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* IdiotBall: Alfie's actions concerning her romantic life can only be explained by her grabbing hold of this every time she starts developing feelings for someone.
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* PunnyName: Tolman? Seriously?[[note]][[DontExplainTheJoke "Tall man"]][[/note]] Alpha Tolman is also a type of cheese, though it's unclear if [=InCase=] was aware.
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* PunnyName: Tolman? Seriously?[[note]][[DontExplainTheJoke "Tall man"]][[/note]] It was ''possibly'' a ShoutOut to a pair of minor hobbit characters from ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', although it was a first name in that case rather than a family name[[note]]Tolman "Tom" Cotton Sr. and his eldest son Tolman Jr., the father and older brother respectively of Sam Gamgee's eventual wife Rosie Cotton[[/note]]. Alpha Tolman is also a type of cheese, though it's unclear if [=InCase=] was aware.
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* DidNotThinkThisThrough: Alfie's impulsiveness is her FatalFlaw. Most of the bad things that happen to her in the story come directly from a bad decision she made (and could've avoided with ANY real forethought).
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a1.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The titular character in her first appearance.]]
''Alfie'' is a very NSFW webcomic by [=InCase=], focusing on the titular character, a [[{{Hobbits}} havlin]], and her mother Vera. They live in the town of Pickering, where a caravan of humans have just arrived.
[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Not related]] to the [[{{Film/Alfie}} British film of the same name]]. Not related ''at all''.
----
!!This comic provides examples of:
%%* AThreesomeIsHot
* ArtEvolution: Once [=InCase=] started making enough through Patreon, he was finally able to devote more time to the comic and produce it in full color. Whether or not it ''stays'' full-color or scales down to a more limited scheme seems to depend on the chapter.
* BadassAdorable / BewareTheNiceOnes: Marco is surprisingly cute (in a masculine way), and a really nice fellow. He's also a ''surprisingly'' good fighter for a mere caravan guard.
** [[spoiler:Alfie isn't afraid to use a dagger starting in Chapter 9. She even puts [[{{CutlassBetweentheTeeth}} it between her teeth.]]]]
* {{Bathos}}: At the end of Chapter 13, Hana's proud declaration to fight in the name of love is undercut by her being naked except for a blanket over her shoulders.
* BelligerentSexualTension: Marco and Lydia often get into violent play-fights, with Alfie looking on in fascination. [[spoiler:This even happened during their threesome.]]
* BigDamnKiss: [[spoiler:Vera and Cillian share one in page 944, further solidifying their DecemberDecemberRomance.]]
* BiWildered:
** Alfie is at first surprised when she realizes she's fantasizing about Melly. Melly, likewise, is a bit flustered by how open she is to letting Alfie have a go with her.
** [[spoiler:Lydia doesn't really know how to handle her attraction to Marco when she realizes she wants him during their threesome with Alfie. Marco is surprised first at how quick he gets off when the male Voch'khari elder frots him, then at how easy it is to fellate him after watching Lydia start. After that initial shock, it doesn't take long for him to penetrate the Elder.]]
* BookDumb: The flashback page for Marco shows that he's dyslexic and practically illiterate, which made him a disappointment to his father. He hid it well, but Alfie eventually found out.
%%* ButchLesbian: Lydia to a tee.
* CallARabbitASmeerp: They're not Halflings, they're Havlins. Calling them "Halflings" is insulting.
* CallASmeerpARabbit: Oh, the caravan's going through the "Redwood Forest"? Sounds lovely, redwoods are such majestic real-world trees... oh wait apparently redwoods are aggressive trees that move and snatch whatever comes near and the location is a DeathWorld.
* CategoryTraitor: Ozge's tribe does not accept her sympathizing with humans and other outsiders.
* ComingOfAgeStory: The story is Alfie's, of course, as she comes to terms with how she wants to live her life.
* CovertPervert: Alfie had little choice but to be this back home if she wanted to indulge herself at all. The reflexes have stuck.
* CulturalRebel: Ozge is this to the Voch'khari. While Voch'khari don't wear clothes, practice {{Polyamory}} and have casual sex regularly, Ozge prefers wearing clothes and is saving herself for a committed relationship.
* DecemberDecemberRomance: [[spoiler:Vera and Cillian, both of whom are late middle aged, slowly but surely form one.]]
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Although it is Alfie's story, Vera is the second most important member of the cast, and for roughly the first half and parts of the second she had her arc run simultaneously with Alfie's.
