#they predicted nerdy prudes

[ghostface-knight]

i've got some big news for the person who left this comment on the black friday trailer

[youjusttryandstopme]

Have taken to wearing my Wiggly Crown around the house at any given time-

it is real good fun to wear man

[thepunkmuppet]

I’ve already posted about my big theories for nerdy prudes, but I just wanted to get my personal hopes and mini predictions down in a neat little list before I finally see the digital ticket on Tuesday! I will reblog this with a completed checklist once I’ve seen it (obviously with spoilers tagged) CANT WAIT!!

so, in no particular order:

paul and emma cameo. I think paul is confirmed based on this one post I saw but the photo was very blurry so it could be someone else… still both lauren and jon are in the show, they had a cameo in black friday - I just think they deserve to be together and happy in every universe until they inevitably die or break up horribly and I would squee so hard if they really showed up

ted cameo where he immediately dies. because come on. you can’t not do it you just can’t

stephski kiss. I just think they’re neat

HOLLODUKE APPEARANCE. HOLLODUKE APPEARANCE HOLLODUKE APPEARANCE HOLLODUKE APPEARANCE HOLLODUKE APPEARANCE HOLLOD

the book they get the ritual from is the black book which is how miss holloway (as the student counsellor miss holiday) ties in.

grace gets a solo song and also a lethal weapon.

grace canonically has a crush on steph. idk I’m very happy with the “we’re besties” “I hate you and want you dead” dynamic but also “I’m madly in love with you and obsessed with you and also a repressed christian teenager” “I hate you and want you dead and also have a boyfriend” has potential

bill and alice cameo. corey and mariah have played father and daughter twice and I think they could get some quality jokes out of that even if just for one scene

the apocalypse happens and everyone dies just like in the other two musicals - otherwise I think it would pretty much just feel like a nightmare time episode scaled up to 10 which doesn’t sound bad, just not what fans are looking for in a full fledged hatchetfield musical

detective shapiro will be an undercover peip agent or at least connected to them in some way

it’s set in the same universe as abstinence camp (therefore ted is alive, grace steph and pete have established dynamics with each other, they know about weird shit in hatchetfield, etc)

my theories end up being correct. or at least blinky is the major villain and the murderer is being controlled by him and “larry” is an important character

HERE IS HOW GENERAL MACNAMARA CAN STILL WIN-

[koi019]

With a bare minimum of info and questionable writing, limited screen writing and plentiful TV tropes experience, I shall attempt to predict the plot of npmd

Includes a very vague reference to yellow jacket, no details in case of spoilers 💫

Brenda and pals awaken a vengeful spirit after Brenda feels slighted by a Nerd. Is the slight real, probably not but it's hs and perception is everything. (Maybe Axe Man happened and Brenda tries to intervene into Steph and Pete's budding relationship but Pete shuts her down. Maybe a Nerd beat her for valedictorian. Maybe she was quoting something she heard on insta as fact and got "um, actually'd." Could be anything)

Nerds start getting attacked, maybe minor unexplained harassment before being killed. Books knocked out of hands by invisible forces, tripped, lockers closing, etc. The spirit feeds on fear, and anger, grows stronger. Steph is a kinda Alt Bad Girl and Grace Chastity sees herself as cool (if you watched s4 of The Circle, you'll know who I'm thinking of. Rachel, iirc?) she somehow skates until they both start interfering. It's the right thing to do.

But where GC is an active busy body, Steph is an information gatherer - unless there's immediate danger (re: nmt s2 ep4). Calling Joey's movie theater employee as an early victim, and possibly the reason Steph and GC team up.

Lord in Black prediction: Blinky. Manipulation of perception and violence for his own luls is very much his speed, especially in bottle environments like high school communities.

I could see a case for Wiggly, but he just had his full musical and his thing is more wide spread chaos for an actual ultimate goal from what we saw there. Not saying they can't have layers, we're all ogres in the end, but working on evidence to date.

If Mariah wasn't already playing Steph, I'd swing for sharpshooter Alice for the save cause Deb gets dragged in somehow but alas.

