Line #43 Literature/GeektasticStoriesFromTheNerdHerd


1	[[quoteright:265:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/geektastic_2_3936.jpg]]
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3	''Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd'' is an anthology edited by Creator/HollyBlack and Cecil Castellucci, full of nerdy stories. According to the introduction, the anthology was conceived when Black and Castellucci thought of an idea for a story about a [[Franchise/StarTrek Klingon]] cosplayer and a [[Franchise/StarWars Jedi]] cosplayer sleeping with each other. They wanted to publish it, but they realized no place was nerdy enough to accept it.
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5	So they decided to create one.
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7	This was the result: fifteen stories, including the one that Black and Castellucci conceived, about nerdiness in general. All kinds of geeks are featured here - [[ScienceFiction sci-fi]] geeks, [[{{Theater}} theater]] geeks, astronomy geeks, archaeology geeks, baton geeks, [[{{Fantasy}} fantasy]] geeks, [[MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame MMORPG]] geeks, [[ComicBooks comic book]] geeks, quiz bowl geeks, and just geeks in general. In between the stories were cartoons drawn by Hope Larson and Creator/BryanLeeOMalley, further exploring the geekiness of the anthology.
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9	Each story uses an a specific aspect of geek culture to address a broader aspect of life, as follows:
10	* "[[Theatre/WestSideStory Once You're]] a [[Franchise/StarWars Jedi]], You're a Jedi All The Way" by Creator/HollyBlack and Cecil Castellucci - Rivalry between the Star Wars and Star Trek fandoms at a convention, reaching out to an "outsider"
11	* "One of Us" by Tracy Lynn - A crash course in the most pop-geek subjects (Star Wars, Star Trek, World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, influential or otherwise "important" comics and manga) being the outsider looking in
12	* "Definitional Chaos" by Creator/ScottWesterfeld - The Dungeons and Dragons alignment system, the balance between predictability and unpredictability in social interactions
13	* "I Never" by Creator/CassandraClare - Online free-form roleplaying forums, being catfished
14	* "Literature/TheKingOfPelinesse" by Creator/MatthewTobinAnderson - fantasy literature, a combination of "never meet your heroes" and the dangers of allowing yourself to retreat from the real world into a fantasy
15	* "[[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer The Wrath of Dawn]]" by Cynthia Leitcich Smith and Greg Leitcich Smith Dawn Summers, Wesley Crusher and other annoying kids, Being [[TheUnFavourite The UnFavorite]]
16	* "[[NonAppearingTitle The Quiz Bowl]] [[LiteraryAllusionTitle Antichrist]]" by Creator/DavidLevithan - trivia competitions, seeing life in proportion and not taking yourself too seriously
17	* "The Quiet Knight" by Creator/GarthNix - {{LARP}}ing, being social even when it's difficult
18	* "Everyone but You" by [[Literature/MillicentMinGirlGenius Lisa Yee]] - School Spirit fanatics, plain-old social ostracism
19	* "Secret Identity" by [[Literature/MagicForBeginners Kelly Link]] - An alternate universe where superheroes are real, catfishing someone
20	* "[[PunBasedTitle Freak the Geek]]" by Creator/JohnGreen - people who weren't actually into a geeky hobby but were just unpopular, traditions that enforce plain-old social ostracism
21	* "The Truth About Dino Girl" by Creator/BarryLyga - Dinosaurs, not getting what you want out of life and possibly Asperger's Syndrome
22	* "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin This is My Audition Monologue]]" by [[Literature/HowToSaveALife Sara Zarr]] - Theater, wanting to be remembered for something and not settling for being on the sidelines
23	* "The Stars at the Finish Line" by Wendy Mass - Astronomy, personal (if one-sided) rivalries
24	* "[[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow It's Just a Jump To the Left]]" by Creator/LibbaBray - Rocky Horror Picture Show, growing up (for multiple values of the phrase)
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26	----
27	!!Tropes used by the different stories in this anthology include:
28	* AccidentalMisnaming: Mr. P from "This is My Audition Monologue" apparently called Rachel 'Rochelle', 'Ruthie', and 'Melissa' on different occasions.
29	* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Katya's crush on Jamie in "The Truth About Dino Girl", and Alec's crush on Damien in "The Quiz Bowl Antichrist".
30	* AttentionWhore: Discussed in "This is My Audition Monologue":
31	-->"One time I was at Adam Gunderson's house looking through the sophomore yearbook, and next to my picture someone wrote and I quote: Look up ATTENTION WHORE in the dictionary and you'll see this pic, and added like fifteen exclamation points. But I'm not. One, I'm obviously not memorable. Two, a performer does not an attention whore make. Not that I'm a performer."