* DudeLooksLikeALady:
** Ailduin. His first appearance had Vera trying to figure out what gender he was.
** Voch'khari men are also easily mistaken for women at first glance, which surprises Marco and Lydia in chapter 10.
* {{Elfeminate}}: Ailduin, to the point Vera is ''certain'' he's gay once she figures out he's male. She's rather surprised to learn that he's not (or at least, not at the ''moment''; elf lifespans are so long that they eventually end up everywhere on the Kinsey scale at ''some'' point or another).
* EngineeredHeroics: The d'revo attack on the caravan in Chapter 9 turns out to be a 'third party' variant set up by Aghavni to impress the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuys tribal elders]] [[note]](the caravan's owner Ailduin knew she was planning ''something'', but had no idea of any details)[[/note]].
-->" I gave the humans the opportunity to prove their worth! And they took it! ''Everybody Wins!''"
* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: [[spoiler:How Alfie starts to view Melly.]]
** [[spoiler:And later, how she looks at Lydia.]]
* EverybodyHasLotsOfSex: The main characters at least, given that this is a PornWithPlot webcomic.
* EveryoneIsBi: How Voch'khari society seems to be. [[spoiler:And how most of their human and elf guests act at least during the orgy.]]
* FaceOfAThug:
** Vera, since she despises having lived her life in Pickering. She's far from ugly, but she has [[PerpetualFrowner a near-constant sour look on her]] which does her no favors.
** Ozge's a downplayed example. Voch'khari features tend to be more inhuman than those of Elves or Havlin, but her usual shyness would likely come off as more taciturn than frightening if she were a couple of feet shorter.
* FantasticSlurs: A deviant relationship of any kind (not just homosexual, but interspecies, cheating, BDSM, etc.) doesn't have its proper name in this universe and goes under the blanket term of "perversion", and the people who practice it "perverts". For regular slurs, the popular slander "knife ears" is used against elves, along with "goats" for Voch'khari and "halfling" for Havlin.
* FantasticRacism: Havlin and Voch'khari are both xenophobic societies, and humans aren't too fond of elves or Voch'khari.
* FaunsAndSatyrs:
** The Voch'khari are a race of goat-based [[BeastMan Beast Men]]. Like fauns and satyrs, Voch'khari are portrayed as being very openly sexual; preferring [[NationalGeographicNudity no clothes]], having no qualms with same-sex relationships and {{Polyamory}} is ''expected.''
** When Alfie goes on a bender with the goblins, she has a one-night stand with a more traditional satyr traveler who was just in the neighborhood.
* FreudianExcuse: The havlin village Vera and Alfie are from is very insular and conservative, their culture finding things like fornication, homosexuality and/or interspecies sexual relations abhorrent enough to form a mob over. When Vera wound up pregnant with Alfie with a baby daddy who prefers the company of other men, she had spent her entire life being talked about and laughed at by judgmental women, making her cynical and prone to lashing out. In-turn, this has led to Alfie developing a fear of alienation that leads her to her buckling to peer pressure and will routinely join in on mobs that form to condemn promiscuity [[{{Hypocrite}} despite being sexually active herself]].
* {{Gayngst}}: Alfie took her initial realization that she is bisexual, or rather the possibility of anyone else in Pickering finding out about same, rather poorly.
* GentleGiant: Ozge is very tall because she is a Voch'khari, but unlike the majority of Voch'khari she is very friendly and does not want to keep warring with the Kingdoms.
* HaveIMentionedIAmGay: Lydia is a loud and professed lesbian, and likes to taunt Marco over this. She's at least a little more bisexual than she lets on.
* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday: As per Alfie's journal, Marco (and [[HaveIMentionedIAmGay Lydia]]) admitted to her that the tribal initiation in Chapter 10 involved being [[UnusualEuphemism very diplomatic]] with multiple Voch'khari women. A lot of women. Numerous women. Did they mention women?
--> They really wanted to made sure I knew that. They were very insistent for some reason.
* HereditaryHomosexuality: Vera seems to think that Alfie's interest in women is something she inherited from her father Derik, hence why she reacted so poorly when she found her in a sexually compromised position with Melly.
* HeteronormativeCrusader: Vera does not like homosexuals, mainly due to her husband Derik cheating on her with a guy, and with Pickering in general actively shaming what they perceive as depravity. She starts developing after she gets involved with Ailduin. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, she decides to [[WhatTheHellHero take all of her issues out on an unaware Alfie]] causing her to run away the next day.]]
