History ComicBook / CastleWaiting

* SexyFigureGesture: Tolly ends up using this when describing the clothes the Hammerlings' new female ward, AKA Snow White, will need. He was too embarrassed to ask her measurements before they set out to get Snow a new wardrobe, and have no idea how to size clothes for a human woman. When the women of the castle ask him whose figure Snow most resembles (the wiry Sister Peace, new mother Jain, or the solidly built Dinah), he winds up describing Snow as "more shaped" than Jain but "less shaped" that Dinah, with a slender waist and generous hips and bust. Based on his description, the women estimate Snow to be a "size 16" with a great figure.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Simon is usually barefoot, although he does wear shoes occasionally in bad weather. Might be BarefootPoverty, but then we hear that he's actually quite well paid for his work as a handyman.

* AluminiumChristmasTrees: The Solicitines have been criticised by some readers as imposing modern feminist ideals on Middle Ages female monasticism. However, they are very similar to the real [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beguines_and_Beghards beguine movement]] in Middle Ages Northern Europe, which similarly involved women living together as a religious order with significantly laxer conditions than full nuns - notably, and as depicted in the comic, they were allowed to own property and run businesses, and to leave the community without question if they decided that they wanted to marry a man.

* BeastMen:

* SexyFigureGesture: Tolly ends up using this when describing the clothes the Hammerlings' new female ward, AKA Snow White, will need. The Hammerlings didn't think to take measurements before they set out to get Snow a new wardrobe, and have no idea how to size clothes for a human woman. Tolly gets visibly flustered when the women of the castle ask him whose figure Snow most resembles, either the slender Jain or the solidly built Dinah. He winds up describing Snow as "more shaped" than Jain but "less shaped" that Dinah, with a slender waist and generous hips and bust.

* BrightCastle

* {{Curse}}: the source of all their problems, indirectly

** Henry was involved heavily in war and in at least one battle, had to bury all of his dead friends. His son is also under a powerful curse, which caused Henry's heart to break. The Hammerlings bring the sick-and-dying Henry to Castle Waiting, then help Doctor Fell encase Henry's heart in iron bands to prevent him from feeling anything.

* {{Foreshadowing}}

* GoKartingWithBowser: The whole relationship between Sister Peace and Leeds.

* NunTooHoly: All of the Solicitines, tey play tricks and are deeply involved in the local community.

* PunnyName: The horse-knight is called Chess. Think of the knight chesspiece.

* SecretPath: The castle's main keep and tower contain several.
** One of which, to Jain's consternation, had large windows, a comfy nook, and a privy. [[spoiler: It turned out to be a trap, however.]]
* SexyFigureGesture: Tolly ends up using this when describing the clothes the hammerlings new female ward, AKA Snow White, will need.

* SoBeautifulItsACurse: The backstory to the Solicitine Nuns -- how their order was founded

* UnlimitedWardrobe: Jain has a chest Pindar senior magiced to act as a perfect laundry and bottomless wardrobe

* GirlsWithMoustaches: One of the characters is a bearded nun, who comes from a whole convent of such.

* NunTooHoly: All of the Solicitines.

* OverlyLongName: Skeeter's real name is Solicitous Kummernis Eutropia Dignifortis Uncumber Hulfe Reginfledes Liberata. Presumably her nickname is loosely based off her initials, S.K.E.D.U.H.R.L.

The story combines many FairyTales and fairy tale tropes together to form a cohesive world. Characters include the enigmatic plague doctor Dr. Fell of the ''I do not love thee, Dr. Fell'' epigram, Simple Simon, and a gold-egg laying hen (a reference to "Literature/JackAndTheBeanstalk"). The eponymous Castle Waiting is the castle of "Literature/SleepingBeauty" fame. Many years have passed since the dim-witted princess left the castle with her prince without a second thought. Only the wall of thorns and three handmaidens remain. Since then, the castle has become a refuge. The main story begins with Lady Jain, a pregnant woman seeking sanctuary at Castle Waiting to escape her [[DomesticAbuse horrible husband]].

* AnachronismStew: Aside from the characters' modern mannerisms and dialogue, the library has an [[Literature/LandOfOz Oz]] book (1939), Rackham and Jain refer to [[Literature/AliceInWonderland Alice]] (1865) , and Peace is caught reading a copy of [[Creator/JamesBranchCabell Jurgen]] (a book from 1919) hidden inside her Bible. Yet the technology level, weapons, clothing, and architecture is all solidly medieval. On top of that, many events from history that occurred centuries apart are spoken of as all happening within the characters’s lifetimes.

* CreepyTwins: Jain's half-sisters, Andreia and Aimee. Brrrrr. When they're children, they look exactly alike: round heads that look too big for their bodies, bulging eyes, no eyebrows, and receding hairlines -- which aren't helped by the severe wimples they wear, nor by the tight, pulled-back hairstyle they have as adults.

* PettingZooPeople: Rackham, Chess and a number of other characters.

** Rackham's name is a shout-out to the English artist Arthur Rackham, who illustrated [[https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/5d/4a/0e/5d4a0ece817b5f01c78a4b4469304ab7.jpg numerous fairy tales and children's books]], including several with PettingZooPeople.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: Jain, Henry, and Doctor Fell all have one.

* CreepyTwins: Jain's half-sisters, Andreia and Aimee. Brrrrr.
** Appearance-wise anyway. Personality wise, they're quite rotten, but rather silly.

* BilingualBonus: In the first volume, Chess calls out “Lisunka!”, causing Jain to respond before she can stop herself. Chess then further identifies Jain as the “lesní paní”, before Jain tells him angrily that there’s no such thing anymore. Later, the Hammerlings call Jain’s son a “leshy”. “Lesní Paní” is Czech for “forest lady”, with “lisunka” being an old Russian word for a female forest god; “leshy” is likewise derived from old Russian for “gods of the forest”. All of this points to an even more complicated backstory for Jain.

* MedievalEuropeanFantasy
* MixAndMatchCreatures: The Opinicus, with the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle, the head of a camel, and the tail of... in its most recent appearance, it looks like a lion's tail, but early on it seemed a little snakier.

* AnachronicOrder: We get flashbacks interspersed with the present day story.
* AnachronismStew: Aside from the characters' modern mannerisms and dialogue, the library has an [[Literature/LandOfOz Oz]] book and at one point the characters make an [[Literature/AliceInWonderland Alice]] reference, and Peace at one point is caught reading a copy of [[Creator/JamesBranchCabell Jurgen]] (a book from 1919!) hidden inside her Bible.