Now, working in both cyberpunk and the occasional fantasy, I should probably make two separate lists to keep things more sorted, but: No.
Wayspell's Appendix N
Authors
Gibson, William
It's a coincidence he's at the top of the list, but he certainly should be. His fingerprints are in just about everything cyberpunk related and my slop ain't no exception. And do you know how hard it is to steal things from cyberpunk stories when both Cyberpunk (RPG) and Shadowrun have already ransacked the place? Extremely.
Giraud, Jean
Better known as Moebius, his work in comics is what got me developing a secret love for French science fiction - though I'll admit I'm woefully under-exposed to it. There's something about his surrealist stylings that feel both comfortable and mystical to me. I ain't educated enough to pin down the style (Ligne claire?That ain't it. Bande dessinee, maybe.) but the vibe is passed on in "Fifth Element" and "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets." I've tried reproducing the style in my own drawings, but never seem to get the hang of it.
Lovecraft, H.P.
A nerd read H.P. Lovecraft and now likes putting eldritch horrors in things? I'm shocked! SHOCKED I SAY! Well, maybe not that shocked.
Prachett, Terry
I have a bad habit of carrying real life bs into playing pretend and getting things grim dark. That ain't exactly fun for me. But reading a bit of Prachett also evens my mood out and reminds me there can be some whimsy, even in the big serious times.
Rucker, Rudy
Rouge AIs are good and all, but what if you made 'em psychopathic weirdos? Some one's probably going to try and bang them, unfortunately. But! Until then! Weirdo AIs.
Thompson, Hunter S.
Coming of age in a Conservative community between the times Bush was slamming planes into buildings (for making fake excuses to go to war with the family enemy) and when Bush was abandoning the city of New Orleans, was not an easy time for someone who can put two and two together. Finding Thompson's works, sadly near the end of his days before Bush had him assassinated, showed me the oligarch bastards have been pulling this depravity for sometime, and that, no, the conservative community was not Normal or Healthy but in need of being treated or put down. Also, a few have claimed his writing style has rubbed off on me. I reckon been kicked in the head by a mule.
Wellman, Manly Wade
What if Lovecraft, but less racist? And more hopeful? Silver John, that's what. Also, as I'm writing this, I'm starting to realize Manly Wellman may be the reason my fantasy worlds look more like the New World than whatever the hell medieval Europe looks like.
Books
Dune (Frank Herbert)
Deep time has always fascinated me, both towards the past and the future. While not the deepest out there (only 20K) there's still plenty of time for things to get weird. Also, the importantness of drugs and the boundless light of Allah.
Hellboy (Mike Mignola)
You're mixing science AND magic? While throwing in old myths? How am I not going to aggressively borrow from this?
Hyperion (Dan Simmons)
Sometimes you just need a spaceship that's a tree, powered by a black hole and crewed by clones, so that you can go on your Canterbury Tales rip off.
Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien)
Sure, it's influential, but not in a good way. The story was fine (ignoring the crypto-fascism and pro-monarchy slant), but there was just so much needless nonsense bullshit stacked in the way. Not every tree needs a 10 page backstory. Sometimes a song is just a song. Cut out the fat and move on. This is a point of dissonance as, as a cyberpunk writer, I'm compelled to word vomit facts of a made up world into a gazette, as if anyone actually running a game has interest in that.
Poetic Edda (as translated by Jackson Crawford)
Read and reread this to snag elements for a Viking themed larp I was helping run way back in the days of my back still working. I'll still drop Norse inspired elements into my games, be it ghosts using secrets as health or dragons being a result of sin.
Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)
I've surely read other works by him, but my tired brain is not providing those answers at the moment. But, civil authority replaced by corporate city-states populated by an apathetic, ignorant populous while said corporations loot and plunder ancient artifacts is right up my alley.
Movies and TV
Back to the Future (1985)
Don't shy away from time travel in your games, you cowards.
Fifth Element (1997)
As mentioned above, the aesthetics of this movie are amazing. I really do need to run more weirdo science fiction games.
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
Absolutely nothing like the manga, from what I recall. I'm sure the movie was chock full of philosophical ponderings about what what it means to be human in the day and age of cybernetic augments and complete body replacements, but the most important take away was clearly the spider tanks. Spider. Tanks.
Hackers (1995)
I'm pretty sure I filed the serial numbers off most things in this movie for the Console Jockeys. This and that one episode of Ghost Writer.
Labyrinth (1986)
Make. Goblins. Weird. Again.
Mad Max 1-4; Furiousa (1979, 1981, 1985, 2015; 2024)
Every generic teenage boy with no personality seems to have fetish for a "post-apocalypse" setting and story. I was no different. Even did a report on it. What I took away from it, besides the ultimate futility of man, is that major bad guy NPCs need to be over the top and violence needs to have a point to it.
Robocop (1987)
Oh boy, was I ever far too young when I first saw this. Later rewatchings, however, got the philosophic messages across, from the comments on personal identity to the statement of fact that is "Corporations are bastards."
Star Wars (1977)
I'm sure this was a surprise to no one. It's your basic, good old Hero's Journey with space wizard knights turned outcast adventurers in a world full of weirdos AND deep time? Put it in my veins.
The Watch (2021)
Look, as a Discworld adaption, it was bad to the point of "adaption" being the wrong word. I do think, however, you take out the Discworld character names and the baggage that comes with them, and you've got something serviceable there. Either way, the _aesthetic_ is what I really like, and try to sneak it into any fantasy thing I'm running.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)
So very French. So full of weirdos. And it's okay to have weirdos in your world. Perhaps better if so. So very pretty. ...Do I just like pretty looking space operas?
Again, not the complete list, but a bit that comes to mind at 11:30 the night before it's due. The take away from this little moment of self reflection is that I need to run more fantasy again. I don't know what happened. I use to love it. I blame the larp. It's the source of my knee pain and liver cirrhosis, after all.
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