** Averted with Hana. She strongly disapproves of casual sex and promiscuity, is freaked out by public/casual nudity, and considers infidelity a particular BerserkButton; but (unlike the other MoralGuardians within the caravan she associates with) when presented with ''any'' [[ThinksLikeARomanceNovel monogamous, romance-driven relationship]] she is [[ShipperOnDeck vocal and effusive in her support]].
* HideYourGays: Played with and finally confirmed for [[spoiler:Derik (Vera's husband/Alfie's father)]]. [[spoiler:Alfie seems to have [[HideYourLesbians followed her father's footsteps]] when she gets together with Melly.]]
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Alfie and Marco, Melly and Jean, Vera and Ailduin, Hanna and Grasha, and now [[spoiler:Vera and Cillian]].
* {{Hobbits}}: At the start of the series, they're called "halflings", but partway through this is retconned into "Havlin" (with "halfling" as a slur).
* TheImmodestOrgasm: How Vera finally awakens to what she has been missing in her life.
* IncompatibleOrientation: Vera and Derik try to make their marriage work, for Alfie's sake if nothing else, but [[spoiler:unfortunately he's gay]].
** [[spoiler: The fate of [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Cillian's relationship with Nadia]] is framed quite similarly [[FlashbackArc in Chapter 14]]. On an emotional level he was her one-and-only, but [[SnakePeople she]] honestly was not ''wired'' for monogamy, sticking with a single partner was not getting any easier, and she knew even the most meaningless flings on her part would break his heart; so she confessed everything in a book of poetry he keeps to this day and by implication broke off the engagement.]]
* InnocentInnuendo: Ozge's invitation for Alfie to come somewhere secluded and view her "artefact collection" turns out, [[ReadyForLovemaking to Alfie's surprise]], to be exactly that.
* InterspeciesRomance: Melly and Jean, Alfie and Marco, Vera and Ailduin (although [[UsefulNotes/{{BDSM}} it's not really very romantic]]), [[spoiler:Vera and Cillian]], [[spoiler: Alfie and Ozge (considerably moreso than Alfie wants to admit)]], young Cillian and Nadia, Hanna and Grasha.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Not in the romantic way, mind you: [[spoiler:what was assumed to be Vera's revenge on Derik's cheating backfires spectacularly when she tells Derik himself. He's not mad at all-- in fact, he's ''elated'', because he thinks that she managed to find something she can enjoy in the town that she hates so much.]]
* IfItsYouItsOkay: Almost word for word what Lydia declares about Marco in chapter 10, considering him a general exception to her usually only female preferences. [[spoiler:They both realize they'll completely forget normal preferences when Marco joins her in fellating and later penetrating the Voch'khari elder. As long as they're together, they don't care who or what they do.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold:
** Largely thanks to her bitter frustrations and her poor ability to relate to people, Vera can be an ''extremely'' unpleasant person to be around. She's harsh, judgmental, snappish and unfair, and she has more than a bit of a hypocritical streak. But she cares very deeply about Alfie and will sacrifice just anything, up to and including her own happiness, for the sake of her daughter. She also gets a couple of {{Heel Realization}}s when she realizes just how badly she comes across to other people, and tries to change for the better.
** Ailduin is stuck-up, arrogant, entitled and snobbish, but he's not a bad person.
* TheLadette: Lydia dresses masculine for this time period, is aggressive, talks very crudely, and loves to mess with people.
* LikeMotherLikeDaughter: [[spoiler:It turns out that Vera had run away from home when she was about Alfie's age as well. She ended up coming home out of guilt and pregnancy.]]
* MamaBear: Despite her frustrations with her family, Vera does care about Alfie and [[spoiler:chases after the caravan she's on after Vera finds out she ran away from home]].
* MarshmallowHell: Nadine gives one to Cillian when she hugs him as he's leaving town.
* MySecretPregnancy: Chapters 15-16 have a whole load of drama around [[spoiler:Lydia]] seemingly trying to avoid any possibility she might need to settle down with [[spoiler:Marco.]] Yet the poor boy is the exact opposite and easily proposes an HonorableMarriageProposal.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: The halfling that got in trouble for having sex with a human woman bears more than a passing resemblance to Music/{{Prince}}.
* NotWhatItLooksLike: When Vera catches Alfie [[spoiler:in the middle of a drunken sex session with Melly]], Melly tries to make excuses for the two of them. Vera sees right through the bull and is ''seething''.
* OneGenderRace: It's hinted that this might be the case for goblins. Only female goblins are seen and there are some hints that they can get pregnant through sex with males of other species.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Alfie's real name is actually Alphanea Tolman. Watching her stammer it out in chapter 3 is cute as all heck.
