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Shadsie Staring At My Own Grave from Across From the Cemetery Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: My elf kissing days are over
Staring At My Own Grave
#1: Oct 21st 2014 at 11:38:30 AM

I often reference weird things in my fan fictions. Sometimes, it's a vague-inspiration, sometimes it's an outright shout-out, often to things that aren't mainstream since I'm a total "otaku," but stand a chance of being understood in the fandoms I run in.

I especially do this when a story of mine has some comedy-bent to it. Here is where I can run into some problems. Where do I begin a reference and where do I end it?

For example, for the past month, I have been writing a Zombie Fic for the Super Smash Bros. fandom. Road Trip . - That's the Ao3 link, since I happened to have the page open, but it's also on fanfiction.net, where it is more quickly updated.

I have been, to paraphrase one reviewer, "punching people in the feels" for the entire ride - I've done a lot of dramatic stuff, the characters responding to their personal tragedies in sad, solemn ways a well as kicking zombie-tail. There's also been a bit of a comedy undercurrent here and there.

As such, I had in mind to do multiple endings for the story and right from the start, wanted to do a gag-ending based on Space Dandy ... this is something I just posted. I think it makes for a bit of Mood Whiplash, but I do bill it as the joke-chapter and put it right after the "Dead End" dramatic, worst-possible-scenario chapter, after which something light-hearted may be welcome.

Now, I've referenced everything under the sun in this fic. I forget how many stupid little references I've made. I had a bit of a soundtrack to it, referencing old music that I'm frankly surprised that some of my fans were also fans of. One chapter turned into an Attack on Titan reference-fest just because I was listening to one of the soundtracks while writing it. There is one chapter where Pit and Link talk about TV Tropes and the Trope Pantheons. They are AWARE of us! Now, some of my issues with Space Dandy referencing comes from the fact that I didn't wait for the gag-chapter to start foreshadowing it. I reference the OP in one chapter leading up to it...and in the dramatic bad ending? I referenced a thing that happens in the Dandy episode as a way to try to foretaste what was to come.

And then I get a review from someone who wasn't getting the reference that he/she thought my zombie-fication of the robot-characters was a "cop-out." This annoyed me a bit and I responded to him to tell hir "It's a deliberate reference to something, as you will see in the next chapter." I'm not sure that's good enough, though. I'm wondering if I should have left that tidbit out and *just* had it in the joke-chapter. At the same time, I really did want that "Dead End" chapter to have EVERYONE doomed, no hope, and I thought it was nicely sad to show the favorite robot-Smashers as victims, too, instead of having them "gone off on business" before everything started like I did with the goddess-characters.

So, I'm left, much like a person with a knife in their body within several blocks of a hospital of "Do I take it out or leave it in?" - I honestly do not want to do any re-writes on this fic if I can help it, because this is just a fun, silly zombie-lark that I want to get completed by Halloween.

In other words, how do you know just when you're getting a little too goofy / too much on your references for those readers whom you know probably won't get what you're doing for your personal amusement?

In which I attempt to be a writer.
MetaFour AXTE INCAL AXTUCE MUN from A Place (Old Master)
AXTE INCAL AXTUCE MUN
#2: Oct 21st 2014 at 11:56:52 AM

My general rule is that references should all be in-character and subtle enough that anyone unfamiliar with the source won't even realize you're making a reference.

No idea how that would apply to your specific case.

HeirophantsFool I use guns instead of magic. Since: Jan, 2013 Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
I use guns instead of magic.
#3: Oct 21st 2014 at 7:23:01 PM

I play with it. If my characters make references stuff that is clearly out-of-universe I have them do it by accident.

Super Robot! SUPER ROBOT! ◥▶◀◤ Also, if some of my posts don't make sense, please take note that I might lack slee
DomaDoma Three-Puppet Saluter Since: Jan, 2001
Three-Puppet Saluter
#4: Oct 22nd 2014 at 2:57:29 PM

Outside of chapter titles, where the occasional overt classical reference works, I think I'm subtle enough in an outward sense, but behind the scenes I tend to let my references run away with me. I recently let a ship called Falconbranch into a canonical maritime perfidy, so now the Sherlock Holmes reference is loosed, I've also got an island named Fort Constant figuring and I had to force myself not to mention in the fic that Fort Constant was a prison island of ironically historical significance seventy-five years prior. And let's not get into the gigantic epic Joss-magnet inspired by the Lest Darkness Fall shoutouts in the epilogue.

edited 22nd Oct '14 2:59:19 PM by DomaDoma

Hail Martin Septim!
Gideoncrawle Elder statesman from Put out to pasture Since: Dec, 2012 Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Elder statesman
#5: Nov 4th 2014 at 12:42:37 PM

My short stories have a few allusions, including obligatory references to Gilbert and Sullivan; but the tropes page for my magnum opus, The Legend of Total Drama Island (LTDI) is going to need a separate Shout-Out page. This is partly because LTDI is a much longer work, but also because some of the allusions inspired certain incidents. Identifying all the shout-outs is the main purpose of the story's extensive Notes section. (That, and the fact that I like to explain things.)

Most of LTDI's allusions come in the narrative, rather than in dialogue, so whether it fits canonical or reimagined characterizations is less of an issue. On the other hand, I chose certain allusions precisely because they helped to establish characterization. One example of the latter is the character who in canon seems straitlaced but is eventually revealed to be a psycho. In my fic (in a yet-unpublished chapter) she has her pre-Reveal persona but sleeps in a nightshirt decorated with scenes of Hell from Bosch's famous painting, "The Garden of Earthly Delights".

