Inside jokes and obscure references
By
Aghast,
Posted on: 2005-02-04 17:31 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
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Hmm, my thought on seeing that one had more to do with "Beowulf's Children" by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes
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I read that book, but not much of it. I know that "Grendel" comes from the Old English poem Beowulf, but other than that I can't see any references there.
I could be wrong, though. 'Twas a borrowed book, and I had to return it after only maybe fifty pages.
Current main:
Schrodinger's Gun, Dual Pistols/Mental Blaster, Virtue
Avatar: Becky Miyamoto from Pani Poni Dash. Roulette roulette~
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I could be wrong, though. 'Twas a borrowed book, and I had to return it after only maybe fifty pages.
[/ QUOTE ] Lots of areas 'owned' by grendels on the mainland, though I don't recall if there was a specific 'gulch'.
Beowulf's Children is a sequel to "The Legacy of Heorot", and is a better read with the first book under the belt.
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Beowulf's Children is a sequel to "The Legacy of Heorot", and is a better read with the first book under the belt.
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Haven't read that one (even though I should have, yes). I'll check it out, thanks. Maybe then Beowulf's Children might make a bit more sense.
Current main:
Schrodinger's Gun, Dual Pistols/Mental Blaster, Virtue
Avatar: Becky Miyamoto from Pani Poni Dash. Roulette roulette~
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Justice Avenger is obviously Justice League and the Avengers rolled into one. The badge references a billionaire playboy who could be a Batman or Iron Man reference - do we know if Justin Sinclair is one of the Freedom Phalanx?
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Justin Sinclair is Manticore
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(Talos) Phoenix is obviously a mythic reference, and a good one for a hospital.
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Also a constellation in the southern hemisphere (IIRC)
This may be a bit of a stretch, but has anyone else noticed that the crashed ship in Rikti Crash Site looks very much like the crashed saucer in Stephen King's The Tommyknockers? (Albeit on a much larger scale.)
It's the sort of coincidence that I normally wouldn't put much stock in - I mean doesn't one crashed saucer-shaped space ship look a lot like any other crashed saucer-shaped space ship? But when you look a little deeper there's another connection. As the ship in the book was uncovered it began infecting everyone around, gradually turning them into aliens like the original travelers on the ship.
Well the Rikti are doing essentially the same thing. They are infecting homeless people (the Lost) and gradually turning them into Rikti.
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In trying to catch up with new posts here it dawned on me; The Colorado River = Red River.
Got this from a website when I went looking to double check my memory:
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The Colorado River was originally named Rio Colorado or "Red River" by the Spanish.
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[/ QUOTE ](Snipped the rest.)
Yes that could work very well, and not only because of that.
In CoH, there are two Red Rivers - one that flows Southeast through the Hollows into Talos, and another that flows North through Founder's Falls, also into Talos. It's clear on this map that they're completely seprate until they drain into the bay that Talos Island is in (which is very clearly a bay, not just another river), and in fact drain into it quite a ways apart.
In North America, there are two Colorado rivers. One goes through the Grand Canyon, the other goes through central Texas.
So Red River = Colorado River in more than one way. 
Tech support IRL, CLR/DRU/MED/WHM/PRI/DEF. Hmm, I sense a pattern...
S 80% E 80% A 40% K 0%
A few of my alts
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Not sure if this was intentional or not, but during a story arc (think it was World Wide Red), I was asked to rescue a Dr. Hedia Lamarr. Now if anyoneone remembers the Mel Brooks movie "Blazing Saddles", I believe the part played by Harvey Corman was named Heddie Lamarr. Coincidence? 
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The Blazing Saddles reference was in turn referring to Hedy Lamarr . Amazing woman.
Oh, and to another poster: since when is Three Mile Island in Pittsburgh? Closer to Harrisburg, PA, I suspect. =)
(Anybody else think a wikipedia devoted to these references would be the bee's knees?)
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It's HedLLLey!
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(Names changed at GM 'request')
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One I can't believe nobody's gotten yet is the Tech SO for Disorient(?) duration. It's a Holey Field generator. I'll leave you to supply your own rimshot.
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HOLEY FIELD GENERATOR BATMAN!
As for the part on where the hospital name in Founders Falls comes in, the man was a founder of the modern medicine we know today, no?
