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| 7 | [[caption-width-right:350:A full-body reference to [[FanCommunityNicknames the fandom name]].]] |
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| 16 | Throwaway references in fiction are often [[ChekhovsGun going to be important later]], or [[CrypticBackgroundReference sops to verisimilitude]]. But some references are thrown in for fun, to reference what the fans are thinking or wondering about, {{Fan Nickname}}s, and other aspects that come from the culture that has surrounded the work. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | The more accessible the fanbase, the more widespread this trope, so {{Webcomics}} are especially prone. Sometimes, the nod canonizes an idea that [[AscendedFanon came from the fanbase originally]], or works an AscendedMeme into the dialogue. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | Compare OfficialFanSubmittedContent. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | ---- |
| 23 | !!Examples: |
| 24 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 25 | |
| 26 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 27 | * ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'': After the production staff [[AscendedFanon liked the idea]] of Jean being the backflipping soldier in the opening, Jean was shown performing that exact move as an escape maneuver when his group encountered the Female Titan. |
| 28 | * ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'' readers have long speculated or wanted Soga to [[GenderBender get turned into a girl]] just like Matsuri was. The story eventually introduces Soga's younger sister Haya, who's introduced [[PretendingToBeOnesOwnRelative pretending to be a gender-bent version of her brother]]. |
| 29 | * In ''Manga/DeathNote'''s penultimate volumes for both arcs, the interstitial factoids, reserving the remaining important details for the final stretch, addressed such vital questions as whether Death Notes could have non-black covers and [[{{Squick}} whether shinigami could have sex]]. (Yes and ''NO!'', respectively.) |
| 30 | * [=MadLeomon=]'s death in ''Anime/DigimonFusion'' wasn't a surprise, considering that [[OnceASeason a Leomon dies in every series]]. So considering that he was the StarterVillain and dies in Episode 3, it seemed as though the writers just wanted to cover the obligatory death as soon as possible and move onto other things. |
| 31 | * ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' had a scene in which Mr. Popo uncharacteristically threatens Vegeta should he break the Time Chamber again, with an extreme close-up on Popo's eyes while he made that threat. This seems a bit ''too'' similar to the way ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'' [[AdaptationalVillainy portrays Mr. Popo]] to be coincidence, and many fans have guessed it was a reference. This would be surprising if true, since Creator/{{Toei|Animation}} (the copyright holders for the ''Dragon Ball'' anime) have a notorious hatred of ''Dragon Ball Z Abridged''. |
| 32 | * ''Literature/{{Durarara}}'': |
| 33 | ** The creators of acknowledged a popular {{ship|ping}} in one episode when [[YaoiFangirl Erika]] {{Squee}}s about how Shizuo and Izaya ''must'' be [[HoYay in love]]. The other characters' [[{{Squick}} disgusted]] reactions to the idea are [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments absolutely hilarious]] (Shinra also thinks Shizuo/Izaya is possible, but Celty shuts him up before he can say anything else). |
| 34 | ** It does fandom nods a lot, usually in the form of side stories, which usually answer any question from "why did Shizuo dye his hair?"[[note]]Tom talked him into it in middle school.[[/note]] to "how do Walker and Erika pay for all that crap they buy?"[[note]]They, despite all suspicion to the contrary, have ''jobs''. Erika makes and sells jewelry while Walker is an ice-sculptor.[[/note]] |
| 35 | * At the end of a scene in ''[[Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion Evangelion 1.0]]'', where Misato and Ritsko ride a chairlift down a shaft, Misato remarks, "My butt is freezing!" This would be funniest among fans who had been affectionately referring to the short shorts she wears as part of her uniform as her "butt-freezers." |
| 36 | * ''Manga/FairyTail'': At first, certain sections of the fandom bemoaned the idea of an anime filler arc following the conclusion of ''Grand Magic Games'' arc, and this kind of reaction is nothing new to anime in general and {{SHONEN}} in particular. Though a good portion of these fans have since come around to at least being more open-minded about the filler arc after finding the new character designs for the [[spoiler:Eclipse Celestial Spirits]] interesting, the first actual episode of the filler arc was positively chock-full of references and {{foreshadowing}} for the then-upcoming ''[[DarkerAndEdgier Tartarus]]'' [[DarkerAndEdgier arc]], including [[MemeticMutation Happy getting an afro]] and CharacterDevelopment for Lucy and Aquarius' relationship (and given what happens in the ''Tartarus'' arc between the two, this can [[spoiler:very easily be considered a TearJerker to those who have read it]]. It's hardly a secret that the fandom had been eager to see Tartarus animated, and if these {{Mythology Gag}}s are any indication, the studio is well aware of this. |
| 37 | * It's a common rumor that ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' that Riza's name was meant to be "Lisa" but was incorrectly translated and never fixed. In the manga "Lisa" is a secret identity she uses when spying. |
| 38 | * Chapter 219 of ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'' features a scene where Kaguya mentions how [[spoiler:Hayasaka gave her a condom as a "good luck charm"]], something which was lifted directly from a {{Doujinshi}}. |
| 39 | * A much speculated Creator/KeyVisualArts question was answered in an episode of the ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}} After Story'' anime. What will happen if [[LethalChef Sanae's bread]] and [[VisualNovel/{{Kanon}} Akiko]]'s [[GargleBlaster jam]] [[WeaponOfMassDestruction were used together?]] As Nagisa innocently said: "It's the ultimate combination!" Knocked-out members of Kazuto Miyazawa's gang is what we get. |
| 40 | * ''Manga/{{Lady}}'': ''Lady Lady'' (or, as it was known in the Arab word, '' ليدي ليدي '') [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff was very popular]] in the Middle East. In the sequel manga ''Lady Lynn'' set 20 years later, one of the new {{God Created Canon Foreigner}}s is the Arab Sheikh Sharif, who is from Dubai. |
| 41 | * ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'': |
| 42 | ** One of the most commonly asked questions in ''Nanoha'' was answered in the manga. Who would win between Nanoha and Hayate? (Answer: [[spoiler:Nanoha. With ease. Apparently, Hayate's a SquishyWizard. Highly destructive amounts of power, but long casting time, and Swiss cheese defense that anyone training under Nanoha could beat. Yes, this includes [[WhiteMage Caro]]. Without her dragons.]]) |
| 43 | ** The ''[[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers StrikerS]]'' manga also answered another long-standing question: Who would win in a fight between [[PersonOfMassDestruction Nanoha]] and [[LadyOfWar Signum]]? Starting with a textbook mock battle, it's revealed that they planned on going all-out in the last couple minutes. It's somewhat inconclusive; while Nanoha breaks out Blaster-1 to hit Signum in the face with a full-power Divine Buster...Signum shoots through it with her Sturmfalken arrow. Hayate rules it a draw, but Signum seems fine while Nanoha is dazed and is being supported by Fate. When Signum chides Nanoha for not knowing how to hold back and thinking that she was going to die... Nanoha clearly believes it was the other way around. |
| 44 | * The ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'' {{S|uperDeformed}}D Character Theater gag shorts nod to the jokes about Kira and Athrun being [[HoYay a little too close]] by showing them holding hands and [[SayMyName saying each others' names]] while love hearts appear around them, [[{{Squick}} to the confusion and disgust of Shinn, Rey, and Lunamaria]]. They also contain a potential nod to "[[FanNickname Darth Lacus]]" by having her get shadowy and super-scary when confronted by a stray dog. Likewise, ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriorsGundam'' has a non-canon story path where Lacus jumps in a Gundam and kicks her boyfriend Kira's ass, proving who really wears the pants in the relationship. |
| 45 | * ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': |
| 46 | ** It appears that Kishimoto acknowledged the fan theory that Kushina was the nine-tailed fox in chapter 498. When Naruto [[spoiler:finds his mother while trying to gain control of the nine-tailed fox]], he accuses her of being the kyuubi's true form. [[{{Jossed}} This earns him a punch from her]]. There's also all the fanart depicting the Ninetails as a red-haired woman. |
| 47 | ** ''Manga/NarutoGaiden'' is essentially a TakeThatAudience against the fan theory that Karin is Sarada's mother because they have similar glasses. Not knowing her father, Sarada learns about Karin and goes on a quest to find out if she's really her biological mother. As it turns out, it was a misunderstanding. [[spoiler:Sakura]] ''is'' Sarada's mom and Karin herself even mocks the idea that she's Sarada's biological mom. |
| 48 | * The ancient rivalry between [[VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}} Arcueid]] and [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Gilgamesh]] among Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} fans got a major fandom nod in the crossover game VideoGame/{{Battle Moon Wars}} when Gil snubs Arcueid as being unworthy of his notice at the tail end of Act 3 (Super route), only to get utterly creamed by her late in Act 4 (with some help from Saber and Avalon). |
| 49 | * ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'': |
| 50 | ** The [[PortmanteauCoupleName KonoSetsu]] fandom is so large, they were actually referred to by name [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-rNKfXCJ8U in one of]] [[AudioAdaptation the Drama CDs]] of ''[[AlternateContinuity Negima!?]]'' |
| 51 | ** Chisame later goes {{Yandere}} in a reference to the fairly famous {{doujinshi}}. However, unlike [[DownerEnding the doujinshi]], it's PlayedForLaughs. |
| 52 | * Eichiro Oda, who writes ''Manga/OnePiece'', publishes a list of fans' questions in each volume about minutiae to do with the series. While his answers do occasionally reveal some deliberate attention to detail (which may [[ChekhovsGun affect the plot later on]]), many of his replies appear to be made up on the spot. |
| 53 | ** There was a cover story arc that did little more than show how many of the characters had changed after the TimeSkip. |
| 54 | ** And similarly, ''Manga/Eyeshield21'' often answers rather mundane questions about the characters (like what they eat for breakfast, how much they study, how often a certain character doesn't wear pants...) in a similar question-corner. |
| 55 | ** This seems to be fairly common in manga, as ''Manga/DGrayMan'' does it too, except the characters often end up answering the questions. This can sometimes turn out ugly, such as the couple times Allen and Kanda got stuck together for the job... |
| 56 | * In ''Anime/Persona4TheAnimation'', what was once a throwaway line in [[VideoGame/Persona4 the game]] about cabbage became Adachi's signature item thanks to the fandom. And that became immortalized in the animated adaptation. This is further expanded in the UpdatedRerelease of the game, ''Persona 4 Golden'', in Adachi's Social Link. |
| 57 | * Feeling nostalgic, Ash would suddenly call in his [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Charizard]] late in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhite''. Iris makes the assumption that Charizard is a Dragon-type, much to the disbelief of everyone, mirroring those who don't know Charizard's actual typing (Fire/Flying), and the fans who would repeatedly correct them, respectively. |
