(If you haven't read the chapters in Endless Number of Possibilities entitled Booze, Babes, and Barettas, I suggest you read another entry now.)
In the last scene of Booze, Babes, and Barettas, Archer requests Enjou Tomoe, who is a piano player in this universe, to, "Play Sakuraba for me." Motoi Sakuraba is one of the better video game composers I have had the pleasure of listening to.
This is what Archer heard.
I manage to work in a number of references to other gangster flicks, as well as noir fiction. However, I am slightly disappointed; I really really really wanted to throw in a reference to the PC game Grim Fandango, as that is a prime work of noir. Sadly, I had to cut that reference in the final draft. As for what I did worm in:
-Archer is basically every memorable character Humphrey Bogart played. Appears to not care for anyone, (He even quotes Bogart's iconic hero from Casablanca nearly word-for-word at one point) and yet, is actually quite caring, and quite badass, too. However, there is also a reference to the bumbling PI from Darker Than Black. Gai Kurosawa changed his last name to Kurosawa because it sounded cool; Archer is guilty of that as well. However, unlike Kurosawa, Archer can actually get the job done.
-Gilgamesh is basically still himself; charismatic, has a ton of weapons, (in this case, any firearm made before the 1950s), but is so arrogant, it is also his downfall. However, he has a violent streak that I borrowed from a black-and-white classic entitled White Heat. In that film, legendary screen actor James Cagney played Cody Jarrett, a violent criminal leader. It was actually pretty violent for a film released in 1949. (Keep in mind, the Hays Code was still in effect back then.) Aside from Gil dropping a few S-bombs, my portrayal is not the least bit exaggerated from White Heat, or any other crime drama James Cagney starred in. (He was typecast as this role early in his career.) If that's too far back for you, you could also think of Gangster Gil as a less sadistic, but no less violent version of Ladd Russo.
-In Archer's nightclub of choice, 5th War Rider is a sultry singer of a jazz band. Gee, she's tall, has long legs, voluptuous curves, and . . . the hair color's off, but doesn't that sound like, oh I don't know, Jessica Rabbit? Why yes! However, some people forget that that scene from Who Framed Roger Rabbit is in itself a throwback to an earlier noir feature entitled Gilda. In that film, Rita Hayworth portrayed Gilda, a nightclub singer who was the very embodiment of female sexuality, yet also had deep-seated insecurities. We don't see Rider that much, but she's closer to Gilda in personality.
-In the novel/anime series Baccano, every employee of the Daily Days newspaper is armed with a Thompson Submachine gun, more commonly known as the Tommy Gun. If you draw a weapon in their office, expect to get outgunned, fast. Gilgamesh's goons do a similar scene, but some of them also have Browning Automatic Rifles, or BARs. Many gang and police outfits during Prohibition America were also armed with BARs, which were even more powerful than Tommy Guns. And yes, if you had the cash, you could own your own BAR, which was the closest thing America had to an assault rifle prior to the Second World War. Makes you miss the good ole days, doesn't it?
-Speaking of guns, Gilgamesh's firearm of choice is a pearl-handled revolver. American general George S. Patton fought on the front lines of both World Wars with a pearl-handled revolver. Of course, knowing Gil, he would own such a gun just to show off his wealth, but mind you, revolvers tend to be more accurate and powerful than their cartridge counterparts . . .
-Anyone remember the game Dead to Rights? It was a ripoff of the original Max Payne, with a story no one could take seriously. The only good twist in the entire plot is that the real villain behind everything . . . was a corrupt police chief. DUN DUN DUUUUN!
-Archer mentions that some like it hot, as in jazz, but he prefers classical Asian music. This is a reference to the movie Some Like It Hot. Okay, that was a comedy, but it had Prohibition era gangsters in it. The only difference is Tony Curtis' character just says classical; I had Archer favor not European classical, but the music of his home continent.
Geeze, now I only have one idea for a story involving Type-Moon characters at the moment. My next fanfic update will probably be Touhou-related . . . maybe.
