[[quoteright:328:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/LAW_5486.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:328:From left to right: [[FirstLove Marianne]], [[LoveableRogue Armin]], [[TheHero Ryan]], [[GirlNextDoor Lavie]], [[GeniusBruiser Henrik]] and [[TheResenter Juno]].]]

''Love and War'' is a [[FreewareGames freeware]] [[EasternRPG RPG]], created by Admiral Styles, using UsefulNotes/RPGMaker 2000.

''Love and War'' is set in the world of Terra, an AlternateUniverse Earth which has been ravaged by war for centuries. The people of Terra have assembled into five nations, which are more or less constantly in conflict, until the Crown Prince of the Zion Empire, [[TheGoodKing Lord Geraud Valtemond]], convinces the countries to unite in the cause of peace. His ideals lead to the formation of [[OneWorldOrder the Commonwealth]], a multinational body which - after some false starts - manages to keep the peace for over three hundred years.

Now, there are signs that things are starting to unravel. But all this seems rather far away for [[TheHero Ryan Eramond]], a young man of eighteen who has just graduated from high school, and has the rest of his life in front of him...

After a mysterious opening, the story begins light-heartedly enough, with situations based on the joys and trials of adolescence. However, as the game progresses, we slowly begin to learn about political unrest in Terra, and by the end, our hero and his friends have all been touched by it.

Currently, Act I ("The Ties That Bind") of the story is complete, and its UpdatedRerelease can be downloaded [[https://rpgmaker.net/games/98/ here]]. The author's site, including side projects based on the '''Love And War''' universe, can be found [[https://loveandwartherpg.com/ here.]]

Not to be confused with [[Series/LoveAndWar the TV series of the same name]].
----

!!General tropes used in Act I of Love and War include:

* AbhorrentAdmirer: Greg, with his lame pick-up lines and his love of alcohol, is this for Lavie. In a neat bit of symmetry, Greg's girlfriend Sheri also is one as far as Ryan is concerned.
* AerithAndBob: Played with. We have perfectly ordinary names like Ryan, Theodore, Henrik, Sheila and Emily; rare but existing ones, like Lavender and Armin; slight hacks of existing names, such as Arlbert and Carranya; and more "RPG-ish" ones, such as Londes Kodenai, Samath, Nealus and Horamin. Notably, except for Kodenai, the latter names all belong to long-dead characters.
* AlcoholHic: Used to comic effect with some of the minor characters in the pubs that Ryan visits.
* AlcoholicParent: [[spoiler:Lavie's father, Sigmund Regale, if we believe Henry the bartender, who tells Lavie that he has a long, unsettled bar tab.]]
* AllJustADream: No in-game examples, but [[spoiler:''C'est Lavie'']] ends this way, much to Lavie's relief. [[spoiler:''Scattered Pictures'']] can also be interpreted this way, but it's deliberately kept ambiguous.
* AllNationsAreSuperpowers: The five nations of Terra are each powerful in their own way: the Zion Empire has magic and technology on its side, Galvenia has won its independence from them, the Varald Directorate has the strongest army, the Fulton Republic is economically powerful, and Itaria is the home of the Church of Infinity.
* BelligerentSexualTension: One explanation of the relationship between Ryan and Lavie. Alternately, he could just be ObliviousToLove, or still [[LoveHurts hurting from the breakup of his first "real" romance, with Marianne.]]
* BerserkButton: Do '''not''' make fun of Lavie's cooking skills. Also, it's not a good idea to criticize the Commonwealth in front of Ryan.
* BettyAndVeronica: A very interesting version. The Archie is Ryan. The Veronica is Marianne, who is from a lower social class (she's shown working as a barmaid, and has a much smaller house than either Ryan or Lavie), but is mysterious, dresses more suggestively, and is shown taking the initiative in their relationship. The Betty is Lavie, who (though wealthy) is more of a GirlNextDoor and a ChildhoodFriend, and whom Ryan often finds annoying with her lower-key persistence.
* BigNo: Used to comical effect just before Ryan and Lavie begin the Glendale quest. If you visit Ryan's house at that time, Ryan's mother is pleased to see Lavie, and Lavie then offers to visit them more often, prompting the inevitable..
--> '''Ryan''' ''(under his breath)'': "Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo....."
** [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] when Henrik and Ryan are searching for clues to Kodenai's whereabouts in Mayor Talmadge's house. When they run into a dead end, Henrik says: "Now would be the appropriate time to let out a NOOOOOOOO!"
* BilingualBonus: In-universe examples: though the commonest language on Terra is "Common" (English), there are characters who speak other languages. For example, Hamid, a trader from the Republic whom Ryan meets in Davenport, speaks Arabic (and teaches Ryan a bit of his language). The Varald Directorate apparently also uses a language akin to German, if we go by the name of their [[UsefulNotes/TheGestapo secret]] [[SecretPolice police.]]
* BittersweetEnding: Ryan ends up helping many people (including the Galvenian government), makes a cool bit of money, and gets to go on a luxury cruise. But his relationship with [[spoiler:his best friend Henrik]] is damaged, perhaps beyond repair, and there are signs that the Commonwealth is dissolving into chaos.
* {{Bookworm}}: Sigmund Regale, Lavie's father, who has a magnificent library and also collects rare books. Ryan and Henrik also seem to appreciate a good read.
** BadassBookworm: Ryan and Henrik are valedictorian and salutatorian of their school, respectively. They're also the [[MasterSwordsman star pupils]] of Colonel Whitworth's academy, and worth their weight in gold in a fight.
* BrainyBrunette: Lavie. Her [[LethalChef cooking skills]] notwithstanding, she's an excellent piano player, a Level Ten archer, and stood third in her class (behind Ryan and Henrik). Also, unlike the other characters who level up [[LevelGrinding the traditional way,]] Lavie can also gain levels by solving tests of agility or intelligence.
* BringMyBrownPants: After battling the Lekutak, a fish-like monster, in Ozunhold, Armin complains that his pants are wet. Cue much mockery from Henrik and Ryan, and Armin protesting that [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial it was from the splash of water, and that he was standing closest to the pool.]] Needless to say, they don't quite believe him.
* UsefulNotes/BritishEnglish: Ryan's home country, Galvenia, is rather like England (independent from the rest of its continent, boasting of an ancient king named Richard Lionheart, and ruled as a parliamentary monarchy), and its characters make full use of common British idioms and phrases ("old bean", "Mum".) The music that plays in the Military Museum is also a remix of "Rule Brittania".
* BunniesForCuteness: In their first trip to Davenport Woods, the Compadres encounter an adorable fluffy bunny named Sir Fuzzington. Armin [[WhatTheHellHero wants to make a rabbit pie out of him]], but when Fuzzington gives him PuppyDogEyes, he just can't do it.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Joshua Evens, Headmaster of the Archery Academy at Mann Island. He has a remarkably short attention span, spends a lot of his time making jokes that fall flat, and his reaction to growing a head of hair is, well, [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment interesting.]] Despite all that, he's obviously meant to be a good teacher - Lavie and the other pupils have learnt a lot from him, and he can put on [[GameShowAppearance one hell of a quiz show.]]
* ButThouMust: Lavie '''will''' accompany Ryan on his second trip, whether he likes it or not.:
* CasanovaWannabe: Armin. Watching his unsuccessful attempts to pick up girls is an enduring source of humour.
--> '''Armin:''' ''(suavely)'' "I've got all the time in the world for you, baby!"
--> '''Rachel:''' ''(deadpan)'' "Good. Why don't you spend it on self-improvement, or something like that?"
