History Webcomic / FreeSpirit

[[quoteright:175:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/free_spirit_cover__1_by_torquesmacky-d6wvy1a_png_1703.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:175:Everything is [[CatchPhrase not necessarily]] impossible with Winnie around.]]

->''"... she's a magical character who -- whoda thunk -- actually makes stuff happen! Frequently! And it's not generic crap like fireballs or electricity (that makes you a bender, not a magician) -- it's genuinely unpredictable phemonena." ''
-->-- '''Peter Paltridge''', "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/darkvault/freespirit.html Dark TV Vault: Free Spirit]]"

''[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?seriesID=13 Free Spirit]]'' is a Website/PlatypusComix series that began in 2014. It is a FanWebcomic that Peter Paltridge based on [[Series/FreeSpirit the short-lived 1989 sitcom of the same name]], though with a SettingUpdate placing it in present day.

Every 100 years, a witch must provide assistance to a mortal in need. When the time comes for the fun-loving CuteWitch Winnie Goodwin to grant a mortal's wish, she finds herself becoming a MagicalNanny and new friend to young Gene Harper and his two older siblings, Robb and Jessie. The kids' father, divorced executive Thomas Harper, remains unaware that Winnie can perform magic. HilarityEnsues.

----
!!''Free Spirit'' provides examples of:
* AbortedArc: "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=12&pageType=index&seriesID=13 Robb's Not Dead]]" remained only 2/3 done before Peter released the first part of the HalloweenEpisode "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=13&pageType=index&seriesID=13 Hallowinnie II: Season of the Witch]]".
* AccidentalMisnaming: When Gene lands a TV role in "Wish Gone Amiss", the producers call him, "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=5&page=10 Gene Halper]]," instead of, "Gene Harper." [[spoiler:After Gene expresses a desire to quit the show, Winnie declares that since his contract and his signature give two different spellings of his last name, the studio [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=5&page=24 can't claim ownership of him.]]]]
* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: Winnie enjoys Halloween in "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=13&seriesID=13 Hallowinnie II: Season of the Witch]]" more strongly than she did in the sitcom's HalloweenEpisode.
* AdaptationalSuperpowerChange: Winnie has a few powers that she didn't have in the original TV show, such as the ability to create MindControlMusic. Inversely, she insists a number of times that "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=3&page=6 Magic can't control love!]]", which contrasts with the fact that the TV show had an episode in which she brainwashed a quarterback's girlfriend into developing SingleTargetSexuality for Robb instead of the quarterback.
* {{Alliterative Name}}s: At least two of Winnie's alter egos, Fräulein Frankfurtress and Liz Lolly, have these.
* BadBadActing: Winnie [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=5&page=5&seriesID=13 believes]] in "Wish Gone Amiss" that the Creator/DisneyChannel kid-com ''Boss of the World'' has this. She declares that even Gene could give a more professional performance, so the two of them decide to fly to Hollywood, and have Gene audition for the channel's next show.
* BadFuture: "Robb Harper Presents The Donald Trump Glorification Special" has Winnie use a CrystalBall to examine [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=11&page=5 several]] [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=11&page=6 disastrous]] [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=11&page=8 possibilities]] if Creator/DonaldTrump becomes President of the United States.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=9&pageType=index A League of Robb's Own]]" follows Robb's efforts to steal the so-called "most beautiful girl in the world", Becky, from her boyfriend, Buford. After Robb wins her heart through dishonest means, Jessie [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=9&page=17 warns]] him that Becky's other suitors might jealously attempt to steal her from him. Robb [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=9&page=19 fends off those suitors]], but eventually [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=9&page=21 decides]] that he and Becky have NoSparks.
* BeachEpisode: "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=4&seriesID=13 Song of the Siren]]" sends Winnie and the Harper clan to the beach, starting on [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=4&page=10 page 10]].
* BehindAStick: In the first comic, Winnie [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=1&page=11 hides from Thomas]] behind a lamp that looks skinnier than she does.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=6&pageType=index Bedbugs and Broomsticks]]" has Winnie and the kids confront some giant bedbugs, who grew after sucking Winnie's magical blood.