| 58 | * ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'' has a recurrent gag in the OnTheNext segments where either Kotetsu or Barnaby will disclose entirely inconsequential bits of trivia about themselves. Kotetsu eats the ice in his drinks and brushes his teeth in the bath! Barnaby has a normal body temperature of 35.7 Celsius and drinks milk before going to bed! |
| 59 | * ''Anime/VoltesV'': In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars30'', the debut stage for Voltes V is the [[https://imgur.com/a/8NkmG2c Philippines]], a nod to how the anime is practically worshipped there even after it was temporarily banned by dictator Ferdinand Marcos. |
| 60 | * In ''Manga/YonaOfTheDawn'': |
| 61 | ** Zeno claims that when his powers are active [[spoiler:(specifically, when he's maimed and his body regenerates)]], his arms and legs are just as strong as Kija's and Jaeha's. This led to fandom wondering if he could also gain the power of Shin-ah's eyes, which can see through objects, see over great distances, and even paralyze people. Eventually in the manga, Jaeha asks Zeno this directly, and Zeno says no. [[spoiler:They just get really hard and tough, like the rest of his body, to his disappointment.]] |
| 62 | ** Fandom has also long speculated that someone could obtain Zeno's powers by drinking his blood, the same way Zeno gained them by drinking the blood of the Yellow Dragon God. Mizari later declares this is his intent in regards to not only Zeno's powers, but Kija's and Jaeha's as well. Zeno sets the record straight: this would not work, and he knows this for a fact, because soldiers have been doused in his blood and animals have eaten his flesh, and all of them died anyway. |
| 63 | * The manga ending of ''Manga/ZatchBell'' included both movie mamodo in some shots, [[CanonImmigrant making them canon]]. |
| 64 | [[/folder]] |
| 65 | |
| 66 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 67 | * Creator/MarvelComics' ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica: Who Won't Wield The Shield?'' had Forbush Man quoting several common fan complaints right in the face of Marvel's writers and editor Steve Wacker. And is portrayed as both completely out of his mind and ''right'' at the same time. |
| 68 | * ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'': |
| 69 | ** After being returned to Green Lantern status after the ''ComicBook/SinestroCorpsWar'' storyline, many comic fans believed for various reasons that Kyle Rayner would become a Blue Lantern, at least temporarily. When he inevitably didn't (and the offer for leadership of the Blue Lanterns was extended to Hal Jordan instead), there was a minor internet backlash from parts of the fandom. When ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' rolled around, there was a brief line wherein Guy Gardner mockingly suggested Kyle exchange his green ring for a blue one. |
| 70 | ** In ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'', there was speculation leading all the way up to the event that there would be White Lantern that would be the one to defeat the Black Lantern Corps. As the event grew closer and every new storyline involved Hal Jordan at one point or another putting on or being consumed by different rings, it became obvious it was meant to be him. [[spoiler:While Hal Jordan did eventually merge with the White Entity, Sinestro did it first, making it look like ''he'' was going to be White Lantern. While this might've been pre-planned, there's no denying Sinestro being on the cover of one of the Green Lantern issues, as the White Lantern, and saying directly to the camera "You were expecting someone else?" wasn't intended to poke fun at the fan assumption Hal was going to be the White Lantern.]] |
| 71 | ** In ''ComicBook/WarOfTheGreenLanterns'', Kyle finally puts on a blue ring, and Ganthet takes a moment to tell Kyle what a bad idea that was. (He's not too happy with John, Hal, or Guy's choices either.) |
| 72 | * The ending of the ComicBook/GreenLantern issue of the ComicBook/HarleyQuinn TeamUpSeries ''Harley's Little Black Book'' features Harley groping Hal Jordan's butt, which is a nod to the notorious fascination with said body part among DC universe fangirls. |
| 73 | * The text pages in the ''ComicBook/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' comics, in issues 13-24, were mostly this. And they did venture into ContinuityPorn territory at times. John Jackson Miller apparently referenced the obscurest things he found on Wookieepedia. |
| 74 | * ''ComicBook/MyLittlePonyMicroSeries'': |
| 75 | ** In Issue #3 Vinyl Scratch's eyes are red like they were in fan art, rather than magenta/violet like they are in the show. Colorist Heather Breckel [[http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?p=335260#335260 confirms]] this is intentional. |
| 76 | ** Derpy is the Pony Express mail carrier. |
| 77 | ** Rarity is called "The best pony" |
| 78 | ** Photo Finish and Hoity-Toity are seen as a couple during the final Canterlot show. |
| 79 | ** Applejack [[http://derpibooru.org/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&sbq=boop&commit=Go "boops"]] Rarity on the nose when talking about the spa. |
| 80 | * After Richard Rider, the original ComicBook/{{Nova}}, was killed off, his fans developed a reputation for being somewhat rabid and vicious towards his replacement, Sam Alexander, and any creator who they felt was to blame for Rich's fate. When Richard finally came back, the writer threw in this line: |
| 81 | -->'''[[ComicBook/MsMarvel2014 Ms. Marvel]]:''' The original Nova! I've read so much about you on the forums! Your fans are...intense. |
| 82 | * One of the tasks to be done to obtain the "Pk-card" (given to the most loyal fans of ''ComicBook/PaperinikNewAdventures'') was to take a shower in a phone booth. In the background of a scene of #17, "Shooting Star", a man is doing exactly that. |
| 83 | * ''[[ComicBook/SecretWars2015 Secret Love]]'' has a big dance scene showing a bunch of popular [[FanPreferredCouple Fan-Preferred Couples]], including some [[HoYay Ho Yay/Les Yay]] ships that would otherwise never be shown in an official comic. These include: ComicBook/ProfessorX and ComicBook/{{Magneto}}, ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}} and ComicBook/SpiderWoman, [[ComicBook/MsMarvel2014 Kamala Khan]] and [[ComicBook/AllNewGhostRider Robbie Reyes]], [[ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} Kate Bishop]] and [[ComicBook/YoungAvengers America Chavez]], ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and Natasha Stark (a RuleSixtyThree version of [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]] from an AlternateUniverse), ComicBook/SheHulk and ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}, and a prominent shot of [[ComicBook/NewXMenAcademyX Prodigy]] and [[ComicBook/YoungAvengersSpeed]] straight-up making out. |
| 84 | * The ''[[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics Sonic Universe]]'' #89 "& Knuckles" variant cover has Espio shout "Why am I connected to the bee?!", a line Espio himself says in [[WebAnimation/AwesomeSeries Awesome Chaotix]]. |
| 85 | * ''ComicBook/StarTrekUntoldVoyages'': In "Odyssey's End", after Starfleet adopts the uniform design introduced in ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'', Dr. [=McCoy=] says that he preferred the grey uniforms seen in ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture'' as they were comfortable, almost like wearing pajamas. Admiral Kirk retorts that pajamas are for sleeping, not for running a starship. Many ''Star Trek'' fans have compared the uniforms seen in ''The Motion Picture'' to pajamas over the years. |
| 86 | [[/folder]] |
| 87 | |
| 88 | [[folder:Comic Strips]] |
| 89 | * Scott Adams announced in his newsletter, once upon a time, that if ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}} ever had sex, his tie would fall down straight. And sure enough, in one strip in 1994, about how Dilbert has gotten suddenly serene, during a period when he had a girlfriend, Liz, it did. |
| 90 | [[/folder]] |
| 91 | |
| 92 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 93 | * In ''Fanfic/TheBankCalledYourRealityCheckBounced'', Kyouya explains that the fanfic can't refer to the pairing of Edward Elric and Winry Rockbell as Edwin because it would be too much of a nod to the established fandom. (The fic is a crossover between ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist: Brotherhood'' and ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'', but only Kyouya realizes that they're ''in'' a fanfic.) |
| 94 | * ''Fanfic/ADiplomaticVisit'': In Chapter 2 of the sequel ''Diplomat at Large'', Octavia references the long-debunked fan theory that she's one of Pinkie's sisters all grown up, wondering why people think they're related. |
| 95 | * ''Fanfic/MegaManDefenderOfTheHumanRace'' has references to [[WesternAnimation/MegaManRubySpears Guts Man's butt]], which became a meme. |
| 96 | * In ''Fanfic/MegaManRecut'', Roll calls Dr. Petto "Dr. Pedo," a common fan mishearing of his name. |
| 97 | * ''Fanfic/MikesNewGhostlyFamily'' references the popular ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' theory that the Mangle is possessed by the soul of a dog that belonged to one of Missing Children Incident's victims, by having Mangle's Nightmare counterpart be a non-sapient {{Hellhound}} that serves as a pet to the other Nightmare animatronics (who are [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demons from Hell]] in the fanfic) and behaves like a dog. |
| 98 | * In ''Fanfic/SuperSentaiVsPowerRangersTheLiveblog'', one of the reasons why the liveblogger chose [[spoiler:Sean]] to become the Ultimate Red Legendary Ranger was because [[http://www.rangercrew.com/forum/showthread.php?26207-RC-s-AkaRed-Prank of a fake interview with the actor on April Fools' Day]], with one part mentioning that he auditioned for a "red space alien", thought by fans to be the Rangers' equivalent to Aka Red. |
| 99 | * It's a running joke in the ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' fandom that the oblivious scout who interrupts a romanced Cullen's first kiss with the Lady Inquisitor is named Jim. It's also a running joke that Solas, who is bald, resembles an egg. In ''Fanfic/SkyholdAcademyYearbook'', one of the students is based on this character; his name is Jim Scout, and he casually asks his friend at one point, "Have you ever noticed that Professor Harel looks like an egg?" |
| 100 | * In ''VideoGame/TSUnderswap'', Chara starts off with a Chocolate Bar as the only healing item in their inventory, and gives loving descriptions when checking and eating it. ''Undertale'' {{fanon}} has Chara [[TrademarkFavoriteFood obsessed with chocolate]] because [[spoiler:they single out the lack of chocolate in Asgore's fridge in the Genocide route]]. They also [[https://tsunderswapofficial.tumblr.com/post/178361075205/to-chara-regarding-chocolate-do-you-prefer hate white chocolate]] according to an in-character ask on the game's official Website/{{Tumblr}} account, referencing [[RunningGag Chara's (fan-made) hatred for the stuff]] in other popular fan projects. |
| 101 | [[/folder]] |
| 102 | |
| 103 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 104 | * The ''Literature/{{Cradle|Series}}'' series has a number of nods to the fandom. |
| 105 | ** These are common in the non-canonical "bloopers" at the back of the later books. |
| 106 | *** One blooper has a character ask "how did a bunch of Jades kill the Sword Sage", a plot point left from the first book that was asked so often that it became a meme, particularly on the cradle subreddit. |
| 107 | *** Another blooper mocks the perennial fandom debate over whether or not Lindon would ever split his core again. |
| 108 | ** After not revealing the name of the Sword Sage for multiple books, Wintersteel reveals that his name is "Timaeus Adama" a bit of AscendedFanon, as the fandom had taken to calling the character "Tim" (in likely reference to Creator/MontyPython). |
| 109 | ** Wintersteel also has a scene with characters discussing a name for Yerin's blood shadow: once character suggests "blerin", the internet's nickname for the character, and receives blank stares from the other characters in response. |