* CatchPhrase: Two notable ones. First, "Always do the right thing", a lesson Ryan was taught by his grandfather, and that both he and Henrik take to heart. Second, when Lavie is determined to complete a task, she says, "I, Lavie Regale, will do X, or [[{{Determinator}} die trying!]]"
* CaughtInTheRain: This happens to Ryan and Lavie just as they are wrapping things up in Glendale, forcing them to seek shelter in an inn for the night, which conveniently [[ThereIsOnlyOneBed happens to have only a single room for couples, with two beds joined together]]. WillTheyOrWontThey [[spoiler:They don't. Poor Lavie.]]
* CharacterLevel: There is a level cap of 15 for all the characters in Act I.
* CheerfulChild: Betty in Westchester exists solely to bring a smile to Lavie's (and the player's) face.
* ChickMagnet: Ryan, to some extent. Apart from Marianne and Lavie, there are several girls in Davenport - Jaina, Jessibelle, Rachel, Eliza and Sheri - who express feelings for him more or less subtly. Lavie is ''not'' amused by this. Justified, though, given both his [[{{Bishonen}} appearance]] and his [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan personality]] in the game.
--> '''Jessibelle:''' ''(admiringly)'' "Sir Cool! I hope that if I live well and try hard, I may one day have a shot at becoming the next Lady Cool!"
--> '''Ryan:''' ''(not sure where this is going)'' "Er... I guess that if you try hard, you can do anything you want to."
--> '''Jessibelle:''' [[{{Squee}} "Yay!!!!"]]
--> '''Ryan:''' ''(not realizing what's up)'' "What exactly is she asking for, I wonder?"
--> '''Lavie:''' ''(furious)'' [[DramaticEllipsis "..."]]
* ChildhoodFriends: Ryan and Lavender "Lavie" Regale, who grew up together. Lavie deeply wishes that this would grow into a ChildhoodFriendRomance, but Ryan sees them as JustFriends at best, and is often annoyed by Lavie's hinting at anything else.
* ChristianityIsCatholic: The Church of Infinity, which has its own country, is governed by a Pontiff and Archbishops, and has several missionary nuns found in different parts of the game world. Henrik, who is a member of the Church, even has a rosary - or something much like it - in his room.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Jennifer "Bubblebrain" Clarkson, complete with bizarre utterances.
--> '''Jennifer:''' ''(spaced out)'' "Doth my eyes, see the lies, as the crow flies?"
* ComingOfAgeStory: When the story begins, Ryan is unsure about his future goals; he's also a self-described agnostic, in contrast to his friend Henrik who has chosen a University life and belongs to the Church of Infinity. As the story progresses, Ryan learns several lesssons, but is [[ToBeContinued still undecided.]] More subtly, the story also touches upon Lavie's coming of age, as she learns about life and love from her grandmother.
* CoolOldLady: Lavie's grandmother, Anne Lancaster. A [[SupremeChef wonderful cook]], a friend to all the young people of Mann Island, the widow of a man from a distinguished family whose love for him [[HerHeartWillGoOn continues long after he's gone]], and a romantic advisor and confidante to a confused Lavie. Though we only meet her for a short period of time, she's easily one of the most memorable characters in the supporting cast.
--> '''Anne Lancaster:''' ''(referring to her engagement ring)'' "It didn't matter to me if the ring was made from gold, silver, or even wood. All that mattered was... I knew. I knew he was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."
--> '''Lavie:''' "Oh, that's so sweet! [[TenderTears *sniffs*]]"
* CoolSword: The protagonists encounter several in the course of the game:
** The Claymore
** The Galvenian Sabre
** The Giant Sword.
** [[spoiler:Eramond's Legacy]], which belonged to [[spoiler:Ryan's grandfather]], and which he receives [[spoiler:as a coming-of-age gift]] at the very end.
* CordonBleughChef: Ryan's mother, Sheila Eramond. She's enthusiastic and means well, but her improvisations often don't turn out the way she expects. This might explain why Ryan enjoys eating at Lavie's house so often.
* CueTheRain: This happens to Ryan, Henrik and Juno as they hunt for Kodenai, the final boss. And as the trope suggests, things go downhill from there.
* CuteClumsyGirl: Lavie, who breaks almost all her grandmother's crockery after generously offering to sweep her cottage for her.
* CuteKitten: Pookums, a fairly sensible little cat who unfortunately has a rather [[{{Kawaiiko}} silly owner.]]
* DarkerAndEdgier: The final quest, in which Ryan and Henrik are contacted by the Prime Minister of Galvenia to capture [[MayorPain Mayor Talmadge's]] aide, Kodenai, who has escaped from jail. By the end of it all, [[spoiler:Ryan has seen a man killed for the first time in his life, and his friendship with Henrik has been put under severe strain.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Henrik has his moments.
* DemocracyIsBad: According to Commissioner Jansen of the Varald Directorate.
* DisappearedDad: Armin's unnamed father left his family to fend for themselves shortly after the birth of his younger brother, claiming that he "couldn't take it."
--> '''Armin:''' ''(bitterly)'' "Hope there's a nice, warm place in hell for him."
* DistantPrologue: Nealus, the Grand Master of the Journeymen, is mentioned in the books in Sigmund Regale's library. The order of the Journeymen no longer even ''exists'' according to records. Whatever problems Samath and Kaleb have go ''way back'', [[GoneHorriblyWrong along with whatever they unleashed by opening that gate]].
* DotingParent: Ryan's mother Sheila fits this trope nicely. While she doesn't go overboard with it, she genuinely admires her son, does not try to tell him what he should or should not do, and is happy whenever she sees him, without asking embarrassing questions about where he's been.
* DownerBeginning: The game's first playable sequence has you as a pair of mages trying to battle a mysterious plague, while their relationship unravels... and then we suddenly move to the adventures of Ryan and his friends.
* DramaticEllipsis: Often used to indicate that a character is annoyed, taken aback, or just surprised.
* EasingIntoTheAdventure: After the enigmatic [[FakeOutOpening opening sequence]], Day One of the gameplay exemplifies this trope - we get to meet Ryan, his family and his friends, and explore the town he lives in.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: For Lavie, her first conversation with Ryan at the docks serves this purpose.
* EvilMinions: Kodenai starts out looking like this: he's just the sidekick to the corrupt [[MayorPain Mayor Talmadge.]] However, as the story advances, we find out that he has hidden depths, and he is actually the FinalBoss of Act I.
* ExpandedUniverse: There are a number of side-projects set in the same universe, namely:
** ''Scattered Pictures'', a webcomic made by the creator, Admiral Styles, along with artist 15385bic, which portrays a brief encounter between Ryan and Lavie on Davenport beach. Check it out [[http://antioch.snow-fall.com/law/forum/topic_show.pl?tid=12 here.]]
** ''C'est Lavie!'', a fifteen-minute short film (made in RPG Maker with voice acting) featuring an encounter between Lavie and Ryan in Davenport Park, that doesn't quite go the way she planned. Truly hilarious, though at the end we learn - to Lavie's relief - that [[spoiler:[[AllJustADream she dreamed the entire thing after eating too many pastries!]]]] It can be downloaded [[http://antioch.snow-fall.com/law/downloads/CestLavie.rar here.]]
** ''Love and 24'', a trailer based on the popular [[Series/TwentyFour television series]], but with ''Love and War'' characters in the lead roles - Ryan is Jack Bauer, for a start. Available at [[http://antioch.snow-fall.com/law/downloads/Loveand24.zip this link.]]
* FaceHeelTurn: Samath, a "Journeyman" (a highly skilled mage) who turns on his friend Kaleb, leading to both their deaths. This is alluded to in the intro, but made explicit in the books that Ryan reads later in the game.
