History Literature / TheWeeFreeMen

* TheUnchosenOne: When there's nobody to stop the [[TheFairFolk elves']] incursion on the Chalk, nine-year-old cheesemaker Tiffany screws everything and decides that the whole land is ''hers'', she ''will'' protect it, and you better not step in front of her or your frying pan if you like your head.

* IntelligenceEqualsIsolation: Tiffany is an [[BadassBookworm intelligent girl]] gifted with First Sight, [[TrueSight which means that she sees reality instead of seeing what she wants reality to be]], has Second and Third Thoughts, which mean that she thinks about the way she thinks and [[BlessedWithSuck cannot stop thinking, even if she wants to]], respectively. These make her the only one in her homeland who can defeat [[LotusEaterMachine the Queen of Fairies]] without being deluded into thinking that Fairyland is reality for eternity. It also means she is lonely. Crushingly lonely.

* MeaningfulName: In the Feegle language, Tiffany's name means "Land Under Wave" (and has a lot more vowels in it). And it's real Gaelic, or at least very similar to it. ("Tír-fa-Tonn" in Scots Gaelic; "Tír-fo-Thuinn" in Irish.)

-->'''Miss Tick:''' I can see we're going to get a long like a house on fire. They may be no survivors.

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: JustifiedTrope because the Wee Free Men parody ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs''. Really, really ''tough'' Smurfs. The one female in the clan is called Kelda and rules them as the one with the most intelligence.

* LiteralistSnarking: When one of the travelling teachers condescendingly compliments Tiffany on knowing a big word like "zoology", she replies that "zoology" is actually quite short compared to, say, [[StealthInsult "patronizing"]].

-->'''Tiffany:''' No, actually it isn't. Patronizing is a big word. Zoology is really quite short.

* ImpossibleTheft: The Feegle can get into ''anywhere'' - other dimensions, peoples' dreams... They can also get ''out'' of almost anywhere, unless that 'anywhere' has lots of alcohol in it. Then there may be a considerable delay. They use this talent to burglarize/mug people. And drink.

* CaptainObvious: Tiffany saying "And then there was the headless horseman! [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment He had no head!"]]

* ShoutOut:
** Wentworth's InsaneTrollLogic reaction to lots of candy is a reference to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buridan%27s_ass Buridan's Ass.]]
** The [=MacFeegle=] use a variety of battle cries, most of which are a reference something or another, like ''Film/{{Braveheart}}'' and ''Film/TwelveAngryMen''.
*** "We Willnae be fooled again!" is a reference to one of ''Music/TheWho'''s songs, though in-universe it refers to their former servitude to the Elves.
*** "There can only be wun 'ousand!" is a reference to ''Film/{{Highlander}}'', and in-universe refers to the size of the clan.
** Rob Anybody Feegle's name is a reference to the folk hero Rob Roy [=MacGregor=].
** The use of [[BrownNote weaponized]] [[SuckinessIsPainful bad poetry]] may be a reference to ''Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy''. (It's also a reference to the supposed powers of Celtic bards.)
** "William the Gonnagle" is a reference to legendarily bad Scottish poet William [=McGonnagle=].
** The Wee Free Men parody ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs''. Really, really ''tough'' Smurfs. The [[TheSmurfettePrinciple one female in the clan]] is called Kelda and rules them as the one with the most intelligence.
** Tiffany's speculations about the "witch school" include mention of broomstick-riding lessons, and "Are ye a hag or no'?" is a Feeglish translation of a line from ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone''. Although Terry says that if the witch school is a reference, it's to ''Literature/TheWorstWitch'', which [[OlderThanTheyThink also has broomstick lessons]].
** The ballroom drome-dream resembles a scene from ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}''.
** The not-quite-voice ("Fwa waa fwah waa wha?") of Tiffany's dance partner (during the ballroom dream) is reminiscent of how adult speech is rendered in the various ''{{ComicStrip/Peanuts}}'' animated features.
** A queen who lures children in with sweets rules over a land where it's always snowing and time doesn't pass at the same rate as the regular world, just like in ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia''.
** The way Roland describes his meeting with the Queen calls ''Literature/TheSnowQueen'' to mind where Kai meets the Snow Queen in much the same way -- he saw her passing by with her horses and was so impressed by her appearance that he followed her willingly, ending up as a sort of foster child to someone who ''tries'' to be kind in some way, but really has no idea on what to do with a human child.
** Feegle swords glow blue in reference to ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', though the glow is triggered by the presence of lawyers, not orcs.
** One of the dream scenes Tiffany finds herself visiting, is, per WordOfGod, a description of Richard Dadd's painting "[[https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/dadd-the-fairy-fellers-master-stroke-t00598 The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke]]".

** Rob Anybody unleashes a torrent of them when being accused of a multitude of crimes by the Queen's summoned lawyers. Luckily [spoiler: the toad] comes to his (literal) defense.

* LittleMissBadass: Know anyone ''else'' who defeated the Queen of Fairies with no help but a toad, a frying pan, and some Scottish Smurfs? [[KidHero At the age of ninne]]?

* IntelligenceEqualsIsolation: Tiffany is an [[BadassBookworm intelligent girl]] gifted with First Sight, [[TrueSight which means that she sees reality instead of seeing what she wants reality to be]], has Second and Third Thoughts, which mean that she thinks about the way she thinks and [[BlessedWithSuck cannot stop thinking, even if she wants to]], respectively. These make her the DesignatedHero, being the only one in her homeland who can defeat [[LotusEaterMachine the Queen of Fairies]] without being deluded into thinking that Fairyland is reality for eternity. It also means she is lonely. Crushingly lonely.

* IntelligenceEqualsIsolation: Tiffany is gifted with First Sight, which is the ability to see what's ''really'' there instead of what you think should be there, and has Second Thoughts, which are thoughts that think about the way you think, and is sharp in quite a few other areas that the rest of the Chalk sorely lacks. These make her the DesignatedHero, being the only one in her homeland who can defeat [[LotusEaterMachine the Queen of Fairies]] without being deluded into thinking that Fairyland is reality for eternity. It also means she is lonely. Crushingly lonely.

--->'''Tiffany:''' In that case it would be even better if you were Miss ''Teak'', a hard foreign wood, because that would sound like "Mystique", or you could be Miss Take, which would-

* TheUnchosenOne: When there's nobody to stop the [[TheFairFolk elves']]] incursion on the Chalk, nine-year-old cheesemaker Tiffany screws everything and decides that the whole land is ''hers'', she ''will'' protect it, and you better not step in front of her or your frying pan if you like your head.

* BrainyBrunette: Tiffany has hair as brown as earth. She is also so observant, that she ventured into a land made of nothing but deception, and came out alive, healthy, and with two people successfully saved.