* BileFascination: "Wish Gone Amiss" has an in-universe example, in which Robb [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=5&page=4&seriesID=13 considers]] watching ''Boss of the World'' for ironic enjoyment. Winnie spares him from witnessing the show's stupidity by asking him to do something "dangerous and irresponsible" instead.
* BirthdayEpisode: "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=3&pageType=index&seriesID=13 Skyway to the Danger Zone]]" has Winnie and the Harper clan celebrate Jessie's 14th birthday.
* BlitheSpirit: Winnie.
* BrainyBrunette: Whenever Winnie needs something about the mortal world explained to her, Jessie usually [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=6&page=10&seriesID=13 explains it]].
* BreakTheCutie: Winnie's superior, The Stranger, tries pulling this on Winnie in "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=7&pageType=index Love That Winnie]]", in order to convince her that witches and mortals can't stay friends. The entry below for ScrewDestiny goes into more detail.
* BrickJoke: The [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=10&page=1 first page]] of "Junkyard Stories" indicates that the kids left the bathroom door locked before visiting the junkyard with Winnie. In [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=10&page=23 the last panel]], [[spoiler:Thomas]] has a PottyEmergency because of this.
* BroughtDownToNormal: "Love That Winnie" has Winnie tell the Harper kids that living in the mortal world causes her to [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=7&page=30 lose her powers]]. [[spoiler:It doesn't really, but Winnie decided to give the kids a SecretTestOfCharacter to prove that they love her not just because of her magic.]]
* CasanovaWannabe: [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=1&page=2 Robb]].
* CatchPhrase:
-->'''Winnie:''' Not necessarily!
* ChekhovsGun: In "Skyway to the Danger Zone," Winnie [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=3&page=12&seriesID=13 collects an egg beater]] while flying, and tells Jessie that it might make a good weapon. Later, she [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=3&page=16&seriesID=13 throws it at a drone]], [[spoiler:causing it to [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=3&page=17&seriesID=13 explode.]]]]
-->'''Winnie:''' Somehow...I knew I would be needing this someday!
* ChekhovsSkill: In the pilot, Winnie teaches Gene how to bowl with [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=1&page=18 a customized alley]]. In "When The Stranger Calls", [[spoiler:Winnie bets her right to live among mortals on Gene winning a game of "agniklorvath", a magical variation of bowling that uses [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=2&page=12 a larger version of that same alley]].]]
* TheChewToy: [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=1&page=14&seriesID=13 Robb]].
* {{Cliffhanger}}: Due to an update to Toon Zone's servers taking longer than expected to finish, Peter only got to post part of "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=7&seriesID=13 Love That Winnie]]" before Summer 2014 rolled around, leaving readers hanging on [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=7&page=8 page 8]].
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: By the end of "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=4&seriesID=13 Song of the Siren]]", Jessie expects Winnie to have learned to refrain from careless use of MindControlMusic. [[spoiler:Instead, Winnie [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=4&page=16 proclaims]] that she'll continue singing whenever she wants, and if she accidentally hypnotizes someone into performing a dangerous act, she can hypnotize other people to solve the problem.]]
* ContinuityNod:
** ''Boss of the World'' originally showed up in the ''Webcomic/{{Mulberry}}'' comic "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/mulberry/index.php?issue=22&page=4 Heiress a Parent]]" before "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=5&page=4 Wish Gone Amiss]]".
** Liz Lolly [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=8&page=17 makes use]] of a ForcedMeme from the Platypus Comix article "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/kidzone/errorsinjudgment.html Errors of Corporate Judgment]]" in "Abnormal Science".
--->Just...completely FROGGY!
* ConvenienceStoreGiftShopping: Birthday presents that Jessie receives in "Skyway to the Danger Zone" include [[spoiler:[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=3&page=3 a Wooly Willy]], [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=3&page=11 a sweater]], [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=3&page=12&seriesID=13 a trucker's hat, and an egg beater]]]]. Fortunately, not ''all'' of her presents turn out that lame.
* DancePartyEnding: "Song of the Siren" has one (see the second link in the ComicallyMissingThePoint entry above) accompanied by [[spoiler:Winnie singing Music/OneDirection's "Best Song Ever"]].