* FakeOutOpening: Used to good effect. After an introduction about the history of Terra, you play a mysterious sequence as two Journeymen (expert mages) battling a magical sickness in a small town. The relationship of this sequence to the rest of the story is slowly revealed, but never made fully explicit, throughout the course of Act I.
* FanGirl: Ryan has more than one, to his discomfiture. First there's Cathy, who dubs him "Mr. Cool" after hearing of his adventures with the Baron Snakes, and [[GossipEvolution spreads the word around.]] Then there's Jessibelle, who re-dubs him "SIR Cool" when she hears the story. Finally, there's Lavie, who has [[ChildhoodFriends looked up to him from childhood,]] and truly wishes that [[ChildhoodFriendRomance they could be a couple]], but can laugh at herself as well.
--> '''Lavie:''' ''(light-heartedly)'' "Go Ryan! Go Ryan! You can do it, or else I'm lyin'!"
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Events in the world of Terra have many parallels with the real world, some played for laughs, some serious. Examples include a military traitor named [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution Benedict Reynold]], the battle of [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution Chespa Bay]], a Galvenian king named [[UsefulNotes/TheCrusades Richard Lionheart]], and a Church whose leader is called [[ChristianityIsCatholic Pious XXI.]]
* FetchQuest: Ryan and Lavie have to complete one in the Glendale quest. A potentially important paper has flown out of the Mayor's house, but the boy who found it refuses to give it to them, unless they give him a pet frog in exchange. Off goes the pair to Blackwater Park to find the frog.
* FighterMageThief: Played with. Ryan is clearly a Fighter, and Armin is a Thief, who even has a "Steal" move. Henrik has the fighting style of a Fighter, but the personality of a Mage, and is the only one of the three with religious / spiritual beliefs.
* FlamingSword: A minor example: when visiting the Military Academy, Ryan sees a sword used by the Galvenia Rough Riders which bursts into flame when it's used in combat, and wishes ''his'' sword could do that.
* FollowInMyFootsteps: Slightly annoyed by Ryan's indecisiveness about his future, his father Theodore talks him into doing this, by helping him in his package delivery business. This serves as an unintentional trigger for most of the future events in Part I.
* GameShowAppearance: ''Who Wants To Be A Level Ten Archer'', a contest that Lavie has to pass to achieve the prized top rank at the Archery Academy.
* UsefulNotes/TheGestapo: The [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny Varald Directorate]] has a SecretPolice called the ''Geheimpol''. (This is actually a [[BilingualBonus clever modification of the actual German]]; "Gestapo" is a portmanteau of "Geheime Staatspolizei", or Secret State Police, while "Geheimpol" would just mean "Secret Police".)
* GenkiGirl: Betty Taylor, whose mother outright states that keeping up with her is difficult. Lavie is a grown-up version.
-->'''Betty:''' ''(beaming)'' "I'm going to pway awl day!"
* GirlNextDoor: Lavie. Though Ryan would beg to differ, his dad sums up the general sentiment near the end of the game: "She's a perfectly sweet, innocent, lovely young lady".
* GirlsLoveStuffedAnimals: Though she's finished high school, Lavie has an inseparable companion of the teddy bear variety, imaginatively named "Mr. Bear". Part of the reason for this is that Ryan won it at a shooting contest, and gave it to her, when she was about eleven.
* GoodMorningCrono: A variation on the theme. After the intro sequence, Ryan wakes up on his own, but his mum greets him with ''"Ryan! Good morning, Ryan!"''
* GoodParents: Ryan's parents, Theodore and Sheila Eramond. Lavie's mother, Emily Regale. And then there's Armin's mother, Melody Tamas, who raises two children as a single parent, and - we later learn - actually eats less to make sure her two boys have enough, as she has financial troubles.
* GossipEvolution: Ryan, Henrik and Armin save the town of Trinden from an invasion of Baron Snakes. By the time Cathy spreads the word around, it sounds more like Ryan has singlehandedly saved the whole of Galvenia from evil Snake Demons. He is ''not'' amused.
--> '''Lavie:''' ''(jokingly)'' "With a slash of his sword and a flash of the muzzle of his gun, Ryan despatched Glanindor, the evil Snake Caliph who planned to take over Galvenia!"
--> '''Ryan:''' ''(to himself)'' "Aaaaaargh!! Damn you all to the bowels of bloody hell!!"
* GrannyClassic: Lavie's grandmother, Anne Lancaster.
* HeroesPreferSwords: So says Colonel Whitworth, and he will willingly demonstrate it to you. Sort of averted with Ryan, who is proficient both with a sword and with firearms.
* HeroicBastard, TheWisePrince and TheGoodKing: Lord Geraud Valtemond. He's the illegitimate son of the Zion Empress and the Director of the Varald Directorate. Initially, he is viewed as a symbol of the failure of these two countries to unite. However, when he grows up and becomes Crown Prince, he begins calling the leaders of all five nations to unite, and as Emperor, he continues to work until this unity has been achieved in the Commonwealth. Ryan considers him a personal hero.
* HeroicBSOD: Ryan has a mild bout of this after seeing [[spoiler:Juno kill Kodenai]] in front of him, and believing that [[spoiler:Henrik]] has betrayed him without a reason.
* HiddenDepths: Kodenai. The first time we meet him, he's just the Mayor's sidekick. But it soon becomes evident that he's the brainier of the two - he is deeply involved in some sort of conspiracy, and we never truly learn what it is at the close of Act I.
* HopelessBossFight: Juno's fight with Lugner, who [[CurbStompBattle cleans his clock spectacularly.]] Juno's normally devastating attacks only deal 1 or 2 points of damage, and one whack from Lugner [[OneHitKill takes almost all his HP away.]]
* IHaveToWashMyHair: Lavie uses this excuse, word for word, when repelling the ham-fisted and [[AbhorrentAdmirer unwanted]] advances of Sheri's boyfriend Greg. When Greg tries to [[LampshadeHanging get trope-savvy]] by suggesting that they meet up the next day, Lavie comes up with: "My hair needs a lot of attention!" This is actually justified, in that Lavie canonically has quite a lot of hair.
* ISurrenderSuckers: According to Henrik, this was what Kodenai was trying to do after his defeat in battle. [[spoiler:To elaborate: after being apprehended and defeated by Ryan, Henrik and Juno, he says "I surrender", but then appears to be reaching for knives at his back to attack Ryan. Or is he? We'll never know, because Juno kills him for unclear reasons before he can actually do anything.]]
* InnocentBlueEyes: Ryan, the innocent hero.
* {{Iyashikei}}: The entire Lavie quest, especially the time she spends with her grandmother, would count as a shining example.
* JustFollowingOrders: When he's caught by them, Kodenai defends his actions to Ryan, Henrik and Juno by stating that he was just obeying his superior. [[spoiler:It's left unclear ''who'' exactly the superior being referred to was, though.]]
* {{Kawaiiko}}: Sheri, a girl around Ryan's age, who dresses like a younger child, wears pigtails, and uses [[BabyTalk unbearably cutesy-pie talk]] to her pet kitten.
* LethalChef: Lavie, but [[BerserkButton no one can tell her that]], except Ryan.
* LevelGrinding: Averted, in that there's a level cap in this episode, and that there are ample opportunities to level up. However, you do need to do a bit of this before fighting [[ThatOneBoss the Gorn Jabola]] in Alton, or it will [[HopelessBossFight make mincemeat out of you.]]
