This is a list of various references in the Good Intentions series. It primarily consists of references to popular and fannish cultures. It also includes self-references, cases of leaning on the fourth wall, and more obscure historical references.
Note that this list is necessarily incompleat, and often is because the maintainer is unfamiliar with the specific source material. Feel free to add more examples!
General[]
- Lorelei shares her name with the riverside rock Lorelei in Germany. The rock is associated with several 19th century and later stories of women luring men to their death by supernatural means.
- Drew is fond of making “your mom” jokes.
- The disintegrating bodies of vampires and of demons wearing mortal skins might be inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Good Intentions[]
In Good Intentions:
- Alex’s initial knowledge of demons and succubae came from RPG rulebooks, more specifically Jason’s Monster Manual.[1][2]
- Rachel quotes Milton’s Paradise Lost: “Abashed, the Devil stood”, later echoed by Lorelei. Alex identifies the quote as coming from The Crow, which quotes Milton.[3][4]
- Alex thinks of Lorelei coming home to find him “stuffed in the refrigerator”.[5]
- Alex says Lorelei sounds too much like Darth Vader.[6]
- Tony Koblitz says that customers having sex in the back rooms of a lingerie store only happens in porn. Alex and Taylor did indeed have sex in the back room. This is arguably a self-reference.[6]
- Alex has a lustful dream involving Marvel’s She-Hulk.[7]
- Jason wears a Green Lantern t-shirt at the pool hall.[7]
- Robert Gorge introduces himself by quoting by “Sympathy for the Devil” by The Rolling Stones. Jason and Drew respond with Ozzy Osbourne references.[8]
- The Crew plays Tool in Gorge’s headphones after he is taken captive.[8]
- Neil Diamond and “Sweet Caroline” is thought of as “devil music”.[8]
- Jason and Wade discuss Alex’s life in the context of a Joss Whedon show.[8]
- Onyx says Alex “goes up to eleven” as a lover, referencing This Is Spinal Tap.[9]
- Alex asks Lorelei about the historical accuracy of Gladiator.[9]
- Rachel calls Lydia a “Santorum-smelling slob” and tells her to Google it.
- Alex refers to Godwin’s Law.[9]
- Rachel sings Amazing Grace in celebration of her new wings and Lorelei learning love.[9]
- When John of Normandy joins the crusade, he brings his grandfather’s axe. It is left unstated how many times the shaft and the head had been replaced.[10]
- It is likely that the name Illyana for Anastacia Illyana Kanatova is borrowed from Illyana Rasputina of the X-Men.[10]
- Lydia refers to literary trends of sparkling vampires, a reference to vampires in Twilight.[10]
- Lorelei firedances to VNV Nation.[10]
- Drew refers to Alex always having been a science fiction fan, and mentions Star Trek and Stargate.[10]
- Alex tells Jocelyn that she is “all that”, possibly a reference to the ’90s slang phrase “all that and a bag of chips”, used in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
- Trish wears a Firefly t-shirt.[10]
- Molly refers to Kenneth as “Poindexter”, a slang term originating from Poindexter in the Felix the Cat cartoon.[11]
- Rachel uses the entire ’90s slang phrase “all that and a bag of chips”, used in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, to describe how she used to think about Vincent.[12]
- Alex corrects Rachel on the usage of the term “big damn hero”, another Firefly reference.[12]
- Rachel refers to several elements of the Old Norse origin story, like Ginnungagap and Auðumbla.[12]
- Rachel says that she has been looking for love since the Tower of Babel fell.[12]
- Molly gives a Sisters of Mercy t-shirt to Rachel.[12]
- Jason refers to the hammer of Thor.[13]
- Drew uses “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)” as his ringtone for Jason.[13]
- Jason refers to the clothing of vampires as “wannabe-Goth version of the Village People”.[13]
- Jason refers to the glut of stories attempting to cash in on the vampire fad, and freaks writing smut on the internet.[13] A self-reference, given that the book originated on Literotica.
- Warren and Blackthorne discuss the river Lethe.[13]
- Jack refers to a Practitioner as “Merlin”.[13]
- Drew says “on like Donkey Kong” when he and Taylor are about to drive into Blackthorne manor.[13]
- Rachel refers to the game Cluedo when she says “It was Colonel Mustard in the billiard room with the fucking candlestick!” to Vincent.[14]
Natural Consequences[]
- Alex associates a selfie of Jason with nerdcore rapping and with Star Trek references like Starfleet and Klingons. He also mentions “vampire Tupac”.[15]
- Alex had a Tardis pencil sharpener—a gift from Kat—and a LolCat calendar at Keating & Rose.[15]
- Bjorn—more properly “Björn” or ”Bjørn”—means “bear” in Old Norse and modern Scandinavian languages, and was a well-known name both in the Viking and later ages.