* DarkerAndEdgier: The worst that happened in the TV show's ninth episode, "Love That Winnie", involved Gene becoming bitter at Winnie for refusing to help him escape punishment for breaking an antique watch, although that blew over the next morning. The [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=7&pageType=index comic version]] wrings extra drama out of the possibility that Gene only likes taking advantage of Winnie's magic.
* DeathIsNotPermanent: In "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=13&pageType=index&seriesID=13 Hallowinnie II: Season of the Witch]]", [[spoiler:Winnie and the Harper kids meet a woman who lost her parents in a magical incident, and spent the next few decades attempting to learn enough about magic to bring them back. Winnie assures her that this death should prove easier to reverse than a "physical" one, and offers to use her own knowledge of witchcraft to help her reunite with her parents.]]
* DecisionDarts: "Wish Gone Amiss" has the casting directors of ''[[Series/DogWithABlog Iguana with an Instagram]]'' use [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=5&page=10&seriesID=13 these]] to pick an actor, as opposed to judging each candidate individually. Winnie uses her magic to make the dart hit a picture of Gene.
* DeliberatelyMonochrome: Peter doesn't color these comics, instead using various shades of gray and white.
* DemotedToExtra: Thomas doesn't have as big a role in this comic as he did in the show.
* DiggingYourselfDeeper: Winnie becomes guilty of this in "Wish Gone Amiss", after Gene [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=5&page=17 asks her]], [[spoiler:"...why can't you bring my mother back??"]]
-->'''Gene:''' I thought if you were really magical...you would have done it by now!\\
'''Winnie:''' Gene, [[spoiler:I can't make her come back if she doesn't want to...]]\\
'''Gene:''' Why not?\\
'''Winnie:''' [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=5&page=18&seriesID=13 Because]] [[spoiler:magic can't control love...]]\\
'''Gene:''' [[DramaticallyMissingThePoint Are you saying]] [[spoiler:she didn't love me??]]\\
'''Winnie:''' No! [[spoiler:I mean I can't force her to care-I mean-I-]]
* {{Dirty Old M|an}}en: Winnie gets captured by some in "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=8&page=0 Abnormal Science]]", a parody of ''Film/WeirdScience''.
* DisneyDeath: The Harper kids [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=7&page=24 barely survive]] [[spoiler:a car crash]] in "Love That Winnie".
* DistractedByTheSexy: In "Robb's Not Dead", the [[MaleGaze sight]] of [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=12&page=6 female breasts]] causes Robb to hear all others' dialogue as BlahBlahBlah.
* EightiesHair: Winnie has this.
* EndOfEpisodeSilliness: On the last page of "When the Stranger Calls", Winnie tells the Harper kids that now that she can live among mortals, she might move into [[GingerbreadHouse a suburban house made of chocolate]]. She proceeds to [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=2&page=19 transform the Harpers' house]] into a confectionary palace, and says that "maybe" she'll change it back before Thomas comes home.
* EpisodeTitleCard: Each comic from "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=2&pageType=index&seriesID=13 When The Stranger Calls]]" to "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=6&pageType=index&seriesID=13 Bedbugs and Broomsticks]]" has its title written on the top of its cover page, with red font and an exclamation point at the end.
* EvilDetectingDog: Dogs go mad in the vicinity of witches like Winnie.
* FantasticallyIndifferent: Winnie [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=1&page=26&seriesID=13 claims]] in the pilot that the other witches and warlocks of her homeworld feel less impressed with her power than the mortal Harper kids do.
* FictionalSport: Agniklorvath, a game in the witches' realm that's basically bowling with carnivorous plants along the alley, {{Pinball Projectile}}s instead of balls, and a revamped scoring system.
* {{Flight}}:
** Winnie has a FlyingBroomstick that can quickly transport people to anywhere in the world, and turn them invisible while traveling.
** "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=3&page=0 Skyway to the Danger Zone]]" has Winnie temporarily grant birthday girl Jessie the ability to fly by herself.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: At Jessie's birthday party in "Skyway to the Danger Zone," Thomas [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=3&page=2 informs her]] that the delivery service had a few problems, causing all of her presents to get lost in the mail. [[spoiler:It later turns out these problems arose from Amazon testing out delivery drones, which [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=3&page=10&seriesID=13 Winnie and Jessie encounter]] and [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=3&page=11&seriesID=13 receive packages]] from.]]