* LighterAndSofter: After quests that involve fighting off giant reptiles, a NobleBirdOfPrey and [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent a mysterious beast]], and putting [[MayorPain a corrupt mayor]] in jail, the game takes a lighter turn when you play as Lavender Regale. This is essentially a CharacterDevelopment sequence for Lavie subtly cloaked in challenging but non-violent tasks, such as a [[GameShowAppearance quiz show]] and a treasure hunt.
* LoveHurts: Ryan has just broken up with his girlfriend, [[FirstLove Marianne]], after walking in on her kissing another boy, and he can't quite get over it yet. Lavie is in love with Ryan, but for obvious reasons, it remains unrequited as of Act I.
* LoveableRogue: Armin, whom Ryan describes as "loose on the whole 'morals' thing" - and who even has a "Steal" move - but is likeable and a loyal friend nonetheless.
* LuminescentBlush: Lavie on a few occasions, particularly when dealing with her feelings for Ryan, or when her grandmother has a chat with her about finding one's true love.
* MakeUpOrBreakUp: Halfway through Act I, Marianne asks Ryan to meet her one last time, and asks him to forgive her. He can't make his mind up, though.
* MagicalGirl: There's a ShoutOut to the genre when the Three Compadres visit the Museum of Science and Lore in Lorean, a museum dedicated to both science and magic. The second floor has a ''mahou shojo'' (that is, ''[[IncrediblyLamePun magical girl]]'') exhibit, but it's currently closed, prompting this response from [[CasanovaWannabe Armin]]:
--> '''Armin:''' "Isn't that the way it always is? You get in the mood to see some ''mahou shojo'', and they let you down!"
* MayorPain: Samuel Talmadge, mayor of Glendale. He is involved in various shady activities, including theft and [[spoiler:treason]], and Ryan and Lavie help put him behind bars in the game's second quest.
* MeaningfulName: Galvenia's Prime Minister, Martell ''Socius'', who is a liberal of the "social-democratic" variety. A subtler example is Lavender Regale: her first name brings to mind flowers, romance and femininity, while her surname reminds you that she's from a wealthy family.
* {{Meido}}: Carmen, the Regales' housekeeper, is a grown-up example, at least in terms of her outfit. Played with in the case of Marianne, who's a ''barmaid'', and wears a rather fanservicey apron.
* MenDontCry: Ryan was taught this by his grandfather, and he hasn't yet, as of Act I.
* MinionWithAnFInEvil: A mysterious, recurring character named Lugner has two ninja sidekicks named Kin and Kun who can best be described as this.
* MissingMom: Henrik's mother, Barbara Spenson, whom he was very close to, died when he was about fourteen.
--> '''Henrik:''' ''(sadly)'' "When she took ill and died, I didn't think I could go on..."
* MsFanservice: Marianne in the original game, if we go by the photo of her and Ryan at the fair. Lavie Regale in the webcomic, ''Love And War: Scattered Pictures''. Pictorial proof [[http://antioch.snow-fall.com/law/misc/sp/LAWsp03-4.jpg here.]]
* MysteriousPast: Juno, a classmate of Ryan's who is spoiling for a fight with him. Unlike the other characters, we learn very little about his family or his motivations for this.
* NobleBirdOfPrey: The Crowled Eagle, which attacks the Three Compadres several times as they investigate the ruined fort of Ozunhold.
* NoobCave: Baron Snake Cave is debatably the first real dungeon of the game. Subverted by Davenport Woods as being the first area with monsters, but not really qualifying as a real dungeon.
* NonstandardGameOver: If Ryan loses to Juno at the dueling hall, [[spoiler:the player is treated to a scene where Juno takes the opportunity to unleash his vengeance on Ryan by fatally stabbing him while Lavie and Whitworth watch in shock and disbelief]].
* NoGuyWantsToBeChased: This is one likely explanation for why Ryan stonewalls Lavie's increasingly obvious attempts at getting closer to him.
* NotSoOmniscientCouncilOfBickering: Over the course of the story, we see that the Commonwealth has largely become this.
* NuclearFamily: The ''status quo'' in Ryan's town of Davenport, except that the families of the playable characters (Ryan, Henrik, Lavie, and presumably Juno) have only one child. Armin is the exception, as he has a younger brother, Shirvin.
* NunsAreFunny: Sister Miriam has her moments, particularly when Lavie finds her having a quiet drink.
* OhCrap: Armin's reaction when he realizes that he's just insulted [[LethalChef Lavie's cooking]], and that she is [[BerserkButton out for blood.]]
* OldMaster: Colonel Whitworth.
* PassedOverInheritance: In terms of cooking genes, Lavie is a LethalChef, but both her mother and grandmother are great cooks. In terms of sword skills, Ryan seems to be shaping up to follow in his grandfather's footsteps, but his father Theodore failed to make it into the army.
* PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny: The Varald Directorate.
* PluckyGirl: You can't keep Lavie down! Solving a crime, exploring a creepy swamp (though she's scared to death), helping Theodore Eramond deliver parcels, becoming a Level Ten archer - by the end of Act I, she has accomplished a lot through sheer force of spirit.
* PowerTrio: The Three Compadres - Ryan, Henrik and Armin. They can also be viewed as a FreudianTrio: Ryan (ego), Henrik (superego) and Armin (id).
* PurpleProse: Hilariously parodied in ''Farewell, My Summer'', a romance novel that Lavie finds (and enjoys) in her grandmother's house.
* RealMenLoveJesus: Henrik. He's the most gifted of the trio, and has the most hit points, but he's a devout member of the Church of Infinity, and wouldn't mind living in Itaria.
* RecurringExtra: A muscular, silent man whom Ryan encounters in various parts of the game world, and who has a single line: "Arr. I be a ... (insert noun) lifter". This quickly becomes a RunningGag.
* RelationshipValues: The way Ryan chooses to behave towards other characters - particularly the two female leads, Lavie and Marianne - can have consequences both in this and in future episodes.
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: One of Ryan's missions involves saving a town from an invasion of Baron Snakes, along with his comrades. Later, while trying to put [[MayorPain Mayor Talmadge]] behind bars, he and Lavie have to fight a Crocogator, a giant lizard.
* RhythmGame: A mini-game in Lavie's quest involves her having to copy the moves of the Mau, a mischievous woodland creature, in order to get back something that it stole.
* RuinsForRuinsSake: Ozunhold, a ruined fortress of unknown past significance, which the Three Compadres can choose to investigate as an optional quest.
* RussianReversal: Apparently the [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny Varald Directorate]] is based on the Soviet Union in more than one way - in one of the game's libraries, Ryan finds a book by "Yakoly Smirnikol" entitled [[ShoutOut "In Varald Directorate, Ministry Owns You!"]]
* ScriptedBattle: Ryan and Juno's duel plays out this way: though it's interactive, it's laced with enigmatic bits of dialogue from Juno, and particular events (such as being poisoned) occur as per the script. Later, the boss fights with the Gorn Jabola, Crowled Eagle and Kodenai all have scripted elements, though they're not fully scripted.
* SecurityCling: Lavie does this to Ryan in Blackwater Park, when she's frightened by an owl hooting.
* ShipperOnDeck: Lavie's friend Cathy ships Ryan x Lavie, much to his annoyance. Later on, it seems like Theodore Eramond is also doing a bit of match-making for his son: he appoints Lavie as Ryan's deputy on their errands, and buys them tickets on a ship (as part of another errand) - on which they will have to share a room. Finally, if Ryan talks to Lavie's parents before the ending (when they're going on the cruise together), both of them (and Carmen, the Regales' housekeeper) ''all'' drop not-so-subtle hints that they'd be happy if Ryan and Lavie got together.
