Alluding to other popular works or shared cultural experiences is certainly nothing new. Going back to some of the great poets and writers of history, many of them make allusions. Either The Bible, local political figures, or conflicts that at the time of writing everyone would have known. However, as time has passed, many of these names and references have been lost to time while others have endured. When considering fan service or an easter egg I think one of the first things to consider is audience. If someone has to be in the know to understand it.
What is an Easter Egg?
For example, let us say that a writer names a character after another author that inspired them. Those that are familiar with the genre this is certainly an easter egg and maybe even foreshadowing. Likewise, those that are not as invested would not note this peculiar name at all. At the heart I think that is what makes the difference between an easter egg and fan service.
Easter eggs should be in jokes for those that know and go unnoticed by those that do not. A writer that references their own or other’s works should make sure that reference makes sense with the current story. It can be a lot of fun to shout out a favorite story, character, or author. But, if that shout out is overt it can take away from what the story is supposed to be about.
What is Fan Service?
An example of this would be something closer giving into fan feedback for how certain events take place. Two characters suddenly entering a relationship dynamic they would not have otherwise. Maybe an unreasonable victor emerging from circumstances that serves no point to the plot. Making a joke at the expense of a character that otherwise is taken seriously in the story. Even a direct wink to the audience when everyone is deeply grounded in their world. All of those would read as fan service to me. Mainly due to the fact that these references do not make sense in the story they are taking part in.
These references or in jokes are just there to appease fans. Characters that act out of their normal to conform to a popular fan theory is fan service. Now that does not mean that these should always be avoided in stories. Authors are not all knowing and everyone is always improving their craft. Sometimes these fan service moments can lead to a better version of the story. Sometimes they can put parts of a story into new light the author would not have otherwise considered.
When References Help or Hurt?
Both of these serve as allusions in one manner or another. Whether they help or hinder a story has a lot of variables though. As a rule of thumb, I think the more serious a piece is the fewer of either of these styles there should be. For one simple reason: they take the reader out of the story. By the nature of alluding to something else one would be forcing their audience out of the moment at hand. If a story wants to be serious or taken seriously then distracting the audience seems like a bad call to me. On the flip side, a comedic piece that relies too heavily on references to other stories or events may find itself lost to time as the jokes make less sense to anyone not in that time and place.
Like most things in life, there is a balance to be struck here. In my earlier examples I put out that a character could share a name with a real person or another character from another work that fills a similar role in the plot. This is a great way for both dramatic and comedic stories to short hand and allude without fully taking the audience away from the piece at hand. If the story is well written then it should fit in the world and flow easy enough that noticing the shared lineage happens later.
Final Thoughts
Easter eggs and fan service are both the result of allusion. Which a particular allusion is can vary wildly and greatly depends on context and intended audience. If a distinction must be drawn, I believe an easter egg is a deeper allusion or requires some amount of insider knowledge. Meanwhile, fan service only requires some knowledge of the event in hand and could even require no or little context around what is happening.
However, both have their uses and can have a great positive effect on a story. Rewarding clever consumers and drawing on legacies of similar styles. But either done poorly can be distracting. Pulling an audience member away from the author’s intent and maybe even causing them to find the other story being alluded to instead of finishing the story in their hand. Used properly, allusion is a powerful tool in writing but as with any tool should be used carefully.