- Unferth—originally spelled Hunferð—is the name of a character in the Beowulf epic. It is not otherwise known from the Viking age, and its meaning is disputed.
- When they first meet, Jason wears a Green Lantern t-shirt and Amber wears a Blue Sun t-shirt, referring to DC and Firefly. They immediately fall into Browncoat references.[16]
- Jason paraphrases Steven Furtick’s quote on highlight reels.[17]
- Tony Koblitz refers to forensic investigations as “CSI shit”.[17]
- Tony Koblitz says that Alex didn’t go “all Jackie Chan” on them.[17]
- Amber playacts as a telenovela character while cooking with Jason.[17]
- Amber and Jason discuss Starfleet captains in Star Trek.[17]
- Molly wears a VNV Nation t-shirt.
- Alex planned to come dressed as the Ninth Doctor at the Emerald City Halloween Ball, but went as Arthur Dent due to Jason’s wardrobe malfunction.[18]
- Jason planned to come dressed as the Green Lantern at the Emerald City Halloween Ball, but due to a wardrobe malfunction was loaned Alex’s Ninth Doctor costume.[18]
- Amber dressed as a Colonial Marine.
- Wade had to defend his quickly assembled steampunk costume at the Emerald City Halloween Ball against cosplay gatekeepers. The cosplay gatekeepers were all dressed as Imperial Guard. [18]
- Drew went as a Man in Black to the Emerald City Halloween Ball, and Alex was aware of the original myth behind the Men in Black.[18]
- Alex consistently refers to Cornelius as Cornholio from Beavis and Butthead.[19][20]
- Jason says vampires are lamer than Juggalos in a discussion with Amber.[21]
- Molly says Ayn Rand fans have trouble adjusting when they learn how the world works.[21]
- The river Acheron and the boatman appears in the ritual to cleanse Alex of his past memories.[22]
- Alex quotes Casablanca when she learns of the state of Molly’s and Onyx’s bedroom: “I’m shocked, shocked to discover that gambling is going on in here.”[23]
- Alex plays a bit of “Camptown Races” for Onyx.[24]
- Alex plays a sonata by Joseph Haydn, which he believes to be sonata 46.[24] However, it appears that the numbering schemes used for Haydn’s sonatas—Hoboken catalogue and Landon—both date from the 20th century, too late for Tom Graham’s career as a pianist. At a guess, Alex is playing Haydn’s sonata in A flat major, Hoboken XVI:46.
- Alex dislikes his—very attractive—literature teacher after she has the class read The Glass Menagerie.[24]
- Dylan Jorgensen wears a Twelfth Man jersey.
- Lorelei’s history in Babylon is based on Herodotus’s account of their customs and possibly inspired by Edwin Long’s 1875 painting The Babylonian Marriage Market, especially the last girl covering her face.[25]
- After Lorelei had seduced Bridger, Rachel refers to James Bond: “Vodka martini, shaken, not stirred?”.[26]
- Amber and Lanier discuss card and board games. Lanier refers to having a card game available that might be Cards Against Humanity: “it’s pretty offensive”.[26]
- Wade refers to the Special Task Force as black helicopter types.[27]
- Wade is bitter against Jason for having to eat Gefilte fish.[28]
- Amber asks Jason who the real hero in The Lord of the Rings is.[28]
Days of High Adventure[]
- Jason and Alex discuss Conan, and how the original stories differ from later adaptations.
- The magic in the land beyond the portal is just like in the fourth edition, presumably of Dungeons & Dragons.
- Yaol calls his primary book of magic a Book of Shadows.
- Amanda calls Yaol a “sack of experience points”.
- Amanda finds and uses two bags of holding in the form of a backpack and a pouch.
- Amanda quotes Robocop: “Bitches, leave.”
- Amanda and Eric mention zombies and brains to prove their identity to each other.
- Amanda threatens two former slaves with turning them into newts if they fail to escort three rescued girls to safety. Eric says it is a literary reference.
- Amanda’s use of Prismatic spray is critical in the “boss fight”, as Eric calls it.
- Amanda had a Hello Kitty mug and some My Little Pony figures in her desk at work.
Life in Shadows[]
In “Authenticity”:
- Hypatia says that Onyx’s wand is very Hermione. (It’s not.)
- Molly and Onyx are bequeathed Elizabeth’s Book of Shadows.
