. Doc, Maria and [[spoiler: Piastol]] all protest, the latter violently.

* EmergencyWeapon: When Ryu-kan delivers Vyse's and Aika's new Gigas-material weapons to them, he also includes a dagger for Fina - in case an enemy gets too close and Cupil is too busy being a shield.

* PuppyLove: The little girl Lyndsi develops a cute crush on Marco, much to his disgust. Everyone else finds it either adorable or hilarious.

* RagsToRiches: [[spoiler: Laurette goes from an orphaned girl on Esperanza, with no prospects in life and watching everyone else waste away, to the foreign minister for the entire kingdom of Yafutoma, with a close bond with Prince Daigo himself]].

* UncannyFamilyResemblance: The guild masters of the various Sailor’s Guild outposts are all related and look identical at casual inspection, but have distinct differences (like the Nasrad guild master having a scar and a glass eye). He even makes a joke that could be a TakeThat against the Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys from Anime/{{Pokemon}}.

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: Vyse tries to defuse his last encounter with Piastol by inviting her to dinner, where she finally meets Doc and realizes that her sister is still alive. However, this instead drives her to demands that Vyse still face her one-on-one, [[DeathSeeker intent on dying at his hand]]. Moreover, during that fight, she's lost all her previous stoicism and composure as the Angel of Death, now full of rage and emotion.]]

* WhyWontYouDie: Vyse asks this of Zivilyn Bane when they encounter him for the umpteenth time in Glacia.

* AdaptationalBadass: In canon, Urala was merely a very good cook, and Kirala was just a builder with a good throwing arm. Here, they are also the scions of a {{Ninja}} clan that once served the Tokugawa dynasty.
* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance:
** Ilchymis normally can only be met after the ''Delphinus'' reaches Yafutoma, due to being in Upper Sky which can only be reached with upgraded sky engines. Here, his island floats up and down between Upper and Middle Sky, and thanks to Enrique’s knowledge, the Blue Rogues seek him out early, and Fina’s prowess with Silver Magic gets him to join the crew.
** Hans too will only join after Yafutoma, but the presence of Lapen to help their adoptive father Centime fix up their ship eventually frees up Hans to join the crew on their visit to Ixa’taka before the Dark Rift.
** Similarly, Kalifa will only join the crew if Vyse has the Suiren Blade, which can only be bought in Yafutoma. She joins the crew right before heading to Esperanza.
** Don is inspired enough by Vyse’s battle against Admiral Gregorio and determination to conquer the Dark Rift to sail out and join him before they start, [[spoiler: along with all of the population of Esperanza]], whereas in game canon, Vyse has to pass Yafutoma, circle the globe and return to Esperanza before he’ll join.
** Fina puts on her air pirate outfit before the story's climax instead of during the epilogue. See SignificantWardrobeShift below as to why.

* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Vigoro’s AttemptedRape was PlayedForLaughs in canon. Not here. When Prince Enrique hears about it [[spoiler: and what Aika did to him in return]], he says that his injuries were well-deserved.

* SpitTake: Vyse waits until [[spoiler: Piastol]] is taking a sip of rum before telling her about his relationship with Aika and Fina, causing this reaction from [[NoSoStoic her]].

** Enrique initially sees himself and Princess Moegi as NotSoDifferent nobles conflicted between duty and freedom, but Fina's insight shows their contrasts instead; Enrique turned against his corrupt homeland when it would've been easier to stay, while Moegi chose to remain and do her duty as the new heir of her beloved kingdom when it would've been easier to leave and find her exiled brother.

* NotSoDifferent:

*** Fina later appraises the two royals more as {{Foil}}s for each other - Enrique sees Valua as flawed and his position as the Crown Prince as useless, and though he could have just stayed and plugged his ears, it was a hard decision for him to leave and join Vyse to try and stop Valua. In contrast, Moegi sees Yafutoma as fine just the way it is and her new position as the new heir of the utmost importance, and though she could've just flown away to find her brother, it is a hard decision for her to remain and do her duty as princess of the kingdom.

*** Amongst them, the standout example is Laurette, the redhead from Esperanza whose parents died to the Dark Rift. When the Esperanzans [[spoiler: joined Vyse, she made herself useful helping Osman manage supplies and conduct trading in Yafutoma, [[CunningLinguist and learning the language at a fast pace]]. Helping out with the post-Valuan occupation cleanup, she met Prince Daigo in person, and her wit and advice to him formed a bond between them. In the end, after some discussion, she accepts his offer to become Yafutoma's foreign minister]].
** Admiral Belleza has no less than two chapters from her perspective - one during her disguised tenure as Bellena, and another during the occupation of Yafutoma.