32	* BadassBookworm: Lexia from "Definitional Chaos".
33	* BarbaricBully: Averted in both "Everyone but You" and "The Truth About Dino Girl"; the bullies are assholes, but not physically violent ones. Played straight with the bullies in "Freak the Geek".
34	* BelligerentSexualTension: Between Lexia and the protagonist of "Definitional Chaos". Also, between Peter and Tabitha in "The Stars at the Finish Line".
35	* BlandNameProduct: The convention in "Definitional Chaos" is called [=ConCom=]; probably parodying [=ComicCon=]
36	* BlendedFamilyDrama: In "The Wrath Of Dawn", Dawn constantly comes into conflict with her stepsister Megan, who’s an athlete and doesn’t really get Dawn’s interests. But it’s heavily implied that she’s trying to build a bond, and by the end they may start getting along.
37	* ChaoticGood: [[invoked]] Lexia from "Definitional Chaos" considers herself this, although the protagonist disputes this, claiming she's actually ChaoticNeutral. [[spoiler: Based on what she does to the protagonist towards the end of the story, she's probably Chaotic Neutral, if not ChaoticEvil.]]
38	* ChildProdigy: Tabitha from "The Stars at the Finish Line".
39	* ClassTrip: The quiz bowl goes to another city in "The Quiz Bowl Antichrist".
40	* CuteBookworm: Again, Tabitha.
41	* ClosetGeek: Montgomery from "One of Us" soon becomes one.
42	* DisproportionateRetribution: In "The Truth About Dino Girl", [[spoiler: Katya gets [[ExtremeMeleeRevenge revenge]] on Andi by taking naked pictures of her and posting them all over the school as a prostitution add, thereby ruining her life.]]
43	* DistractedByTheSexy: Peter and Tabitha from "The Stars at the Finish Line" are incredibly distracted by each other, when they're supposed to be engaging in a stargazing challenge. [[spoiler: Needless to say, they fail the challenge.]]
44	* DidNotGetTheGirl: [[spoiler: Katya in "The Truth About Dino Girl".]]
45	* TheDogBitesBack: Katya in "The Truth About Dino Girl"; see DisproportionateRetribution above.
46	* DoubleStandard: Subverted in one of the cartoons, called "What Your Instrument Says About You".
47	-->"Flute: If you're a girl, the boys find it hot. If you're a boy, [[spoiler: the boys still find it hot.]]"
48	* DracoInLeatherPants: [[invoked]] An in-universe example occurs in "I Never", and it actually features [[Franchise/HarryPotter Draco]]; someone plays him in an MMORPG, and he isn't evil.
49	* DramaClub: Sarah from "This is My Audition Monologue" is trying to get into the drama club play.
50	* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: "This is My Audition Monologue" consists entirely of Rachel delivering an audition monologue for a play.
51	* ExtracurricularEnthusiast: Alec (and everyone else in the story) from "The Quiz Bowl Antichrist" and Felicity of "Everyone But You". Rachel from "This is My Audition Monologue" wants to be one, but she can't quite make it.
52	* ExtremeMeleeRevenge: Debatably what Katya from "The Truth About Dino Girl" did to Andi; [[spoiler: ruining her entire life might've been taking it a bit far.]]
53	* {{Fanboy}}[=/=]{{Fangirl}}: Many, many, many.
54	** ''Everyone'' from "Once You're a Jedi, You're a Jedi All the Way" is either a fanboy/girl of Franchise/StarWars or Franchise/StarTrek.
55	** All of the nerds to something from "One of Us". One of them in particular seems to worship Star Wars.
56	** Both of the main characters from "It's Just a Jump to the Left" towards ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow''.
57	** Jim from "The King of Pelinesse" is a fanboy of a particular cartoonist, who he met after he (the cartoonist) had an affair with his mother.
58	** Everyone from "The Wrath of Dawn" is a fanboy/girl of Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer.
59	* FanConvention: "Once You're a Jedi, You're a Jedi All the Way" takes place at one. And both main characters of "Definitional Chaos" are delivering money for one.
60	* ForTheLulz: [[spoiler: Lexia pretends to steal a large sum of money from the protagonist of "Definitional Chaos" for this very purpose.]] Also, the bullies in ''Freak the Geek'' ruin Lauren's car ''for no freaking reason'', other than a stupid tradition.
61	* GangOfBullies: "Freak the Geek" features one.
62	* {{Geek}}: Everything and everyone.
63	* GeekReferencePool: The anthology made a ''humongous'' amount of references to Star Wars and Star Trek.