* GagHaircut: Winnie gives some to Gene in the [[http://torquesmacky.deviantart.com/art/Free-Spirit-Short-386974222 Free Spirit short]] posted on Website/DeviantArt. [[spoiler: Winnie gets one, too, in the last panel.]]
* GenderBender: Winnie turns [[spoiler:Robb]] [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=12&page=18 into this]] in "Robb's Not Dead".
* GoneHorriblyWrong: When Winnie interrupts Robb's flirts with Becky in "A League of Robb's Own" by [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=9&page=15 hitting him with a truck]], [[spoiler:Becky [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=9&page=16 gives him]] the KissOfLife, then [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=9&page=17 proclaims]] her love for him.]]
* GratuitousRap: "Song of the Siren" pits Winnie in [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=4&page=11 a rap battle]] of ''Film/TeenWitch'' proportions.
* GroinAttack: Winnie arranges for [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=9&page=13 the Crotch-Kick Fairy]] to strike Robb a few times, starting in "A League of Robb's Own".
* HauntedHouse: Winnie and the kids [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=13&page=10&seriesID=13 visit one]] in "Hallowinnie II: Season of the Witch". [[spoiler:Subverted in that its only inhabitant (aside from a loose witch hunter) is a mortal woman, albeit one who knows more about magic than most mortals do.]]
* HearingVoices: In "When The Stranger Calls", a higher-up from Winnie's realm tries to [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=2&page=4 convince]] the Harper kids to let him take Winnie away by [[spoiler:telling them that Winnie's wanted by the authorities of her realm, and could inflict ColdBloodedTorture on [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=2&page=5 them]] if they keep her long enough.]]
* {{Homage}}:
** The [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=5&seriesID=13 cover page]] of "Wish Gone Amiss" redraws Winnie and the Harper kids in the styles of Creator/MikeJudge's cartoons.
** "Abnormal Science" has [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=8&pageType=index&seriesID=13 a cover]] that evokes that of Music/TaylorSwift's ''1989''.
* HumansAreBastards: InUniverse given by Winnie as the explanation for why the magical world doesn't intervene more (such as to prevent disasters or ease suffering)...most of her race wrote off humans as a lost cause eons ago.
* IAteWhat: While Winnie assures Jessie and Robb in "Skyway to the Danger Zone" that she shouldn't have trouble adjusting to contemporary human life, she [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=3&page=4&seriesID=13 drinks a bottle of Joy]]. Jessie then tells Winnie that the bottle contains dishwashing soap, and that she shouldn't drink any more of it.
* IChooseToStay: Winnie could have left the Harpers after helping Gene win the bowling tournament he got forced to attend in the {{Pilot}}, but she had so much fun with those kids that she decided to live with them.
* IgnoringBySinging: "Love That Winnie" has Winnie try to [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=7&page=21 drown out the Stranger]] by singing Music/LanaDelRey's "Summertime Sadness".
* InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons:
** In "Song of the Siren", Winnie blatantly hints that [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=4&page=7 she might give Gene a dragon]] for his birthday. He becomes pretty excited, but Jessie tries to warn Winnie that it might prove too dangerous.
** In "A League of Robb's Own", Winnie [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=9&page=11 sculpts a sand dragon]], posed to eat someone sleeping on the beach. She magically brings the dragon to life, but [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=9&page=12&seriesID=13 shoots it in the head]] before it can eat anyone.
* IntelligenceEqualsIsolation: Jessie doesn't seem to have many friends at school. For starters, her best friend [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=1&page=5&seriesID=13 ditches her for a more popular crowd]] in the first comic.
* ItMakesSenseInContext: In Peter's article on the HalloweenEpisode of the original series, he posted [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/darkvault/hallowinnie0.jpg this panel from the comic]] while saying, "Here, have an out-of-context panel from a future story." About five months later, the story "Song of the Siren" placed the panel in this context: [[spoiler:Winnie informs Jessie that some people gave her gifts after becoming hypnotized by her singing, and she accepted [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=4&page=6 most of them]] to act polite.]]
