Shout Out / The Princess Thieves

• The title seems to be a reference to Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, supported by the influence the Robin Hood legends have on the story.
• Due to the nature of the story, it is also likely a reference to The Princess Bride as well.
• The Akka as a whole, from their appearance to their history, are very similar to the Orcs of World of Warcraft.
• While narrating, the Nag mentions a resurgence of "those Napoleonic era bandleader coats favored by Sgt. Pepper."
• During a narration, the Nag uses The Young Victoria as a reference point for explaining who King William IV is.
• 9-year-old Gwendoline references Journey to the Center of the Earth when she and Viola discover a secret passage in the palace library.
• The Black Shuck, while an overall Batman Parody, makes explicit reference to The Dark Knight Trilogy with a few of his lines.
• According to Word of God, the White Hart necklace is named after the mystical creature hunted by the Pevensies at the end of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
• Viola mentions she and Gwendoline are reading Pride and Prejudice.
• It's mentioned that in her first foray into Fight Clubbing, Gwendoline gets beaten quickly by a small time actor who was ridding high on performing well in Peer Gynt.
• According to Word of God, the scene of Robin and Gwendoline hiding in a trunk together is a nod to Out of Sight.
• Gwendoline mentions having read Idylls of the King while staying in Camelot.
  • Robin also makes off hand references to the works of Malory and Geoffrey of Monmouth.
• The area where the Archenblade is being kept is similar to the classic depiction of the Master Sword.
• After being offered an apple from Gwendoline that was given to her by Old Meg, the Nag responds "Red apples given to princesses by strange old ladies? No, I bloody wouldn't."
• Upon meeting the Nag, Gwendoline comments that Black Beauty was one of her favorite books growing up.
• The Nag briefly claims that he can talk because he was bitten by a radioactive linguist.
• While Old Meg is in her guise as Merlin, she sounds similar to Ian McKellen as Gandalf.
  • She also makes a few references to the character's famous battle with the Balrog when she holds a doorway against the Knives gang.
• During an argument with Gwendoline, Robin says the words "Excuse me, Princess!"
• While commenting on Robin going barefoot during the Knives' attack on Camelot, the Nag says the barefoot hero thing has only really been done well in Die Hard and Children of Men.
• While explaining how glamours work to the audience, the Nag name drops both Judi Dench and Edna Everage.
• While teaching Gwendoline how to blend in with the crowds of London, Robin makes references to Oliver Twist, which the princess has not read.
• Immediately afterwards, Robin and Gwendoline compare the various books they have and have not read, including Nicholas Nickleby, What Katy Did, A Tale of Two Cities, and Frankenstein.
• Mortimer has Henry Fuseli's "Titania and Bottom"◊ hanging in her apartment, which she claims is the original.
• While narrating, the Nag compares Viola's glamours to Polyjuice Potion.
• Gwen takes her tea just like Captain Picard.
• The scene where Scarlet and Captain Baltus talk to one another across a table as the others listen while hiding in the basement directly below them is very similar to the opening scene of Inglourious Basterds.
• Archduke Coriolanus keeps the documents proving that Gwen is not a member of the royal family in a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo.
• During the fight, Gwen says she feels sorry for Mortimer's view of the world in a similar way to how Harry says it to Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
• While Gwen's transformation via the Archenblade initially brings He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983) to mind, her gender, the fact that she was raised by the story's Big Bad and the fact that the Nag also transforms into a Winged Unicorn means this is likely a send up to She-Ra: Princess of Power.
• When Gwen asks if becoming the bearer of the Archenblade makes her the queen of Britannica, Merlene states that "Strange women living in ruins distributing swords is no basis for a system of government."