When a potentially OOC-looking allusion appears in dialogue, the Notes will, er, note either that the character isn't aware of the reference (e.g. when Heather calls the obese Sadie "Fatty Lumpkin") or else explain that (for example) Beth is aware of a certain Star Trek reference, despite not being a fan, because she presumably picked it up from the guy who is a fan, and that fact wasn't important enough to include in the body of a story that's plenty long as it is.

Bigotry in the name of inclusion is still bigotry.
maxwellelvis Mad Scientist Wannabe from undisclosed location Since: Oct, 2009 Relationship Status: In my bunk
Mad Scientist Wannabe
#6: Nov 4th 2014 at 6:40:59 PM

Beth's got a Starfleet swimsuit, she's gotta be a Trekkie. Or that's her pajamas, either way, she's got a Starflee uniform of some kind.

Of course, don't you know anything about ALCHEMY?!- Twin clones of Ivan the Great
Night The future of warfare in UC. from Jaburo Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
The future of warfare in UC.
#7: Nov 4th 2014 at 7:14:29 PM

I find myself referencing Escape Velocity, particularly Nova, way more than I think I should. In general though there are references people are meant to understand, and references that are mainly because they amuse me.

Nous restons ici.
Sharysa Since: Jan, 2001
#8: Nov 7th 2014 at 2:27:40 PM

Hunting the Unicorn is my Glee/Criminal Minds/Firefly crossover. It has the usual shout-outs to Harry Potter and various musicals, but I ended up making a shout-out to fucking Labyrinth, thanks to Nick getting stoned and drunk, then hallucinating that his cousin Sarah's fiance was a barn-owl.

Then Nick's therapist is an adult Sansa Stark.

I was intending for Nick to be comic-relief, and he ran wild with it.

edited 7th Nov '14 2:28:24 PM by Sharysa

Gideoncrawle Elder statesman from Put out to pasture Since: Dec, 2012 Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Elder statesman
#9: Nov 7th 2014 at 6:57:56 PM

[up][up][up]It's her swimsuit, but the "arrowhead" is upside down. Maybe she's a Mirror Universe Trekkie? </offtopic moment>

Bigotry in the name of inclusion is still bigotry.
maxwellelvis Mad Scientist Wannabe from undisclosed location Since: Oct, 2009 Relationship Status: In my bunk
Mad Scientist Wannabe
#10: Nov 7th 2014 at 7:10:38 PM

I imagine it's as close to one as they can get without getting sued by Viacom. I like to think of it as a cross between a Starfleet uniform and one of those hideous things Counselor Troi would wear. I imagine for a farm girl like Beth, Star Trek would be one of the few real escapes you can get. </also off-topic, maybe we should open a Total Drama fanfic thread to continue this discussion?>

Of course, don't you know anything about ALCHEMY?!- Twin clones of Ivan the Great
KarkatTheDalek Not as angry as the name would suggest. from Somwhere in Time/Space Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
#11: Nov 7th 2014 at 11:33:52 PM

I've haven't gotten there yet (I hope I will some day), but in my Kingdom Hearts fanfiction, I plan on having them visit the Haunted Mansion, and if I don't make a 'zombie goasts' reference, I will never forgive myself.

edited 7th Nov '14 11:34:04 PM by KarkatTheDalek

Oh God! Natural light!
Ellowen My Ao3 from Down by the Bay Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Crazy Cat Lady
#12: Dec 23rd 2014 at 10:05:32 PM

in my digimon fanfiction, I had a few very minor shout outs—i named a type of digimon I invented after a Tamora Pierce character (Zhanne Bitterclaws, queen of Stormwings, which are a bit like harpies only their bird parts are made of metal.) and a flashback had a reference to the movie version of A Little Princess because I wanted something fluffy and cute.

In the big Hero 6 fic, I'm planning a larger shout out to Tamora Pierce works, but it's very intentionally done in character as a coded message.

Got a degree in Emotional trauma via fictional characters aka creative writing. hosting S'mores party in Hell for fellow (evil) writers
PPPSSC Since: Nov, 2009
#13: Dec 23rd 2014 at 10:54:48 PM

My Total Drama fan season has a lot of references to other cartoons, sitcoms, retro video games, pop songs, internet memes and websites, and even classic literature. But the one that stands out to me the most is that I actually referenced 'Scared Silly'. I wrote a 10 page annotation for the story, mostly filled with shout-outs. Well, that and math, linguistics, and team placement logistics gags.

note 

edited 23rd Dec '14 10:55:29 PM by PPPSSC

Benjayman Ben-J-man from New Zealand, Wellington Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: In another castle
Ben-J-man
#14: Jan 10th 2015 at 3:29:38 AM

In my 40k fic Secret War I reference so many things it isn't funny (and have great fun doing it too) References from everything to The Princess Bride, Kung Fu Hustle, Super Mario, Uncharted, Gaunt's Ghosts (Or that could be a continuity nod) the Gi Joe adds 'and knowing is half the battle!' Cowboy Bebop, Fire Emblem, Beast Wars, Blaz Blue. Mario would be the weirdest as I'm not a big fan of the character and it's 40k. The list goes on and on.

"The best way to lie is to tell the truth." Attelus Kaltos Check me out on FF.net https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1489301/Adrassil
GeekCodeRed Since: Sep, 2010
#15: Jan 11th 2015 at 4:22:00 AM

I'm writing a Mass Effect/Frozen crossover, and I have many shout outs already. The chapter titles are references to songs (Woke Up This Morning, Feelin' Fine; Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap) or Disney movies (Long Live The King; A Long Long Time Ago; The World's Greatest Criminal Mind).

The weirdest shout out I have planned, though, pertains to Shepard's backstory.
It's an Earthborn Shepard, so he's an orphan. The orphanage named him after the main character of the movie that was playing when they received him: Sink the Bismarck!.

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