** In Chapter 10, Ailduin struggles to pronounce Lydia's full name, to which she responds "Lydia is just fine."
* OpenMindedParent: Surprisingly, Derik. [[spoiler:He's somewhat okay with Alfie leaving the village, if it means she can go pursue her own happiness unlike her parents.]]
* ParentsAsPeople: Definitely portrays Vera and Derik as people with problems instead of just another obstacle in Alfie's life. They're trapped in a loveless marriage, Vera's gone bitter from all the lies her family's told her, the cheating, and the village and finally cheats for stress relief; Derik does care for his family, but [[spoiler:only married Vera because it was expected of the men and they had Alfie out of wedlock. He's also gay, which explains why he hadn't had sex with Vera.]]
* PoorCommunicationKills: The central problem with Alfie's family, especially Vera. [[spoiler:Gets to the point where she handles it so badly that Alfie finally decides to leave Pickering.]]
** [[spoiler:Marco thought Lydia was going too far when she started making strong advances toward Alfie. As he and Lydia were on the brink of fighting, angry Alfie put a stop to them and explained that she was actually interested in Lydia. With that simple clarification, Marco was fine with the whole situation.]]
** [[spoiler: Nadia and Cillian's relationship in a nutshell, it backfire ''hard'' on them.]]
* PornWithPlot: Oh it's ''absolutely'' about the sex, but it's also very much about Alfie and Vera's struggles with their sexuality, the village, and their lives at current.
* PunnyName: Tolman? Seriously?[[note]][[DontExplainTheJoke "Tall man"]][[/note]] Alpha Tolman is also a type of cheese, though it's unclear if [=InCase=] was aware.
* TheRunaway: [[spoiler:Alfie officially becomes this in Chapter 7, as she leaves with Marco in the caravan. Vera was this too, once upon a time.]]
** [[spoiler:Lydia also ran away from her family and home country because she wanted to be herself.]]
** [[spoiler:Ozge left her tribe when they decided to keep fighting with the Kingdoms.]]
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Ailduin's remark on how he can get anything (or anyone) he wants.
* SecondLove: [[spoiler:Vera is by far the most serious relationship Cillian has had since his engagement to his [[ChildhoodFriendRomance next-door neighbor]] fell apart ~thirty years ago.]]
* SexIsGood: The SnakePeople have this attitude, and as such many of them have gone into UnproblematicProstitution, since they might as well make money doing what they love.
* ShotgunWedding: The reason Alfie's parents are married is because Derik Tolman insisted on doing the right thing when he found out he fathered a child on one Vera Brooker. It is made clear this was not the key to a successful long-term relationship.
* SmallTownBoredom:
** It's not just boredom, it's hatred. Many of the residents are unpleasant, it's almost nothing but work, and they seem to be very close-minded in tradition. Alfie hates it, but her mother seems to hate it even more.
** [[spoiler:Lydia's home country of Osore was poor and seemingly intolerant of homosexuals.]]
* SnakePeople: Cillian grew up in a city with a large population of them, and his first love Nadia was one. They all speak in SssssnakeTalk, and like real snakes, they have [[ExoticEquipment double penises]].
* StatuesqueStunner: Ozge's species is much taller than humans, elves, or halvin. She's also very attractive according to Lydia, Jean, and Ailduin.
* TraumaButton: Catching her daughter in the act would be bad enough for Vera. Finding that she is the same-gender side piece of someone who is married? She spent too much of her life on the wrong end of that to be remotely rational. [[spoiler:Realizing the button ''didn't'' get pressed when she watched Ailduin get off on Eamas is what made her realize how hypocritical she was.]]
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: [[spoiler:When a monster attacks the caravan in Chapter 9, Marco throws his sword at it despite everyone begging him not to. This actually manages to kill the monster, much to everyone's surprise.]]
* TinyGuyHugeGirl:
** Ignatius (the Prince-looking havlin) defiantly extols the joys of this trope before a crowd in Chapter 5, when in the stocks for 'offences aganst public morality' (AKA fornicating with a human woman).
** The flashback in Chapter 14 reveals [[spoiler: Cillian and his [[ChildhoodFriendRomance neighbor-turned-fiancee]] Nadia were at least a borderline example. He was a strapping young man, but from the waist up she was noticeably 'taller' and more robust... and [[SnakePeople her ~10 foot/~3 meter serpentine lower body]] was proportionally massive]].