I don't know if anyone put this connection in yet, though. On Striga, you get a set of shotgun shells, specifically designed to kill the Banished Panteon zombies with...
So, Shotgun + Dead Guys = BOOMSTICK
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@Cyclonite Cat
(Names changed at GM 'request')
I can't remember the first name, but I would swear Barca is one of the Italian splatter-horror directors, in the vein (HA!) of Lucio Fulci. (And I woulda SWORE there was a Fulci something-or-other in DA... I know there was a reference to it in Shaun of the Dead) I'm drawing a blank on IMDB, though.
In reference to the actual, historical Saint Elegius (patron saint of goldsmiths) -- "By a special gift of God, he found the bodies of Saints long honored, but whose burial places were unknown." Fits nicely with the theme of Dark Astoria, no?
I haven't seen it, but can someone confirm this for me: Isn't "Moth Cemetary" the name of the graveyard in the movie Cemetary Man?
Adamastor is possibly a reference to the mythic Adamastor, who fell in love with Thetis the nymph, but was rejected for his gigantic size and ugliness. He became a storm-spirit bound to the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. (that, or he's Adam Astor, and has something to do with the founding of ASTORia)
Alternatively, a barca is "a double-ended boat used in the Mediterranean", and thus could refer to the boat used by Charon in moving the dead. That would fit with "tophet" as a place of punishment, or a hell. And a dido is a "michievous prank", which I think is kind of a mild way of describing tearing the souls out of every living being in the area.
Had a quick check and didn't see these two...
Negotiator badge > Fifth element. (paraphrased, must watch again )
Mercenarys:"Send in a negotiator or we shoot the hostages", Bruce Willis walks in, pulls gun, BANG!
Bystander: "where'd he learn to negotiate like that?"
And the first guy you meet in the Shadow Shard (not good with contact names 
), check his info. IIRC it's a Doctor Who reference to Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
I like your list a lot, but I think that you missed something obvious...all of the place names in the Hollows are named after places in New Jersey.
Everyone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Cherry Hill, Eastgate, etc, all either cities or townships in NJ?
Just a thought...
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Had a quick check and didn't see these two...
Negotiator badge > Fifth element. (paraphrased, must watch again )
Mercenarys:"Send in a negotiator or we shoot the hostages", Bruce Willis walks in, pulls gun, BANG!
Bystander: "where'd he learn to negotiate like that?"
And the first guy you meet in the Shadow Shard (not good with contact names ), check his info. IIRC it's a Doctor Who reference to Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
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Not to mention, the whole shadow shard is RIFE with Star Gate references...
Barca is also the surname of Hamilcar Barca and his son Hannibal, who fit the Romans during the Second Punic War.
There are a number of references to Paragon City being originally called New Carthage or Nova Carthago in-game; one came up during the Soul Thorns mission. Paragon City was apparently founded in the seventeenth century, named New Carthage back then, and the Circle of Thorns or a related cult was active at that time as well. This would appear to contradict the received idea that the Circle of Thorns was founded by Baron Zoria, who was a contemporary of Crowley, and active in the 1920s. Then again I'm geeking. . . .
At any rate, Barca (and Dido) in Dark Astoria would appear to relate to Carthage. Dido was the mythical foundress of Carthage; she had the hots for Aeneas, as related by Vergil in The Aeneid.
<《 New Colchis / Guides / Mission Architect 》>
"At what point do we say, 'You're mucking with our myths'?" - Harlan Ellison
I don't know if anyone has mentioned it in this post, I didn't look through all 24 pages, but the late 5th column was the name of a rogue faction from the V series/movies.
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I don't know if anyone has mentioned it in this post, I didn't look through all 24 pages, but the late 5th column was the name of a rogue faction from the V series/movies.
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A fifth column, generally, is a group of people who are citizens of one country but who sympathize with its enemies, especially during a war. It basically refers to potential spies or saboteurs: people who will assist an invading enemy when battle is joined.
<《 New Colchis / Guides / Mission Architect 》>
"At what point do we say, 'You're mucking with our myths'?" - Harlan Ellison
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In trying to catch up with new posts here it dawned on me; The Colorado River = Red River.
