Is this easter egg too obvious?
In my book series (more on that here), I am planning on including a bunch of Easter eggs and subtle references to things as an added treat for the reader. However, I just came up with one that I think might be a little bit too obvious: naming the 3 pet direwolves of one of the main characters Kurt, Krist, and Dave.
Is this reference too obvious for all you music fans out there or should I keep it?
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"Obvious" is subjective. A couple of weeks ago at work, one of my coworkers wrote part of the chorus to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on one of our whiteboards. Another of my coworkers - who's about my age and quite likes his music - had no idea what the song was. The rest of us got it instantly.
Having said that, I don't think there's anything wrong with including a reference that you expect everyone to get. In this instance, as well as a nice little shout-out that most people will recognise, it would work quite well as a subtle indicator of the character's personality (i.e. his music tastes).
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I think this depends on the time period of your story; if somebody recognizes those names as Nirvana but your story is set in medieval times or a fantasy world, this could jerk them out of any immersion they are in, reminding them that the narrator isn't from that time and world, reminding them they are reading fiction and the characters aren't real.
That is not automatically entertaining for your readers. Once they are reading, they want to be immersed in the world and don't want any anachronisms or real-world references to interrupt that immersion. I will say the same about any other Easter Eggs you include. It depends on the world you have built.
If, indeed, your world setting includes the band Nirvana, great. If it doesn't, IMO you are making a mistake: This isn't "fun", it is an interruption.
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