* JustifiedTitle:
** The pilot relates the series' title to Winnie like [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=1&page=26 so]]:
--->'''Winnie:''' To you guys, I'm amazing! Where I come from, I'm nothing special...I'm nobody! They told me I'd be miserable here...but I feel I was lied to...You really appreciate me...you make me feel like a star! I fit in better here...in this world...with you...then I ever did back home! I feel..........free!
** "Song of the Siren" receives its name from Jessie [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=4&page=5 comparing]] Winnie's MindControlMusic to the melodies that {{Enthralling Siren}}s sang to lure sailors into crashing their ships against jagged rocks. [[spoiler:Later, [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=4&page=8 Winnie's singing]] causes Thomas to [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=4&page=9&seriesID=13 almost crash his car against a truck]]. [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=4&page=13 Even later]], she accidentally directs a boat [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=4&page=14 towards some jagged rocks]], but [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=4&page=15 manages]] to [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=4&page=16 prevent a collision]].]]
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=1&page=27&seriesID=13 According]] to Winnie, after a witch finishes granting a mortal's wish, the mortal forgets about meeting her as she heads back to her homeworld.
* LoopholeAbuse: "A League of Robb's Own" has Winnie use this to allow herself and the Harper kids to [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=9&page=3&seriesID=13 escape Connecticut's snow]] for UsefulNotes/{{Hawaii}}.
-->'''Gene:''' Winnie? Dad wants us to buy some milk!\\
'''Winnie:''' Did he say where?\\
'''Gene:''' No!
** Winnie regrets this after [[spoiler:she and Gene discover that [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=9&page=8 milk costs more in Hawaii]] than in Connecticut.]]
* MagicMisfire: Winnie does this sometimes.
* MagicVersusScience: Winnie [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=8&page=3&seriesID=13 confesses]] in "Abnormal Science" that the witches and wizards of her realm find electricity more chaotic than magic. She [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=8&page=4&seriesID=13 recalls]] that by the time they finally figured out spells that could overpower electric devices, mortal inventions became even more complex and powerful.
* MagicalGesture: Among others, Winnie turns her wrist a special way to make her broomstick appear.
* MakeAWish: Winnie first appears in the Harper household after [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=1&page=6 Jessie wishes for a companion]], and [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=1&page=7 Gene wishes for help in bowling]]. Exactly whose wish summoned Winnie remains ambiguous.
* MasterOfDisguise: Winnie.
* MidSeasonTwist: The seventh comic, "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=7&page=0 Love That Winnie]]", marks the point when [[spoiler:the friendship between Winnie and the Harper kids becomes so strong, the kids become impervious to her superiors' brand of LaserGuidedAmnesia.]]
* MindControlMusic: Winnie accidentally discovers in "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=4&page=0 Song of the Siren]]" that her singing can hypnotize mortals into performing such activities as giving her nice things or breaking into SpontaneousChoreography.
* MirrorsReflectEverything: Winnie doesn't enjoy the fact that her magic can bounce off mirrors and hit an unintended target.
* MissingMom: The Harper kids' parents are divorced, as mentioned above.
* MundaneMadeAwesome: For starters, Gene asks Winnie to demonstrate some witchcraft for Robb and Jessie by fetching him some eggs. Winnie [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=1&page=12&seriesID=13 fulfills this task]] by filling the kitchen cupboard with live chickens, proceeding to take two eggs from one of them.
* MundaneObjectAmazement:
** In "Skyway to the Danger Zone", [[spoiler:Jessie excitedly unwraps the first birthday present Winnie gives her, but finds nothing but a Wooly Willy]].
--->'''Winnie:''' [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=3&page=3&seriesID=13 Isn't it fascinating?]] The possibilities are endless! I was playing with it myself for three hours before the drugstore closed on me!
** In "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=10&pageType=index&seriesID=13 Junkyard Stories]]", Winnie and the kids visit a junkyard. Winnie admits feeling curious about the stories behind some of the objects she finds, and uses her magic to allow herself and the kids to see those stories.
