Easter eggs

MiddleAgedMan

Preoccupied writer
Joined
Sep 29, 2015
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93
What is your take on easter eggs in stories, both your own and other authors’ stories?

As I write I keep using phrases and song titles in my text, though I make a point of blending it in, to make it seem natural. (At least to my mind)

Is this something readers appreciate? Or do they find it amusing?

Of course, the reference hinges upon them knowing the source material.

An example from my current project, destined for the MC category:

‘Garth pushed inside her, Pain flaring as her sphincter protested. He enhanced her Pleasure to create a counterpoint, Pain and Pleasure indeed.’

I will not divulge the reference yet, as that would kind of spoil the point.
 
‘Garth pushed inside her, Pain flaring as her sphincter protested. He enhanced her Pleasure to create a counterpoint, Pain and Pleasure indeed.’

I will not divulge the reference yet, as that would kind of spoil the point.

You'll have to be more specific:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2W2mU8R7-A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5boYiMktOvs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1Rq8H7GNsE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wert3_A7nVY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa804VBHfqw
 

Point taken, though I disagree. True, they all contain the words Pain and Pleasure, though put together differently. If you search specifically for 'Pain and Pleasure' you find Judas Priest, as intended. (Though I grant that some random other group has a song called that as well.)
 
Do what you wanna do. All that you put me through.

First, I could wax poetry over the god that is Rob Halford, so don’t get me started (handcuffed himself to Andy Warhol, the gorgeous person that he is!!).

But also, I’m not subtle when I add mine. One story I have has a character named Nynaeve and she has an obsession with Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive. The main male character asks her if she braids her hair and pulls it in one scene and she dies laughing. I refuse to apologize for this.
 
Do what you wanna do. All that you put me through.

First, I could wax poetry over the god that is Rob Halford, so don’t get me started (handcuffed himself to Andy Warhol, the gorgeous person that he is!!).

But also, I’m not subtle when I add mine. One story I have has a character named Nynaeve and she has an obsession with Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive. The main male character asks her if she braids her hair and pulls it in one scene and she dies laughing. I refuse to apologize for this.

I see what you did there... ;)

And was the male character stony faced with blue eyes by any chance?
 
If you search specifically for 'Pain and Pleasure' you find Judas Priest, as intended.

For you I'm sure you do as your search engine (probably) has a history of you listening to that song or searching the lyrics. If I type pain and pleasure, either with or without quotation marks, I get various BDSM blogs or medical explanations of the pain and pleasure overlap, or the Divinyls.
 
For you I'm sure you do as your search engine (probably) has a history of you listening to that song or searching the lyrics. If I type pain and pleasure, either with or without quotation marks, I get various BDSM blogs or medical explanations of the pain and pleasure overlap, or the Divinyls.

That is actually a very good point, one I had not considered. I guess that would apply to any short reference that is basically just a title or a few words put together. Then again, as said in the other thread, if everyone got my reference it would be just that, not an easter egg.

But if your interpretation of my easter egg led you to a bdsm reference that (to you) was obvious, and it made you smile, all the better. Maybe it could be called a dual egg or a meta-egg or something? ;)
 
I see what you did there... ;)

And was the male character stony faced with blue eyes by any chance?

No, because there were other noncon themes happening at the same time and I had to add those to his appearance haha.

But that question did make me realize that Lan and Dalinar... both look an awful lot alike with other suspicious similarities.
 
No, because there were other noncon themes happening at the same time and I had to add those to his appearance haha.

But that question did make me realize that Lan and Dalinar... both look an awful lot alike with other suspicious similarities.

Haha, you don't want to mix noncon into that, no. I have learned my lesson though, no more fanfic for me, I enjoy noncon (or what appears to be) too much.

As for Lan and Dalinar, I see what you mean, but then again, having rough-hewn male characters in positions of command is hardly limited to Jordan and Sanderson. And as for personalities, isn't it a trait of uncompromising men that they change the world simply by refusing to adapt, instead demanding everyone adapt to them?

Anyway, I find that making cryptic easter eggs add spice to the story. Ha. Ha.
 
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