| 110 | * ''Literature/HarryPotter'': |
| 111 | ** It gave some aside time to stress the pronunciation of Hermione's name, and might well have thrown a slight wrench into an inheritance issue solely to clear up the birth order of three of the characters (though the way it did so strongly suggests that Creator/JKRowling [[WritersCannotDoMath did not do the math]]). |
| 112 | ** The chapter in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'' where Harry strongly and repeatedly stresses to Ron the fact that he sees Hermione as a friend and a sister figure, nothing more, seems to have been an {{Anvilicious}} nod to the Harmonians (Harry/Hermione shippers), who got very upset when Ron and Hermione hooked up instead. There's also the illusions the Slytherin locket evokes of Harry and Hermione being together, with illusion-Hermione repeating many of the arguments used by Harmonians on why Harry is better than Ron as a potential boyfriend. |
| 113 | ** Also, the Muggle erotica in Sirius Black's bedroom in Book 7. Despite his "special friendship" with James (and possibly Lupin), Rowling assures us that Sirius was a red-blooded manly man who loved boobies. ([[NoBisexuals Or the]] [[TakeAThirdOption third option]].) |
| 114 | ** Aberforth Dumbledore's Patronus is, in fact, a goat. Given that he was once prosecuted for "using inappropriate charms on a goat", this may have been a nod to the fandom theory that he liked goats. Like, he really, ''really'' [[BestialityIsDepraved liked goats]]. |
| 115 | ** In the penultimate book of the series, [[spoiler:Albus Dumbledore]] dies. At once, a number of fans [[HesJustHiding tried to come up with excuses for how he could've survived]]. In the final book, [[spoiler:Mad-Eye Moody]] is killed under similar circumstances, and Ron attempts to find reasons he might still be alive, using many of the same arguments. Naturally, these are all shot down. |
| 116 | ** In a nod to some of the [[CrackPairing bizarre or nonsensical]] shippings that float around about Harry Potter, one book had a scene where Harry and Hermione discuss if the Hogwarts caretaker and the librarian were secretly a couple. |
| 117 | * ''Literature/LittleWomen'': When Laurie begs Jo to marry him in ''Part Second'', he desperately insists, "Don't disappoint us! Everyone expects it!" No doubt whom "[[{{Shipping}} everyone]]" means... Too bad [[Creator/LouisaMayAlcott Alcott]] was determined to [[ShipSinking sink that ship]] mercilessly. Sorry, Laurie. |
| 118 | * ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'': It is not exactly a secret that the series has some minor timeline inconsistencies, especially in the earlier volumes when the dates given don't always match up. Less positive but vocal opinions go as far as claiming that it makes no sense at all at times. This has actually spawned a fandom meme, namely "The timeline does not matter." -- to the point where this is one of the first things new readers of the series are confronted with. Along comes the ninth volume, ''Literature/DustOfDreams'', and captains Kindly and Skanarow discuss captain Ruthan Gudd's backstory. Skanarow's argument for not believing everything he tells them is that "his timeline makes sense". |
| 119 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': |
| 120 | ** ''Literature/TwilightSparkleAndTheCrystalHeartSpell'': |
| 121 | *** Several background ponies are given mention, including Berry Punch and a certain grey Pegasus who asks for muffins. |
| 122 | *** The phrase "Love and Tolerance" is mentioned as well. |
| 123 | *** It's also mentioned in the book that Twilight used to build [[WebVideo/FriendshipIsWitchcraft "book forts"]] as a filly [[spoiler:She apparently amasses one at the climax as the amulet is corrupting her by amplifying her negative feelings.]] |
| 124 | ** In ''Literature/PinkiePieAndTheRockinPonypaloozaParty'', Limestone Pie very often reacts by blinking, and special attention is paid to the first time she does so in the story. Before this book named Pinkie's sisters, Limestone's FanNickname was ''Blinkie'' Pie. |
| 125 | * About 20 years after the alt.fan.[[Creator/TerryPratchett pratchett]] injoke/meme of the [[http://www.lspace.org/fandom/afp/timelines/holy-anorankh.html Holy Anorankh]] began, the "anorankh" finally gets mentioned in a book; ''Mrs. Bradshaw's Guide to the Ankh-Morpork and Sto Plains Hygienic Railway'' uses it as an affectionate term for Ankh-Morpork's {{Rail Enthusiast}}s. |
| 126 | * The S.D. Perry novelizations of ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' are ''full'' of these, many of which are justifications or nods to complaints about the games. Some include: Characters tend to avoid shooting out locks unless necessary due to how dangerous it actually is, Jill solves a puzzle by simply breaking the glass rather than attempting to move the statues like she would have to in the game, and Claire describes Steve Burnside as "looking like [[Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio that actor]] from [[Film/Titanic1997 that film]] about the sinking ship"[[note]]Steve looking like [=DiCaprio=] was before ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica Code: Veronica]]'' was ported to the [=PS2=][[/note]]. |
| 127 | * The {{Novelization}} of ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture'' contains a nod to the [[HoYay Kirk/Spock]] {{s|lashFic}}hippers--apparently there are rumors about the relationship even in their universe. Kirk's response to these rumors (in a footnote, since the book is presented as an in-universe dramatization of actual events) is that, while [[NotThatTheresAnythingWrongWithThat he has no moral objections to "physical love" in any form]], he himself prefers women. (K/S shippers are quick to point out that Kirk doesn't say he is ''only'' interested in women.) |
| 128 | * ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': |
| 129 | ** Creator/TimothyZahn's novel, ''Literature/StarWarsAllegiance'', has a cameo appearance by an X-wing pilot named Stacy, who fits the description of Pink 5, a pink-wearing Han Solo–obsessed character from a popular series of fan films. |
| 130 | ** Another nod is from the ''ComicBook/XWingRogueSquadron'' comics. Stackpole referenced an alt_fan_wedge meme, "Vote Wedge/Tycho for President" by suggesting Wedge run for just that. |
| 131 | ** A fan group that specializes in Stormtrooper armor is called the 501st Legion. In ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', the 501st is the group that raids the Jedi Temple with Anakin, and they get a campaign in ''[[VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefront Battlefront II]]''. In canon, they're the troopers that answer directly to Vader. [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy Presumably, they're the ones that can shoot.]] |
| 132 | * ''Literature/WarriorCats:'' |
| 133 | ** Vicky admitted to naming several characters from ''Code of the Clans'' after users of Warrior's Wish (the most famous forum) and Wands and Worlds (a site that held webchats with the authors). Among them is Blizzardstar of [=ShadowClan=], named after Blizzardclaw ("Blizz"), the founder of Warrior's Wish (whose favorite Clan was [=ShadowClan=]). |
| 134 | ** Several nods were given to errors in the books that became well-known in the fandom: |
| 135 | *** There was a [=ThunderClan=] elder in ''Into the Wild'' that didn't appear in the [[DramatisPersonae Allegiances]] (Rosetail, who was killed by Blackfoot and mentioned by name afterward); she was specifically referenced in ''Secrets of the Clans'' when Goldenflower used her as an example of elders still being able to defend the Clan. |
| 136 | *** After fans noted how Rowanclaw changed from female to male, the authors made him Tawnypelt's mate. |
| 137 | *** In the original series, apprentices had to travel to Highstones before they could become a warrior. Fans noticed that this never happened with the Moonpool later on, and in a later book, Leafpool mentioned, "We seem to have left that tradition behind when we moved to the lake...." |
| 138 | * Creator/RobertJordan's ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' novels have several nods to fan theories. For instance,[[spoiler:Verin. Several popular theories were that she had her Oaths removed, or that she was so ancient, that she was raised before the Oath Rod was in use, or that she was, in fact, Black Ajah. All three were brought up in ''the'' conversation. You know the one I'm talking about.]] |
| 139 | [[/folder]] |
| 140 | |
| 141 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 142 | * ''Series/AgentsOfShield'': |
| 143 | ** In "The Only Light in the Darkness" it's revealed the orphanage Skye grew up at named her "Mary Sue Poots." Skye had previously been accused of being too OP by detractors (though she grew out of it by that point). |
| 144 | ** At one point Skye says she can't believe people think Ward is boring after she sees him perform a badass action beat. Prior to TheReveal that [[spoiler:he was TheMole for HYDRA]], Ward was frequently criticized by fans and reviewers for allegedly being a FlatCharacter. |
| 145 | * ''Series/{{Arrow}}'': In Season 4's "Restoration" Felicity refers to herself, Oliver and Diggle as "Original Team Arrow" while the other characters are away and even comments how long it's been since the three of them have had time alone. Original Team Arrow or "OTA" is a long-standing fan nickname for the fan-favorite trio, and a major complaint during Season 3 was that their dynamic was sidelined to accommodate a new batch of heroes. |
| 146 | * In the ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode "Paradigms of Human Memory", the Gravity shipping video between Jeff and Annie was inspired by a video of the same two characters and song uploaded to Platform/YouTube after Debate 109. |
| 147 | * ''Series/DoctorWho'': |
| 148 | ** In the episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E12TheSoundOfDrums The Sound of Drums]]", Martha wonders if the Master is the Doctor's "secret brother". His reply? "[[YouWatchTooMuchX You've been watching too much TV.]]" Although this had been a fan theory at times, it may also have been a DevelopmentGag about the fact that early versions of what became the 1996 TV movie included the idea, which got very mixed reactions from fans at the time when the information leaked. |
| 149 | ** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E3PlanetOfTheOod Planet of the Ood]]", the Doctor notes that the Oodsphere is in the same system as Sensesphere, homeworld of the Sensorites. The fandom came up with that theory a few years earlier, due to the aliens looking somewhat similar. |
| 150 | ** The episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E4TheSontaranStratagem The Sontaran Stratagem]]" acknowledges fan confusion over how to pronounce the aliens' names (Sont''ar''an, not S''on''taran) by having Donna get it wrong and the Doctor correct her. This is also a DevelopmentGag, ''Son''taran was the pronunciation favored by the director of the first Sontaran story (and arguably works better in that context, since the MedievalMorons mishear it as "Saracen"), but the actor Kevin Lindsey countered with "I'm ''from'' the bloody planet, I should know!" |
| 151 | ** Later, in the two-parter "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E8SilenceInTheLibrary Silence in the Library]]"/"[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E9ForestOfTheDead Forest of the Dead]]", one plot point involved the Doctor meeting someone he hadn't met yet, but she had met numerous times. She had a diary of her life which apparently details huge amounts of the Doctor's personal future as well. As a nod to the fandom (as the producers have campaigned hard against them) the information in the diary is consistently referred to as "spoilers" by the Doctor and others. |
| 152 | ** When the [[Creator/MattSmith Eleventh Doctor]] [[Recap/TheSarahJaneAdventuresS4E5E6DeathOfTheDoctor shows up]] in ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'', Clyde (having already met him as [[Creator/DavidTennant the Tenth Doctor]]) asks him two hotly-debated questions. |
