History DarthWiki / TheSensuousFrame

* DaylightHorror: The most overtly threatening scene (where Chloe is captured by the Necromancer) takes place in a busy financial district in broad daylight.

** AlluringAnglerfish: Angel Faqir, a Philosophy student also at Kings, who has siren-based abilities-- a CompellingVoice that draws people to her alongside MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily, for when she catches them.

* VictorianLondon: The story is set in modern-day London, but borrows heavily from a GothicHorror Victorian setting, with Farsi-speaking flower girls, exhausted young prophets who make rent working in antiques shops, evil necromancers with dapper young gentlemen as their secretaries and mysterious librarians in fine poofy gowns. In addition to the modern pollution, Chloe sees the world obscured by a pea soup fog of ghostly residue. Dr Hussein is a good doctor but a clear send-up of a MadScientist with her fascination with magic and alchemy. There is a magical drugs trade that clearly models itself on a Victorian era OpiumDen. Lisette's information network, consisting mostly of magically gifted young people struggling to make a living, resembles the [[BakerStreetRegular Irregulars]]. Chloe herself is a patchwork of Victorian tragedy tropes, a [[TheOphelia surreally]] [[IllGirl broken]] [[OracularUrchin psychically]] [[WaifProphet gifted]] [[TheIngenue young woman]] who, whilst not exactly a criminal, is a [[ArtfulDodger talented in the art of breaking and entering]].

* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: TheNecromancer. Also, though considerably less evil, Lisette.

* BadassGay: Deeply in love with Aisha.

* BadassGay

* BiTheWay

* SuperHumanTrafficking: Implied to be a hobby of the Society, who see it as a NecessaryEvil to keep gifted youngsters from causing massive disasters.

* VictimBlaming: Towards Chloe, not least by herself but also from the Society and other spirits.

* TheOphelia: How both the Society and the Necromancer see [[BrokenBird Chloe]]. How much is ObfusticatingInsanity and how much is her actual [[MadHatter trauma and epilepsy]] is pretty debatable-- Chloe is certainly more functional that she lets on to anyone but [[SecretKeeper Lisette]] and her friends, but her health can be genuinely debilitating, as seen when she is [[HeroicBSOD captured]].

* MadHatter: Overlapping with ObfusticatingInsanity, Chloe is perfectly self-aware of her mental state, takes medication and keeps regular contact with Dr Hussein to keep her mental health in check. Somewhat complicated by the PsychicPowers.

* CuluredBadass: A Parisian pseudo-aristocrat with a Classical education, her cover job is as a librarian.

** DangerousDragonfly: A tank of them is seen in Lisette's basement library, indicating that somebody uses them.

** A tank of them is seen in Lisette's basement library, indicating that somebody uses them.

** PsychoElectricEel/SlipperyAsAnEel: The fishmonger near Chloe's flat is a witch, and his eel tubs are implied to be his familiars. Presumably they contain edible eels, rather than electric knifefish.

* CrypticConversation: Chloe and LIsette are the worst offenders, though everyone seems to get in on it from time to time.

* Familiar: Lisette's spiders.

* GoodAnimalsEvilAnimals: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with.]] A lot of witches seem to have abilities which connect to a specific animal, which they often take as a familiar. Many, if not most, of these are animals which are generally considered creepy or mystical (though the magical connection is not always obvious). Includes:

* HairRaisingHare: One of Lisette's informants, Josiah Lozhkin, is a burrowwitch. Or, as the others usually say, bunnywitch. In addition to an oversized, somewhat rabid, hare familiar, he seems to have a gift for travelling unseen.

* OccultDetective: What Aisha is planning.

* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: Lisette (light feminine) and Chloe (dark feminine). Played with, given that gothic medium Chloe is a much less morally grey figure than prim librarian Lisette.

* ByronicHero: A magnetic, charismatic young woman with a DarkAndTroubledPast which has left her [[BrokenBird jaded and traumatised]]. Whilst [[AvertedTrope not formally educated]], Chloe is a self-taught antiques dealer and restorer who reads Romantic poetry and uses her PsychicPOwers to study history. PlayedWith in the sense that whilst Chloe is TheDeterminator from the beginning, it is only after meeting Aisha that she gains the passion and drive to do good typically seen in the trope.