--> ''(Cathy meets Ryan and Lavie going out on their first errand..)''
--> '''Cathy:''' ''(brightly)'' "Why, Ry-an! And Lavie! Together! Could this be a D-A-T-E?"
--> (later, when Ryan learns that he and Lavie will be travelling together..)
--> '''Ryan:''' ''(irritated)'' "But she's so ''annoying''..."
--> '''Theodore:''' "Nonsense! She's a [[GirlNextDoor perfectly sweet, innocent, lovely young lady]], and you, mister, need to get your head out of the clouds!"
* ShoutOut: Several, often in unexpected places. Some of the allusions to real-world historical people and events are covered in FantasyCounterpartCulture, above. For other references, see below...
** Ryan has a lot in common with Ryle Laster, the protagonist of VideoGame/RomancingWalker. They're both [[{{Bishonen}} dark-haired, handsome young men]] who are accidentally drawn into larger conflicts in their respective worlds, and who have the chance to develop relationships with a variety of young women. (Ryle has a ''lot'' more women to choose from than Ryan, though.)
** Ryan's mother's first words to him: [[GoodMorningCrono "Ryan! Good morning, Ryan!"]]
** [[Music/MichaelJackson The late King of Pop]] gets a couple. First, one of the villagers in Hartridge quotes the Vincent Price monologue from ''Thriller''. Second, in one of the libraries, Ryan finds a book entitled "It's BAD, it's BAD, and you know it" by "Jichael Mackson".
** Gerald Lancaster's love poem to Anne, in Lavie's quest, ends with a neat allusion to the wedding custom of "something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue."
** One of the books that Ryan finds in his adventures alludes to RussianReversal, apparently current in the Varald Directorate.
** UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan gets a humorous mention, listed above.
** Ryan refers to Shakespeare's plays a couple of times when he and Lavie are on their quest at Glendale.
--> '''Ryan:''' "Okay, lay on, Macduff."
--> '''Lavie:''' ''(puzzled)'' "Huh?"
--> ''(later, in the inn at Glendale)''
--> '''Ryan:''' ''(dramatically, looking at some corn)'' "Friends! Galvenians! Fellow Terrans! [[{{Pun}} Lend me your ears]]!"
--> '''Lavie:''' ''(smiling)'' "That's a terribly corny thing to say, Ryan!"
** In the same scene at the inn, Ryan and Lavie continue the laughs when looking at the food on the table:
--> '''Ryan:''' "Red, red wine." [[spoiler:(a song made popular by the reggae band Music/UB40.)]]
--> '''Lavie:''' "Yes, but we have no bananas." [[spoiler:(a famous novelty song from a 1920s Broadway revue.)]]
** A couple of books in the Military Academy at Lorean are by an author named Creator/CormacMcCarthy, and "Cormac [=McCarthy=] Jr.", respectively.
** The [[GameShowAppearance quiz show]] that Lavie takes part in is an obvious nod to ''Who Wants To Be A Millionaire''.
** When Ryan and Lavie have finished the Glendale quest and move on to Lorean to deliver the [[ChekhovsGift necklace]] to the Royal Palace, a random guy tries a lame pick-up line on her, triggering this exchange:
--> '''Lavie:''' ''(annoyed)'' "Drop dead, jerk."
--> ''(cue guy slinking away..)''
--> '''Ryan:''' ''(amused)'' "Wow! [[Music/BonJovi Shot through the heart, and Lavie's to blame!]]"
** As mentioned earlier, the Museum of Science and Lore in Lorean has a [[MagicalGirl "Mahou Shoujo"]] exhibit, though it's closed when our heroes visit it.
** Early on in Lavie and Ryan's quest, [[AllPsychologyIsFreudian Sigmund Freud]] gets a shout-out when Ryan jokingly describes a character as "acting on repressed Oedipal urges." Lavie finds this rather amusing, and awards "Professor Eramond" a "fistful of air" as a reward for his brilliant deduction.
** In the Ozunhold quest, after the Three Compadres first encounter the [[NobleBirdOfPrey Crowled Eagle]], Armin says - sarcastically - "How sweet it is..." This happens to be one of the catchphrases of Rhue, the protagonist of another classic RPG Maker game, VideoGame/TheWayRPGMaker.
** VideoGame/TheWayRPGMaker also makes several other appearances. One of the wanted posters in the Glendale police station is for a criminal whose name is an anagram of Lun Calsari, creator of ''The Way''. A book in the Alton library has an author whose name sounds suspiciously close to Lun's. And in Gerald Lancaster's love poem, he writes, "I must find The Way", with the capitalization being a clue that it's a ShoutOut.
** ''Love and 24'' also has two references to VideoGame/TheWayRPGMaker. First, in the opening scene where Ryan is on trial, one of the jury members is Alanthreonus, who acts as a lawyer for ''The Way'''s protagonist in its final episode. Later, there's a scene where Ryan has an assistant named Kloe - a double reference to both the ''24'' character Chloe O'Brien, and Kloe, a [[ActionGirl memorable character]] from ''The Way''.
** VideoGame/ABlurredLine also gets a shout-out in the Glendale police station; a wanted poster says "Wanted dead or alive, preferably alive, Lye Sander". This is a reference to the game's creator, Lysander86, as well as to the fact that VideoGame/ABlurredLine remains incomplete to this day.
** A young mother and her daughter in Westchester, who are friends of Lavie's, are named [[ComicBook/ArchieComics Veronica and Betty Taylor.]]
** Several of the items in Ryan's room, and early on in Davenport, are allusions to the fan community of ''The Antioch Chronicles,'' a fan-made ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' campaign that attracted quite a following in the early 2000s--including the game's author, Admiral Styles.
* SleazyPolitician: Junzio Koketsu, the Imperial President-Elect of the Commonwealth. [[spoiler:He is assassinated in mysterious circumstances before he can assume office, though.]]
* SleepingSingle: [[spoiler:Lavie's parents, Sigmund and Emily Regale. This may be related to Sigmund's apparent problems with alcohol, or to a family fight - which we learn about later - that resulted in Emily's mother, Grandma Lancaster, leaving their home.]]
* SlidingScaleOfLibertarianismAndAuthoritarianism: The nations of Terra provide good examples. At the libertarian end, we have the Republic of Fulton, which has no federal government, and in which businesses are minimally regulated. At the authoritarian end, we have an Empire (the Zion Empire), a parliamentary monarchy currently ruled by a "big-government liberal" party (Galvenia), and a PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny (the Varald Directorate). The remaining nation, Itaria, is a theocracy governed by the Pontiff, similar to the real-world Vatican but larger. The Three Compadres also illustrate facets of this in their political views: Armin is a libertarian who believes in "less government" and private enterprise, Henrik believes that "big government" is a good thing (and is a fan of Galvenia's Prime Minister, Martell Socius), and Ryan is a centrist.
* SpeechImpediment. Little Betty Taylor at Westchester is determined to "dwink her milk", and thinks that it's "cwathy" that anyone could ever be prettier than her CoolBigSis, Lavie. And having said that, she's going to pway all day! It's done to add to the cuteness of the character.
* SoProudOfYou: Ryan's mother says this to him on more than one occasion.
* SupremeChef: Both Lavie's grandmother, Anne Lancaster, and her mother, Emily Regale, are renowned for their culinary skills. Jaina Vellin, one of Ryan's classmates, is also described by him as a good cook.
* SwordFight: This technically happens between Ryan and Juno, but it's represented through the game's battle system.
* TheBartender: Henry Vellin, at the Queen's Head in Davenport, is a sympathetic version, and admires teenagers such as Ryan, who are determined to start drinking only when it's legal (19 in Galvenia.)