| 153 | --->'''Clyde:''' Can you change color or are you always white?\ |
| 154 | '''The Doctor:''' No, I can be anything.\ |
| 155 | '''Clyde:''' And is there a limit, I mean, how many times can you change?\ |
| 156 | '''The Doctor:''' [[BlatantLies Five-hundred and seven.]] |
| 157 | ** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E10Blink Blink]]", about how the Police Box that the police found is not authentic because the windows are all wrong is -- according to Creator/StevenMoffat -- a direct nod to the "controversy" that erupted through fandom when the TARDIS prop was first unveiled in public back in 2005. |
| 158 | ** In "[[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor The Day of the Doctor]]", several of the War Doctor's lines to his future regenerations match up with some of the complaints fans have with New Who, such as asking if there is going to be more kissing in the future and the several uses of the sonic screwdriver. |
| 159 | ** The novelization of the lost Tom Baker episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E6Shada Shada]]", written in 2012, gives Skagra a lot of FanDumb traits common to classic series era fans. For instance, in a scene where he researches the Doctor's identity, he finds it along with such hotly-contested information such as his real name, the exact reason why he fled Gallifrey, and his family members "on Gallifrey and elsewhere" -- before declining to read them all because they are all irrelevant and boring, and instead deciding to find out what the Doctor is like as he is now. He then watches some old footage of the Doctor, described in such a way to make it clear that he's just going on an ArchiveBinge of Fourth Doctor stories ("Androids of Tara", "The Power of Kroll" and "The Creature from the Pit"), and after each reel he comments on the quality of the story, acting and special effects, calling the first "not exactly a bad video text, just a bland one", and eventually rating the Doctor a "1 out of 10 Time Lord on 2 out of 10 planets" (in a manner similar to how fans rank their favorite Doctors and show eras). |
| 160 | ** The comic book story "The Forgotten" involves a scene where the Meta-Crisis Tenth Doctor in an [[EvilCostumeSwitch all-black outfit and a beard]] appears and starts telling the Doctor that he's a future version of him who wanted his regenerations, and he has now become the Valeyard. The Tenth Doctor is unconvinced because 1) it's impossible for him to have got there, and 2) he would never think a rubbish BeardOfEvil was a good idea, causing the Meta-Crisis Doctor to identify himself as actually being a villainous alien in disguise. This is all a swipe at the popular fandom theory that the Sixth Doctor villain, the Valeyard, said to be from between the Doctor's twelfth and final incarnations and motivated by a desire to steal the future regenerations of his past self, is actually the Meta-Crisis Tenth Doctor (a clone of the Tenth Doctor created without the ability to regenerate). [[note]]This wouldn't have made sense at the time this comic story was published; the Meta-Crisis Doctor would have been from between the tenth and eleventh incarnations of the Doctor.[[/note]] |
| 161 | ** When UNIT is introduced into the New Series, the Doctor mentions that he worked for them for a while back in the 70's... or was it the 80's? This is a reference to the confusion over when exactly the Third Doctor's run with UNIT was set. |
| 162 | ** The ending of "Arachnids in the UK" has the Doctor and companions adopt, in-universe, the title of "Team TARDIS", a common new-school fan nickname for each of the series' Doctor-companion ensemble casts. |
| 163 | * ''Series/ForeverKnight'' gave a nod to fandom by naming a couple of murder victims after some of the more noteworthy fanfic authors. |
| 164 | * In ''Series/{{Fringe}}'', a large portion of the plot is driven by the existence of two parallel universes. Characters present in both universes generally have the same name, which necessitates a FanNickname to easily distinguish them. These nicknames sometimes make it into the show, such as when Walter referred to his alternate self as "Walternate", and the alternate Olivia as "Fauxlivia". |
| 165 | * ''Series/GameOfThrones'' |
| 166 | ** Season 4 includes a throwaway reference to a First Sword of Braavos named "Elyo Grivas", who is not mentioned in the source novel series, ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''. This is a likely reference to Elio GarcÃa, webmaster of the Westeros.org fansite and co-author of ''The World of Ice and Fire'', an atlas of the world depicted in the novels. |
| 167 | ** In Season 3, [[spoiler:Gendry]] escapes in a rowboat and is not seen again for several seasons. This led to numerous jokes among the fandom that he'd been rowing nonstop the whole time, which eventually became a meme that even the actor referenced. When he finally turned up again in Season 7, another character says to him, ''"Wasn't sure I'd find you here. Thought you might still be rowing."'' |
| 168 | * While the first season of ''Series/GossipGirl'' was airing, a large part of the fanbase believed that Eric van der Woodsen was the one behind the Gossip Girl blog. Towards the end of the season, we get this dialogue: |
| 169 | -->'''Serena:''' This rumors are beginning to get ridiculous.\ |
| 170 | '''Eric:''' Oh, like the one where I'm Gossip Girl?\ |
| 171 | '''Serena:''' ''[laughs]'' Hey, you have to admit, it made sense at the time! |
| 172 | * Sylar's now infamous comment on how brain-eating is "disgusting" in ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' was a Fandom Nod to the prevailing [[EpilepticTrees theory]] that Sylar stole his victims' brains to eat them to [[PowerCopying gain their powers]]. Turns out he just studies them, although writers originally ''planned'' for him to eat them. |
| 173 | * In the ''Series/{{House}}'' episode "Unfaithful", House refers to Foreman and Thirteen by their FanNickname "Foreteen". |
| 174 | * ''Series/ICarly'' and the episode "iStart a Fan War". The first preview trailer used the PortmanteauCoupleName of the two major pairings. The episode itself included in-universe representations of those two major pairings. However, the portrayal wasn't especially flattering to said fandom, and caused a firestorm of criticism. WordOfGod Creator/DanSchneider dropped an Anti-Shipping anvil at the end of the episode, basically mocking the fans who made his show popular online, and then following it up with Carly mouthing something that could have come from one of his blog posts, which basically boils down to "shut up about romance and watch the show for the comedy." |
| 175 | * The ''Series/KamenRiderOOO'' net movies (released with the MilestoneCelebration movie) poke fun at ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'''s MerchandiseDriven and often-mocked [[InvoluntaryShapeshifting Final Form Ride]] power by having him use it to [[MundaneUtility cheat at cards]], prompting Series/{{K|amenRiderKiva}}ivat to remark "I guess there's no need to be subtle when you turn strangers into crazy shapes and toss them around." |
| 176 | * ''Series/LoisAndClark'' finally got married on the show, after a long series of fakeouts. Just when their "[[DeusExMachina Heavenly Helper]]" is about to begin the ceremony, Clark stops him to say that they have to let everyone know that this is not a clone or a dream or something else, or there's going to be a riot! Also, bonus points for the episode title: "Swear to God, This Time We're Not Kidding". |
| 177 | * ''Series/{{Lost}}'': |
| 178 | ** In the episode "Eggtown," Jack mentions that the Oceanic Six started out as eight survivors, but some died before they were rescued. The producers [[WordOfGod repeatedly stated]] that the identities of the dead were unimportant, because Jack was lying anyway. However, fans continued to speculate, so the season finale expanded the cover story to reveal their identities. They were Boone, Libby and Charlie by the way. |
| 179 | ** The episode "Dave" was partly made to address the popular fan theory that the Island was a shared hallucination or a virtual reality simulation. The story is kicked off when Hurley begins experiencing hallucinations of his old {{imaginary friend}}--which leads him to believe that he's still locked away in the psychiatric ward, and that he hallucinated the plane crash. He drops that theory after Libby convinces him that it's complete nonsense. |
| 180 | ** The Season 2 finale features Sawyer briefly speculating that the Others are aliens, which actually ''was'' a popular theory about them in the early days of the show. Jack and Kate just roll their eyes when they hear it. |
| 181 | * In ''Series/MrRobot'', [[HoYay Tyrelliot]] is a very popular ship found throughout the fandom. In the third episode of season 3, the show's creator Sam Esmail seems to address these shippers directly through the very characters in the ship. |
| 182 | -->'''Tyrell:''' Thank you, Elliot. I love--\ |
| 183 | '''Elliot''' ''(as Mr. Robot)'': Some things are better left unsaid. Subtext. You know? |
| 184 | * ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'': |
| 185 | ** In a Season 10 episode, Joel returns to the Satellite briefly and spends some time with Mike and the Bots. After learning how well Joel's life has gone since he escaped, Mike fumes "What's he got that I don't?!" Tom and Crow urge him not to make such comparisons, saying "it ain't healthy", a nod to the fan debate of who was the better host which raged on the early days of the Internet. |
| 186 | ** Earlier, during ''Film/TimeChasers'', Mike is replaced by his deadbeat brother Eddie (ItMakesSenseInContext), who complains that his job (and thus the show) has sucked since "the sleepy-eyed guy left." |
| 187 | * ''Franchise/PowerRangers'': |
| 188 | ** ''Series/PowerRangersWildForce'' had PromotedFanboy Amit Bhaumik on the writing staff, so a bunch of places were named after his fellow fans; even the names of the three Mut-Orgs from the ''[[Series/PowerRangersTimeForce Time Force]]'' team-up two-parter are modifications of names of fans (though they weren't actually named on screen- [[SubliminalSeduction all the Mut-Orgs' dialogue was reversed so it sounded weird and untranslatable]]). |
| 189 | ** The first ten minutes of ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'' episode "Ranger Blue" addresses a bunch of common fan questions, fielded by the Rangers themselves to a confused Doctor K. These including the likes of "Is it completely necessary for us to scream "[[ByThePowerOfGrayskull RPM, Get in Gear!]]" when we morph, and why does the ground explode behind us when we do?" Also, Dr. K gets [[BerserkButton very, very angry]] if you call the suits spandex. |
| 190 | * In ''Series/{{Psych}}'', Shawn has named-dropped the fanbase's most popular {{Portmanteau Couple Name}}s, [[OfficialCouple Shules]] and [[HoYay Shassie]]. |
| 191 | * ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'': |
| 192 | ** This nod to the SlashFic community: |
| 193 | --->'''John:''' Well, I'm glad no-one saw that... You, ripping my clothes off in a darkened swimming pool. People might talk.\ |
| 194 | '''Sherlock:''' People do little else. |
| 195 | ** Even better, in "A Scandal in Belgravia", after having his sexuality questioned yet again, John explodes with "Who the hell knows about Sherlock Holmes but for the record, if anyone out there still cares, I'm not actually gay." Irene Adler insists that they are a couple, even though John denies it. |
| 196 | ** "The Hounds of Baskerville" is basically addressing everything amongst the fandom. |
| 197 | ** "The Empty Hearse" includes several scenes where Sherlock's in-universe fan club spouts various (incorrect) fan theories about how Sherlock survived his death. No, John wasn't hypnotized into seeing Sherlock jump, Sherlock didn't have a hidden bungee cord tied to his waist, he didn't drop a masked dummy from the rooftop, and he didn't fit a corpse with a latex mask of his face. Also, Sherlock and Moriarty weren't lovers, and [[ShipSinking Sherlock didn't make out with Molly immediately after surviving his death]]. |