Conclusion... will this be the first musical with unambiguous protagonist survival? For the love of Webby, please starkid, we are fragile. General John MacNamara and his peeps successfully stop paranormal activity, maybe his husband is a hs teacher 😯 or a guidance counselor. Brenda gets called to the guidance counselor office a bit towards the end cause John didn't marry no fool.

Will GC also have a touch of the gift and be able to end this? Will Pete? Maybe Steph?! We'll find out in February 2023!

[illululusion]

I have not been normal about nerdy prudes must die since it came out so it seems its time for me to write my analysis of 'the summoning'.

I will put a cut down here because holy shit i did not think i was this normal about them this is long. also spoilers for nerdy prudes must die!

Now the summoning is what I would consider the climax of the show.* The scene answers the big questions of the show. Not by just stating the answer like the mayor does, it shows us. it also shows us the oh so beloved oh moment of Steph knowing she loves Peter.

The scene also uses some form of chekov's gun multiple times.

We've been told that the school was built at what used to be a black altar. this scene shows what such a black altar allows someone to do. especially in combination with the book.

A literal chekov's gun, the gun Grace stole and then Steph got is heavily implied to be used. (finally)

As i've stated before the love situation. We knew Steph and Peter had something going for them but this only confirms it.

THE PHONE! Steph thinks her phone is the thing she cherishes most, which is not a big stretch, we've seen her be willing to suffer injury to protect her phone. (a lovely little detail)

they setup Grace using the book against dirty dudes.

I may be missing something whoops but yeah,

now the scène itself has a lovely buildup. First the three are in very low energy summoning the lords in black. The frightened energy is just seeping out of them, you know this is their last resort. Then the lords in black appear, from a pure darkness, with a high energy slightly discordant song (the piano and the guitar clash a slight bit). This stands in contrast with the slow piano music under the teens throughout the scene. Within this song the lords in black seem unsurprised by the situation, they seem elated even. They also clearly state they are not forces of good at most they can be considered gray ("us spawn of the Black and White") however the other pieces of lyrics are very much against that assumption.

Let's look at some of the dialogue a bit more closely why not? I wont be looking at all of the dialogue because thats a bit too insane even for me.

"Out of the depths of Hell and back" Us spawn of the Black and White" "Cover our souls with robes of black" "And take up the arms of night"

This seems to me even like they chose to be in the black, they are from hell they're from the night.

"Nibbleline wants his sacrifice And Wiggly wants his wrath We dance around the pentagram And take all our kingdoms back"

The previous shows intent: sacrifice, wrath, getting what they deserve.

"You summon us once you summon us twice, You gamble it on a roll of the dice"

Now this is what predicts Grace's dirty dudes must die. it also seems to imply that Steph's father among others used the book foolishly, the chance of victory seemed to outweigh the risks.

"The devil has won it can't be undone The book has all but closed on your life"

Shows that the lords know the teens are in no position to bargain. They know theyre above them.

Wiggly: Don't be so formal, Stephie. We're all paly-wals here. I mean, look at us. We even hold court in your own tongue and form. Go Nighthawks! (Lords in Black laughing) Pokey: Our true forms would melt your minds. WIggly: Don't frighten them, Pokey, you nasty boy.

This is what we'll see more in this scene wiggly is the medium between the will of the lords in black and the teens. An interesting detail. This also seems to be Wiggly trying to make the teens be less guarded. THeyre showing some sort of "goodwill", like "hey we could easily kill you but we're throwing you a rock let's see what can happen.". Additionally, this also shows them being more powerful than the teens again.

"The Lords in Black will help you yes You stupid silly girl Why help you with the Jagerman When we can help the world!"

Once again a show of power, why even ask for help they're already there just show them what you can give them. They have got all the time for anything, theyre more powerfull than just stopping that jagerman.

"Steph: What about a bargain? We'll give you whatever you want. Just get rid of Jagerman!"

A show that the teens have no other choice. THe fact they have heard the lords in black say theyre from hell doesn't matter anymore. They're at a low point.

"Whatever we want we want we want Whatever we want we get Whatever you want you want you want Forever in our debt"

no other way to say this other than: "you fucked up kids"

Wiggly: "Oh, you'll hardly miss it. We just want what you cherish most."

hmmm understatements are fun. I love these paradoxical statements.