* UnusualEars: Havlin ears stick out from the side of their heads. When they're excited, they can wiggle them.
* WhiteSheep: Vera's family, the Brookers, are not well respected in Havlin society and are known for being thieves. When Vera was a child, she learned to read from a traveling storyteller so that, unlike her family, she could "make an honest living, using her wits." When she was a young adult, she left her family home and never looked back.
** Ozge is a White Sheep in the MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch sense.
* WeNamedTheMonkeyJack: Vera names the goat she and Cillian travel with "Ailduin", since it's almost as annoying as him.
----
[[caption-width-right:350:The titular character in her first appearance.]]
''Alfie'' is a very NSFW webcomic by [=InCase=], focusing on the titular character, a [[{{Hobbits}} havlin]], and her mother Vera. They live in the town of Pickering, where a caravan of humans have just arrived.
[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Not related]] to the [[{{Film/Alfie}} British film of the same name]]. Not related ''at all''.
----
!!This comic provides examples of:
%%* AThreesomeIsHot
* ArtEvolution: Once [=InCase=] started making enough through Patreon, he was finally able to devote more time to the comic and produce it in full color. Whether or not it ''stays'' full-color or scales down to a more limited scheme seems to depend on the chapter.
* BadassAdorable / BewareTheNiceOnes: Marco is surprisingly cute (in a masculine way), and a really nice fellow. He's also a ''surprisingly'' good fighter for a mere caravan guard.
** [[spoiler:Alfie isn't afraid to use a dagger starting in Chapter 9. She even puts [[{{CutlassBetweentheTeeth}} it between her teeth.]]]]
* {{Bathos}}: At the end of Chapter 13, Hana's proud declaration to fight in the name of love is undercut by her being naked except for a blanket over her shoulders.
* BelligerentSexualTension: Marco and Lydia often get into violent play-fights, with Alfie looking on in fascination. [[spoiler:This even happened during their threesome.]]
* BigDamnKiss: [[spoiler:Vera and Cillian share one in page 944, further solidifying their DecemberDecemberRomance.]]
* BiWildered:
** Alfie is at first surprised when she realizes she's fantasizing about Melly. Melly, likewise, is a bit flustered by how open she is to letting Alfie have a go with her.
** [[spoiler:Lydia doesn't really know how to handle her attraction to Marco when she realizes she wants him during their threesome with Alfie. Marco is surprised first at how quick he gets off when the male Voch'khari elder frots him, then at how easy it is to fellate him after watching Lydia start. After that initial shock, it doesn't take long for him to penetrate the Elder.]]
* BookDumb: The flashback page for Marco shows that he's dyslexic and practically illiterate, which made him a disappointment to his father. He hid it well, but Alfie eventually found out.
%%* ButchLesbian: Lydia to a tee.
* CallARabbitASmeerp: They're not Halflings, they're Havlins. Calling them "Halflings" is insulting.
* CallASmeerpARabbit: Oh, the caravan's going through the "Redwood Forest"? Sounds lovely, redwoods are such majestic real-world trees... oh wait apparently redwoods are aggressive trees that move and snatch whatever comes near and the location is a DeathWorld.
* CategoryTraitor: Ozge's tribe does not accept her sympathizing with humans and other outsiders.
* ComingOfAgeStory: The story is Alfie's, of course, as she comes to terms with how she wants to live her life.
* CovertPervert: Alfie had little choice but to be this back home if she wanted to indulge herself at all. The reflexes have stuck.
* CulturalRebel: Ozge is this to the Voch'khari. While Voch'khari don't wear clothes, practice {{Polyamory}} and have casual sex regularly, Ozge prefers wearing clothes and is saving herself for a committed relationship.
* DecemberDecemberRomance: [[spoiler:Vera and Cillian, both of whom are late middle aged, slowly but surely form one.]]
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Although it is Alfie's story, Vera is the second most important member of the cast, and for roughly the first half and parts of the second she had her arc run simultaneously with Alfie's.
* DudeLooksLikeALady:
** Ailduin. His first appearance had Vera trying to figure out what gender he was.
** Voch'khari men are also easily mistaken for women at first glance, which surprises Marco and Lydia in chapter 10.
* {{Elfeminate}}: Ailduin, to the point Vera is ''certain'' he's gay once she figures out he's male. She's rather surprised to learn that he's not (or at least, not at the ''moment''; elf lifespans are so long that they eventually end up everywhere on the Kinsey scale at ''some'' point or another).