| 198 | * ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': |
| 199 | ** "The Monster at the End of This Book" has a series of books that eerily resemble our Heroes' exploits, named "Supernatural". About five minutes into the episode, Sam happens upon the fansites, specifically [[SlashFic Wincest]]. When he explains what it is to Dean, the older brother looks perturbed and goes "They know we're ''brothers'' right?" Also in the episode is a fan declaring "[[ManlyTears It's best when they cry.]]" |
| 200 | ** In fact, the episode strains the fourth wall throughout the episode, with [[ShoutOut shout outs to specific fans]], friendly ribbing of viewers ("for fans, they sure do complain a lot" "hey look, there are Sam-girls and Dean-girls!"), even the writers themselves (after realizing they've lived "the bugs" and "the ghost ship", the stricken writer cries, "Horror is one thing, but to be forced to live bad writing!"). |
| 201 | ** The episode also throws a shout out to the PeripheryDemographic that the series picked up (i.e. women who watch for the attractive stars). The cover of the books have bodice-ripper style artwork depicting a very buff Dean and Sam, one in a very tight shirt and the other shirtless. |
| 202 | ** Castiel [[spoiler:molotoving Michael with a bottle of Holy Oil]] in "Swan Song" may have been a nod to the question the fandom has been asking ever since Holy Oil was first introduced: Why don't they just [[KillItWithFire set angels on fire with it]]? |
| 203 | * ''Series/TeenWolf'': In "Fury" the AxCrazy Matt notes a paralyzed Stiles and Derek lying next to each other and snarks that the two do make a cute couple - A clear nod to the rabid Sterek fandom who ship the pair and are known to dominate the fandom. It rather backfired, as shippers took it as evidence of ShipTease rather than an ironic shout out. |
| 204 | * ''Series/TheXFiles'' named an FBI agent "Leyla Harrison" after a popular and prolific fanfic author who had recently died. |
| 205 | [[/folder]] |
| 206 | |
| 207 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 208 | * Music/InsaneClownPosse's [[Music/TheGreatMilenko "Down With The Clown"]] is a salute to all their fans who have been with them going back to their 1991 ''Bassment Cuts'' tape. |
| 209 | * Music/{{Rihanna}} thanks her fans in the liner notes for ''Music/{{Rated R|RihannaAlbum}}'' and there is this line from [[BadassBoast "Hard"]]: |
| 210 | -->"Resilient, brilliant, fan mail from 27 million." |
| 211 | [[/folder]] |
| 212 | |
| 213 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 214 | * ''TabletopGame/DarkHeresy'': |
| 215 | ** One of the books has a few nods to the fanfic Love Can Bloom, like a Vindicare named LIIVII, or artwork of a Vindicare aiming at a Farseer. |
| 216 | ** Another book makes reference to one Acolyte Grendel, a figure who has reached near-folk hero status among [=WH40k=] fans for being the most combat-ineffective character possible (a fat scribe with a knife) who just so happens to have God-Emperor-given luck with damage and critical rolls that can one-shot even major Daemons and Ork Warbosses. The nod happens to be an [[TheInquisition Ordo Hereticus]] inquisitor expressing disbelief over his claims that he killed Space Marine killers with a knife. |
| 217 | [[/folder]] |
| 218 | |
| 219 | [[folder:Toys]] |
| 220 | * In ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'', the first Toa of Psionics, named Orde, is male when the Psionics tribe was established as [[OneGenderRace all-female]], and eventually a character asked the inevitable question that the fanbase had asked for the past few months. However, [[UnfortunateImplications the answer]] (Orde screwed up, and his in-universe creators concluded that WomenAreWiser when making the rest of the tribe) caused even more debate and controversy in the fandom, leading writer Greg Farshtey to imply that he would not address gender issues in the story again. |
| 221 | [[/folder]] |
| 222 | |
| 223 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 224 | * [[VideoGame/TheAmazingSpiderMan2 The tie-in game to]] ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' has Spider-Man note how much of a bad idea of the name "Shocker" is. |
| 225 | * ''Franchise/BlazBlue'': At one point in ''[[VideoGame/BlazBlueCalamityTrigger Calamity Trigger Reconstruction]]'' (the recap of the first game's story included with ''[[VideoGame/BlazBlueContinuumShift Continuum Shift]] [[UpdatedRerelease Extend]]''), Bang wards off his own men by warning them not to fight Jin -- the reason being that they're no match for his [[FanNickname Ice Car]] spam. |
| 226 | * ''VideoGame/BendyAndTheInkMachine'' is fond of referencing their fans, examples include: |
| 227 | ** Directly including instrumental version of fan songs by Youtubers Kyle Allen, Creator/DAGames, Music/JTMusic and WebVideo/RandomEncounters. |
| 228 | ** A reference to Youtuber [=ProdCharles=] by referencing him as "Charles and his prodigies". |
| 229 | ** A reference to Youtuber [=TZKUnit=] by displaying a broken headphone in one location, after he broke his due to a glitch at said part of the game. |
| 230 | ** For Will Ryan (Creator/DAGames) and WebVideo/{{Jacksepticeye}}, they even got the PromotedFanboy treatment, as they voice minor characters in the game. |
| 231 | * Later releases of ''VideoGame/CorpseParty'' include name tags that belong to characters from the fan-made prequel ''VideoGame/CorpsePartyZero''. |
| 232 | * ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'': |
| 233 | ** In ''Dawn of War II: Retribution'', telling a commissar to get in a Chimera has him [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hB19tHMS94 say]] [[http://www.funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/644948/Drive this]]. |
| 234 | ** One of the orks' anti-armor weapons uses the fanon term for vehicles: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO3MttgvHUY METAL BAWKSES.]] |
| 235 | * ''VideoGame/DeadlyRoomsOfDeath'': Some players on the forum suggested new game elements that were completely out of place in the DROD world. These kinds of ideas came to be called "rayguns" among the forum users. Finally, a raygun actually appears for a JokeLevel in the fifth game. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d when you unlock said level, the game amends the announcement text with "Yes, that's right!" |
| 236 | * ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' had some DownloadableContent called [[VillainEpisode ''The Darkspawn Chronicles'']], which named the party's dog Barkspawn after the name ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' gave it. The ExpansionPack, ''[[VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening Awakening]]'', included a mage staff called Lamppost in Winter, after a {{memetic|Mutation}} DoubleEntendre from the original game. ("Have you ever licked a lamppost in winter?") |
| 237 | * In ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriorsOnline'' any character can use any weapon, and all weapons have a description. The flute descriptions, Zhen Ji's preferred weapon is the flute, will throw out jokes about how completely over the top weapon designs are. This is not just targeted on the games own fandom, but rather anybody who thinks that [[ImprobableWeaponUser weapons or items in media can be odd]], and sometimes just miss the point. ''Dynasty Warriors'' is still a clear target for this, though. |
| 238 | -->"A flute specifically designed for battle. Can also be used to play music."\ |
| 239 | "An iron flute with dazzling ornamentation. Also useful as an instrument." |
| 240 | * ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'': Many of the Events love to reference fandom jokes and discussions. |
| 241 | ** In the Moon Viewing event, Sasaki Kojiro is shown hanging out with a group of dragon-slaying heroes (and the group wonders briefly why he's there), despite his legend having zero dragons in it. The reason being that Kojiro is one of the best Servants available from the limited early game pool for taking on the large numbers of dragon-type enemies in the France chapter, leading to the "Sasaki Kojiro: Savior of France" meme. A craft essence would later follow up on it, with Kojiro and Siegfried placed together in the AlternateUniverse idol unit "Prince of Slayers". |
| 242 | ** The "Saber Wars" event revolves around a version of Altria (the original Saber) getting angry at the large number of characters that look similar to herself, and going on a mission to murder all of them. She refers to her {{Expies}} as "Saberfaces", the FanNickname for such characters. |
| 243 | ** Whenever da Vinci is featured in an event, the player character is almost guaranteed to complain about the high cost of the "Mona Lisa" craft essence sold in da Vinci's store. It costs 1,000 Mana Prisms, an amount that can easily take weeks or even months to gather, and which pisses off many fans of the game. |
| 244 | * ''VideoGame/FreddyInSpace3ChicaInSpace'' has a question in the "Quiz Time with Monty" level namedrop the Adult Theory, which was developed by fans during the lead-up to the release of Sister Location and posited that the Funtime animatronics were Sexbots. |
| 245 | * ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'': |
| 246 | ** The translators can have fun with this. In the Organization journals in ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]]'', Demyx refers to Xigbar as "Xiggy" (a common fandom name for him) and one ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]]'' enemy description makes fun of [[TooManyBelts the overuse of belts]]. |
| 247 | ** [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI The first game]] did this with the ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'' fandom. Fans argue over whether Aurora's dress looks better pink or blue, and at one point in the early 2000s, imagining it as purple was a popular compromise. So Aurora wears a purple version of her dress in the game. |
| 248 | * ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'': |
| 249 | ** The game has an OptionalPartyMember in the form of Javik, a member of an extinct race, the Protheans. Before the game was released the fans nicknamed him Prothy the Prothean. In the actual game Joker suggests this name. Javik tells him to get stuffed... [[RunningGag into an airlock]]. |
| 250 | ** Shepard can also have a discussion with Conrad Verner regarding the "Thermal Clips" that replaced the slowly-cooling weapons of the first game. Conrad voices objection to the idea, just as many fans did, and argues using many of the same arguments those fans used. |
| 251 | --->'''Shepard:''' It lets the gun fire with more power, and soldiers can pop in a new clip instead of waiting for the gun to cool.\ |
| 252 | '''Conrad:''' Fine, sure. But you can still wait for the gun to cool down on its own, right?\ |
| 253 | '''Shepard:''' Well, no. The in-gun cooling tech was removed to make room for the clips.\ |
| 254 | '''Conrad:''' Alright, that's just... you might as well be going back to limited ammunition! |
| 255 | ** The ''Citadel'' DLC is ''full'' of these; for example: |
| 256 | *** You can recreate the famous "Shepard. Wrex." conversations from ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' with Wrex and Grunt. |
| 257 | *** You can offer to dance with [[RobotGirl EDI]] in lieu of [[DisabledSnarker Joker]], prompting the latter to [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments laugh]], maniacally, for thirty seconds. That is not the only reference to Shepard's lack of dancing skills. |
| 258 | *** At one point, you get treated to Garrus teaching Shepard a tango, making Shepard dance in the process. |
| 259 | *** Tali calls out an infamous forum thread that tried to scientifically determine what her sweat smells like. |
| 260 | ---->'''Tali:''' It just smells like sweat! [[{{Squick}} Why would you even ask that?]] |
| 261 | *** Joker asks a question that had been driving fans nuts for close to six years: how ''does'' Kaidan get his hair to stand up like that? Turns out it's from static buildup caused by his [[FlawedPrototype implant]], which is actually pretty painful at times. |