** Vyse is working on adding his own lines to his version of the Code. So far he's settled on "If you would be Free, then live to make others Free. If you would hold Power, then defend the Powerless."

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Before Vyse, Aika, Fina and Gilder head off to the Silver Shrine, an unnerved Kalifa appears with two lines of cryptic information for the women. To Fina, she says, "When secrets give way... hold fast to your Truths.", which is to help her [[spoiler: anchor herself after she learns the AwfulTruth of the Silvite Elder's plans to cleanse the world]]. To Aika, she says, "Your heart beats red, but it must bleed silver.", foreshadowing how [[spoiler: Aika would need to master Silver magic to resurrect Fina after Ramirez impales her]].

* TakeUpMySword: Or in this case, hat. Rupee Larso has his father’s [[NiceHat old air pirate tricorn]], brimming with spiritual energy. But as Rupee does not wish to be an air pirate, he instead gifts the Captain’s Hat to Vyse instead. It's later revealed to once belong to [[spoiler: Daccat]].

* RealityEnsues:
** Sailing through a tornado-laden sky is going to take a lot longer than a few days, and provisions, fuel and energy are all running on empty by the time the ''Little Jack'' makes it through.
** Raising 10,000 gold in two weeks by just waitressing? Nope, Aika and Fina have to prove their chops as bouncers to earn higher wages (and even manage to turn in some Black Pirates for the bounty money).
** A dash of GameplayAndStorySegregation in that the ''Delphinus’s'' ammo stores are limited on Vyse’s second escape from the Valuan Grand Fortress, and he has to make every shot count.
** Nasrad’s guild master is fully willing to pay 10,000 gold for Daccat’s Coin… if his coffers weren’t cleared out after paying Vyse the bounty for “Loose Cannon” Lapen and the city wasn't trying to rebuild after Valua's attack, and a draft notice is no good either.
** When Vize and his fellow actors start trying to impersonate Vyse and his crew for shakedown money, [[DidntThinkThisThrough they run into a big wrinkle]] in Nasrad, filled with people that had actually met the real Vyse and can see right through the impostors. [[FromBadToWorse And then they get captured by the Valuan Armada]] who jump at the chance at taking down the most wanted people in the sky; it's only luck that the real Vyse and his crew intercepted the cruiser on the way back to Valua for the scheduled execution.

* GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex: After the PowerTrio’s throuple relationship is perfected, all three are shown sleeping together and are shown very satisfied and content afterwards.

* LoveTriangle: Absent from the game, romantic entanglements between the story's main PowerTrio and how they eventually sort things out between them are a major focus of the story's character development.

* RotatingProtagonist: The perspective generally flips between the main PowerTrio, but occasionally [[ADayInTheLimelight whole chapters are devoted to auxiliary party members and side characters]], especially when Vyse starts expanding the crew of the ''Delphinus''.

* ChekhovsSkill: The experience that Vyse and Lawrence get flying through Typhoon Alley in Southern Ocean proves integral in navigating the fierce winds kicked up by Bluheim.

* MyEyesAreLeaking: [[spoiler: The Silvite Elder Lennis, like all the Silvite Elders, gave up her emotions when she attained her immortality. So why, after watching Fina be stabbed, Elder Prime give up his own Silver Moon Crystal shard for her, and Aika finally resurrect her]], is she crying?

[[folder: A-G]]

* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: Gender-flipped example. [[spoiler: During Ramirez's raid on Crescent Isle, he [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impales]] Vyse through the chest, forcing Fina to give up the Moon Crystals to him in order to be allowed to heal him.]]

* TheBet: Vyse makes one with Lawrence during his recruitment. He’ll pay half of his 10,000 gold fee up front, and he’ll get the other half if he proves he’s a better helmsman than Vyse. If Vyse can impress him with the friends, family and freedom that Lawrence calls “sentimental drivel“, then he stays on as a full crew member.

* CheatedDeathDiedAnyway: In Chapter 48, [[spoiler: one of the ''Delphinus's'' minor crew members, Timmons, almost falls out of the ship when retrieving Fina's ship from Deep Sky, but Aika manages to pull him back in]]. The very next chapter, [[spoiler: he is killed during Ramirez's raid on Crescent Isle]].