* TheFirstCutIsTheDeepest: Ryan, after the shock of finding out that Marianne wasn't faithful to him.
* TheFourLoves: As befits the title, we get examples of all four throughout the game:
** '''Storge''': Several, particularly: Ryan and his parents, Lavie and her grandmother, Armin's mother and her sons
** '''Phileo''': The Three Compadres.
** '''Eros''': Ryan and Marianne, at least before they broke up. Lavie's feelings for Ryan also count.
** '''Agape''': There are several striking retrospective examples, which we learn about in Act I through cutscenes and books: Kaleb, the Journeyman who sacrifices his life to destroy a demon plaguing a town; Lord Geraud Valtemond, who tirelessly fought for peace and helped found the Commonwealth; and from a Galvenian point of view, King Richard Lionheart, his son Prince Derren, and Lady Penelope, all instrumental in gaining their country's independence. Some of Ryan and Henrik's actions - such as helping Ellesimar find his dog, or agreeing to help the Galvenian Government - can also be included.
* ThereIsOnlyOneBed: Well, two beds joined together, actually. This happens to Ryan and Lavie when they are caught in the rain at Glendale. Ryan solves the problem by [[spoiler:sleeping on the couch]], which is ''not'' what Lavie was hoping for.
* TheQuisling: Samuel Talmadge and Kodenai, though in the latter case, things may not be as simple - and we do not know ''whom'' they are betraying Galvenia to.
* TheyCallMeMisterTibbs: Juno will not allow anyone to use his first name, except Henrik - and even then, not if Armin and Ryan are present.
* TreasureMap: There's a non-piratical example in Lavie's quest: she has to find a time capsule that her grandparents buried long ago, using a love poem written by her grandfather to her grandmother - which doubles as a map.
* TreeCover: Lavie makes use of this to listen to Ryan and Marianne's conversation in Davenport Park.
* {{Tsundere}}: Lavie is a classic example, in the "Type B" ''(dere)'' category. Eliza Shropshire, the bikini-clad newspaper girl on Davenport Beach, also counts, if her explosive reaction to finding out that Ryan has another job is any measure.
--> '''(in ''tsuntsun'' mode)'''
--> '''Lavie:''' ''(annoyed that Ryan doesn't treasure their childhood friendship)'' "Ryan Eramond, I...HATE...YOU!"
--> ''(a little later..)''
--> '''Lavie:''' ''(remorseful)'' "Ryan...I don't really hate you... I hope you realize that.."
--> '''(and in ''deredere'' mode, when she and Ryan are on their first errand)'''
--> '''Lavie:''' ''(smiling)'' "You want to get me alone in the woods, don't you?"
* VerbalTic: Colonel Whitworth tends to end his sentences with "what what?"
* VideoGameCaringPotential: During a sidequest, you choose to pay an old veteran's taxes for him.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Henrik and Armin. They are polar opposites, and Ryan often has to break up their arguments, but when it comes to the crunch, they genuinely care for each other.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: Juno, at least whenever he explodes into battle.
* WarIsHell: The intro sequence, which depicts Terra as permanently wracked by one war after another, decimating the populace, and ruining the land.
* WelcomeToCorneria: Magnificently averted. Even the most trivial of characters generally has something interesting, funny or informative to say. Even a random passer-by may point you towards a side-quest, give you some backstory, or serve to develop the playable characters further.
* YouMeddlingKids: Uttered by Mayor Talmadge when he gets caught.

!! Tropes used in the Part II demo of Love and War are listed below. Beware of spoilers!
* ActorSharedBackground: [invoked] Princess Carranya plays her own ancestress, Lady Penelope, in a play about the Galvenian War of Independence.
* ActualPacifist: Princess Carranya, which is why she [[spoiler:stows away on the HMS Paradiso to meet the Zion Emperor]] to prevent a potential war involving Galvenia and Zion on one side, and the Varald Directorate on the other.
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Rinoa's brother, if we go by what she says. He is mostly seen accompanying his parents to various parts of the ship, and grumbling that he didn't get to go swimming.
* BadassBoast: When Captain Blackheart captures Carranya, right at the end, Ryan has this to say. What makes it more awesome is that he lives up to his boast:
--> '''Ryan:''' ''(bravely)'' "If you hurt her, you're a dead man, Blackheart! A DEAD MAN!!!"
* BeneathTheMask: Behind the [[PrincessClassic refined accent and polished manners]], Princess Carranya is just a regular girl of nineteen who just wishes that [[LonelyRichKid her father would show more affection to her]], and that she [[IJustWantToBeNormal could do the things that other girls her age do.]] The mask slips, slowly, as she and Ryan get to know each other.
* [[NamesToRunAwayFrom/BiblicalNames Biblical Names]]: The Zion Empire, which, amusingly enough, has a border town named Issachar. ("Zion" is another name for Jerusalem in the Bible, and Issachar is one of Jacob and Leah's sons.)
* BoardingParty: At the climax of the episode, the HMS Paradiso is invaded by pirates, commanded by the ruthless Captain Blackheart.
* BoomHeadshot: At the very end of the demo, Ryan [[spoiler:kills Captain Blackheart in this way, saving Princess Carranya's life.]]
* BoyfriendBluff: Ryan saves Carranya from [[spoiler:being arrested for travelling as a stowaway, without a valid ticket]] by telling the guard that they're engaged, and giving her a spare ticket he happened to have. This leads to a series of sequences that are alternately sweet, funny or both.
* BreakingSpeech: There's a classic moment right at the end of the story, where Captain Blackheart grabs hold of Carranya, tells Ryan to drop his gun if he wants to save her, and taunts him saying that "he's not really a killer". Ryan's response? [[ShutUpHannibal A huge Tommy gun blast]] [[BoomHeadshot to Blackheart's head]], followed by his comforting a terrified Carranya as [[ToBeContinued the episode ends.]]
* ChekhovsGift: In Act I, Ryan is given a gem that has accidentally come off a necklace he was supposed to deliver; he thinks it's nice, but little else is said about it. However, in Act II, Ryan has the choice of giving the gem to Princess Carranya, who owns the necklace, and making sure that, even away from home, she has a [[Heartwarming/LoveAndWar memorable nineteenth birthday.]]
--> '''Ryan:''' "Why don't I say something silly here, like [[WhenSheSmiles 'Smile for me, Carranya. Just smile!']]"
--> ''(Cue a [[LuminescentBlush beaming and blushing]] Princess.)''
* ComingOfAgeStory: If the first act was this for Ryan, this episode not only continues his character development, but serves as this for Princess Carranya, who faces the world outside the Palace for the first time in her young life.
* CosmeticCatastrophe: A fellow passenger whom Ryan meets briefly on board the ship has one - her hair is unnaturally spiky, thanks to a "tragic superglue accident".
* ConvenientSlowDance: Ryan and Carranya share one in the discotheque of the HMS Paradiso.
* CrashIntoHello: This is how Ryan and Princess Carranya meet - she's fleeing from the laundry room, where she's been [[spoiler:hiding as a stowaway]], and they literally knock each other down by accident.
--> '''Ryan:''' ''(surprised)'' "Excuse me...!"
--> '''Carranya:''' ''(contrite)'' "Pardon me...!"
--> '''Ryan:''' "...Miss!"
--> '''Carranya:''' "...Sir!"
* DirtyCoward: Admiral Eldon of the Zion Navy, who hides behind his poor ''wife'' when the pirates attack, then tries to cut a deal with them. [[spoiler:Captain Blackheart responds by chucking him into the sea.]]
