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  • Angst? What Angst?: Despite the fact every character was at Rock Bottom before coming to Castle Perilous, and several were contemplating suicide or had almost died, this is never really Played for Drama or even focused on much, usually revealed as an offhand aside. The exceptions might be Sheila's past, which she spends some time discussing with Trent, and Linda, whose psyche and loneliness are both explored in Castle Dreams and Castle Spellbound, but even these are not dwelt on as much as they could be. In some cases the characters seem to have Epiphany Therapy and get over their 'angst' but in most it merely gets left by the wayside.
  • Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: The whole series is known for these, since it's predicated on the idea that you could find anything, absolutely anything, through the next door or around the corner, which has nothing to do with the rest of the castle (or story), such as Melanie's adventures with the Robin Hood Expy. But the entirety of Castle Spellbound is this, since the wish spell which takes over the castle comes out of nowhere, has nothing to do with the rest of the series, serves no purpose except for wacky hijinks, and once banished is never mentioned again. And since the cross between All Just a Dream and Direct Line to the Author means none of the events of Castle Dreams actually happened, it never gets mentioned again either.
  • Designated Villain: Ferne—for certain in Castle Kidnapped, but even in Castle for Rent she only wishes to be granted a third of the ruling power along with Incarnadine and Deems; she is ruthless, willing to do whatever it takes to gain what she wants, and made the mistake of allying with the Hosts of Hell, but she never meant the castle, its residents, or her brother any lasting harm so long as she got the power she coveted.
  • Ensemble Dark Horse: Trent.
  • Everyone Is Jesus in Purgatory: Every Guest who ever comes to the castle does so when they are at Rock Bottom, no choices left to them, utterly depressed, Driven to Suicide, or even in a life-or-death situation. A case could be made for an alternate interpretation where they really have all killed themselves or died, and the entirety of Castle Perilous and their adventures there is a Dying Dream, or a fantastical version of the Afterlife. Melanie actually raises this possibility not long after she comes to the castle.
  • Nightmare Fuel: Ramthonodox himself. Also, the Hosts of Hell, particularly their true form, or so we are led to believe.
  • Sequelitis: Consensus says that after Castle Dreams (which, while it isn't for everyone, is still quite good), things go downhill a bit...

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