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@hatchettheories
The Essential Guide to Hatchetfield “I think something sinister is…..infecting Hatchetfield. And I know this is gonna sound crazy. And not very scary. But it is scary, if you think about the implications. Promise me you’ll think about the implications!” “Now…..are you frightened?” -Paul Matth...
I created this document as a reference I could use for Hatchetfield lore and other details, and I decided to share it so that everyone else can have access to this information in one place
Az'zoxish is the parent of the Lords in Black
In a livestream with Jim Povolo, Matt Lang stated that the Lords in Black (and presumably Webby and the other Queens in White) are the children of an ancient chaos entity.
The Lords in Black are worshiped by a cult known as the Church of the Starry Children. This phrasing implies that the "Starry Children" are the beings being worshiped, not the members of the cult, drawing further attention to the Lords in Black's parentage.
In Workin' Boys, Cassandra King's program bio states that "Pain is the language that unites the children of Az'zoxish no matter which star they may hail from." We know the Lords in Black want to conquer the whole universe, not just Earth, because in TGWDLM the hive (through Alice, Deb, and The Hatchetfield Bee) says "We have traveled across seas of stars bending countless civilizations to our will," and in The Witch in The Web, Willabella claims that "All worlds are theirs." Plus, pain absolutely is the language of the Lords in Black, as they, through their disparate goals, all seem to take delight in causing it.
Cassie's bio starts out by referencing her inability to deny the reality of prophecy, and painful visions she receives. This is consistent with the way the Lords in Black send visions of the future to those with a touch of The Gift in order to manipulate them.
The second half of Cassie's bio is more confusing, but doesn't rule out this possibility. She seems to be describing a vision she's received which she can't quite make sense of: "Cassie wants to see what lies at the end of the cold half. She's ready to see the face of the girl screaming in the dark. How did she find herself aboard? And what is the destination of such a significant ship?" The "cold half" could just be referring to the nature of the pain this part of this presumably recurring vision causes her. The girl screaming in the dark could be Hannah, but there's not much evidence. Maybe it's Cassie herself, since she believes she is going to "depart" soon. The ship is interesting to me because Pokey's meteor seems to function as a spaceship, considering its ability to land precisely in a dense crowd of people gathered at a Black Altar in TGWDLM. Perhaps Az'zoxish or another Lord has some sort of ship too? Or maybe it belongs to CCRP? We know they have a mining colony on the moon and were likely also behind the mission to harvest samples from the meteor to create Otho.
Regardless of whose ship it is, it appears in a powerful recurring vision, which leads me to believe that Cassandra King has at least a touch of The Gift and is a disciple of Az'zoxish, similarly to Hannah's relationship to Webby or Willabella's relationship to Wiggly. The similarites in these relationships lend greater evidence to the idea that Az'zoxish is a similar being to the Lords in Black, presumably their parent. Given her relationship to the Starlight Theater, it's likely that Cassie is a member of the Hatchetfield Community Players, and therefore will appear in Cast Party Massacre.
Consider this structurally too. The Langs seem to be setting up Orbweaver as a climactic moment for the series, with Nick Lang stating a while ago that when McNamara next returns the overall story will be nearing its end. However, it's unlikely they'll film and release Cast Party Massacre before Orbweaver. Though I'm sure it will be written to be enjoyable and comprehensible as a standalone piece, they won't want it to seem anticlimactic to the fans who've watched all of Nightmare Time. Nerdy Prudes Must Die is a good example of this, where it introduces the Lords in Black to the characters (and therefore the audience) as a new concept, but heightens the overall story by having them act as a group for the first time in the series. Centering Cast Party Massacre around the parent of the Lords in Black would accomplish this perfectly.
Thanks to @abiimaryy for transcribing the Workin' Boys program bios!
Don’t let anyone tell you hyperfixating on Hatchetfield lore isn’t a valid career path. This blog got me hired as the dramaturg for a production of The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals
Considering referring to the London run of TGWDLM as The Bloke Who Thought Musicals Were a Bit Naff
TBWTMWaBN
Why Rose is special in Pulp Musicals
Another theory of mine that isn't about Hatchetfield: I've been Intrigued by Pulp Musicals' first episode, The Great Moon Hoax, because although it's a good setup and introduction to the characters, it seems very unrelated to the direction the rest of the series takes. However, I just listened to The Searcher in the Shadows, and was wondering about why Rose might have appeared in Sia's vision, and something occurred to me:
What if in the last episode Rose manages to travel back in time? It has been stated that backwards time travel has been attempted, so it's theoretically possible. What if it causes memories to be lost, but not completely, and the descriptions of the moon in Great Astronomical Discoveries aren't just fiction, but fragments of memories. Rose (and potentially also Samuel, though his death seems to explain why the vision focuses on Rose) exists in a time loop, and that's why she's special.
Hey uh anyone have a spare $3,500 I could borrow?
The Arms of Night
In "The Summoning," The Lords in Black say "us spawn of the Black and White cover our souls in robes of black and take up the arms of night." This sounds like them describing the ritual of holding court with the void from their perspective, so what are "the arms of night?"