Got this from a website when I went looking to double check my memory:
[ QUOTE ]
The Colorado River was originally named Rio Colorado or "Red River" by the Spanish. A person looking at the river today may not understand how it came to be named in this way, as the present day color of the river is more of a blue-green. The reddish-brown color that originally gave the river its name become a rarity upon completion of the Glen Canyon Dam in 1963. The silt and sediments that gave the river its color are now trapped behind the dam in the bottom of Lake Powell.
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It could fit.
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the red river is a river that divides oklahoma and texas. In fact, whenever Oklahoma plays Texas in a sporting event, it's called "The Red River Shootout". It's a very popular river to those in this region.
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In trying to catch up with new posts here it dawned on me; The Colorado River = Red River.
Got this from a website when I went looking to double check my memory:
[ QUOTE ]
The Colorado River was originally named Rio Colorado or "Red River" by the Spanish. A person looking at the river today may not understand how it came to be named in this way, as the present day color of the river is more of a blue-green. The reddish-brown color that originally gave the river its name become a rarity upon completion of the Glen Canyon Dam in 1963. The silt and sediments that gave the river its color are now trapped behind the dam in the bottom of Lake Powell.
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It could fit.
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I need to catch up on this post as im 3 pages in atm but if i recall rightly from my years of learning spanish, "rio colorado" means coloured river, and off the top of my head, rio rojo would be red river.
As an aside... why do people call Rio de Janeiro "the city of god" when it means "river of january"? im confuzzled!1one!11!BBQ
Kill Skuls and Trols, and um Sky Raidels too!!!
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As an aside... why do people call Rio de Janeiro "the city of god" when it means "river of january"? im confuzzled!1one!11!BBQ
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Isn't Rio De Janeiro, the city with the Giant Jesus on a mountian top? (but nicknames don't allways have to be related to the city's proper name, "big apple")
Don't forget, there's the Monster Isle, with the giant monsters, too.
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Coldsmoke (Ice/Dark)
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and others...
Caliban was a character in the Tempest. Also the 17th moon of Uranus.
In Scandanavian folklore a "Nisse" is a small, trollish, "household spirit" Other names for nisser are "Tomte" and "Gardvord" (side note and Nordic Mythology appreciation moment: Nisser are described as short and wear red caps with tassels. They are hard working master craftsmen, and require a night time treat on a certain day in December.(except where not leaving santa milk and cookies means you won't get presents, nisser were more likely to just kill you 
) When their stories extended into Germany, they were adopted as part of the stories involving St. Nicholas and renamed to a nicer creature that also originated in Scandanavian mythology, Alfen, or Elves. So next time you are looking for a well made christmast gift, remember, Troll goods, best goods. )
In reference to Malta Titans.
Hercules is the smallest
The father of Hercules was Zeus
The father of Zeus was Chronos, sometimes spelled Kronos.
There is a movie (and book I think) called "The Warriors" which is about a gang that lives on Coney Island. Throughout the entire movie, they are always getting attacked by other gangs, just like the warriors from Talos Island in game. Spanky's Boardwalk could also be a reference to the boardwalk on Coney Island. They also dress similarly. A trademark line from the movie, said by a rival gang member, is "Come out and plaaaaay." which is often said by another gang in COH, the Skulls.
Nosferatu is a somewhat famous Vampire.
Back when they were the 5th, this made a little more sense, but the real Nazis were involved in occult research, looking for a weapon to use against the Allies. Seems the COH version found that weapon in the Vampiri and Warwolves.
I dont know if anyone has already mentioned it, but I believe one of the sky raiders was a Fight Club reference.
His name was Lt. Paulson.
This makes me so happy:
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The Science/Tech DO for Intangibility Duration is the Oscillator Overthruster. The OscillatION Overthruster was used in the movie and novel THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI to allow for passage through solid objects, by accessing the "8th Dimension", made up of all the empty space in matter.
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Thanks to whoever pointed it out (I never play a character that would need that enh).
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...and 5 more, when do I get to start my own SG?
Just thought of another thing...
The Freak Olympics story arc reminded me alot of the movie "Im gonna get you sucka" with its getto olympics.
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I don't think it's been mentioned, largely because I think it's only a curious coincidence, but doesn't the name "Grendel's Gulch" (in the Hollows) bring to mind "Galt's Gulch" from Ayn Rand's books?
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Hmm, my thought on seeing that one had more to do with "Beowulf's Children" by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes