Easter Eggs in your writing

WeilderOfTheMonkeyBlade · Mar 23, 2015

This isn't an important thread, I'm just curious to see if any of you like to "Easter Egg" up your writing, throwing in little jokes and nods to other books and stuff.

I, obviously, do. Just to give you an example, the merc group that my main series follows, ride horses (and a bear) named after Malazan marines, an inordinate amount of them are of noble blood (but not royal) (and they know it). My MC also has a shit ton of "Magical weapons" but they are depressingly mundane.

In an Urban Fantasy work of mine, lots of the mages and the Blackened Claw (their military arm) makes nods and references to strange goings on in Chicago and rumors of powerful practitioners.....

Svrtnsse · Mar 23, 2015

I like the idea of easter eggs, but I'm trying to be really careful with putting them in as I don't want them to bring the reader out of the story.

I did put one in though. At one time my MC drinks cider that's meant to be drunk when the first snow falls, and it has a faint after-taste of fir needles. It's a reference to a favorite book from my childhood, but I think it's subtle enough most people won't notice.

Jabrosky · Mar 23, 2015

It's no substitute for wit, but quoting a few memes or pop-culture references here and there can be fun. And in many cases pop culture can have an impact on how we imagine things. For example, I love hearing tyrannosaurs in certain cartoons roar like the one in Jurassic Park, as that's become the definitive T. Rex roar in my mind.

Ireth · Mar 23, 2015

I'm not sure if you'd call it an Easter egg or just an homage/tribute, but I've put nods to other fantasy writers in books like Winter's Queen. My MC's dad and uncle explicitly reference Neil Gaiman's Stardust when they're looking for info on how to get into Faerie, and they use "please" as a magic word to open a doorway. Gaiman's character Tristran Thorn also uses "please" to do small magics, though the context is a bit different. They also wield cast-iron frying pans against the Fae, and make mention of Tiffany Aching from Terry Pratchett's novels, who does the same thing in The Wee Free Men.

The MC compares herself to Belle in Beauty and the Beast, and the main villain to Gaston and the Beast; she also references Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, and half-heartedly tries clicking her heels while wearing silver slippers in order to get home. The main plot as a whole is a nod to O.R. Melling's The Hunter's Moon, which is what gave me the idea in the first place. I put my own spin on the idea of a human girl kidnapped by a Fae; Melling's Fae prince is largely benevolent, and mine is a total a**hole. The subplots and climax, etc. are also very different.

Mindfire · Mar 23, 2015

One that comes to mind (though I haven't actually used it yet) is that I plan to introduce the crew of a pirate ship called the Queen Sparra. Thumbs up to anyone who understands the reference.

Ireth · Mar 23, 2015

Mindfire said:
One that comes to mind (though I haven't actually used it yet) is that I plan to introduce the crew of a pirate ship called the Queen Sparra. Thumbs up to anyone who understands the reference.

Redwall, perhaps?

Mindfire · Mar 23, 2015

Ireth said:
Redwall, perhaps?

I have been discovered! I was pretty sure no one would get that.

Gryphos · Mar 23, 2015

At one point my protagonists visit a pub called The Lesser Weevil.

Later on they visit another one called The Gross Incandescence. (This one's perhaps a tad more obscure, but definitely chuckle-worthy for anyone who does get it).

Svrtnsse · Mar 23, 2015

Gryphos said:
At one point my protagonists visit a pub called The Lesser Weevil.

Later on they visit another one called The Gross Incandescence. (This one's perhaps a tad more obscure, but definitely chuckle-worthy for anyone who does get it).

The Curse of Milhaven?

Gryphos · Mar 23, 2015

Svrtnsse said:
The Curse of Milhaven?

Nope.

Hint: "If only I could be so grossly incandescent."

Svrtnsse · Mar 23, 2015

Gryphos said:
Nope.

Hint: "If only I could be so grossly incandescent."

I'm clueless then. I was thinking about the song with the title I mentioned:

It's got the following phrase in the middle:

Since I was no bigger than a weavil they've been saying I was evil

And goes on to:

And the fire of '91 that razed the Bella Vista slum

It's one of my favorite (top 100 probably) songs.

Gryphos · Mar 23, 2015

Oh shit you're talking about The Lesser Weevil. That ones a reference to Master and Commander. It's the Gross Incandescence one which is the obscure one I'm talking about.

Svrtnsse · Mar 23, 2015

I'm still clueless. And trying to google it would be cheating.

Anyone to take a guess at the taste of fir needles?

Incanus · Mar 23, 2015

Ah, Master and Commander!

Hmmm. This makes me want to reference the 'nautical phasmid'.

buyjupiter · Mar 23, 2015

Svrtnsse said:
I'm still clueless. And trying to google it would be cheating.

Anyone to take a guess at the taste of fir needles?

I don't know about fir needles, but I'm sure it's a similar taste to pine needles, which I have had in tea. It was rather good, even though I looked at the mug thinking that pine needles had just fallen in it rather than being the whole point of the tea. Earthy and slightly sharp were the impressions I was left with.

Svrtnsse · Mar 23, 2015

buyjupiter said:
I don't know about fir needles, but I'm sure it's a similar taste to pine needles, which I have had in tea. It was rather good, even though I looked at the mug thinking that pine needles had just fallen in it rather than being the whole point of the tea. Earthy and slightly sharp were the impressions I was left with.

It's from the moomin trolls. Every winter before going into hibernation they drink fir-needle tea to help them sleep better.

And you're right about the taste, it's about the same. There was also a type of vodka scented with fir needles while I was in uni. It wasn't very good.

Feo Takahari · Mar 23, 2015

Svrtnsse said:
I'm still clueless. And trying to google it would be cheating.

Do you even praise the sun? I bet you've never engaged in jolly cooperation, either.

(I swear, this character fountained memes almost as fast as Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction.)

On-topic, every time I reference a corporation in any modern setting, I call it Go! International. They exist everywhere, fill every niche, and somehow never go bankrupt despite their tendency to make everything way more complicated than it needs to be. It's corporate policy to always pronounce the name so customers can hear the exclamation point in your voice.

Jabrosky · Mar 23, 2015

Mindfire said:
One that comes to mind (though I haven't actually used it yet) is that I plan to introduce the crew of a pirate ship called the Queen Sparra. Thumbs up to anyone who understands the reference.

If Ireth hadn't got it right earlier, I would have guessed the captain was going to roar out the ship's name while kicking someone off deck.

I knew that would become a meme the moment I first heard it in the trailer back before the movie came out.

Mindfire · Mar 23, 2015

Jabrosky said:
If Ireth hadn't got it right earlier, I would have guessed the captain was going to roar out the ship's name while kicking someone off deck.

I knew that would become a meme the moment I first heard it in the trailer back before the movie came out.

I actually don't know what movie you're referencing. Lol

Jabrosky · Mar 23, 2015

Mindfire said:
I actually don't know what movie you're referencing. Lol

...you haven't noticed "Sparra" sounds suspiciously like a certain city-state in southeastern Europe?

Easter Eggs in your writing

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