I've noticed that each of the LiB has a specific powerful object associated with them, and my theory is that these objects are collectively referred to as "The Arms of Night."
Some are obvious, such as The Bastard's Box, which is Tinky's.
The Black Blade is likely Wiggly's due to the fact that Wilbur Cross attempts to use it in The Witch in the Web, and the fact that the LiB's formation in the lower image mirrors their formation in "The Summoning."
We start to get into more speculative territory with the other Lords, but it's interesting that Pokey takes off his mask for this scene, showing that it's an object, rather than a part of his biology. I think the mask is Pokey's Arm of Night.
Blinky is not carrying any objects during "The Summoning." However, a mallet is used as a weapon several times throughout Watcher World. I think that mallet is Blinky's Arm of Night. Blinky clearly takes particular delight in watching people torment each other, which he manipulates them into rather than causing the torment himself. Therefore, it's only fitting that Blinky's Arm of Night would only ever be wielded by others on his behalf. Plus, the mallet is described in all caps in the official script for that episode:
Finally, I think Nibbly's Arm of Night is the giant lollipop. I'm not sure yet what it does, but I am sure it's something sinister.
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Are all the trees in the witchwood people who have been turned into trees? or are there some actual trees in there? Im curious what others think
Considering the town is named Hatchetfield and it doesn’t have any notable fields in the present day, the implication is that the Hatchetmen claimed a field that became the Witchwood when they planted people in it. There may be a few ordinary trees, but not many. This also means that the thing that’s really special about the town is its magical soil.
The Lords in Black puppeteered the entire plot of Nerdy Prudes Must Die
In Yellow Jacket, Pokey's psychic vision to Hannah sets off the chain of events that leads her to Otho. Similarly, the vision Tinky shows Ted in Time Bastard puts Jenny in the front of his mind, which causes him to try and change the past once he figures out that his office is a time machine. It's pretty clear that Grace Chasity is perceptive to psychic visions since she sees Richie's death in a dream (plus her proficiency with the Black Book implies that she may have a touch of the Gift). Additionally, the "Dirty Girl" scene features enough coincidences that it seems like more than just a sexual fantasy. She has no way of knowing that Max Jagerman is christian, yet she predicts it almost perfectly. This is evidence that she received a vision from the Lords in Black of Max in her bathroom.
Grace envisioning Max in this way causes her to seek vengeance, which leads to Max actually getting killed and then subsequently resurrected in ghost form. The ultimate result of her vision, however is that the Lords in Black get to devour Max's soul, and Grace becomes corrupted and turned into their disciple. Both of these directly serve the Lords in Black's desires. The lyric "Nibbly wants his sacrifice and Wiggly wants his wrath," which stands out due to its choice to only mention two of the Lords, highlights this, since Nibbly wants Max sacrificed to him and Wiggly wants Grace's wrath (which is the inevitable result of her character arc in every timeline we've seen her in so far). Nibbly is even the one who specifically states that he wants to lick Max's soul.
But why Max Jagerman of all people? It's because he, many times throughout the play, refers to himself as a god. This is someone who has the power to single-handedly control the social order of an entire high school. Everyone hates him, but they're all too scared to challenge him. Even the other popular kids! Max's power goes beyond the scope of a typical cliche high school bully, because he casts his peers into roles. He chooses who are the nerds and who are the jocks. He micromanages everyone's social lives. He is literally playing god. In other words, Max Jagerman is someone the Lords in Black would view as a threat.
Grace refers to Max Jagerman's death as "an act of god," and she isn't wrong. The Lords in Black send her the vision so she'll cause his death. They're also likely responsible for several other convenient occurrences, such as Waylon Hall, which is widely known to be haunted and therefore likely only of interest to the Church of the Starry Children, who worship the Lords in Black, being sold so soon after Max's body is hidden inside. They're likely counting on Max killing Richie and Ruth first, so that Grace is the only person who can step in when neither Pete nor Steph kills the other one successfully. When she gives up her chastity, she's killed two birds with one stone by giving Max's soul to the Lords in Black and becoming fully corrupted herself, which is even symbolized by the visual gag of her smoking a cigarette right after she and Max have sex. Grace ends the show as a pawn of the Lords in Black, but she has no idea she's been one the entire time.
The denim jacket is the source of Miss Holloway's resurrection powers
In The Witch in the Web, Wilbur Cross confirms that he and Miss Holloway fight each other in every timeline, and whoever kills the other takes the denim jacket. However, in Killer Track, we learn that Miss Holloway can come back to life around two hours after dying. So why would Wilbur bother to kill her in the first place?
In Killer Track, Miss Holloway isn't wearing the denim jacket initially, but is wearing it after they lock away all the electronics in Miss Retro's (timestamp 1:33:22 in NMT2 episode 3 for the comparison). This means that she puts the denim jacket on as she is preparing for her impending death. The denim jacket clearly has some importance, considering two extremely powerful beings repeatedly fight over it, and I think the jacket resurrects its wearer soon after dying.
