Greetings, dear readers!
As promised, here's a peek behind the curtain at the cultural references sprinkled throughout our my tale. Think you caught them all? Let's see if I can't surprise you.
"Blue as ice and... desire" - This gem from
Blondie's "Maria" caught my eye ages ago. An intriguing juxtaposition, isn't it? Desire is usually red-hot, not ice-blue. But for our snow leopard-eyed Lia, it's fitting on multiple levels.
"For long is the way and hard, that out of Hell leads up to light." - Ah, Milton's "Paradise Lost". I'd love to claim I plucked this from my extensive reading of 17th-century epic poetry, but honesty compels me to admit: it's from
"Se7en". Which, by the way, is a must-watch if you haven't already.
Speaking of "Se7en" John Doe's line
"Nothing wrong with a man taking pleasure in his work" is a masterclass in character depth. It's the moment you realize you're not dealing with a garden-variety psychopath, but someone far more... complex.
"Suffer well" - A happy accident, this one. It started as a
World of Warcraft callback (hello, fellow gamers!) but a quick Google led me to
Depeche Mode's lyrics. Sometimes, the pop culture gods smile upon us writers. For those unfamiliar with WoW, "Suffer well" is a catchphrase often used by Death Knights, a class of undead warriors. The phrase encapsulates their tragic existence - forced to endure unlife and inflict suffering, yet finding purpose in their pain. It's a sentiment that resonated deeply with the themes of our story, don't you think?
"Iny weeny teeny weeny, shriveled little short dick man, don't want don't want don't want" - I'll be honest, I despise this tune. But thanks to
"Billions" (a treasure trove of references) it found its way into our story. The things we do for art, right?
"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe" - Zed's rhyme from
"Pulp Fiction" was an obvious choice for Lia. That scene in the pawn shop basement? Pure tension. I couldn't resist borrowing a bit of that energy.
"I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further." - Darth Vader, guyz. Because sometimes, you just need to channel your inner Sith Lord. I've always dreamed of being in a position of power where I could use this phrase. As a diehard Star Wars fan (just don't get me started on the sequels) this was a must-include. The Empire's aesthetics, their sense of order, and yes, their capacity for cruelty, have always fascinated me. Vader's character arc - from fallen hero to tyrant to redeemed father - is a masterclass in complex characterization. His ability to project power through mere words, as in this quote, is something I've always admired and sought to emulate in my writing.
"Never been kissed" - Sure, the movie hasn't aged well, but for us late bloomers, it struck a chord. And hey, good things come to those who wait, right?
Finally, "I am so happy to have finally met you, Mark" - This one's a bit of a mind-bender. I just typed it out, sounding good enough in that scene. But it looked familiar somehow, gnawing at my psyche like a mindworm. Then it clicked. There's a scene in the series
Firefly where a main character is tortured, and the torturer quotes from a mad poet called
Shan Yu: "Live with a man 40 years. Share his house, his meals. Speak on every subject. Then tie him up, and hold him over the volcano's edge. And on that day, you will finally meet the man." While I'm not sure Shan Yu was right, it fits our story really well, don't you think?
And there you have it - a tour through the pop culture landscape of this stoy. Did I miss any? Let me know if you think so.