64	* GeekyAnalogy: All the time.
65	* GeekyTurnOn: Tabitha and Peter from "The Stars at the Finish Line" both seem to be turned on by astronomy.
66	** One cartoon is called "How to Hook Up at the Science Fair", and it's all about ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
67	* HarmlessElectrocution: Averted in "This is My Audition Monologue"; Scotty was killed by electrocution.
68	* HornyScientist: Peter and Tabitha "The Stars at the Finish Line", although they're not really scientists; they're just doing astronomy.
69	* IncompatibleOrientation: "The Quiz Bowl Antichrist" is about this - Alec has a crush on Damien, who's straight.
70	* IntelligenceEqualsIsolation: Deconstructed in "The Stars at the Finish Line", averted in "One of Us", (mostly) played straight in "The Quiz Bowl Antichrist" and "The Truth About Dino Girl", and discussed in "Freak the Geek".
71	* {{Jerkass}}: The GangOfBullies from "Freak the Geek", Andi [[spoiler: and [[TheDogBitesBack Katya]]]] from "The Truth About Dino Girl", Ben from "I Never", and Kai from "Everyone but You".
72	* JerkJock: Again, Kai from "Everyone but You".
73	* LeftHanging: We never do find out if Rachel from "This is My Audition Monologue" gets into the play or not.
74	* LovableAlphaBitch: Montgomery "One of Us". (At first, anyway.)
75	* LovableNerd: The entire anthology seems to be built entirely on this trope. Special note goes to Felicity of "Everyone but You", Kayley and Lauren from "Freak the Geek", and Alec of "The Quiz Bowl Antichrist".
76	* MaleGaze: "The Stars at the Finish Line" has one - Peter mentions seeing the outline of Tabitha's bra through her shirt. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], since it's narrated by Peter, a male.
77	* ManipulativeBitch: [[spoiler: Lexia from "Definitional Chaos".]]
78	* MarsAndVenusGenderContrast: Here's how "The Truth About Dino Girl" opens:
79	-->"Okay, follow me for a second: Guys are like dinosaurs.\
80	We don't know much about dinosaurs. We know a lot, but not nearly enough. Just like with guys.\
81	Of the twelve hundred or so genera suspected to exist, we've only discovered around three hundred and fifty. There are huge gaps in our knowledge.\
82	When you go to a museum or watch a movie and you see a dinosaur with a certain color pattern on its hide, that's just someone's speculation. It's informed speculation, sure, but it's still just guesswork. Because we don't know.\
83	We're guessing what they looked like based on patterns imprinted on petrified mud. We conjure their motions from the interrelationships of their bones, figuring that if they fit together this way, then they must have moved this way.\
84	We're guessing what they sounded like. Roar.\
85	It's the closest we can come to the sound. Maybe Grawr.\
86	But there's not much difference between the two, and still that's as close as we can come. We know so much and we know nothing, absolutely nothing, nothing at all.\
87	Again, like with guys."
88	* MeaningfulName: The protagonist of "The Quiz Bowl Antichrist" [[Literature/TheMortalInstruments isn't the only character named Alec to have a crush on a straight boy.]] Also, Dawn's name is pretty significant in a story about Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer.
89	* NerdsAreSexy: Tabitha "The Stars at the Finish Line", and Damien "The Quiz Bowl Antichrist".
90	* NerdsAreVirgins: Alec. Although to be fair, he's also a closeted homosexual, so he hasn't exactly gotten many opportunities for sex.
91	* NoNameGiven: We never learn the real name of the protagonist of "Definitional Chaos"; Lexia just refers to him by his screen name, Temptress Moon, throughout the story.
92	* PairTheSmartOnes: [[spoiler: This is how "The Stars at the Finish Line" ends.]]
93	* PopularIsDumb: Averted in "The Quiz Bowl Antichrist" - Alec is popular, and he's in the quiz bowl team. Played straight in "Freak the Geek" and "The Truth About Dino Girl".
94	* ProudToBeAGeek: The nerds from "One of Us".
95	* RelationshipUpgrade: [[spoiler: Peter and Tabitha from "The Stars at the Finish Line" get one, as well as Jane and Noah from "I Never".]]
96	* RomanceEnsues: In ''The Stars at the Finish Line'', when Peter and Tabitha team up to do an astronomy challenge.
97	** [[spoiler: Subverted in "Definitional Chaos". It looks like romance is going to ensue, until Lexia drugs the protagonist. That put a bit of a wrench in things.]]