Wiggly: One of you must give up the thing you treasure above all else. Pokey: Do it, or die!

Once again a lovely power statement, though that's not what I found interesting. The interesting part about this is that they only ask for ONE of them fo give up what they cherish most. They could ask for way more, they've made that clear. So why ask for only one thing?

"We don't give a shit about your phone"

This is the one moment I feel like the lords in black loose their composure. My hypothesis? they don't like people lying to themselves when something is very clear.

"The Lords in Black the Lords in Black call us"

The chorus sing the lords in black call us, WHO ARE THE CHORUS I NEED TO KNOW.

"Out of the depths of hell and back Us spawn of the black and white Cover our souls with robes of black And take up the arms of night You summon us once you summon us twice You gamble it on a roll of the dice La la la la la la la la la la The devil has won it can't be undone The book has all but closed on your life"

JUSt one thing: A lovely circular closure to the scene.

OKAY thats the dialogue wooooo (theres more to be said about it probably but also I just My brain want to get to the next part.)

Okay Okay okay okay now for the fun part!

The lovely staging and costume and its so wonderfull.

So in the above image we can see the lords in black as well as the teens. As i've stated before the lords in black like to make a show in power and the dynamics are very much powerless vs. allpowerfull.

Now what the positioning on the stage does is show this contrast as well. The lords in black are all over the stage standing, moving, dancing. High energy high standing. This while the teens are sitting on the floor, all together, they're as small as they can be in this setting. This shows how little power they have at this point.

The lighting as well as the costumes adds a lot as well:

See the teens here? no special lighting aside from the effects of the lords. This is in incredible contrast with the lords. colourful and bright. This is similarly the case with their costumes, the teens all have quite plain clothes, nothing special for a costume definitely, we do have the more unique clothing to define each character** but that falls away once you look at the lords:

Wiggly: bright green light (so much fun green isnt used in stage lighting often i am in love), Green clothing, a suit with glossy pants a crown and of course the wiggly doll in the back.

Nibbly: SO PINk, but also fleshy pink somehow. the lighting isnt as obvious but it is still pink. here the sparkes return. The giant lolly. just the giant lolly.

Blinky: Interesting choice to have the face as obscured as it is. once again i cant say the lighting is very obvious but it is there. The purple orange colour contrast makes them stand out. when in comparison to the others his costume isnt as showy.

Tinky: HOLY SHIT THE EYESHADOW. which isnt visible because.... yes the lighting! yellow lighting! the outfit isn't as sparkly but because it is the brightest outfit of them all I doubt that would have been neccesary. It keeps the balance. I am also Biassed I love this getup.

Pokey: once again: LIGHTING! blue! but also, Pokey I feel is the least obvious lord in black in the scene, the positioning on the side of the stage across from Tinky the yellow and blue contrast how fun. especially as Wiggly (green) is in the middle. just so good.

I just wanted to add some more because look at how wiggly is so much higher in this scene, he needs to look down on the teens, but doesn't do that often, not even bothered to look at them wow. Also quick note wiggly seems the most bothered by the summoning, wonder why.

And whenever all of the lords are singing with their discordant choreography, the lighting goes all disco and far brighter. A great detail to show they're individuals but are similar. see how the light is not green here? yeah that happens whenever all of the lords are speaking.

All in all I think Nerdy prudes must die is now in my top three favourite starkid shows. and I will be using the lords in black as inspiration in the play I'm in currently as well because this is exactly the type of thing we were looking for. and also I am not going to be able to think about anything but this show for ages.

I highly encourage anyone to give their opinions or whatever they noticed because I need it I would love to hear them. GO NIGHTHAWKS!

1* Now this comes at a relatively late time in the (already very long) show. At the 2 hour point we've been following our dear cast for around 4/5ths of the show. Now keep in mind this is doesn't matter much, but I think it's interesting that they chose to have the climax at this point. The play being as long as it is means they had to have been very confident in their ability to keep the viewers attention and especially with the slow buildup.