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Before Vyse, Aika, Fina and Gilder head off to the Silver Shrine, an unnerved Kalifa appears with two lines of cryptic information for the women. To Fina, she says, "When secrets give way... hold fast to your Truths." and to Aika, she says, "Your heart beats red, but it must bleed silver."

[[/folder]]

[[folder: H-O]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: P-Z]]

* HeroicBSOD: Fina suffers one after learning the AwfulTruth of [[spoiler: the Silvites perpetrating the Rains of Destruction, but also that the [[BrokenPedestal Silvite Elders]] intended her to be the one to [[BabyFactory repopulate their race]], only sending her after Ramirez when there was no other option]].

* CruelMercy: [[spoiler: The spirits of the Glacians within the city's walls could very well break Fina and her cohorts' minds with pure psychic might for intruding on their city... but their ringleader chooses not to, for after hearing Fina talk about the Glacians' monstrosities and none about her own people's, she decides that letting Fina live and learn the AwfulTruth about the Silvites will be more painful than anything they could do to her]].

** We know that [[spoiler: the Purple Civilisation turned Rhaknam the arcwhale into Plergoth the Gigas]], but the exact changes are spelled out in visceral detail here: [[spoiler: every injury Plergoth suffers is instantly healed with magical ice, [[ICannotSelfTerminate keeping the beast alive when all it wants to do is die]]]].

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler: In their confrontation on Crescent Isle, Ramirez does this to Vyse, and plans to stay there until he expires unless Fina surrenders the Moon Crystals to him. [[AlwaysSaveTheGirl She does.]]]]

** All of the Blue Rogues are cheesed off at Admiral Bast Komullah, [[spoiler: considering they entrusted him with the location of Crescent Isle, yet that didn't stop one of his men bragging it to one of Belleza's spies, with the resulting raid culminating in several dead (including Izmael) and the loss of the Moon Crystals]]. No surprise that Khazim decked him.

* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: The fact that Fina joins the party at level 1 when the rest of the team is around 10 or 12 doesn't go unremarked on. Fina has to work ''hard'' to catch up with Vyse and Aika before eventually finding her niche as the party's WhiteMage.

** [[spoiler: Similarly, Marco has also noticed the same air around Brabham and Izmael, [[LikeAnOldMarriedCouple who both argue incessantly yet are never out of each other's sight]]. Whether this has been going on since their time on Gilder's crew is not specified]].

* HoneyTrap: Belleza, in her guise of Bellena the dancer, tries pulling one on Vyse on the way to the Temple of Pyrynn. Despite his own conflicting feelings for Aika and Fina, Vyse turns her down so as to remain loyal to them, and despite her own feelings for Galcian, Belleza can’t help but [[InLoveWithTheMark feel a bit of longing]].

* SecretKeeper: In exchange for getting a place to rebuild his damaged fleet, Admiral Bast Komullah promises to keep the location of Cresent Isle, Vyse’s headquarters, a secret.

* AlmightyMom: Aliya, the Kabal skewer chef from Maramba doesn't care that her foster daughter Laurette's (who was cared for by her biological daughter Fatima in Maramba) leader and potential new love is [[spoiler: Prince Daigo]], she'll tell him off anyway.

* NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine: Inverted example. When Piastol meets with Vyse and his crew for their final duel, Vyse decides to call for parley and invite her to dinner and a talk before that. This is because [[spoiler: they have just found out from Doc that his charge Maria is actually Piastol's younger sister, whom she thought died at the hands of Air Pirates, and are bringing her to dinner to see the truth herself]].

* TheUnfettered: Gilder the Unfettered’s main trait is his irreverence for rules and love for freedom, be it the restrictive laws of the Valuan Empire or the Code of the Blue Rogues, while hating the cruelty of the Black Pirates, and refuses to ally himself with any of them. This attitude also extends to his love life as TheCasanova, seeing monogamy as a prison that ties you down. But then he sees Vyse’s relationship with his girls and how Clara helped him escape from the Grand Fortress, and he starts to think that maybe love isn’t a prison, but what sets you free.

* ICannotSelfTerminate: Over and over again, [[spoiler: Rhaknam]] is ravaged by its own rampages and returns to [[spoiler: Glacia]] to die... and over and over again, [[spoiler: the power of the Purple Moon Crystal repairs its wounds and rebuilds its flesh, body and even mind with ice, keeping it alive]].