* MundaneUtility: "Bedbugs and Broomsticks" has Winnie [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=6&page=11 grant the kids]] some magical {{BFG}}s, so that they can help destroy the bugs. However, since Winnie ultimately finds other means of defeating the bugs, the kids end up only using the guns to [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=6&page=17 clean the remains]].
* MustMakeAmends: In "Wish Gone Amiss", Winnie regrets allowing Gene to audition for a Disney Channel kid-com after watching TV news reports of {{Former Child Star}}s [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=5&page=13 leading lives]] [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=5&page=14 littered with]] [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=5&page=15 crime and scandals.]] She then spends the rest of the comic trying to get him kicked off the show, so that he won't follow in their footsteps.
* MythologyGag:
** "When The Stranger Calls" recycles some [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=2&page=10&seriesID=13 heartfelt dialogue]] from the sitcom's premiere episode:
-->'''Gene:''' Aw, Winnie! Can't you make some more magic and stay?\\
'''Winnie:''' Gene, if I could make some real magic, I'd make another you, and take you with me!
** One of Winnie's {{Imagine Spot}}s in "Love That Winnie" [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=7&page=3&seriesID=13 quotes]] several scenes of the show. Another page reuses the plot of the last episode Creator/{{ABC}} aired, in which Winnie has to get out of [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=7&page=4&seriesID=13 marrying]] [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=7&page=5&seriesID=13 Dave Coulier]].
* NeverSplitTheParty: Winnie [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=6&page=13 enforces this]] in "Bedbugs and Broomsticks", when objecting to Robb's plan for everyone to split up.
* NeverTrustATrailer: [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=10&page=0 The advertisement for "Junkyard Stories"]] provides a lampshaded example. It calls the comic, "Explosive Junkyard Adventure!", and shows Winnie and Jessie [[OutrunTheFireball Outrunning a Fireball]]. However, a disclaimer reads, "ad may not depict actual events in story".
* NinjaProp: "Hallowinnie II: Season of the Witch" has Winnie [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=13&page=7 beat Robb with her subtitles]] after he refuses to get into the Halloween spirit.
* NoHuggingNoKissing: Between Winnie and Thomas, anyway. While they constantly played WillTheyOrWontThey in the original sitcom, Peter fears that making them a couple would require Winnie to out herself as a witch to him.
* NotAMorningPerson: Thomas appears so drowsy in "Bedbugs and Broomsticks", [[spoiler:he doesn't appear disgusted after [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=6&page=3 accidentally swallowing a spider]].]] He [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=6&page=5 blames some bedbugs]] for this.
* ObviousBeta: "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=4&page=1&seriesID=13 Song of the Siren]]" looks cruder than most comics, at least for the first nine pages. Peter explained that this was one of the first ''Free Spirit'' comics he started drawing, and that editing the April 2014 issue of ''BANG! Magazine'' didn't leave him with enough time to refine it.
* OffModel: Thomas has no glasses on [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=1&page=12 page 12 of the pilot]]. WordOfGod says that the decision to make him wear glasses didn't occur until a week or two before the series premiere date.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: In the pilot, [[spoiler:[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=1&page=25 Gene winning the bowling tournament.]]]]
* OpeningShoutOut: The [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=7&page=31 ending]] of "Love That Winnie" evokes that of the sitcom's title sequence.
* PoesLaw: Robb falls victim to this in "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=11&pageType=index&seriesID=13 Robb Harper Presents The Donald Trump Glorification Special]]", when hosting a VarietyShow tribute to Trump. [[spoiler:Robb receives phone calls from Chris Christie and Trump himself, angrily commanding him to stop mocking Trump. Winnie informs Jessie that she faked Christie's call, but not Trump's.]]
* PopCulturePunEpisodeTitle: Too many examples to list here.
* POVCam: "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=12&seriesID=13 Robb's Not Dead]]" uses one to view the whole story from Robb's perspective.
* ThePowerOfFriendship: In "Love That Winnie", [[spoiler:the Harper kids appear to [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=7&page=16 lose their memories of Winnie]], but the genuine emotional bond they formed with her helps them [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=7&page=27 regain those memories]].]]
-->'''Winnie:''' [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=7&page=28 You broke the spell!]]\\
'''Jessie:''' What? What spell? I can't break spells!\\
'''Winnie:''' No...Magic can't control LOVE!
