Most Obscure Reference you've ever used...

I put a character who is the commander of the city guard in my monster Isekai branch and named them Samantha Vimes... It's rule 63, but I'm still surprised no one has commented on it yet... I also aged them down a little I think, but not much.

 

I have an entire backrooms arc. I'm not sure if that counts.

 

I made a banana stand reference in one of my stories with a satyr running it who looked awfully familiar…

 

“Right. One song coming up.” Artemis pulled out an ivory flute covered in runes.

“Remind her to tell you the story of the one time at a bandit camp how she smuggled that flute out.” Selene gave a sly smile. As we went up the steps Artemis began to play the flute to provide a distraction.

 

Assuming you mean the flute had various signs and symbols carved into it, that should be "carved with runes." (Or even "covered in runes.")

 

You know, it occurred to me today (and not any day faster), but due to the site's diverse set of users, - from age groups to countries, - I feel like people not noticing references is going to be a whole lot easier than people who do understand or spot a reference.

Though the more obvious pop culture ones, of course, are going to be realized.

 

I included an excerpt from The Way of a Man With A Maid, song lyrics, Team FourStar and Terry Pratchett quotes, and some very obscure comic book references.

 

Terry Pratchett!!!!!

 

I was replaying Days Gone when I wrote the chapters introducing Madeleine, and I gave her a ton of rings because I liked all the biker rings Deacon St. John wears in that game. Also her surname, Diacre is just the French word for Deacon.

I think the more I post in this thread, the more obvious it will become I get most of my knowledge, facts and inspiration from video games. Mediocre open-world ones in particular.

 

Ok, so I put in a blazing saddles reference in one of my stories fairly recently. Bonus points to whoever finds it.

 

Does Samantha Vimes talk about boots, just to hang a lampshade on it?

 

For me it was either Roger Zelazny (the night-shift guard who steps up from his writing to fetch a lantern for Corwin, who is about to head down a dark staircase in the Amber series) or A. Bertram Chandler (UK-Australian merchant captain and writer, who briefly meets his starship captain creation John Grimes in The Commodore at Sea).

 

Well she's only showed up once so far, which involved her having to reluctantly surrender during a siege in order to curtail more bloodshed and then being stuck in a prison cell but she is going to show up again and I can definitely have her talk about boots

 

In almost any sci-fi themed threads I write I drop stupidly obscure Star Control II easter eggs. As if any reference to a MS-DOS based video game from 1992 wasn't obscure enough.

 

Hello, Hello! Awaken from your dweamy state, hunam!
Now is the time for realism, not wild fancy.
/Spathi Wisdom

 

Huzzah, I see that you are a gentleman of quality! It really is a timeless classic.

 

Mass Effect 1.0 With a happier ending!

And who doesn't love the Syreen. The Original Blue Skinned Space Babes. Tastes Great! Less Tentacles!

Although I must admit, my personal favorite race in that game is the Thraddash. Have spent countless games of Super Melee mastering the only ultra-cheap ship that you can annihilate Avatars, and Dreadnoughts with. (Although Marauders still give me a bit of trouble. The F.R.I.E.D. Makes the standard Torch Donut ineffective, since they just blast right through your flame clouds... which doesn't really feel fair, but it's the Kor-Ah, they're NOT fair.

Edit: But never speak to me about the theoretical sequel which does not exist. The precursors and the fate of the Androsynth will forever remain a mystery. (I woulda said Androsynth, but unfortunately, they are only in super melee... which is a shame. Woulda LOVED playing with the Devo clones instead of the undercover Cthulhu wearing groucho marx glasses.) I may also REALLY like this game...

 

Grond

 

My current output is "An Indian vampire in North Wales", being an oblique reference to "An American werewolf in London ".