History YMMV / RealmOfTheElderlings

* SpoiledByTheFormat: Do you really suspect Fitz successfully killing Regal early in the third book?

* CrowningMomentOfHeartWarming: Burrich and Fitz mending their father-son relationship [[spoiler:after Nosy's revealed to be alive after all]].
** Fitz reassuring Verity of his belief in him. Verity mourns the fact that Chivalry is dead, and wishes that he could follow someone as self-assured and capable as his brother. When he asks Fitz if he's ever felt that way, Fitz only quietly looks at him and assures him that he does.
** All the glimpsed moments of Burrich taking care of his friend--[[spoiler:Molly and her baby, Nettle.]]

* CrowningMomentOfFunny: Lacey, Patience's unassuming maid, shows off her NinjaMaid skills to Fitz. Hod's best student indeed.

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: Many.
** How about [[{{TheRuntAtTheEnd}} short, 15 year old Swift]] [[spoiler: facing down and killing [[{{TheDragon}} the very literal stone dragon]] with [[{{ChekhovsArmoury}} that last, oddball arrow]]. ]]

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: Burrich's brutal beatdown of Galen after he nearly kills Fitz.
** Verity overpowering [[spoiler:and killing Galen]] thanks to Fitz at the end of ''Assassin's Apprentice''.
** How Fitz gets rid of [[spoiler:Virago]].
** [[spoiler:Kettricken's march on the Forged Ones, which breathes life into Buckkeep in a way that only the Queen can.]] Crosses with TearJerker, however.

* CompleteMonster: Regal, in spades. Thinks nothing of murdering his own teenage nephew with his bare hands, partly to cover his tracks and partly because he just hates him; enjoys torturing people and having them tortured, including [[BadBoss his own subordinates]]; kills his own father and tries to kill his own brother (several times); is incredibly self-centred with delusions of grandeur; villifies his heroic brother and sister-in-law as incompetents and traitors (respectively); sacrifices half the kingdom to ChaoticEvil pirates because he only cares about being king of the other half... yeah, he's kind of a dick. His only chance of redemption turns out to be [[spoiler: BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood]], and that still doesn't save him from some well-deserved LaserGuidedKarma.

* SpoiledByTheFormat: Do you really suspect Fitz succesfully killing Regal early in the third book?

** WordOfGod is that Kennit was supposed to be an [[spoiler: "[[CompleteMonster irreedemably evil villain]]".]]

* SpoiledByTheFormat: Do you really suspect Fitz succesfully killing Regal early in the third book?

* KarmaHoudini: Kennit never really gets any punishment for [[spoiler: raping Althea, killing people, manipulating everyone and trying to make Paragon kill himself. True, Kennit does die, but he dies a martyr]] with the love and adoration of many, including [[spoiler: Vivacia]], whose bond with [[spoiler: Althea]] was the whole motivation for the latter's story. Similarly, [[spoiler: Serilla]] never receives any justice after [[spoiler: the Satrap]] had her raped out of spite.

* KarmaHoudini: Kennit never really gets any punishment for [[spoiler: raping Althea. True, he does die, but he dies a martyr]] with the love and adoration of many, including [[spoiler: Vivacia]], whose bond with [[spoiler: Althea]] was the whole motivation for the latter's story. Similarly, [[spoiler: Serilla]] never receives any justice after [[spoiler: the Satrap]] had her raped out of spite.

* KarmaHoudini: Kennit never really gets any punishment for [[spoiler: raping Althea]]. True, he does die, but he dies a martyr with the love and adoration of many, including [[spoiler: Vivacia]], whose bond with [[spoiler: Althea]] was the whole motivation for the latter's story. Similarly, [[spoiler: Serilla]] never receives any justice after [[spoiler: the Satrap]] had her raped out of spite.

** Starling outright says that the Fool is in love with him. [[spoiler:Of course, she also says that the Fool is a woman, so their relationship could be ShipTease instead. Maybe.]]

** Fitz reassuring Verity of his belief in him. To elaborate: Verity mourns the fact that Chivalry is dead, and wishes that he could follow someone as self-assured and capable as his brother. When he asks Fitz if he's ever felt that way, Fitz only quietly looks at him and assures him that he does.

* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: Most of the third book after ''Feathers in a Fool's Cap''. Literally "Crowning" at one point.

** The Fool gives him the nickname Beloved. [[spoiler:It becomes more HoYay-tastic when the Pale Lady reveals that married couples exchange names, and since Beloved is supposed to be The Fool's real name that means that The Fool is basically calling Fitz his husband. Fitz even goes as far as calling The Fool Fitzchivalry when he thinks The Fool is dead.]]
** And then Fitz and The Fool almost end up together. [[spoiler: Fitz basically tells him that he will choose him over Molly, but The Fool pulls a IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy.]]

* IronWoobie: Fitz, poor Fitz, who probably suffers the most during the whole trilogy. [[spoiler:He's nearly killed at fifteen, then again when he's barely eighteen (he fakes it) for possessing forbidden magic; both experiences rob him of his youth and vitality, and at the end of the series, he doesn't even get the girl. This is still not including all the other crap he has to trudge through during the trilogy.]]
* JerkassWoobie: Sure, Starling might just be interested in writing a song to make her famous [[spoiler:but since she's barren from a botched abortion, she's only interested in making sure she can take care of herself when she's older, knowing that she won't have any children to do so.]]
* Other special mentions for Woobie-ism are Burrich, Kettricken, and Verity.

* TheWoobie: Fitz's life kinda sucks. A lot.
** IronWoobie: He broods over it quite a bit, but doesn't let it slow him down.