* ProductionForeshadowing:
** Winnie made a guest appearance in the ''Webcomic/ElectricWonderland'' comic "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/electricwonderland/index.php?issue=17&pageType=index&seriesID=11 Into Thin Aerynn]]" months before Peter officially decided to give Winnie her own comic.
** The ''Webcomic/{{Keiki}}'' story "Haole Berry" has [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/keiki/index.php?issue=19&page=6 a scene]] where Beefer throws rocks at Winnie, Jessie, and Gene. He admits to Keiki that he doesn't know who any of them are, but has an inexplicable hatred for them.[[note]]The reason probably relates to Peter's announcement that ''Free Spirit'' will displace ''Keiki'' as a flagship comic.[[/note]] "A League of Robb's Own" revisits the scene from [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=9&page=4 Winnie and the kids' viewpoint]].
* [[ProfessionalButtKisser Professional Butt-Kissers]]: The first vignette in "Junkyard Stories", which begins after Winnie and Gene [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=10&page=2 touch a bowl]], takes place in a workplace in which all of the employees deliver extraneous and insincere flattery to their StupidBoss. [[spoiler:The bowl is used by a "Mr. Wu" to serve a slice of birthday cake to the boss. Since Mr. Wu seems like the only employee who didn't need a reminder of the boss' birthday, this sincere act of respect earns him a promotion, prompting all of the surviving employees to kiss up to ''him''.]]
* Really700YearsOld: Winnie looks and acts like a young adult, but was actually 349 by the time she met Gene.
* SadisticChoice: "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=7&pageType=index&seriesID=13 Love That Winnie]]" poses one for Winnie: After she overhears the Harper kids boasting that they can use Winnie's magic to become {{Karma Houdini}}s, she feels compelled to choose between continuing to live with mortals who apparently love taking advantage of her, or allowing the kids to forget ever meeting her.
* ScrewDestiny: In "Love That Winnie", the Stranger tries to guilt-trip Winnie over [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=7&page=7 giving Robb a car]], even though he can't drive. He tells her that she basically [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=7&page=20 signed the Harper kids' death wishes]], and since [[spoiler:a falling-out between Winnie and Gene left them unable to see, hear, feel, or remember her]], they would have been better off never becoming her friends. Winnie [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=7&page=21&seriesID=13 triumphantly declares]] that even though the odds favor the kids dying prematurely, she'll try to do whatever she can to save them.
* {{Secret Keeper}}s: At least during the first few stories, no mortals other than the Harper children know about Winnie performing witchcraft.
* SealedGoodInACan: Winnie fears getting trapped in a mirror. A witch can not escape one by herself, and if no one lets her out before it breaks, she will die.
* SettingUpdate: Unlike the TV show, which was set in TheEighties, the comic updates the setting to 2014.
* SpidersAreScary: Gene, Robb, Jessie, and Winnie spend the first three pages of "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=6&pageType=index Bedbugs and Broomsticks]]" arguing over who should kill a spider crawling on the kitchen table.
* SplashOfColor: Orange-skinned fast food cashier [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=9&page=20 Julius]] provides "A League of Robb's Own" with this. Doubles as a VisualPun of Orange Julius drinks.
* {{Tagline}}: The fake ''Magazine/TVGuide''[=-=]style advertisements that open comics from "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=9&pageType=index&seriesID=13 A League of Robb's Own]]" onwards use the tagline, "The web's most bewitching new comedy!"
* TakeThat:
** The pilot lampoons some current pop female singers after Winnie zaps up some tickets for Robb and Jessie to watch "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=1&page=20 Lady Plastique]]".
-->'''Peter Paltridge:''' In the original [show's first episode], Robb and Jessie want to see a metal band named "Pond Scum." Here it's been updated to something people would pay for today -- a female singer who puts on so much costuming and padding you can't tell who's really under there. Seems like Music/LadyGaga, but I was thinking of Music/NickiMinaj, who's so overdone that she literally looks like a plastic doll.
** The kids recall in "Skyway to the Danger Zone" that Winnie tried to watch ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', but found it "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=3&page=5&seriesID=13 too far-fetched!]]" To put her standards of realistic TV into perspective, they also discuss her developing an interest in ''Series/SleepyHollow''.