* EngineeredHeroics: The d'revo attack on the caravan in Chapter 9 turns out to be a 'third party' variant set up by Aghavni to impress the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuys tribal elders]] [[note]](the caravan's owner Ailduin knew she was planning ''something'', but had no idea of any details)[[/note]].
-->" I gave the humans the opportunity to prove their worth! And they took it! ''Everybody Wins!''"
* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: [[spoiler:How Alfie starts to view Melly.]]
** [[spoiler:And later, how she looks at Lydia.]]
* EverybodyHasLotsOfSex: The main characters at least, given that this is a PornWithPlot webcomic.
* EveryoneIsBi: How Voch'khari society seems to be. [[spoiler:And how most of their human and elf guests act at least during the orgy.]]
* FaceOfAThug:
** Vera, since she despises having lived her life in Pickering. She's far from ugly, but she has [[PerpetualFrowner a near-constant sour look on her]] which does her no favors.
** Ozge's a downplayed example. Voch'khari features tend to be more inhuman than those of Elves or Havlin, but her usual shyness would likely come off as more taciturn than frightening if she were a couple of feet shorter.
* FantasticSlurs: A deviant relationship of any kind (not just homosexual, but interspecies, cheating, BDSM, etc.) doesn't have its proper name in this universe and goes under the blanket term of "perversion", and the people who practice it "perverts". For regular slurs, the popular slander "knife ears" is used against elves, along with "goats" for Voch'khari and "halfling" for Havlin.
* FantasticRacism: Havlin and Voch'khari are both xenophobic societies, and humans aren't too fond of elves or Voch'khari.
* FaunsAndSatyrs:
** The Voch'khari are a race of goat-based [[BeastMan Beast Men]]. Like fauns and satyrs, Voch'khari are portrayed as being very openly sexual; preferring [[NationalGeographicNudity no clothes]], having no qualms with same-sex relationships and {{Polyamory}} is ''expected.''
** When Alfie goes on a bender with the goblins, she has a one-night stand with a more traditional satyr traveler who was just in the neighborhood.
* FreudianExcuse: The havlin village Vera and Alfie are from is very insular and conservative, their culture finding things like fornication, homosexuality and/or interspecies sexual relations abhorrent enough to form a mob over. When Vera wound up pregnant with Alfie with a baby daddy who prefers the company of other men, she had spent her entire life being talked about and laughed at by judgmental women, making her cynical and prone to lashing out. In-turn, this has led to Alfie developing a fear of alienation that leads her to her buckling to peer pressure and will routinely join in on mobs that form to condemn promiscuity [[{{Hypocrite}} despite being sexually active herself]].
* {{Gayngst}}: Alfie took her initial realization that she is bisexual, or rather the possibility of anyone else in Pickering finding out about same, rather poorly.
* GentleGiant: Ozge is very tall because she is a Voch'khari, but unlike the majority of Voch'khari she is very friendly and does not want to keep warring with the Kingdoms.
* HaveIMentionedIAmGay: Lydia is a loud and professed lesbian, and likes to taunt Marco over this. She's at least a little more bisexual than she lets on.
* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday: As per Alfie's journal, Marco (and [[HaveIMentionedIAmGay Lydia]]) admitted to her that the tribal initiation in Chapter 10 involved being [[UnusualEuphemism very diplomatic]] with multiple Voch'khari women. A lot of women. Numerous women. Did they mention women?
--> They really wanted to made sure I knew that. They were very insistent for some reason.
* HereditaryHomosexuality: Vera seems to think that Alfie's interest in women is something she inherited from her father Derik, hence why she reacted so poorly when she found her in a sexually compromised position with Melly.
* HeteronormativeCrusader: Vera does not like homosexuals, mainly due to her husband Derik cheating on her with a guy, and with Pickering in general actively shaming what they perceive as depravity. She starts developing after she gets involved with Ailduin. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, she decides to [[WhatTheHellHero take all of her issues out on an unaware Alfie]] causing her to run away the next day.]]
** Averted with Hana. She strongly disapproves of casual sex and promiscuity, is freaked out by public/casual nudity, and considers infidelity a particular BerserkButton; but (unlike the other MoralGuardians within the caravan she associates with) when presented with ''any'' [[ThinksLikeARomanceNovel monogamous, romance-driven relationship]] she is [[ShipperOnDeck vocal and effusive in her support]].
* HideYourGays: Played with and finally confirmed for [[spoiler:Derik (Vera's husband/Alfie's father)]]. [[spoiler:Alfie seems to have [[HideYourLesbians followed her father's footsteps]] when she gets together with Melly.]]