2** OH MY GOODNESS I JUST REALISED HOW WELL STEPH AND PETER's PALLETTES WORK TOGETHER. like theyre both earth tones. the green and brown fit together so well, and then you also have the patterns, different but still similar enough to not clash.

[starkiddreamcasting]

I hope now that Nerdy Prudes Must Die is on Youtube you all can understand why I predicted Will Branner would understudy Biff Tannen in the Back to the Future musical when he was first revealed as part of the ensemble.

[mystifyinghatchetfieldtheories]

Satan is a real man (in Hatchetfield)

In Nerdy Prudes Must Die, Solomon Lauter refers to the Lords in Black as "much worse" than Satan. This is interesting because it could imply that Satan exists and just...isn't that bad in comparison. Then, the Langs announced this potential Nightmare Time 3 story:

What if "HE" is The Devil? As mayor, Solomon Lauter knows a lot of Hatchetfield's secrets, so I wouldn't be surprised if he knew about this "devilish maniac" whose home is Hatchetfield. I predict that the villain of Devil's Night will be a serial killer who is also in some way literally Satan himself. That way Starkid would finally get to have Satan canonically be a real man in one of their projects.

[peraon-rs]

So after a busy day with no opportunity to watch the Nerdy Prudes Must Die proshoot, I finally watched it...

They've outdone themselves this time (cast, crew, writing, production, filming, editing...) It looks so damn good and it's half 1 so this is going to be uninspiring to read but I'm absolutely mental about it

Hatchet Town shook me to the core and I needed a few minutes to cool down before we could get onto The Barbecue Monologues. I was genuinely hyperventilating

Dirty Girl and The Lords in Black were, predictably, fantastic (the detail put into Corey's Pokey makeup was incredible)

There were many more highlights that I'm far too tired to list but safe to say I will be watching that again as soon as possible, and then many more times.

Congratulations to everyone at Starkid.

[queentacosaurus101]

Some Nerdy Prudes predictions because I have been thinking and it's almost time:

Grace Chastity is the one to save the day

Alice and Deb will have cameos

Miss Holloway/Holiday will show up to help out with Duke

The ghost was summoned by the Book™ or is connected somehow

The teens try to use the Book™ to get rid of the ghost but it makes things worse

Nightmare Time will get mentioned but only one or two plot points

Becky Barnes and the tree won't be expanded on

Nibbly is the one getting summoned this time

The other Lords cameo or get mentioned maybe??

Ted dies :(

Ending sets up a Nightmare Time epsiode or something else

[its-short-for-jackalope]

hey I should absolutely be sleeping but i was typing on my phone & predictive text happened & this is so fucking funny to me

betcha can't guess my favorite quote from nerdy prudes must die ✝️

(also I guess here is a really vague & out of context hint/teaser for the original story I'm writing lol it has ghosts and necromancers and stuff. what i actually typed was "crystallized ass" btw.)

[oof-i-did-it-agaaiiin]

Nerdy Prudes Must Die prediction: Jon’s character will be my favorite

[twodoorsnotone]

documenting my nerdy prudes must die predictions from the past 2 years of my tweets in one place so i can flex if i'm right.

NOT spoilers - I haven't seen it yet

UPDATED

dated from when i first posted about them

Blinky will be the antagonist of Nerdy Prudes Must Die (11/10/20)

NPMD will include Mariah (11/10/20 AND I WAS RIGHT)

(I hope) They'll at least reference Lex, Deb and Alice (11/10/20)

We might get Nerdy Prudes this summer (26/1/22. I was wrong.)

Upon hearing rumours that Grace Chastity wasn't the main character of Nerdy Prudes anymore, I bet it's Stephanie Lauter (26/1/22. I was right)

It will be a female-led cast like Firebringer. (20/9/22. It may not be as female-led as Firebringer but has a 50/50 ratio so I think I get this one)

Hot Chocolate Boy/Pete Spankoffski will return (recast, possibly played by a new starkid) and have a romance with Stephanie. (20/9/22. I was wrong about a new starkid playing him but other than that!)

Hannah will be a character - a freshman in Hatchetfield High, played by Lauren Lopez. (20/9/22. Unconfirmed but was probably wishful thinking on my part from the beginning)

Dylan Saunders probably won't be in the show but his character will be referenced as the woodworking teacher whose wife died. (20/9/22.)

Grace Chastity and Stephanie Lauter will be vaguely homoerotic and people will ship them but it won't be canon. (Grace is either vaguely homophobic or possibly queer given Bill's comments in TGWDLM... I am undecided). (21/9/22. Unconfirmed)

Duke and Miss Holloway will likely be relevant characters given how developed they are in NMT - if they don't have a major role in this musical, they certainly have a different hatchetverse musical which focuses on them. (26/9/22.)

Ruth Fleming won't be as major of a character as her announcement as Lauren's role implied, Lauren's main role will be something else, like how Jeff was announced as 'man in a hurry' in BF. (maybe the role is Hannah 👀👀 I'm delusional). (2/10/22.)

The above may also go for Richie Lipschitz. (10/1/23)

Stephanie Lauter is dating someone - possibly Max - at the start of the play, and starts cheating on him with Pete. (10/1/22)

It's worth noting around here that I was convinced Jae would be in NPMD but they are not 😔😔😔

Stephanie Lauter may be a murderer. This one I wouldn't stand by but the name S.Lauter? I'm addressing it just so if I'm right I can flex really hard. Alternatively (and more likely) Solomon is a murderer. (6/2/23)

[snarky-wallflower]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

@amethystunarmed tagged me for this!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I've currently got 25 works on there.

2. What’s your total word count?

161, 391! which...wow, that number hits me every time I look at it. I can’t believe I’ve written a whole novel’s length of fanfic this year.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly Hatchetfield and Deltarune, but especially Hatchetfield. The silly little horror-comedy musicals (especially the LiB and Paul) have grabbed me and won’t let go. To the detriment of my WIPs in other fandoms. Oh, and I’ve also written a decent amount of fic for Spiderverse and Dracula! (Our good friend Jonathan Harker, after all.)

4. Top 5 fics by kudos

pas de masque - a pre-canon Spiderverse fic focusing on Gwen's terrible experiences in the Spider-Society, and just what it's like to learn you're doomed in every other universe, and that no one will let you stop it.

The Show Must Go On - a fun little theatre AU for Deltarune, where Susie's been arrested, and the only way for her to not be arrested is to join a club. She chooses theatre, which Noelle is coincidentally the director of. Romance, friendship, and theatre chaos ensues. (also, I LOVE writing Kris in this fic.) It's the fic I've been working on the longest.

what is a god? - my exploration of the Lords in Black, and how they think and treat Hatchetfield and their puppets, written at 12 am after finishing Nerdy Prudes Must Die. Despite that, I’m still pretty proud of it!

used to think about you (everywhere i go) - a post-canon Nimona (movie-verse) fic, in which Nimona gets to work out her complex feelings about Gloreth by standing at her grave. Sometimes therapy is yelling at your ex-bestie's grave, more at 11.

one hell of a normal abnormality - a fic where I wrote Pete actually seeming to care that Ruth and Richie weren't there at Homecoming, with a decent exploration of grief and feeling guilty. Also, I think I was the first one to use the green-hair-after-being-touched-by-Wiggly headcanon.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes, of course! I love comments - you read my whole chapter/fic, and you liked it enough to post your reaction! Amazing, I love you, I would literally die for some commentors.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh, this is hard. Most of the fic I write is angst, so tough to pick. I'd say the real competition is between life underground (it's over now) and always be my favourite ghost. But if I had to choose, it would be the first one, because that ends with Chara literally ripping up their adoption certificate, and thinking they’ll never be a part of the Dreemurr family. And we all know what happens next. :(

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Oh, this one’s pretty easy. like real people do. It’s a short, canon divergent one shot I wrote for a podcast, Monstrous Agonies that I was super into - even submitted a couple of letters to the podcast I was pretty proud of. It ends with the characters sort-of rekindling their relationship, after accidentally broadcasting them kissing through the radio. It actually managed to predict a decent amount of the actual finale, too!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully, I haven't gotten any yet. Hoping that that streak continues.

9. Do you write smut?

Ha! No. And it's probably not going to happen for a long time, if ever. I'm apparently a bit of a nerdy prude myself. I have written at least one fic that's only plot was two characters kissing, though.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I haven’t yet! Maybe someday.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Also, no. Benefits of being a smaller fic writer, I guess.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope! But if that ever happens to me, I'm gonna scream

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not yet! I was thinking of co-writing a Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes fic with a friend in real life, though. It was a really good movie, but I haven't made a lot of progress on it.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

You know, I'm really not sure? I mostly read gen fic, but for shipping? I'd have to say probably Noelle/Susie, or Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins? It really depends on the day - I'll read a lot of ships.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

None so far! My WIPs currently are probably going to take a long time, but I plan to finish all of them. Outlines may be bad, but I am determined!

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm really good at internal monologues. And along with that, characterization! I get a lot of really sweet comments about it, and I do like writing character-focused pieces! Which is kind of ironic, given that worrying about writing characters wrong was a pretty big reason I didn’t start writing again until this year.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue. Oh my god, every time I try to write snappy dialogue, I have new appreciation for comedians and dialogue-heavy writers. Those people are so talented. Sometimes I act out dialogue I’ve written and I want to throw myself into the sun.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

Look. I took French for five years. But every time I try to speak French, one of my best friends looks like she wants to fight me. I am not great at languages other than English. I am positive that if I tried to write dialogue by myself, I would just resort to DeepL, or Google Translate, and nobody wants that. If I have to write in another language, I'm going to try and get a translator.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Are we counting works posted to ao3, or first fic ever? Because the first fic I ever posted to ao3 was for a podcast, Spirit Box Radio, that I should really relisten to at some point. But my first fandom I ever wrote for was Gravity Falls - the fic's still posted to Quotev, and I have reread it recently. It was a next-generation fic.

...At least younger me was having fun?

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

How dare you ask me to pick? But seriously, probably pas de masque. I know it's cliche to say my most kudos'd fic, but I am super proud of my characterization of Gwen there, and getting to play with pre-canon Spider-Society and what it's like for someone to know they're doomed by the narrative in every other universe.

Okay, who do I know? @acaciapines, @nonbinarycollector, @sherbetflowers, @littlesilentrebel, @am-i-lie, @lilacthebooklover, @noelle-holi-gay, @marvelmaniac715! Please don't feel pressured to respond if you don't want to!

[thepunkmuppet]

just have to be annoying about this theory one more time bare with me please

I saw someone post this entire quote and it’s “clear eyes sharp claws can’t lose”

this is obviously “watch you like a nighthawk”

and to top it off the lighting for this promo is very, very, VERY PURPLE.

I’m sorry but I’m right about this I feel it in my bones

[lopez-richter-fangirl]

I’m still in denial about Joey/Mariah, so here’s an admittedly far-fetched prediction: in Cool As I Think I Am, Pete says “cheating’s a two-way street, but every crime needs a partner”, implying either he or Steph are cheating on someone. If it’s Pete, it’s probably Ruth because the only other option is Grace and we all know she’s a nerdy prude. Pete is cheating on Ruth with Steph.

LMAO I ALSO keep thinking this the trouble is I don’t actually believe it

[glass-windows]

Omg! Omg! I'm so excited that you're watching Nerdy Prudes Must Die. I think it's the best musical along with Twisted! I hope you enjoy it and i can't wait to talk to you about it!

i had to take a break because i was about to fall asleep LOL but it definitely reminded me of why i used to love starkid so much! it was the perfect blend of camp, horror, and emotion, and the cheesy ass choreography (lovingly) and predictable lighting (also lovingly) really tied it together for me.

i meant to take actual first-watch notes but all i wrote was “MAX ZOMBIE COSTUME????” and “hatchet town is a banger asf” so have that i guess.

i remember i was iffy on twisted at the time bc i’m dumb and didn’t understand it, i’ll have to go back and try to rewatch it sometime! i cannot do things with heavy lore usually, i’m a big fan of brain-numbingly dumb shows (see: rock of ages - i have never been to a show that’s made more penis jokes and somehow it outdoes itself every different production i attend) or ones that just make me cry (see: next to normal - i don’t need to elaborate), there’s no in between.