* TakenForGranite: In "Bedbugs and Broomsticks", [[spoiler:Winnie saves Gene from a bedbug's grasp by turning the bug into [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=6&page=16 a giant stone statue]], which flattens the other bugs as it falls.]]
* TemporaryBlindness: Winnie develops this in "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=12&seriesID=13 Robb's Not Dead]]" after playing the UsefulNotes/VirtualBoy ''Film/{{Waterworld}}'' game for too long.
* ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight: The second vignette in "Junkyard Stories", which [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=10&page=10 begins]] after Winnie and the kids touch a bed, features a boy who believes he has a monster living under the bed. [[spoiler:It turns out to be a homeless vagrant.]]
* TimeMarchesOn:
** The original sitcom had an episode titled, "Love That Winnie", which contained some {{Imagine Spot}}s placing Winnie and the Harpers in a sitcom from TheFifties. The comic has a story with the same name, except Winnie [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=7&page=3&seriesID=13 imagines]] herself and the Harpers in a show from TheEighties / TheNineties instead.
** When ''Free Spirit'' entered its third year as a flagship Platypus Comix series, Peter updated the first panel of [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=1&page=2 page #2]] of the Pilot to read, "Harper House present day", instead of, "Harper House 2014".
* TheUnintelligible: Gene and Winnie only speak [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=13&page=6 gibberish]] when dressing as VideoGame/BanjoKazooie in "Hallowinnie II: Season of the Witch". Subtitles translate for the reader.
* UnsettlingGenderReveal: In the pilot, [[spoiler:Winnie removes Lady Plastique's mask to reveal [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=1&page=21 she's actually a man]]. Robb then discovers that "she" isn't even a real singer. Or the only 'Lady Plastique'.]]
* ViciousCycle: The ritual of a witch granting a mortal's wish every 100 years can seem like this for a witch who considers mortals beneath her.
* VisibleInvisibility: Even though Winnie's broomstick can turn its passengers invisible, the readers have no trouble [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=3&page=15&seriesID=13 seeing them]].
* TheVoice: Winnie's superior from the witches' realm, the Stranger, manifests itself as a disembodied voice.
* WelcomeEpisode: The [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=1&page=0 first comic]], a loose adaptation of the show's premiere episode, details how Winnie came to live with the Harpers.
* WhamEpisode: "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=13&pageType=index&seriesID=13 Hallowinnie II: Season of the Witch]]" has Winnie and the Harper kids realize that [[spoiler:the Harper kids aren't the only mortals in town who remember meeting a witch...]]
* TheWitchHunter: The shapeshifting monster Pauzaracht hunts and eats witches.
* {{Workaholic}}: Thomas spends more time at the office than at home, allowing Winnie to perform magic behind his back.

* DeathIsNotPermanent: In "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=13&pageType=index&seriesID=13 Hallowinnie II: Season of the Witch]]", [[spoiler:Winnie and the Harper kids meet a woman who lost her parents in a magical incident, and spent the next few decades attempting to learn enough about magic to bring them back. Winnie assures her that this death should prove easier to reverse than a "physical" one, and offers to use her own knowledge of witchcraft to help the woman reunite with her parents.]]

* {{Secret Keeper}}s: No mortals other than the Harper children know about Winnie performing witchcraft.

* HauntedHouse: Winnie and the kids [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=13&page=10&seriesID=13 visit one]] in "Hallowinnie II: Season of the Witch". [[spoiler:Subverted in that its only inhabitant (aside from a loose witch hunter) is mortal, albeit one who knows more about magic than most mortals do.]]

* HauntedHouse: Winnie and the kids [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=13&page=10&seriesID=13 visit one]] in "Hallowinnie II: Season of the Witch".

* EndOfEpisodeSilliness: On the last page of "When the Stranger Calls", Winnie tells the Harper kids that now that she can live among mortals, she might move into a suburban house made of chocolate. She proceeds to [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/freespirit/index.php?issue=2&page=19 transform the Harpers' house]] into a confectionary palace, and says that "maybe" she'll change it back before Thomas comes home.