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Alfie and Marco, Melly and Jean, Vera and Ailduin, Hanna and Grasha, and now [[spoiler:Vera and Cillian]].
* {{Hobbits}}: At the start of the series, they're called "halflings", but partway through this is retconned into "Havlin" (with "halfling" as a slur).
* TheImmodestOrgasm: How Vera finally awakens to what she has been missing in her life.
* IncompatibleOrientation: Vera and Derik try to make their marriage work, for Alfie's sake if nothing else, but [[spoiler:unfortunately he's gay]].
** [[spoiler: The fate of [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Cillian's relationship with Nadia]] is framed quite similarly [[FlashbackArc in Chapter 14]]. On an emotional level he was her one-and-only, but [[SnakePeople she]] honestly was not ''wired'' for monogamy, sticking with a single partner was not getting any easier, and she knew even the most meaningless flings on her part would break his heart; so she confessed everything in a book of poetry he keeps to this day and by implication broke off the engagement.]]
* InnocentInnuendo: Ozge's invitation for Alfie to come somewhere secluded and view her "artefact collection" turns out, [[ReadyForLovemaking to Alfie's surprise]], to be exactly that.
* InterspeciesRomance: Melly and Jean, Alfie and Marco, Vera and Ailduin (although [[UsefulNotes/{{BDSM}} it's not really very romantic]]), [[spoiler:Vera and Cillian]], [[spoiler: Alfie and Ozge (considerably moreso than Alfie wants to admit)]], young Cillian and Nadia, Hanna and Grasha.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Not in the romantic way, mind you: [[spoiler:what was assumed to be Vera's revenge on Derik's cheating backfires spectacularly when she tells Derik himself. He's not mad at all-- in fact, he's ''elated'', because he thinks that she managed to find something she can enjoy in the town that she hates so much.]]
* IfItsYouItsOkay: Almost word for word what Lydia declares about Marco in chapter 10, considering him a general exception to her usually only female preferences. [[spoiler:They both realize they'll completely forget normal preferences when Marco joins her in fellating and later penetrating the Voch'khari elder. As long as they're together, they don't care who or what they do.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold:
** Largely thanks to her bitter frustrations and her poor ability to relate to people, Vera can be an ''extremely'' unpleasant person to be around. She's harsh, judgmental, snappish and unfair, and she has more than a bit of a hypocritical streak. But she cares very deeply about Alfie and will sacrifice just anything, up to and including her own happiness, for the sake of her daughter. She also gets a couple of {{Heel Realization}}s when she realizes just how badly she comes across to other people, and tries to change for the better.
** Ailduin is stuck-up, arrogant, entitled and snobbish, but he's not a bad person.
* TheLadette: Lydia dresses masculine for this time period, is aggressive, talks very crudely, and loves to mess with people.
* LikeMotherLikeDaughter: [[spoiler:It turns out that Vera had run away from home when she was about Alfie's age as well. She ended up coming home out of guilt and pregnancy.]]
* MamaBear: Despite her frustrations with her family, Vera does care about Alfie and [[spoiler:chases after the caravan she's on after Vera finds out she ran away from home]].
* MarshmallowHell: Nadine gives one to Cillian when she hugs him as he's leaving town.
* MySecretPregnancy: Chapters 15-16 have a whole load of drama around [[spoiler:Lydia]] seemingly trying to avoid any possibility she might need to settle down with [[spoiler:Marco.]] Yet the poor boy is the exact opposite and easily proposes an HonorableMarriageProposal.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: The halfling that got in trouble for having sex with a human woman bears more than a passing resemblance to Music/{{Prince}}.
* NotWhatItLooksLike: When Vera catches Alfie [[spoiler:in the middle of a drunken sex session with Melly]], Melly tries to make excuses for the two of them. Vera sees right through the bull and is ''seething''.
* OneGenderRace: It's hinted that this might be the case for goblins. Only female goblins are seen and there are some hints that they can get pregnant through sex with males of other species.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Alfie's real name is actually Alphanea Tolman. Watching her stammer it out in chapter 3 is cute as all heck.
** In Chapter 10, Ailduin struggles to pronounce Lydia's full name, to which she responds "Lydia is just fine."
* OpenMindedParent: Surprisingly, Derik. [[spoiler:He's somewhat okay with Alfie leaving the village, if it means she can go pursue her own happiness unlike her parents.]]