| 262 | ---->'''Joker:''' I was just messing with you. Now I'm ''that'' asshole. |
| 263 | *** One of the assault rifles you can find in the DLC is a model from the first game with the same cooling mechanic. |
| 264 | *** Various [=NPCs=] on the Silversun Strip can be heard discussing the game's multiplayer, often humorously echoing fan complaints or comments. |
| 265 | *** Players were bummed when they couldn't fully pursue a romance with Samara in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2''. ''Citadel'' rectifies this, if you at least attempted it in the previous game. |
| 266 | * In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', the [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty Raiden]] {{Expy}} is largely hated by many of the characters, echoing the fandom's then-legendary hatred of the guy. |
| 267 | * ''VideoGame/MinecraftStoryMode'': |
| 268 | ** Some of the Redstone machines in Redstonia have actually been created in ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' proper, like the Redstone flying machine and mech. |
| 269 | ** The Wither Storm's weakness brings to mind a popular player tactic that fairly easily nets a Nether Star. [[spoiler:Swarms of Endermen weaken the Wither Storm, much like how Withers, when spawned in the End, are outnumbered by Endermen, who can make very short work of it.]] |
| 270 | ** The very way the game's animated brings to mind similarly styled ''Minecraft'' fan animations. |
| 271 | * One of Mileena's pre-fight lines in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' is "A million souls cried out for my return", acknowledging the legions of fans who begged for her return once she was not in the original game -- leading to being brought back as [[DownloadableContent DLC]]. |
| 272 | * In ''VideoGame/NarutoShippudenUltimateNinjaStormRevolution'', [[RobotMe Mecha-Naruto]] calls his organic counterpart "Naruturd", which is a play on "Narutard", an insult usually leveled towards fans of [[Manga/{{Naruto}} the series]]. |
| 273 | * In ''VideoGame/Persona4 [[UpdatedRerelease Golden]]'', new character Marie believes that beefsteak should be shortened to [[Webcomic/{{Hiimdaisy}} "'fsteak"]] instead of just "steak". |
| 274 | * In ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' during a Mayhem mission, Kenzie mentions that the company in on the insurance scam is a fence company. Fence as in yard fencing, not selling stolen goods. This is a reference to ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'''s Mayhem missions, where thanks to the way the game tracks sections of fence as independent objects, [[GoodBadBugs hitting a fence with an explosive could net you tens of thousands of points]]. Likewise, the achievement for completing every instance of Mayhem is "Fence Killa 2011". |
| 275 | * ''VideoGame/SasZombieAssault 4'' has an achievement called [=NLL=], which abbreviates the phrase "'''N'''o '''L'''ives '''L'''ost." [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin It is achieved by completing Last Stand without losing any lives.]] |
| 276 | * ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': |
| 277 | ** ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'': |
| 278 | *** After completing the Modern version of Chemical Plant Zone, Tails will slowly remember [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 the first time he went through the level]], pointing out how nervous the pink water still makes him (along with most of the fanbase). |
| 279 | *** In the same game, Sonic receives [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog that DAMN fourth Chaos Emerald]] from fighting Shadow. |
| 280 | *** Right before the FinalBoss, when it's revealed that [[spoiler:the Time Eater is being controlled by the past and present Eggmen working together]], Classic Tails exclaims "[[spoiler:Dr. Robotnik]]!" in surprise and receives a weary "Nobody calls me that anymore" in response, simultaneously {{lampshad|eHanging}}ing and [[AuthorsSavingThrow closing]] the fandom debates about [[spoiler:Eggman's real name]]. |
| 281 | ** Ever since ''VideoGame/SonicDrift'', fans have been asking "Why does Sonic need a car?" During a trailer for ''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed]]'', GuestFighter WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph asks the same question. |
| 282 | * In ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soulcalibur II]]'', there was an extra character called Assassin [[MovesetClone who had the moves of Hwang]], a character from the previous game that was dropped. This led to the fan theory that Assassin is simply Hwang in disguise. ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'' decided to lampshade this theory in Seong Mi-na's Soul Chronicle by having Hwang be in a disguise exactly like the Assassin character. |
| 283 | * ''VideoGame/SpyroReignitedTrilogy'': In the original ''VideoGame/Spyro2RiptosRage'', the trolley mission in Breeze Harbor is infamous among players for not only being a difficult mission to complete due to trial-and-error, but for also ingraining the infamy with the constant "[[WelcomeToCorneria Trouble with the trolley, eh?]]" line every time the player fails the mission. When the ''Reignited Trilogy'' released, Toys For Bob acknowledged the infamy of the mission with an achievement called "Trouble No More". |
| 284 | * Creator/BlizzardEntertainment has been using the phrase [[ZergRush "the rush begins"]] in some of the advertising for ''VideoGame/StarCraftIIHeartOfTheSwarm'', including in banner ads seen on [[Website/TVTropes This Very Wiki]]. |
| 285 | * ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsZ series'': As a nod to a player who streamed a session of ''Jigoku-hen'' by placing Katz in the Zeta Gundam, one of the DownloadableContent scenarios ("Mr. Z-BLUE") begins with Katz in the same unit. |
| 286 | * In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars30'', the DLC mission to recruit Anime/VoltesV takes place in Manilla, the capital of the UsefulNotes/{{Philippines}}, a country that [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff loved the series more than Japan did]]. |
| 287 | * ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'': |
| 288 | ** The Scout has an audio clip which references the fact that many forum dwellers noticed his resemblance to [=ShamWow!=] commercial pitchman Creator/VinceOffer. |
| 289 | --->'''Scout:''' Look at this! Just caved in yer skull, my bat's still dry. No clumps of hair, nothing!\ |
| 290 | '''Scout:''' You see that? You seein' this? No other class's gonna do that.\ |
| 291 | '''Scout:''' If ya order now, I'll throw in a second beatin', absolutely free! |
| 292 | ** When the SDK models for the props from Meet the Sniper were released, a sticker was found on the front bumper of Sniper's truck reading "My other camper is a Sword Van", which is a reference to [[http://kcgreendotcom.com/CC/comics/cc-tf2.gif this]] ''[=TF2=]'' fancomic which experienced MemeticMutation. |
| 293 | * ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammerII'' has a few noteable examples: |
| 294 | ** Empire players who conquer Pigbarter can get a special follower named Sir Man Delour, in tribute to the review of the game by WebVideo/MandaloreGaming, where he mentioned conquering the city as every faction. |
| 295 | ** Oxyotl starts with a hero who has a unique trait that references one of the franchise's [=YouTube=] content creators, Loremaster of Sotek. The hero has a Troglodon mount named C'hloe after his dog. |
| 296 | * ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'': |
| 297 | ** ''VideoGame/UltimaVII'': Many of the tombstones reference members of the "Ultima Dragons" community. Some character portraits are based on winners of Origin's "Immortality Contest". |
| 298 | ** ''VideoGame/UltimaVIIPartII'': The mage Ensorcio's portrait is based on "Umbrae Dragon" Jim Hammons. Some character portraits are based on winners of Origin's "Immortality Contest". |
| 299 | ** ''VideoGame/UltimaIX'': The grave for Lord Brinne in Britain cemetery is a memorial for Bill Iburg, who went by Lord Brinne on the "Ultima Horizons" community, and passed away before the game's release. |
| 300 | * ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'' has "hero units", essentially walking cheat-code soldiers. They consist of the various project leads, Creator/SidMeier... and Otto Zander, the main character of an ''XCOM'' LetsPlay. |
| 301 | [[/folder]] |
| 302 | |
| 303 | [[folder:Visual Novels]] |
| 304 | * In the English version of Maki Harukawa's first free time event in ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'', Kaede says she was expecting "some kinda Super-Duper High School Level Ultimate childcare technique!" "Super Duper High School" was the title used for students in the Project Zetsubou fan translation of [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc the first game]] instead of "Super High School Level" or "Ultimate." |
| 305 | * In ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney - Trials and Tribulations'', Dahlia Hawthorne's nickname "Dollie" is a reference to a [[FanTranslation fan effort to translate]] the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance version (which only managed to cover the first case before the official localization was announced). In said fan translation, Dahlia Hawthorne was called Dolores Willow, and her nickname was "Dolly". |
| 306 | [[/folder]] |
| 307 | |
| 308 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 309 | * ''WebAnimation/BattleForDreamIsland'' has always been open for OfficialFanSubmittedContent. Episode 2 of ''BFDIA'', though, includes a sneaky nod to a particular fan, as seen [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/captura_de_ecr_15.png here]]. In case you are unaware, [[https://www.youtube.com/user/katyj98 katyj98]] is best known for dissecting ''BFDI'' and ''BFDIA'' to show all kinds of interesting trivia within the show. |
| 310 | [[/folder]] |
| 311 | |
| 312 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 313 | * An issue of ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'' put to rest the fan theory that [[spoiler:Black Belt]] was going to be brought back to life. The theory: resurrect a discarded copy of the character who had been turned to stone by a spell. The resolution: LudicrousGibs in the form of the top of the character's head having eroded off due to being submerged, upside down, in a lake. Resolved ''again'' in a second (joke) strip when Black Mage gathers up the pieces of the original [[spoiler:Black Belt]] and casts '''[[EpicFail LYFE]]''' (which he learned from some bathroom stall graffiti). The result is a borderline EldritchAbomination proclaiming that each second is nothing more than a thousand agonies before it is [[MercyKill put out of its misery]]. |
| 314 | * ''Webcomic/DominicDeegan'' had one with Jacob's golem. When given suggestions for names, he rejected "Patches" -- a FanNickname that had cropped up in the forum. He settled on Quilt. |
| 315 | * ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': |
| 316 | ** In the ''Homestuck'' flash [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=pony2 [S] Ride]], there is a bonus you can reach by clicking the horseshow at the bottom right-hand corner. This gives a short, silly flash with a couple of random, scratchily-drawn pictures of Roxy as a cowgirl. The last is a picture of [[ShipTease Roxy and Jane kissing]], with pink and blue cotton candy on the floor and a piece of paper reading "Cotton Candy." That is the [[IdiosyncraticShipNaming Idiosyncratic Ship Name]] for the Roxy/Jane ship. |
| 317 | ** The popular {{Fanon}} of Bro and [[spoiler:Dirk]] being anime geeks has been referenced a couple of times, such as when [[spoiler:Dirk]] made a comment about "roaring manga fireplaces" shortly after his introduction. |
| 318 | ** The popular paring of Jade/Davesprite (originally Jadesprite/Davesprite) was acknowledged in a lategame scene... [[ShipSinking showing the tail end of their relationship]]. It didn't work out. |