- Molly calls out Archimedes’s and Hypatia’s driver for carrying a Desert Eagle, seeing it as compensating for something.
In “Naked Justice”:
- Molly wears a VNV Nation t-shirt.
- Kevin Murray sings Iron Maiden’s “Can I Play with Madness” at the karaoke bar. Earlier he had sung Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive”.
- Molly and Onyx says to Kevin that he is a Mary Sue. Kevin disagrees, arguing that he lacks several distinctive traits.
- In the same conversation, Onyx makes a reference to Suspension of disbelief.
- Rachel shouts Shoryuuuken as she punches out Serena.
In Skin:
- Lester plays John Denver’s Take Me Home in his office. Lorelei complains about his musical taste.
- Destiny and Chance play Justin Timberlake at their “private dance” with Alex. Alex loudly complains and thinks of it as devil music.
- The demon creepers might be inspired by the creeper of the Jeepers Creepers films.
- When Destiny ask Alex what is wrong with him, he says in a self-reference that he needs to write a novel—Good Intentions—and a sequel—Natural Consequences—to answer that question.
Personal Demons[]
In Personal Demons:
- Dutch, a member of the Light, is a believer in several conspiracy and apocalyptic theories: the Mayan calendar, Y2K, earthquake-safe architecture is a scam, and many others.[29][30]
- Alex thinks Beelzebub was made up for Dungeons & Dragons.[31]
- Both Roy Carlisle and Drew Jones appear to be fans of the Seattle Seahawks.
- Rachel says the angels should get a Sorting Hat to handle the reincarnated souls. She talks about a cannon at the same time, which also sounds like a reference.
- Drew calls demons without mortal skins glass cannons.[31]
- Molly calls her ritual room the batcave.[32]
- Drew makes a tornado joke to Molly and Onyx. They consider it offensive.
- Jason says “Friendship is not magic” in the University of Washington restaurant que.[33]
- Onyx warns about making references to Dungeons & Dragons or Harry Potter to Practitioners.
- Sammael introduces himself by quoting by “Sympathy for the Devil” by The Rolling Stones.[34]
- Rico might be a reference to Johnny Rico in Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein.[35]
- The man that Amber arrests claims to be la chupacabra.[36]
- The angel Abdul says that he knows of the “American white savior complex” from reading Tumblr.[37]
- Hector says “It’s dangerous to go alone. Take one of these.” when he loans weapons to the Crew.[38]
- Alex is worried about ice weasels attacking him.[39]
- Rachel quotes Gunsmoke: “to get the hell outta Dodge”.[39]
- Amber Maddox refers to Pandora’s box when discussing options on how to deal with the Light.[40]
- Lilith calls Lorelei the “Whore of Babylon”[40]
- Lorelei quotes Milton’s Paradise Lost: “Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven”.[40]
- The demon Hank calls not fighting for “hippie Kumbaya bullshit”.[40]
- Rachel refers to several other guardian angels as showing “Judgey McJudgerson faces”.[41]
- Zafirah quotes Casablanca when she meets Alex for the first time: “Of all the gin joints in all the world”.[41]
- Alex said his story would require “a good forty-four hours of narration even without the recent nonsense”. A self-reference, since the combined runtime of the audio editions of Good Intentions and Natural Consequences is roughly 44 hours, 30 minutes.[41]
- Jason blames that nobody trusts atheists for the lack of healing he receives while badly wounded during the Battle of Suite 1705. [42] It was something he read on the internet, possibly In Atheists We Distrust or any followup discussion.
- Drew refers to Hector as “reggae gun bunny”. Reggae since Hector is from Jamaica, gun bunny because it’s slang for someone having lots of guns.
Past Due[]
In Past Due:
- The Neo-Nazi demonstraters shout various real-world racist, far-right, and white power slogans, until they are rudely interrupted by Alex and friends.[43]
- The police officer arresting Alex and Drew ask them if they are Social Justice Warriors. Alex readily agrees.[43]
- Rachel calls herself “neutral good, not lawful stupid”.[43]
- Hector quotes Franklin D. Roosevelt: “Judge me by my enemies”.[44]
- Mahmoud and Abdel discuss the philosophy of the offside rule.[45]
- Mahmoud admits the statues in the museum are reproductions; the originals were stolen by the British and French.[45]
- Jason refers to Alex being badly wounded as “looking pretty Genji”.[46]
- Alex and Lorelei are stuck behind an SUV with a Rapture bumper sticker, a reference to the Left Behind stories.