* DistractedByTheSexy: In the play, Lady Penelope distracts the guards at the entrance to the Viceroy's house with [[spoiler:an impromptu striptease down to her petticoat.]] Prince Derren is at once outraged and fascinated, so much that he misses his cue to run in and knock them out.
* EverythingsSparklyWithJewelry: Princess Carranya carries her precious necklace - a birthday gift from the Varald Directorate - with her, even though she's trying to hide her identity. This turns out to be a clue that helps Ryan find out who she really is.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler:Prince Wilhelm.]]
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Continues from Act I. The ruling dynasty of the Zion Empire is called the [[UsefulNotes/FirstWorldWar Hohenzollern Dynasty]], and its current rulers are Emperor ''Charlemagne'' and Prince ''Wilhelm''.
* FirstKiss: Derren and Penelope in the play. It's quite possibly Carranya's first kiss, too. Ryan, on the other hand, has canonically had his first kisses with Marianne shortly before the events of Act I begin.
* ForcefulKiss: Lady Penelope gives one to Prince Derren in Act II of the play. What makes this amusing is that these characters are being played by Princess Carranya and Ryan, and Ryan has no clue whether this was really in the script or not. Carranya seems to have enjoyed it, though, if we go by a later conversation they have.
* ForTheEvulz: Captain Blackheart. He even tells his men that he enjoyed killing passengers so much, that he would have done it even if he wasn't getting paid.
* FunWithAcronyms: After acting in the play, Ryan gets a Royal Actors' Guild card from Tremfein, the director, leading to the following exchange:
--> '''Tremfein:''' "It means you're a certified member of the Arlia Association of Actors And Actresses!"
--> '''Ryan:''' "Ah, yes, the good old 'AAOAAA'."
--> '''Tremfein:''' "No, dear boy, the 'O' is silent!"
* GenkiGirl: In the aptly-named ''Happy Happy Fun Fun Teahouse'', Ryan encounters a [[GratuitousJapanese Fangirl Japanese]]-spouting woman named Miki who embodies this trope.
* GildedCage: Princess Carranya tells Ryan that her childhood was like this.
--> '''Carranya:''' ''(wistfully)'' "Everything I wanted was mine, except... to just play outside."
--> '''Ryan:''' ''(reflective)'' "Sometimes the simplest things are the ones that make us happy."
* GorgeousPeriodDress: Carranya (as Lady Penelope) and Rin (as Princess Amanda) both get to wear them in Tremfein's play.
* GratuitousDiscoSequence: The HMS Paradiso has a [[{{Disco}} discotheque in the classic mould]], headed by the appropriately-named Beatmaster Donald James. On Day 3, Ryan and Carranya share a [[ConvenientSlowDance memorable moment]] here.
-->'''DJ:''' I'm Beatmaster Donald James, and people call me DJ DJ!
* IdenticalStranger: Ryan, who has accidentally left Lavie behind at the end of Act I, and is travelling on board the HMS Paradiso alone, gets a shock when he bumps into a girl who looks exactly like her, and thinks that Lavie made it on board somehow. She turns out to be an unrelated tourist named Rinoa, and they end up being friends and acting in a play together.
* IJustWantToHaveFriends: Carranya tells Ryan that being the Crown Princess makes it nearly impossible for her to have any, except her parents.
* InnocentInnuendo: Lady Penelope, though she catches herself.
--> '''Penelope:''' If we don't stay together, it'll arouse... I mean, people will get suspicious!
* IntentionalEngrishForFunny: Used in the [[ShowWithinAShow play-within-a-play]], in which two guards named ''Biribob'' and ''Joeyjiro'' appear for laughs. These are, of course, {{Engrish}} transliterations of "Billy Bob" and "George".
* IrrelevantSidequest: On day one aboard the Paradiso, Ryan has the option of choosing to jump through hoops and using every bit of his persuasive skills in order to get a jar of marmalade for a fellow passenger he's just met. He does get a [[{{BFG}} cool Tommy gun]] for his pains, though.
* {{Iyashikei}}: The vast majority of this episode plays like this; it's a gentle, heartwarming story of the brief encounter between Ryan and Princess Carranya. This [[MoodWhiplash goes out of the window once Captain Blackheart and his men attack the ship.]]
* LargeHam: Lanat, an actor whom Ryan meets on board ship, who travels the world searching for the "perfect gig".
* LuminescentBlush: As befits her rank and standing, Carranya often does this quite becomingly.
* MatchMakerQuest: Ryan gets a minor one on Day One aboard the Paradiso, when he has to help a squabbling couple get back together. The irony of doing this when [[LoveHurts his own love life is in a shambles]] is not lost on him, especially when he sees them being SickeninglySweethearts soon after.
* MeanCharacterNiceActor: The actor playing Prince Johan, the villain of the play, is a timid man who worries whether he'll [[BecomingTheMask start acting evil in real life.]] Rinoa, though she plays a villain and traitor who forms an alliance with Johan, is just a regular teenage girl who's rather amused by the whole experience. And Ryan, though he's the hero, is quite clueless (at times hurtfully so) towards Lady Penelope, though in real life, he is kindness itself to Carranya.
* Music/MichaelJackson: Two of his classic songs - ''Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough'' and ''Liberian Girl'' - are featured in the discotheque of the HMS Paradiso.
* MistakenAge: Ryan mistakenly assumes that Carranya's in her twenties when they have a chat in the Calypso Bar; it's actually her nineteenth birthday.
-->'''Carranya:''' ''(annoyed)'' "I look '''that''' old?"\\
'''Ryan:''' ''(apologetic)'' "Er....Not at all! I just remembered reading that somewhere, I think..."
* MoodWhiplash: Day 3's gameplay alternates between comedic sequences, especially in the play, and tender moments in which Carranya and Ryan get to know each other. Then Blackheart's Cutthroats attack the ship, and all hell breaks loose.
* MrFanservice: Parodied with Joakim, an unseen character who's handsome, wealthy, and famous for writing depressing love poems. We only learn about him from the [[FanGirl adoring hordes of mainly female fans]] who are willing to wait in line for over a day to see him.
* ObiWanMoment: [[spoiler:Colonel Whitworth's]] death.
* ObliviousToLove: Prince Derren Lionheart, in the play. For example, when Lady Penelope coyly tells him that she loves a man "from the House of Lionheart", this is what ''he'' thinks:
--> '''Prince Derren:''' ''(shocked)'' [[{{Squick}} "Lady Penelope, that's....that's sick!"]]\\
'''Lady Penelope:''' ''(taken aback)'' "What?"\\
'''Prince Derren:''' "My father is, like, four times older than you! Trust me, becoming Queen like that is not something that you want to..."
--> ''(Lady Penelope bursts into tears.)''
* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: The HMS Paradiso's touring theatrical troupe has a comical example - an actor named Wolfman, who wears his wolf mask ''all the time''.
* OverlyLongName: Princess Carranya Gerius Elizabeth Alexandra Lionheart. Justified in that royalty tend to have such names, and that "Gerius" and "Lionheart" are the names of her ancestral noble houses in Galvenia.
* PimpedOutDress: Lady Penelope's costume, in the [[ShowWithinAShow play within a play]] about the Galvenian Revolution.
* PluckyGirl: Lady Penelope in the play - her courage proves vital to saving Galvenia in the end, even if things don't quite go the way she expected. Princess Carranya also turns out to be one, once she gets into battle mode.
* PrincessClassic: Princess Carranya, heiress to the throne of Galvenia, whom Ryan [[CrashIntoHello bumps into]], [[BoyfriendBluff befriends]], and helps out of more than one tight spot. At one point, Ryan suggests that she might have a [[RebelliousPrincess rebellious streak]] in her, but by and large, she fits the Classic mould.