| 319 | * ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' does this constantly -- as soon as an apparent plot hole occurs to the forums, the next comic is very likely to head it off in a humorous manner. (Often, however, this is just because Burlew has already thought of that.) |
| 320 | ** A great case was the great speculation that [[spoiler:Miko was going to be resurrected as a Death Knight. Sure enough, the crazy necromancer was considering doing just that until she realized that Miko's body was cut in half and would be too much of a hassle to reanimate.]] |
| 321 | ** Another was when [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0435.html an arrow dipped in an incredibly lethal poison]] was shot off in a random direction, and the fandom went wild with speculation as to which important character it would hit and kill. [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0436.html The very next comic]] showed the path of the arrow as it ricocheted around the battlefield, narrowly missing Roy and then Miko, before zooming squarely at Vaarsuvius... and being deflected by the ''protection from arrows'' spell they cast about 14 comics ago. |
| 322 | ** The [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0600.html 600th comic]] was a slight TakeThat at the people who were expecting significant events every hundred comics. |
| 323 | * [[https://web.archive.org/web/20091213042225/http://starslip.com/2008/01/28/starslip-number-705/ This]] ''Webcomic/{{Starslip}}'' strip was posted shortly after someone commented on the forum that the monster from ''Film/{{Cloverfield}}'' looked like a Cirbozoid. |
| 324 | * ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' does this a few times, sometimes in-continuity and sometimes in non-canon gag strips (e.g. "Bun-bun vs Hannibal Lecter"). |
| 325 | ** After enormous fan pressure to [[NeverFoundTheBody bring Oasis back]], a non-canon strip depicted Torg wheeling in a charred corpse and exclaiming "Look who's back!", to drive home the point that "Oasis is dead, dead, DEAD, and isn't coming back EVER." Of course, it didn't stick... |
| 326 | ** For the most part Pete tries to remain blind to fan speculation, though he can't always stay ''deaf'' to it. Fandom nods have been non-canon, including the above Oasis example. |
| 327 | [[/folder]] |
| 328 | |
| 329 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 330 | * ''Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': |
| 331 | ** The episode "[[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheEmberIslandPlayers The Ember Island Players]]" had several, such as Sokka noting [[HesJustHiding the vagueness]] of Jet's death when Zuko asks for clarification, and a cheeky acknowledgement [[FanPreferredCouple Zutara]] pairing by way of the playwrights promoting it (which makes Aang sad and the characters in question to scoot away from each other). |
| 332 | ** The mini-comic "Private Fire" (which is itself made partially by a PromotedFanboy) has a nod to the MemeticBadass nature of Sokka's alias Wang Fire. Sokka uses the name when going into the Fire Nation military to gather information. In the end, they fake him dying while taking out an earthbender and waterbender, leading his commanding officer to make him a memorial. |
| 333 | ** In the SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', one of Katara's granddaughters channels the fans and asks what happened to Zuko's mom (a plot thread left hanging in the original series). [[TrollingCreator Katara starts to explain when her other granddaughter interrupts and cuts her off.]] |
| 334 | ** "Remembrances," a Book 4 ''Korra'' episode and spiritual successor to "The Ember Island Players," does this in spades. Among its jokes are some of the characters berating Mako for his role in the LoveTriangle during the first half of the series, and Varrick claiming that even the other villains Korra has faced wouldn't want to acknowledge Unalaq's existence due to how lame he was. |
| 335 | * ''Franchise/Ben10'': |
| 336 | ** In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'', Ben is watching a marathon of ''Sumo Slammers: Hero Generation'', which he says takes place five years after ''Sumo Slammers Classic'' and notes that it [[SelfDeprecation isn't really as good as the original]], especially because one of the main villains made an unrealistic HeelFaceTurn and is now best friends with the good guys. Doubles as a DevelopmentGag, as "Hero Generation" was ''Alien Force''[='s=] original title. |
| 337 | ** ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'' has a few. In one episode, [[spoiler:Young Ben]] complains that Swampfire, as a plant guy, is just a carbon copy of Wildvine; Ben tries to dismiss by showing off how Swampfire can [[GreenThumb wrap the enemy in vines]], which [[NotHelpingYourCase doesn't help his case]]. Another episode is filled with jabs towards Ben's newfound habit of doing a TransformationNameAnnouncement, with Ben claiming that "It strikes fear into [his] enemies" while Kevin and Gwen tease him. |
| 338 | * After the cancellation of ''WesternAnimation/TheClevelandShow'', the cast moved back to ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' and met the Griffin family. Stewie immediately dismissed Rallo as a ''[[WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks Boondocks]]'' rip-off, echoing common criticisms of the character. |
| 339 | * Right before ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'''s GrandFinale movie, MTV played a marathon of every episode, some of which had new short intros where [[TheSnarkKnight Daria]] and Jane address the audience (these are available on the [=DVDs=]). In a few of them, the characters hint at [[HoYay the popularity of pairing them together,]] including one where they're dressed as a bride and groom and another where Jane says she could draw Daria nude from memory. |
| 340 | * ''WesternAnimation/ElinorWondersWhy'': The producers are aware of the show's PeripheryDemographic. In an official drawing tutorial for the character of Koa, Jorge Cham says "Some people online seem to think that Koa is a quokka, which is another animal from Australia, but actually Koa is a wombat." Indeed, for the longest time, Koa was listed as a quokka on the show's wiki. |
| 341 | * ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': |
| 342 | ** Fan art includes about a million pictures of [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Bill Cipher]] as a human or semi-human, almost always [[ManOfWealthAndTaste wearing a nice suit]] (to match his canon top hat). In "Sock Opera", he actually gets a human body ([[spoiler:[[GrandTheftMe specifically Dipper's]]]]) and the plot finds a reason for him to get dressed up in the third act. WordOfGod later depicted Bill Cipher in a human form as looking rather grotesque rather than the popular {{bishonen}} interpretation. |
| 343 | ** A scene in the episode "Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons" has the main characters watching the season finale of ''[[ShowWithinAShow Ducktective]]'' and complaining about the huge twist being predictable. This is in reference to a [[WhamEpisode previous episode]] where it was revealed that [[spoiler:Grunkle Stan was working on the portal to save his twin brother, who is also the Author of [[GreatBigBookOfEverything the Journals.]]]] Such a twist was something that the fanbase had been theorizing about ''[[IKnewIt for almost two years.]] |
| 344 | ** One of Grunkle Stan's ex-wives was a woman named Marilyn who he described as having very pale skin, an abnormally sharp tooth and a shirt saying "Over Thirty and Very Flirty" in the Complete Series commentary of "Land Before Swine." Two years after that complete series boxset was released, ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' premiered and featured Eda, a character who fits most of that description and owning a mug saying "Thirty and Very Flirty", making many fans believe she actually is Marilyn. In that show's second season episode "Yesterday's Lie", it's confirmed that Eda would often visit the human world under the name Marilyn, [[ConnectedAllAlong either confirming this theory]] or being a playful nod to it. |
| 345 | * One episode of ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' has Rhonda saying Arnold wears a "weird little skirt thing," which causes him to lift up his cardigan and say it's a plaid shirt. This is a ShoutOut to a common belief that Arnold wears a skirt or kilt. |
| 346 | * ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'': |
| 347 | ** The episode "Pandamonium" had several pandas being Heloise's {{Loony Fan}}s, but her not liking them and only caring about Jimmy liking her. [[WordOfGod Edward Kay]] admitted this was a ShoutOut to Heloise's enormous popularity. |
| 348 | ** Another episode had Heloise stating "I'm successful! [[EnsembleDarkHorse I'm popular!"]] Then she gives an AsideGlance. "That's right, I said popular." |
| 349 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': |
| 350 | ** In Episode 135, the main four make their own TV show and it's clearly a parody of the actual show. Stumpy asks them whether the characters based on Kaeloo and Mr. Cat will end up as a couple or not, which is a reference to the multitude of fans on the Facebook page who bombard all the posts' comment sections with questions about whether Kaeloo and Mr. Cat will ever admit their feelings for one another or not. |
| 351 | ** Due to fans bombarding almost every post made by the show's official social media page with queries about [=DVDs=], the show's fifth season created a RunningGag of the characters talking about getting [=DVDs=] of the show made. |
| 352 | * ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': "Stop Team Go" has Shego temporarily turning good and befriending Kim. This alludes to the ever-popular idea of "What if Kim and Shego were friends?" Their bonding can also be seen as a bone throw to [[FanPreferredCouple the fans that want them together]]. |
| 353 | * The ''WesternAnimation/LegoJurassicWorldLegendOfIslaNublar'' episode "The Power and the Peril!" has Dr. Ian Malcolm visiting the park (the series is set three years before the events of the film ''Film/JurassicWorld'') to promote the biography ''Life Has a Way: Chaotic Reflections of a Rock Star Mathematician'' and being welcomed at the dock by his fan club (re: GroupieBrigade) and other admirers, one of whom [[CreepySouvenir asks for one of his chest hairs]] and is turned down. With the A-plot seeing the mysterious power outages affecting the park keeping Malcolm from getting to his big lecture on time, the B-plot sees a desperate Masrani trying every means possible to stop a full-scale revolt by the impatient crowd. Beyond the CharacterExaggeration of Malcolm's [[TheRockStar rock star]] tendencies, this is a spoof of Malcolm's status as the (human!) BreakoutCharacter of the Franchise/JurassicPark franchise ''and'' the fandom of the actor who originated the role, Creator/JeffGoldblum, which saw a serious uptick in TheNewTens. |
| 354 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is an absolute goldmine of AscendedFanon. |
| 355 | ** For example, a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTPqjKk_xCo promo video]] on Creator/TheHub not only gave a ShoutOut to the FanCommunityNickname ("bronies"), but also a FanNickname for a [[OneSceneWonder minor]], but [[EnsembleDarkHorse extremely popular]] character ([[TheRockStar DJ Pon-3]]). |
| 356 | ** In "Lesson Zero", Big Macintosh, a grown stallion, is revealed to [[RealMenWearPink really like little girls' pony dolls]]. The same happens to Spike in "A Canterlot Wedding". |
| 357 | ** The character of [[EnsembleDarkHorse Derpy Hooves]] originates from a [[FunnyBackgroundEvent background joke]]/animation error from the first episode, which the fans [[MemeticMutation immediately latched on to.]] "Feeling Pinkie Keen" not only re-crossed her eyes, but worked her into a {{slapstick}} gag that reinforced the fan interpretation that she is [[TheKlutz clumsy]] and [[TheDitz ditzy.]] "The Last Roundup" elevates her FanNickname to official canon, much like DJ Pon-3's was, and draws even further from her fanon personality. They even referenced the fandom's tendency to make her a HandicappedBadass by giving her canonical moments of awesome such as TakingTheBullet for Twilight Sparkle in [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie2017 the movie]], having her join The Wonderbolt's attack on Tirek (and be ''flying faster than them''), and showing via {{Meaningful Background Event}}s that, before her eyes went bad, she was a better flier than even Rainbow Dash. |
| 358 | ** In the background of "Secret of My Excess", Derpy Hooves interrupts a private moment between Lyra and Bon Bon, two ponies who are [[OneTruePairing almost always shipped together]] in {{Fanon}}. The pair gets a tiny subplot of sorts that unfolds [[FunnyBackgroundEvent in the background]] of "Putting Your Hoof Down". The same episode also features a nod to Lyra's purported [[UsefulNotes/{{Otherkin}} obsession with humans]] (specifically, their having fingers), and Derpy wearing a bag with a [[TrademarkFavoriteFood muffin]] clip on it. |
| 359 | ** In Season 1, fans noted that a recurring background pony had an hourglass cutie mark and a mane resembling Creator/DavidTennant's hair -- earning him the FanNickname Series/{{Doctor Who}}oves and inspiring many fan works where he has adventures across time and space. The show creators acknowledged this in the episode "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000", by giving him a tie and a timekeeping job with an hourglass. Later, he was featured [[AllThereInTheManual on an official trading card.]] revealing that his canon name is Time Turner and that he's ''[[TimeyWimeyBall "the pony responsible for...pretty much all things timey-wimey".]]'' At least one of his toys gives him the alternate name Doctor Hooves (no "W").\ |
| 360 | His companion in fan works is most often Derpy, and the two are frequently {{shipp|ing}}ed. In the Valentine's Day episode "Hearts and Hooves Day", [[ShipTease the two are seen spending the day together.]] and [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E9SliceOfLife "Slice of Life"]] displays them as at least very close friends. The latter episode even gives him the Fourth Doctor's scarf and the quote, "Allons-y!"\ |
| 361 | In a later instance, he's wearing The 10th's Doctor's 3-D glasses, tie, and is walking alongside Rose. These two ponies are seen a lot together in the later seasons and finally as a loving couple near the end of the show. The 10th Doctor for a while traveled with a companion named Rose Tyler. |
| 362 | ** Fluttershy's remark that she'd "like to be a tree" in "Over a Barrel" [[MemeticMutation sparked the "Fluttertree" meme]], which maintains that Fluttershy either is or desperately wishes to be a tree. In "Hurricane Fluttershy", she disguises herself as a tree in an attempt to avoid attending a town meeting. Rainbow Dash sees through it instantly. In "Magic Duel", she is smuggled out of town in a tree trunk. |
| 363 | ** The background pony named [[AllThereInTheScript Berryshine/Berry Punch]] (with grapes and a strawberry as her mark) is believed by fanon to be a heavy drinker due to a scene in "Call of the Cutie" where she slurps from a punch bowl. In "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000", she is visibly distraught when told that there's "not a drop of cider to be found". |
| 364 | ** To "Good Ol' Days" by The Living Tombstone, in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E23InspirationManifestation "Inspiration Manifestation",]] when Rarity literally paved the streets of Ponyville in gold. |
| 365 | ** In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks'', Rainbow Dash's "[[IAmSong Awesome As I Wanna Be]]" song uses a variation of her [[BootstrappedLeitmotif iconic verse melody]] from "At the Gala" for its chorus, and includes the catchphrase [[TwentyPercentMoreAwesome "20% cooler"]] in its lyrics. |
| 366 | ** One of the teaser trailers for Season 5 has [[https://derpiboo.ru/846256 a shot of Octavia and DJ Pon-3 together for the first time in the series,]] apparently judging Sweetie Belle in a talent show. |
| 367 | ** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxH82Phyof0 "Weather Factory Infiltration"]] BGM in "Tanks for the Memories" resembles [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PjIhs72l0A "Rainbow Factory"]] by Music/WoodenToaster. |
| 368 | ** [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E9SliceOfLife "Slice of Life"]] may as well be called "Fandom Nod: the Episode." From references to long established {{Fanon}} to making long-time fan favorites integral to the plot, the episode was explicitly made to be chock full of references to the bronies. Mayor Mare's speech at the end was aimed directly at the fandom, about "those who play big parts, and those who play small" helping to shape who a person is. |
| 369 | ** The episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E14FameAndMisfortune "Fame and Misfortune"]] has the fanponies echoing a lot of questions that are asked by fans - "Twilight was better before she got wings" and "Are Pinkie Pie and Applejack related or what?" |
| 370 | ** The scene in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E10ARoyalProblem "A Royal Problem"]] in which Luna comes in, peels a banana, drops the banana itself and eats the peel could be a nod to ''WebAnimation/FriendshipIsMagicBitch'' in which she is a "mmmm [[PrecisionFStrike bee-yetch]] that doesn't like [[MemeticMutation mmmm bananas]]". |
| 371 | ** Background pony Cloud Kicker's [[https://www.derpibooru.org/1017654 Enterplay trading card]] is a quite thinly-veiled ShoutOut to the {{fanfic}} ''Fanfic/TheLifeAndTimesOfAWinningPony'' that features Cloud Kicker as the main character. |
| 372 | --->Everypony appreciates the '''bang'''-up job pegasi do keeping the clouds and weather in line. Most pegasi do enjoy a little weather duty, so everypony '''wins'''! |
| 373 | * Supposedly, the scene in ''WesternAnimation/{{The Powerpuff Girls|1998}}'' episode of "The City of Clipsville" where the girls are ValleyGirl teenagers who hook up with their evil counterparts, the Rowdyruff Boys, was intended to mock the fans who ship them. The fact went over the shippers' heads and it increased them ten-fold to the point where a ''very'' large percentage of PPG fan works is made up of PPG/RRB shipping. Another episode has Ms. Keane and Professor Utonium pairing up but shows how ''awful'' it would be. The Keane/Professor paring is still one of the most popular pairings in the series. |
| 374 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' showed (of all things) '''[[JumpScare Red Mist Squidward]]''' from the creepypasta "FanFic/SquidwardsSuicide" in the episode "[=SpongeBob=] in Randomland". [[{{Bowdlerise}} This scene was completely cut from later airings of the episode.]] |
| 375 | * Three popular {{fanon}} concepts in the ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'' fandom were that Kanan & Hera have a daughter (often named [[Literature/ANewDawn Dawn]] Syndulla), [[HoYay Zeb and Kallus]] get together, and Rex is one of the rebels at Endor in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''. The latter two were publicly acknowledged by WordOfGod. [[spoiler:These ended up becoming AscendedFanon. The GrandFinale ends with Hera being pregnant with the late Kanan's child, and the DistantFinale shows that they had a son named Jacen. Zeb and Kallus, though they never become an OfficialCouple for [[DarkAndTroubledPast obvious]] [[ItsPersonal reasons]], the epilogue shows that they became [[FireForgedFriends best friends.]] Rex and Hera were confirmed by narration to have fought at Endor.]] |
| 376 | * ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'': |
| 377 | ** The people Control Freak chats with online about the Titans and Titans East in the episode "For Real" as well as the {{shipping}} that frequented the ''Titans'' fandom. |
| 378 | --->'''Random Fan:''' Robin and Starfire 4ever!\ |
| 379 | '''Know-it-all Fan:''' Starfire should be with BB. |
| 380 | ** Amusingly, they avoid mention of Raven, who's by far the most controversial character when it comes to shipping. |
| 381 | ** In another episode, Jinx spells out her name for Madame Rouge. This might have something to do with the fact that many fans keep misspelling her name as "Jynx." |
| 382 | ** One of the post-series shorts has the Titans trying to unmask Red-X; Beast Boy speaks for the fandom by saying that he's ''obviously'' [[ComicBook/RedHood Jason Todd]]. |
| 383 | * ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'': |
| 384 | ** The creators pay very close attention to their fans, which is why the season two finale and third season features several nods towards the famous fic, ''{{Fanfic/Total Drama Comeback|Series}}'', such as Beth inexplicably eating cookies, Noah, Izzy, and Tyler having to complete a challenge featuring a goat, and the same trio falling asleep under a tree, which is an almost ''exact'' replica of a scene from the fic, minus the blanket. |
| 385 | ** Noah and Cody returning to the competition was in response to their [[EnsembleDarkHorse unexpected popularity]] among the fans, Chris even lampshades this by looking straight into the camera and introducing them as, "returning favorites". Ezekiel is similar in that regard (thanks to the aforementioned ''Comeback'' fic making him a major character), although he doesn't last much longer than he did the first time. |
| 386 | ** Tyler complains about being the least talked about contestant amongst fans, saying that even more-minor-than-minor [[WeHardlyKnewYe Ezekiel]] has more fans, which is completely true. Thankfully for Tyler, being in ''World Tour'' fixed this, and he has since become a fan-favourite. |
| 387 | ** During ''World Tour'', when the supposedly FanPreferredCouple Duncan/Gwen [[OfficialCouple became canon]]. Such a pairing was alluded to often in the second season, but almost immediately led to a BrokenBase among fans due to the circumstances that gave rise to the pairing becoming canon. |
| 388 | * ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'': In ''[[AllThereInTheManual The Allspark Almanac II]]'', it's stated that Red Alert developed a cure for [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Gold_Plastic_Syndrome Gold Plastic Syndrome,]] a fandom term for the phenomenon where some earlier toys that were made of gold plastic were brittle to the point of shattering under minimal stress. [[note]]If you care: technically, it's not gold plastic, it's brown plastic with gold fleck. When there's not much plastic in the plastic, you get a figure that will be more fragile, ranging in severity from "have a bit of care with Transmetal Megatron's waist" to "Try to take Generation 2 Electro out of his package and you'll be holding nothing but gold dust no matter how careful you are". With improvements to the technology, you probably needn't fear it with any figure newer than '03.[[/note]] |
| 389 | * Some of the more irate comic fans believed that Eastman and Laird sold out the ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' by "kiddifying" them for animation back then. In the [[MilestoneCelebration 25-year anniversary movie]] ''WesternAnimation/TurtlesForever'', [[ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage Mirage Raphael]] calls all of his counterparts "sellouts." |
| 390 | * A minor example in ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug''. Some images meant to represent the characters' in-universe profile pictures (including, for example, Luka's in the Season 4 and 5 intro) are taken from the Miraculous Fandom wiki. [[spoiler: In the second episode of Season 5, "Multiplication", Adrien's family tree appears, which is borderline identical to the one compiled by fans for the wiki.]] |
| 391 | ** There is also a possible, even bigger example. Starting in Season 4, the show unexpectedly dropped hints that seem to point to Adrien and Felix being sentimonsters, magical creatures controlled by whoever possesses the "amok" used to create them. Critics of this theory point to the sudden introduction of hints as a sign of being forced in by the writers, possibly after reading previous senti!Adrien fics. If this does turn out to be true, it would be either this trope or AscendedFanon. |
| 392 | [[/folder]] |
| 393 |
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