- Drew refuses to play “Alfred the Butler” for Alex, likely a reference to Alfred Pennyworth of Batman fame.[47]
- Wade refers to Spider-Man by saying “power and responsibility”.[48]
- When Alex tells Molly that he loves her, she responds that she knows. Alex immediately calls it a Han Solo comeback, referring to Leia and Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back.[49]
- Lorelei makes a reference to the song Istanbul (Not Constantinople) in conversation with the demon Victor.[50]
- A woman at the Family party wears a Vera Wang dress, which Alex recognizes as such.[12]
- Alex and Zafirah discusses books of magic in the context of a Book of Shadows.[51]
- The Crew used 86 as their signal for a general and urgent bugout.[51][52]
- Alex refers to the conversations at the Family party as “Bond villain talk”.[53]
- Alex calls for Katerina Sorrow by the Girl in a Wetsuit statue in Vancouver.
- When discussing navigation, Alex talks about finding the sun with crystals.[54] This might be a reference to the use of sunstones, probably used by Skorri.
- Katerina Sorrow likens the Crew to “an HBO series with added slapstick”.[54]
- Molly sits in “a comfy chair” when talking with Onyx and Alex about their relation.[55]
- Lorelei went to a Seattle con cosplaying as a space bounty hunter wearing an enclosed helmet.[56]
- Johanna Matthias thinks cat memes are the core of the Internet, possibly a reference to The Internet Is Made of Cats.[56]
Small Victories[]
In “Don’t Make It Weird”:
- Alex thinks of Lorelei’s mind powers as “Professor X”
In “Minor Errands”:
- Alex and Onyx discuss different meanings of “the closet”.
In “Date Night”:
- Molly says “Friendship is magic”.
In “Good Neighbors”:
- Alex imagines Republican Senators when he is told about demons wearing ill-fitted skins.
Habitual Heroes[]
In “Clear Communication”:
- Discussion on the deadly sins, including envy, lust, pride, and wrath.
- Rachel thinks of some other angels as “Judgy McJudgerson”.
In “Legitimacy”:
- Molly talks about accidentally selling a “genuine Necronomicon”.
- Alex and professor Hood discuss The Smurfs, after Alex noted a book about them at the magical book fair.
In “Guardians”:
- Drew refers to Yankee Candle stores.
Low-Key Calamities[]
In “Trust”
- Rachel directs traffic after a Seattle Seahawks game.
- Kyra calls Lorelei Sherlock due to her deductive reasoning.
In “A Most Noble Quest” Alex and Lorelei watch numerous porn movies together:
- One where everyone speaks Simlish.
- A parody of ’80s action movies.
- Yo-Ga-Oh! and the summoning of competing minions is a reference to the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise.
- A parody of a reality cooking show.
- A parody of courtroom drama.
- A parody of the variety shows Hee-Haw and Sha Na Na.
- Lorelei has a fursona.
In “Strangers”:
- The petition organizer stealing an office chair is a reference to Tim Eyman.
- The demon creeper might be inspired by the creeper of the Jeepers Creepers films.
In “Accomplished”:
- Alex game masters a D&D scenario with Rachel and Lorelei as players.
- Alex says “Fuck cancer”, and is echoed by Rachel.
- Taylor did a biology presentation in high school based on the Donner Party.
In “Amends”:
- Ibiza does indeed host an annual fashion show and is known for its music culture, especially electronic music.
- “Agent Smith”—Lorelei—and “Agent Johnson”—Alex—might be a reference to the agents of the Matrix movies. An alternative source for “Johnson” could be the agents Johnson of the Die Hard movie.
Grand Theft Sorcery[]
- The title serves as a reference to both the actual name of the crime and to the Grand Theft Auto game franchise.
- Latasha refers to Cornelius’s treasure as a “Scrooge McDuck vault”.[57]
- Evan Murphy is afraid of Mitu being a monkey’s paw on first contact, a reference to “The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs.
