Head Count - It breaks the normal rules of Dresden Files novel titles in that the words are different lengths, but other than that I figured it was close enough.
There can only be one – Yes, if you skimmed over the tags this is the signal there’s Highlander immortals afoot.
the only potion I’ve ever heard of that opened the third eye didn’t come with a way to close it – This refers back to the first Dresden Files novel, Storm Front. The location of Head Count on the timeline is a bit sketchy, but based on the characters that do (Butters) and don’t (Lasciel) show up later, it’s probably around the time of the sixth book, Blood Rites.
you need to give Detective Gordon your statement – Detective Gordon is named for DC Comic’s James Gordon, ally of Batman. Since it had only came out the year before, I was probably thinking of his pre-Commissioner portrayal in the 2005 film Batman Begins. Given how heavily that film’s sequels leaned on doubling Chicago for Gotham, this might even be the Dresdenverse version of Jim, although a cousin is equally likely.
Mac Cloud or something like that – Since Bob is relating third-hand information at this point, it’s no surprise the name of Clan MacLeod got a little garbled in translation.
François Lupin was the craziest Frenchman – A twofer reference here – a Lupin involved in wizard business obviously implies Remus from the Harry Potter books, but being French points to a connection with Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief from early 1900s stories by Maurice Leblanc. Weirdly, I’ve never seen a story that did anything with that, though here François could easily be the ancestor of both.
Burning Hearts of Cronus – Bob’s new bodice-ripper was, of course, better in the original Klingon - Burning Hearts of Qo’noS is a Klingon romance novel mentioned in several Star Trek EU novels. How the name of the Klingon homeworld and the Greek titan sound so similar is another of those mysteriously unexamined convergences.
The stranger’s face fell. “Why is the rum gone?” - It’s framed as a shocking reveal, but I didn’t take too many pains to hide that this is Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean films, only the first two of which were out at this story’s time of writing.
So, what brings you to Chicago, Captain Jackson? - Jackson, Jack’s Son - Captain Sparrow is not a subtle creature. Harry’s question is a paraphrase of one of Norrington’s lines from The Curse of the Black Pearl, and I have to admit that re-using and paraphrasing lines from the original stories is a big part of how I amuse myself with fan fiction.
Keith Jackson . . . Bootstrap’s Revenge – Jack’s alias’ first name comes from Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, who inspired some of Jack’s mannerisms and would eventually appear in Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End as Jack’s father. Pirate ships named Revenge are fairly common throughout history and literature, and Jack’s old shipmate Bootstrap Bill Turner is in more need of it than most.
Steven Hobson – I think I got this name from Gary Hobson, the protagonist of Early Edition, another paranormal series set in Chicago. No idea where the “Steven” came from.
his name is Thomas Klingonsmith – Hand on my heart, this is a real surname, although it appears to be usually spelled Klingensmith. Whether I found an example with an “o” back in 2006, made a typo, or deliberately changed it for the Star Trek angle, well, who can say? This also continues the tradition of Highlander villains with K names, a joke I will happily beat into the ground over the course of these annotations. "Thomas" probably came from the same place “Steven” did, although a nod to Harry’s brother can’t be ruled out.
a Jolly Roger, the kind with a skull over crossed swords – This version of the highly variable pirate flag is the one Jack uses in the Pirates of the Caribbean films, and is in turn based on the flag of historical pirate “Calico Jack” Rackham, noted mostly for his association with notorious female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read.
It belongs on the set of El Dorado, mate – This running joke from the early Dresden novels fits perfectly in Jack’s mouth, doesn’t it?
I knew him as Katracho – One of the Black Pearl’s crew from the first film, picked mostly because of the K-name. You might find it unlikely that two pirates from the same ship would turn out to be immortal, but hold that thought.
The One that Got Away – Terrible name, I know.
Kevin MacManus – As I mention in the original notes, this name originated with a crossover story called Harry Potter and the Boondock Saints. The deciding factor was it being another K-name.
Captain Barbossa on that newfangled ‘under-sea boat’ – obviously his characterization in later movies makes ‘Nazi submarine privateer’ an unlikely career move for Hector Barbossa, but at this point he only had appeared in The Curse of the Black Pearl and the last frames of Dead Man’s Chest.
the head of that shaggy Italian – I don’t know why I thought bringing Rocco back as an immortal only to kill him again was worth doing.
all he could find of the old crew – At the time I was originally writing this, I was playing with a metaphysical world-building idea where a person who becomes temporarily immortal by other means gains the Quickening upon their (non-beheading) death. Besides cursed Aztec treasure the only other vector I had in mind was the Holy Grail from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which I alluded to in my notes for Passing the Torch.
You look somewhat familiar, have I threatened you before? - Yeah, the rest of this is basically an excuse for Jack to re-use some of his iconic lines.