Marco is a clone of Sheila or Sherman Young
While rewatching Daddy, I realized that Marco is played by Jaime Lyn Beatty. This stood out to me as a surprising choice, considering her casting as both Sherman and Sheila Young was a deliberate way of showing that they are related. Marco, however, is in some way manufactured (and easily so), as evidenced by Sheila saying "Oh well. I'll make another" after he's killed. So why cast the same actor?
In Killer Track, Miss Holloway, who has possession of the Black Book in the Nightmare Time 2 timeline, creates an identical duplicate of herself using a piece of her DNA (a hair). While we don't know whether or not Miss Holloway's magic comes from the Black Book, we do know that the book itself is merely a written archive of spells and its presence is not requisite for the magic to work, since Sherman is able to cast spells that he memorized from transcribed pages. This means that Holloway's decoy spell could've been from the Black Book. Therefore, I think Sheila knows a spell to create a duplicate of herself or her son in a similar manner, and perhaps Marco was brought to life (since Holloway's duplicate was lifeless) and given super strength through some other magic (or one of Dr. Lazlo's experiments).
Hatchetfield's accidental (almost) crossover
In the official script for Killer Track, Kale is referred to as Keith at one point.
My guess is that he was originally going to be named Keith, but they decided to change his name at the last minute so people wouldn't start to think that Hatchetfield was connected to The Solve-It Squad.
Ethan Didn't Die
In Black Friday, Ethan appears to Hannah from The Black and White. In Nerdy Prudes Must Die, during "The Summoning," The Lords in Black suggest that they pull Max down to Drowsy Town. Then, when Grace gives up her chastity, Wiggly specifically says "oh, what wonders await you down here in the black." Not "The Black and White," "the black."
The parallel between Max and Ethan's posthumous appearances is that they both died in Black Altars. This makes me think that the Waylons cast a resurrrection spell on the Old Mill as well as their house, and that Ethan in this scene is a ghost just like Max. This is further evidenced by the fact that at one point (I think during a livestream, but I can't find the actual clip anymore) the characters who appear in "What If Tomorrow Comes" were referred to as "the ghosts of Hatchetfield."
Therefore, if "the black" is synonymous with Drowsy Town, then I believe that The Black and White, in addition to existing outside all dimensions, also exists between life and death, and is the plane of existence on which ghosts reside, while having some ability to affect the living world. This is further evidenced by the fact that in "The Witch in the Web," Hannah sings about Willabella, who is a ghost, having a "black and white cell." If I'm right, and if The Black and White existing outside of all dimensions also means it exists as a singular continuity across all timelines, then that could mean the version of General McNamara who appears in Orbweaver will be the version originally from Black Friday's timeline.
All the Hatchetfield shows are about someone’s worst fears coming true
TGWDLM is Paul’s (musicals), Black Friday is McNamara’s (having to accept that the country he loves isn’t so great), The Hatchetfield Ape Man is Jonathan Brisby’s, Watcherworld is Alice’s, Forever and Always/Time Bastard is Ted’s, Jane’s a Car is Becky’s, and The Witch in the Web is Hannah’s.
Honey Queen is Linda’s, Perky’s Buds is Emma’s, Abstinence Camp is Stephanie’s, Daddy is Frank’s, Killer Track is Duke’s, and Yellow Jacket is Lex’s
Nerdy Prudes Must Die is Solomon Lauter’s (not being able to control his daughter, and ending up ultimately powerless)
Workin' Boys is Hidgens' (his play being altered and then performed by actors he views as incompetent, disappointing the ghosts of his friends, and then not getting to finish the performance)
The Lords in Black are not the most powerful eldritch entities
The word "daddy" is frequently repeated across Hatchetfield, almost as if the Langs are trying to tell us something.
In Killer Track, one of the pages of the Black Book is described as "a family tree of eldritch horrors." A family tree requires more than just five brothers and a sister. Most likely this means there are multiple generations.
The Lords in Black are worshiped by the Church of the Starry CHILDREN, which implies they have parents.
The secret message in the vertices of the Nightmare Time 2 hexagon puzzles was "the monarch is now vexed." I think this is all compelling evidence that the Lords (and Webby) have a father known as The Monarch, who may be even more sinister than they are.
Wiggly is the most powerful Lord in Black
In The Summoning, The Lords in Black are arranged in a pentagram around Pete, Steph, and Grace. This is interesting, because it’s the same arrangement as this diagram from the Black Book:
In the diagram, which I have theorized shows Miss Holloway making a deal with the Lords (likely in the Starlight Theater, since that was her Nightmare Time and we now know it’s a Black Altar), one of them is shown more in focus, holding the Black Blade, and with five lines emanating from his head. This connects to the symbol on the cover of the Black Book, which features a pentagram with one point longer than the other four.
We know that Willabella Muckwab, Wiggly’s first disciple, wrote the Black Book. We also know that Wiggly’s official title is “The Lord in Black.” Plus, Wiggly is at the top point of the pentagram during The Summoning. This all seems to add up to Wiggly being the most powerful or important Lord in Black in some way.