** Most obviously when they see each other again. The Fool practically falls over himself to hug him, so obviously glad that Fitz is alive.

** Chivalry's motives are a mystery, but its not WildMassGuessing to assume he set up a ThanatosGambit in case he didn't survive the DeadlyDecadentCourt. Patience is a GeniusDitz who wouldn't get a second glance from Regal's assassins, but could hold down the fort when the chips were down.

* HoYay: Between Fitz and the Fool; starts at a small scale in ''Royal Assassin.''

* TheScrappy: Starling is presented as a strong, independent, EthicalSlut, BettyAndVeronica counterpart to Molly. She comes off like an arrogant Jerkass.
** Part of the reason for this, mind, is that she ''is'' an arrogant Jerkass. She is enormously self-centered until a good way through the Tawny Man books.
* TearJerker: The first book ends on one, second book ends on one, THE ENTIRE THIRD BOOK IS ONE.

* HoYay: Fitz and Fool again and this time on an even bigger scale. Overlaps with {{Tearjerker}} [[spoiler:when Fool confesses his love for Fitz and Fitz has to go and leave him.]]

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: How Fitz gets rid of [[spoiler:Virago]].
** [[spoiler:Kettricken's march on the Forged Ones, which breathes life into Buckkeep in a way that only the Queen can.]] Crosses with Tearjerker, however.

* CompleteMonster: Regal, in spades. Thinks nothing of murdering his own teenage nephew with his bare hands, partly to cover his tracks and partly because he just hates him; enjoys torturing people and having them tortured, including [[BadBoss his own subordinates]]; kills his own father and tries to kill his own brother (several times); is incredibly self-centred with delusions of grandeur; villifies his heroic brother and sister-in-law as incompetents and traitors (respectively); sacrifices half the kingdom to ChaoticEvil pirates because he only cares about being king of the other half...yeah, he's kind of a dick. His only chance of redemption turns out to be [[spoiler: BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood]], and that still doesn't save him from some well-deserved LaserGuidedKarma.

* TearJerker - First book ends on one, second book ends on one, THE ENTIRE THIRD BOOK IS ONE.
* TheWoobie - Fitz's life kinda sucks. A lot.
** IronWoobie - He broods over it quite a bit, but doesn't let it slow him down.

* MoralEventHorizon - Kennit seems to divide the fanbase. According to some, he never really ''crosses'' the line, on account of being a CompleteMonster. According to others, he stays on the very edge for quite some time, but then he [[spoiler:rapes Althea]] and blows all his chances of redemption.

* TheWoobie - Poor Wintrow. And Vivacia. And plenty others, even if Wintrow and Vivacia take the cake.

* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming - Most of the third book after ''Feathers in a Fool's Cap''. Literally "Crowning" at one point.

* {{Wangst}} - Played for laughs and for drama in the chapter "Elfbark" in ''Fool's Fate''. Fitz is sneaked a massive dose of elfbark, and the drug's effects have him seesawing between bouncing-around hyperactivity and soul-crushing depression, during which he laments that everything he's ever done has been worthless.

* CompleteMonster: Regal, in spades. Thinks nothing of murdering his own teenage nephew with his bare hands, partly to cover his tracks and partly because he just hates him; enjoys torturing people and having them tortured, including [[BadBoss his own subordinates]]; kills his own father and tries to kill his own brother (several times); is incredibly self-centred with delusions of grandeur; villifies his heroic brother and sister-in-law as incompetents and traitors (respectively); sacrifices half the kingdom to ChaoticEvil pirates because he only cares about being king of the other half...yeah, he's kind of a dick. His only chance of redemption turns out to be [[spoiler: BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood]], and that still doesn't save him from some well-deserved LaserGuidedKarma

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: Many

** How about [[{{TheRuntAtTheEnd}} short, 15 year old Swift]] [[spoiler: facing down and killing [[{{TheDragon}} the very literal stone dragon]] with [[{{ChekhovsArmoury}} that last, rusty arrow]]. ]]

** Or a MoodWhiplash into TastesLikeDiabetes, depending on your perspective.

* {{Wangst}} - Played for laughs and for drama in the chapter "Elfbark" in ''Fool's Fate''.

* CompleteMonster: Regal, in spades. Thinks nothing of murdering his own teenage nephew with his bare hands, partly to cover his tracks and partly because he just hates him; enjoys torturing people and having them tortured, including [[BadBoss his own subordinates]]; kills his own father and tries to kill his own brother (several times); is incredibly self-centred with delusions of grandeur; villifies his heroic brother and sister-in-law as incompetents and traitors (respectively); sacrifices half the kingdom to ChaoticEvil pirates because he only cares about being king of the other half...yeah, he's [[{{Understatement}} kind of a dick.]] His only chance of redemption turns out to be [[spoiler: BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood]], and that still doesn't save him from some well-deserved LaserGuidedKarma

* CompleteMonster: Regal, in spades. Thinks nothing of murdering his own teenage nephew with his bare hands, partly to cover his tracks and partly because he just hates him; enjoys torturing people and having them tortured; kills his own father and tries to kill his own brother (several times); is incredibly self-centred with delusions of grandeur; villifies his heroic brother and sister-in-law as incompetents and traitors (respectively); sacrifices half the kingdom to ChaoticEvil pirates because he only cares about being king of the other half...yeah, he's [[{{Understatement}} kind of a dick.]]

** WordOfGod is that Kennit was supposed to be an [[spoiler: "irreedemably evil villain".]]

* AcceptableNationalityTargets - all the way through, actually, with the Chalcedeans. There is barely a single non-slave Chalcedean who comes across remotely sympathetic. The only defining factor of the country is slavery and tremendous misogyny, really...