* PrincessesPreferPink: Though she's travelling incognito, Carranya jumps at the chance to wear a [[PimpedOutDress noblewoman's pink "period" gown]] when acting in a play. She also openly refers to it as her favourite colour at one point.
* RelationshipValues: Ryan can choose to behave kindly, awkwardly or even romantically towards Carranya, and this affects the responses he gets from her. [[SaveThePrincess Saving her life]] isn't optional, though.
* ReligionIsMagic: Princess Carranya's powers in battle seem to work this way: she prays to the Deity, allowing her to use light-based attacks.
* RichBitch: Duchess Faye, who mistakes Carranya for a commoner, annoying her. [[spoiler:She tragically loses her son - and her own life - during the pirate attack.]]
* ScrewDestiny: Though done gently, Ryan does make it clear to Carranya that not everything in life is predestined.
* SeriousBusiness: Ryan convinces one of the restaurants that he cannot live without his daily marmalade. For that matter, the entire sidequest is treated as far less irrelevant than it should be.
* SignificantGreenEyedRedhead: Princess Carranya falls into the "good" variety of this trope - passionate, yet sensible. However, she also has a well-concealed ''joie de vivre'', leading to a good laugh when she decides to kick her heels up a bit.
-->'''Ryan:''' ''(bemused)'' "I thought Princesses were supposed to be quiet, and shy, and demure..."
-->'''Carranya:''' ''(amused)'' "I am all those things. It's just that I feel a little different today."
* ShipTease: Ryan and Princess Carranya, who manage to share a slow dance, confide in each other, act in a play together, and even share a ForcefulKiss. Of course, Ryan has other women waiting for him at home ([[FirstLove Marianne]] and [[{{Tsundere}} Lavie]]), and Carranya is the heiress to the Galvenian throne, so it's hard to call it more than a tease at this point.
* ShoutOut: As in Act I, there are quite a few of these..
** Rinoa may be named after a main character in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII''. She [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this by saying that only her parents call her that, when they're mad at her, and she prefers to go by "Rin".
** Lanat, the actor, is a tribute to Talan, the protagonist of the RPG Maker classic ''VideoGame/ABlurredLine'': they share the same sprite, and Lanat is an anagram of Talan. This explains why Ryan does a double-take on hearing his name.
** The Music/MichaelJackson allusions become more obvious, as we get to hear two of his songs in the discotheque.
** Though this isn't done too obviously, Ryan and Carranya's relationship brings ''Film/{{Titanic 1997}}'' to mind. More overtly, an elderly female passenger on the lower decks worries about the Paradiso colliding with an iceberg after the first day.
** The ShowWithinAShow starring Ryan, Carranya and Rinoa is a nod to ''VideoGame/TheWay'', in which the protagonist and two of his allies also perform in a grand stage production.
** Two minor characters, the obnoxious Duke Browne and Duchess Faye, are references to characters from another classic RPG Maker game, ''VideoGame/ThreeTheHardWay''.
** Ryan and Carranya's initial encounter - involving a literal CrashIntoHello, a concealed royal identity and a lost necklace - is an affectionate tribute to the classic Super Nintendo RPG, ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger''.
** A sleeping boy in one of the cabins seems to be dreaming about ''VideoGame/XenoGears''.
** A woman Ryan meets on the ship encourages him to try a [[GargleBlaster Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster]], in a neat tribute to Creator/DouglasAdams.
** Caris Burnfist, a character from ''VideoGame/RomancingWalker'', appears as one of the guards on the ship.
** In the fancy restaurant on the ship's top deck, Ryan and Carranya admire a painting called [[VideoGame/SunsetOverImdahl "Imdahl's Sunrise"]].
* ShowWithinAShow: Much of the action on Day 3 involves Ryan, Rinoa and Princess Carranya acting - with 9 minutes and 47 seconds of rehearsal time - in an amateur production of a play about the Galvenian Revolution. HilarityEnsues.
* SomeoneToRememberHimBy: At the end of the play, though Prince Derren has been killed in the Battle of Lorean, Lady Penelope discovers that she is pregnant with his child. He grows up to be King Arlbert I of Galvenia, who signs a peace treaty with the Zion Empire.
* SmithicalMarriage: A hilarious example in the play. When Prince Derren Lionheart and Lady Penelope (see UndercoverAsLovers, below) travel to Issachar to find out what the Zion Empire is up to, Penelope tells the innkeeper that they're a newly-wed couple on their honeymoon. When the innkeeper - [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent an eccentric actor who always wears a wolf mask]] - asks for their name, Penelope nearly blurts out "Lionheart", and then extricates herself as follows:
-->'''Penelope:''' "Mr. and Mrs. Li.....er...Ly....can....thrope!"
-->'''Derren:''' ''(who can't believe his ears) "Mr. and Mrs. Lycanthrope?!"''
-->'''Innkeeper:''' ''(deadpan)'' "Mr. and Mrs. Lycanthrope?"
-->'''Penelope:''' ''(brightly)'' "Mr. and Mrs. Lycanthrope!"
-->[[HilarityEnsues (Cue audience dissolving into laughter.)]]
* SpoiledBrat: Josh, the son of a Duke, who mistakes Ryan and Carranya for waiters and rudely asks them to bring him a snack. [[spoiler:He is [[AlasPoorScrappy callously killed by Captain Blackheart's pirates towards the end of the episode.]]]]
* ThatCameOutWrong: For all his usually smooth manners, Ryan has a hilarious moment where he accidentally hints that he'd like to see Princess Carranya in a swimsuit. His attempts to save himself reduce her to helpless laughter.
-->'''Carranya:''' (laughing) "Stop, you're killing me!"
-->'''Ryan:''' (embarrassed) "And you're returning the favour!"
* TheMafia: Ryan encounters a duo of gangsters, who speak with stereotypical Italian accents, on board the ship.
* TitleDrop: The play put on aboard the HMS Paradiso opens with this line: "This is a tale of Love... and a tale of '''WAR'''."
* UndercoverAsLovers: Prince Derren and Lady Penelope, in the play, as part of an espionage mission in the Zion Empire. They later [[BecomingTheMask become lovers in reality]], and unknown to Derren, Penelope [[SomeoneToRememberHimBy gives birth to his child, the future King of Galvenia, after his death.]]
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: In the play, Princess Amanda betrays her country, Galvenia, to Emperor Johan of the Zion Empire because she wants people to live united without further bloodshed.
* WhenSheSmiles: Princess Carranya. She's not described as plain, but her smile is what catches Ryan's eye the very first time he sees her. This is also invoked when Ryan gives her a birthday present (see ChekhovsGift above)
--> '''Ryan:''' ''(appreciatively)'' "What a refined accent she has.... and a lovely smile, too."
* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: Comically used by Ryan in the first scene of the play - he has little idea what his lines are, and makes up the following:
--> '''Ryan:''' ''(with a goofy grin)'' "Lady C - Penelope! How you doing! I mean - dost thou feeleth welleth?"
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: Ryan tells Carranya that, regardless of her doubts, she ''will'' make a great ruler.
* YouCalledMeXItMustBeSerious: In the play, Prince Derren always addresses Lady Penelope as such... except near the end of Act II, where he calls her Penelope after accidentally offending her (see ObliviousToLove, above, for the exchange that leads to this). This moves her to the point where she is able to confess her feelings for him.
* YouCannotKillAnIdea: [[spoiler:Prince Wilhelm's]] dying words allude to this: ''"The sword.. will never triumph over the spirit."''
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