** When Vize and his fellow actors start trying to impersonate Vyse and his crew for shakedown money, they run into a big wrinkle in Nasrad, filled with people that had actually met the real Vyse and can see right through the impostors. [[FromBadToWorse And then they get captured by the Valuan Armada]] who jump at the chance at taking down the most wanted people in the sky; it's only luck that the real Vyse and his crew intercepted the cruiser on the way back to Valua for the scheduled execution.

* SilkHidingSteel: Princess Moegi. A princess without any martial or magical experience she may be, but [[spoiler: in the middle of the battle with Bluheim, she unveils a spiritual power and depth that not even she knew she had and uses what is effectively her Crew Command to shield the ''Delphinus'' against Bluheim's storm power]].

* CurbStompBattle: During the mission at Dangral Island, Vyse and his crew experience Galcian's might firsthand. [[CurbStompCushion Although Vyse's strongest attack does draw blood]], that's all it does and Galcian's counter lays him out flat.

* DefectorFromDecadence: The original Blue Rogues were all sailors who mutinied from the Valuan Armada when they began to disagree with the direction the Empire was going.

** Enrique sheds some more after [[spoiler: Gregorio's HeroicSacrifice]].

* DoubleMeaningTitle: Chapter 37, which is the post-Yafutoman arc wrap-up, is titled "My Place Is With Him". One would think that it relates to Moegi wanting to leave with the ''Delphinus'' to be with Enrique, and indeed that is a subplot, but the majority focus of the chapter is [[spoiler: Laurette, an NPC from Esperanza, brought over on the crew, and how she finds her place at Prince Daigo's side, as Yafutoma's new foreign minister]].

* ManlyTears: When Prince Enrique apologizes to the denizens of Esperanza for Valua casting them aside, Don finds himself sobbing for the first time in years.
** He, Robinson and [[spoiler: everyone from Esperanza that joined the ''Delphinus'']] shed even more when they finally make it through the Rift.

* HeadbuttingHeroes: Enrique spends several chapters giving Vyse a hard time about seemingly [[YourCheatingHeart two-timing Aika and Fina]], though he still has his UndyingLoyalty. He finally confronts the three of them about it, and is speechless when their three-way relationship becomes clear to him.

* DistractedByTheSexy: Vyse and Enrique all but choke when they see Aika and Moegi dressed in [[NubileSavage Ixa'takan style]].

* UnskilledButStrong: [[SilkHidingSteel Princess Moegi]] has no martial experience and neither battle casting nor healing magic talent, but she has a greater spiritual depth than even she ever imagined. [[spoiler: When she channels that spirit into the ''Delphinus'', it forms a defensive barrier strong enough to deflect even Bluheim's might.]]

[[folder: A-L]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: M-Z]]

* CharacterDevelopment: After talking to Fina, Aika and Vyse, Gilder finally understands what they were trying to tell him about love, and decides to stop running from Clara and accept her love.

* LeaveNoSurvivors: Cornered by the Valuan Navy, Admiral Bast Komullah raises flags of surrender and orders his men to the lifeboats, but the Valuans don’t stop firing and respond with flags of “No Quarter”. If not for the ''Delphinus'' intervening, things would've been bloody.

->''There were Valuans, there were Black Pirates, and there were Blue Rogues, and that was enough for Vyse and Aika to wrap their heads around. Then a girl crashed into their lives, and the world became a whole lot bigger. And somewhere during a globe-spanning epic adventure that changed everything, a man, his best friend, and the girl that went sailing off the map with them figured themselves out. Because Blue Rogues always played by their own rules.''

* LeaveNoSurvivors: Cornered by the Valuan Navy, Admiral Bast Komullah raises flags of surrender and orders his men to the lifeboats, but the Valuan don’t stop firing and respond with flags of “No Quarter”. If not for the ''Delphinus'' intervening, things would've been bloody.

** When Vize and his fellow actors start trying to impersonate Vyse and his crew for shakedown money, they run into a big wrinkle in Nasrad, filled with people that had actually met the real Vyse and can see right through the impostors. And then they get captured by the Valuan Armada who jump at the chance at taking down the most wanted people in the sky; it's only luck that the real Vyse and his crew intercepted the cruiser on the way back to Valua for the scheduled execution.

** Also with regards to Glacia, in the game, the crew originally gets to it from above by using the ''Delphinus'' to smash through the ice. Aika vetos that idea, citing the ludicrous amount of damage the ship would take on a risk, and advises Vyse to find another way. Instead, they go in through the Lower Sky entrance first.