- Evan Murphy’s abilities and relationship with Mitu mirrors that of warlocks in Dungeons and Dragons, in particular one with a celestial pact.[57][58]
- The story might be inspired by the 1984 film Repo Man, which also features a young man down on his luck who repossesses cars and encounters alien or supernatural beings while doing so.[57]
- Sunday talks about the serpent bringing an apple, a reference to the Book of Genesis.[59]
- Nahash means “serpent” or “snake” in Hebrew, and talks about themselves as “the serpent”, further strengthening the reference to the Book of Genesis.[59][60]
- Sunday refers to Weekend at Bernie’s after Evan drove around with her corpse all day. Evan asks if it is a boomer movie.[61]
- Johnny’s Chili Burgers is a reference to Original Tommy’s.[62]
- Sunday mentions “Bad, Bad Leeroy Brown”, a reference to the 1973 song Bad, Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce.[63]
- Christian Miller appears to be a fan of Drake.[64]
- The Black Dog of the Mojave, a callback to the Black dog of folklore.[65]
- Kerí (transliterated from κερί) means “candle” in Greek.[65][66]
- Sunday’s “wish” for a nuclear winter is a reference to Fallout: New Vegas.[67]
- Cornelius’s hoard includes Beanie Babies, a baseball autographed by Babe Ruth, and a bobblehead.[68]
- Sergio refers to “Valley of the Dirt People”, apparently slang for San Bernardino and possibly other areas east of Los Angeles.[69]
- Harry and Nick are stereotypical 1930s private investigators. It helps that they were 1930s private investigators before they became vampires. Their paths to vampirehood also started by a blonde bombshell walking into their respective office.[69] Ms. Vivenne Ester is a stereotypical femme fatale who also “recruited” them.
- “Bilbul” is Hebrew and means “confusion”.[70]
- Terrence attempts to cast the spell fulgur mortifer from The Dragon Prince—Mystery of Aaravos.[70]
Patreon stories[]
In “More Than Friends”:
- Alex refers to cantrips, which Molly recognizes as a “gamer thing”, in this case D&D.
- Onyx makes a reference to a magic ritual seeming like “One Neat Trick”.
In “Can’t Stab Everything”:
- Alex refers to Spider-Man by saying “power and responsibility”.
- Rachel stress-eats Girl Scout Cookies.
References[]
- ↑ Good Intentions, chapter 1
- ↑ Days of High Adventure
- ↑ Good Intentions, chapter 2
- ↑ Good Intentions, chapter 4
- ↑ Good Intentions, chapter 6
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Good Intentions, chapter 8
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Good Intentions, chapter 9
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Good Intentions, chapter 10
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Good Intentions, chapter 12
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Good Intentions, chapter 13
- ↑ Good Intentions, chapter 14
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 Good Intentions, chapter 15
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 Good Intentions, chapter 16
- ↑ Good Intentions, chapter 18
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Natural Consequences, chapter 1
- ↑ Natural Consequences, chapter 2
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 Natural Consequences, chapter 4
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Natural Consequences, chapter 5
- ↑ Natural Consequences, chapter 7
- ↑ Past Due, chapter 7
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Natural Consequences, chapter 8
- ↑ Natural Consequences, chapter 10
- ↑ Natural Consequences, chapter 11
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Natural Consequences, chapter 12
- ↑ Natural Consequences, chapter 14
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Natural Consequences, chapter 16
- ↑ Natural Consequences, chapter 17
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 Natural Consequences, chapter 18
- ↑ Personal Demons, Prologue
- ↑ Personal Demons, chapter 19
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 Personal Demons, chapter 1
- ↑ Personal Demons, chapter 3
- ↑ Personal Demons, chapter 4
- ↑ Personal Demons, chapter 6
- ↑ Personal Demons, chapter 9
- ↑ Personal Demons, chapter 11
- ↑ Personal Demons, chapter 13
- ↑ Personal Demons, chapter 14
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 Personal Demons, chapter 15
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 40.2 40.3 Personal Demons, chapter 16
- ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 Personal Demons, chapter 18
- ↑ Personal Demons, chapter 23
- ↑ 43.0 43.1 43.2 Past Due, chapter 1
- ↑ Past Due, chapter 2
- ↑ 45.0 45.1 Past Due, chapter 4
- ↑ Past Due, chapter 8
- ↑ Past Due, chapter 11
- ↑ Personal Demons, chapter 12
- ↑ Past Due, chapter 12
- ↑ Past Due, chapter 14
- ↑ 51.0 51.1 Past Due, chapter 16
- ↑ Past Due, chapter 17
- ↑ Past Due, chapter 22
- ↑ 54.0 54.1 Past Due, chapter 27
- ↑ Past Due, chapter 28
- ↑ 56.0 56.1 Past Due, chapter 29
- ↑ 57.0 57.1 57.2 Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 1
- ↑ Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 24
- ↑ 59.0 59.1 Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 2
- ↑ Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 5
- ↑ Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 6
- ↑ Conversation on Tess Irondale’s Discord, March 27, 2025
- ↑ Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 10
- ↑ Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 11
- ↑ 65.0 65.1 Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 12
- ↑ κερί, Wiktionary
- ↑ Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 15
- ↑ Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 19
- ↑ 69.0 69.1 Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 21
- ↑ 70.0 70.1 Grand Theft Sorcery, chapter 25