* ParentsAsPeople: Definitely portrays Vera and Derik as people with problems instead of just another obstacle in Alfie's life. They're trapped in a loveless marriage, Vera's gone bitter from all the lies her family's told her, the cheating, and the village and finally cheats for stress relief; Derik does care for his family, but [[spoiler:only married Vera because it was expected of the men and they had Alfie out of wedlock. He's also gay, which explains why he hadn't had sex with Vera.]]
* PoorCommunicationKills: The central problem with Alfie's family, especially Vera. [[spoiler:Gets to the point where she handles it so badly that Alfie finally decides to leave Pickering.]]
** [[spoiler:Marco thought Lydia was going too far when she started making strong advances toward Alfie. As he and Lydia were on the brink of fighting, angry Alfie put a stop to them and explained that she was actually interested in Lydia. With that simple clarification, Marco was fine with the whole situation.]]
** [[spoiler: Nadia and Cillian's relationship in a nutshell, it backfire ''hard'' on them.]]
* PornWithPlot: Oh it's ''absolutely'' about the sex, but it's also very much about Alfie and Vera's struggles with their sexuality, the village, and their lives at current.
* PunnyName: Tolman? Seriously?[[note]][[DontExplainTheJoke "Tall man"]][[/note]] Alpha Tolman is also a type of cheese, though it's unclear if [=InCase=] was aware.
* TheRunaway: [[spoiler:Alfie officially becomes this in Chapter 7, as she leaves with Marco in the caravan. Vera was this too, once upon a time.]]
** [[spoiler:Lydia also ran away from her family and home country because she wanted to be herself.]]
** [[spoiler:Ozge left her tribe when they decided to keep fighting with the Kingdoms.]]
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Ailduin's remark on how he can get anything (or anyone) he wants.
* SecondLove: [[spoiler:Vera is by far the most serious relationship Cillian has had since his engagement to his [[ChildhoodFriendRomance next-door neighbor]] fell apart ~thirty years ago.]]
* SexIsGood: The SnakePeople have this attitude, and as such many of them have gone into UnproblematicProstitution, since they might as well make money doing what they love.
* ShotgunWedding: The reason Alfie's parents are married is because Derik Tolman insisted on doing the right thing when he found out he fathered a child on one Vera Brooker. It is made clear this was not the key to a successful long-term relationship.
* SmallTownBoredom:
** It's not just boredom, it's hatred. Many of the residents are unpleasant, it's almost nothing but work, and they seem to be very close-minded in tradition. Alfie hates it, but her mother seems to hate it even more.
** [[spoiler:Lydia's home country of Osore was poor and seemingly intolerant of homosexuals.]]
* SnakePeople: Cillian grew up in a city with a large population of them, and his first love Nadia was one. They all speak in SssssnakeTalk, and like real snakes, they have [[ExoticEquipment double penises]].
* StatuesqueStunner: Ozge's species is much taller than humans, elves, or halvin. She's also very attractive according to Lydia, Jean, and Ailduin.
* TraumaButton: Catching her daughter in the act would be bad enough for Vera. Finding that she is the same-gender side piece of someone who is married? She spent too much of her life on the wrong end of that to be remotely rational. [[spoiler:Realizing the button ''didn't'' get pressed when she watched Ailduin get off on Eamas is what made her realize how hypocritical she was.]]
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: [[spoiler:When a monster attacks the caravan in Chapter 9, Marco throws his sword at it despite everyone begging him not to. This actually manages to kill the monster, much to everyone's surprise.]]
* TinyGuyHugeGirl:
** Ignatius (the Prince-looking havlin) defiantly extols the joys of this trope before a crowd in Chapter 5, when in the stocks for 'offences aganst public morality' (AKA fornicating with a human woman).
** The flashback in Chapter 14 reveals [[spoiler: Cillian and his [[ChildhoodFriendRomance neighbor-turned-fiancee]] Nadia were at least a borderline example. He was a strapping young man, but from the waist up she was noticeably 'taller' and more robust... and [[SnakePeople her ~10 foot/~3 meter serpentine lower body]] was proportionally massive]].
* UnusualEars: Havlin ears stick out from the side of their heads. When they're excited, they can wiggle them.
* WhiteSheep: Vera's family, the Brookers, are not well respected in Havlin society and are known for being thieves. When Vera was a child, she learned to read from a traveling storyteller so that, unlike her family, she could "make an honest living, using her wits." When she was a young adult, she left her family home and never looked back.
** Ozge is a White Sheep in the MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch sense.
* WeNamedTheMonkeyJack: Vera names the goat she and Cillian travel with "Ailduin", since it's almost as annoying as him.
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