98	* SawStarWarsTwentySevenTimes: Ezra from "One of Us" seems to worship the franchise. Also, Thomas and the other Star Wars cosplayers from "Once You're a Jedi, You're a Jedi All the Way".
99	* SchoolClubStories: "This is My Audition Monologue" and "The Quiz Bowl Antichrist".
100	* SchoolPlay: Rachel from "This is My Audition Monologue" is trying to get into one.
101	* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: The nerds from "One of Us".
102	* ShoutOut: Hoo, boy. Virtually every story has at least one.
103	** "Once You're a Jedi, You're a Jedi All the Way" contains a massive amount of references to ''Franchise/StarTrek'' and ''Franchise/StarWars''. Its title is also a shout-out to ''Theatre/WestSideStory''.
104	** "One of Us" has an enormous number, including ones to ''Franchise/StarWars'', ''Franchise/StarTrek'', ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', ''Series/TheXFiles'', ''Franshise/BattlestarGalactica'', and many many others.
105	** The plot of "Definitional Chaos" relies entirely on the alingment system of TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons. Also, Lexia wears a [[Series/{{Farscape}} Peacekeeper jacket.]]
106	** "The Wrath of Dawn" is basically one big shout-out to ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', complete with a protagonist named after Dawn.
107	** "The Quiz Bown Antichrist" has references to tons of novels and short stories, such as ''Literature/TheLittleMermaid'', ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice'', and ''Theatre/{{Othello}}''. Also, Flim/FindingNemo.
108	** "It's Just a Jump to the Left" is exactly what it sounds like: one big shout out to ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow''.
109	** Creator/CassandraClare can be seen wearing a Franchise/{{Batman}} shirt on the cover. Also on the cover are the characters [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Superman]], [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} Hamlet]], and [[Literature/{{Dracula}} Dracula]].
110	** Some characters that people pretend to be for an MMORPG in "I Never" include [[Series/XenaWarriorPrincess Xena]], [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Faith]], and [[Franchise/HarryPotter Draco]].
111	** Jim from "The King of Pelinesse" reads {{Creator/Marvel}}.
112	* ShrinkingViolet: Rachel from "This is My Audition Monologue", Alec from "The Quiz Bowl Antichrist", and Felicity from "Everyone but You" all play it straight. Subverted in "The Truth About Dino Girl"; the protagonist appears to be a Shrinking Violet, until [[spoiler: [[DisproportionateRetribution she posts naked pictures of a bully throughout the school painting the bully up as a prostitute.]]]]
113	* SlapSlapKiss: Averted in "The Stars at the Finish Line"; Tabitha and Peter have a very competitive relationship, but without physical violence. Also averted in "Definitional Chaos" - Lexia and the protagonist have some BelligerentSexualTension, and their relationship is ''definitely'' abusive, but they're not really romantically involved.
114	* SlippingAMickey: [[spoiler: Lexia does this to the protagonist of "Definitional Chaos".]]
115	* StraightGay: Alec from "The Quiz Bowl Antichrist".
116	* TakeThat: Rachel from "This is My Audition Monologue" thinks that Theatre/OurTown was the worst play that the school has ever done, and hopes that the school won't try to do it again.
117	** "The Wrath of Dawn" is about why [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Dawn's]] HateDom should love the character.
118	* {{Trekkie}}: The nerds from "One of Us", as well as Chung Ae and the other Star Trek cosplayers from "Once You're a Jedi, You're a Jedi All the Way".
119	* {{Troperiffic}}: The anthology seems to have been written for the specific purpose of appealing to {{Tropers}}.
120	* VictoriousChildhoodFriend: [[spoiler: Tabitha and Peter from "The Stars at the Finish Line" for each other.]]
121	* ViewersAreGeniuses: The different references to nerd culture and literature are often unexplained, leaving the reader to guess exactly what they mean.
122	* WillTheyOrWontThey: Happens in a few stories.
123	** "Once You're a Jedi, You're a Jedi All The Way" - [[spoiler: They don't onscreen, but it's implied that [[HookedUpAfterwards they will later.]]]]
124	** "One of Us" - [[spoiler: They do not.]]
125	** "Definitional Chaos" - [[spoiler: They do not. Dear lord, [[SlippingAMickey do they ever not.]]]]
126	** "The Stars at the Finish Line" - [[spoiler: They do.]]
127	* WrongGuyFirst: Subverted in "I Never"; [[spoiler: It looks at first Ben, who Jane met online, was a {{Jerkass}} in person, and that she'd have to move on from him. Turned out, she had the wrong guy - Noah, the one that she actually met online, was very nice.]]

Context Literature / GeektasticStoriesFromTheNerdHerd