Line #13 YMMV/KnightsOfTheBorrowedDark


1	* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:
2	** Was Simon able to go almost a month in Crosscaper completely undetected by the Clockwork Three, or did they know he was there and just chose to leave him alone because [[ItAmusedMe they were amused by how much he was suffering?]]
3	** Edifice Greaves. Is he a [[AttentionWhore self-centered]] and [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]] political smarmbucket, or just trying to protect the Order and genuinely concerned about a friend?
4	** In ''The Forever Court'', Denizen is suffering a strong case of SurvivorGuilt. He's been having nightmares about clocks, sleep issues, [[HairTriggerTemper more trouble containing his rage than he used to]], and is constantly on-edge. He blames himself for what happened with the Clockwork Three, and feels guilty about enjoying himself and even ''grieving''. He actively tries to avoid thinking and talking about what happened; whenever anyone mentions Grey, he has an extremely strong emotional reaction—either he [[HeroicSafeMode shuts down]] or he [[BurningWithAnger flares out.]] At one point, Mercy [[TraumaButton triggers]] an upsetting series of flashbacks that he has a physical reaction to. That sounds a ''lot'' like [=PTSD=].
5	* ClicheStorm: An [[ConvenientlyAnOrphan orphan]] is [[ChangelingFantasy picked up by a mysterious relative, learns he has magical powers,]] and [[WainscotSociety joins an order]] [[MagicalSociety of magical world-saving]] [[MagicKnight knights.]] Pretty generic opening. This is Lampshaded, and was probably Invoked by the author.
6	* ContestedSequel: ''The Forever Court'' is either [[EvenBetterSequel more complex and interesting,]] free from the [[AudienceAlienatingPremise generic]] [[ClicheStorm beginning]] of the first book, or [[MindScrew confusing]] and [[TooBleakStoppedCaring overly dark,]] introducing far too many unnecessary characters.
7	* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: It's ''really easy'' to see Mercy as Jesus. Although, given that there are actual religious references in the series, [[EpilepticTrees it might not be that much of a stretch...]]
8	* HarsherInHindsight
9	** The ''entire prologue''.
10	** When Grey fights the Bad-Dream Angel, the setting reminds Denizen of the Colosseum and the GladiatorGames. It's a pretty innocent comparison at the time, but takes on a completely different tone later, since [[spoiler: a thrall is a slave, and Grey was forced to fight Vivian in a match supposed to be to the death. The fact that Denizen and Abigail were watching passively contributes to the imagery as well.]]
11	** Denizen getting defensive when he learns that Grey had to be left behind in Rathláth so D'Aubigny could take Denizen home. It's [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments really sweet,]] but his [[TemptingFate repeated insistence that Grey has to be okay]] becomes incredibly painful when you consider that [[spoiler:the Clockwork Three took Grey ''in Rathláth,'' so it basically marked the point when his suffering increased enormously.]] Sorry, Denizen, but he is definitely ''not okay right now.''
12	* HeartwarmingInHindsight: Greaves telling Denizen, “We don't leave people behind.” He's talking about Grey, and the whole conversation comes across as a bit manipulative in general, but given how [[spoiler:he welcomed the Croits into the Order later on]], it's ''true''.
13	* HilariousInHindsight: Denizen thinking that Grey--who we find out is ''literally a soldier''--would never be let anywhere near a military camp.
14	* MemeticBadass: Vivian Hardwick.
15	* {{Narm}}: The fact that there's a Tenebrous named ''Mocked-By-A-Husband'' in the freaking Forever Court. Though this becomes slightly less funny given that one of its [[IHaveManyNames other names]] is “Kuchisake,” referencing a Japanese ghost story involving a woman who was [[GlasgowGrin mutilated]] by her husband...
16	* NauseaFuel: The description of [[spoiler:Grey's hand.]] It's BodyHorror [[JustForFun/XMeetsY meets]] {{Squick}} [[JustForFun/XMeetsY meets]] [[FridgeHorror disturbing implications.]]
17	* ParanoiaFuel: The idea of all shadows being doors that Tenebrous can come out of at any time, or you could wander into. Have fun trying to get to sleep tonight.
18	* SpoiledByTheFormat: Book one—there was ''no way'' that [[spoiler:the Endless King was Breaching]] with that little left in the book.
19	* {{Squick}}: [[spoiler:Denizen's ''[[{{EyeScream}} eye exploding.]]'']]
20	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: It was definitely backed up by plot and character reasons, but Grey getting PutOnABus in ''The Forever Court'' could still be disappointing for some people. He was one of the most likable and interesting characters, and a lot was set up surrounding him, much of which hasn't even been addressed yet. Still, Denizen's relationship with him was explored pretty deeply, and he managed to play a significant role despite being absent, so saying his character was ''wasted'' might be a little too harsh.
21	* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: So much so that it's sometimes mis-categorized as YA. It's actually middle-grade, and handles some mature themes that the author thinks are important for the audience—the whole book is an [[{{Allegory}} allegory for bullying,]] and the Cost represents self-harm. The book also includes [[WarIsHell total warfare,]] frequent mentions of (and actual) death, torture, [[NightmareFuel so much]] [[NightmareFuel/KnightsOfTheBorrowedDark nightmare fuel]] that it [[DarkFantasy dips into the horror-fantasy genre,]] and, y'know, [[{{Squick}} a character ripping a strip of flesh]] [[BodyHorror out of their own mutilated iron hand.]]

Context YMMV / KnightsOfTheBorrowedDark