"A friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep. Welcome to Night Vale. "
Welcome to Night Vale is a radio show for the fictional town called Night Vale. It was made by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, and it is voiced by Cecil Baldwin. The podcast airs twice a month, and consists of "news, announcements and advertisements" from the desert town, located "somewhere in the Southwestern United States". It is published by Commonplace Books.
Each weather section plays music by different artists, it is said to be based on the current weather, but no real info has gone out on what it means.
Known Characters:CecilCecil is the voice of Night Vale and the narrator of Welcome to Night Vale. He works at Night Vale Community Radio as the announcer and self-proclaimed journalist.
Cecil is a mostly serious but cheerful host of the radio program and takes his job very seriously. He is very fond and proud of the town of Night Vale, despite its many horrors and will often provide comfort for the residents of the town during times of uncertainty or danger. However, he is also quick to praise the City Council, the Sheriff's Secret Police, and any of their policies, no matter how draconian. His views on many social issues seem surprisingly liberal for a police state such as Night Vale, but he will sometimes make strong conservative statements out of the blue also.
KhoshekhKhoshekh is a floating cat who lives in the men's room of the Night Vale Community Radio Station. He appeared in the men's room during the Glow Cloud episode and was adopted soon after as the station pet.
In Eternal Scouts, Cecil proudly announces that Khoshekh has given birth to an adorable litter of kittens. For any listeners wondering how a male cat could give birth, Cecil waves aside the question, noting that "some things just aren't meant to be questioned."
In Faceless Old Woman, Cecil explains that Khoshekh cannot be photographed. Anyone who tries to photograph him dies a week later. Khoshekh also has a meow like a terrifying monster.
CarlosCarlos is a scientist who arrives in Night Vale in Pilot. He is described as having a voice like caramel with oaky tones, dark and delicate skin, black hair with a "dignified touch of gray at his temples", and having a strong, square jaw and teeth "like a military cemetery." Although he initially leads a team of scientists who investigate various phenomena in Night Vale, the team has not been mentioned much since then.
Unlike most of Night Vale's long time residents, Carlos is not blasé about the strange and horrible events that occur in the small town and is often mentioned investigating the phenomenon. Although Cecil is initially fearful for Carlos' life, Carlos, in turn, quickly becomes fearful for the people of Night Vale and tries to warn them about various dangers and events they seem unmoved by or enthusiastic about.
Apache TrackerThe Apache Tracker was a white man (apparently Slavic in origin) who wore a huge and cartoonishly inaccurate, horribly offensive Native American headdress. He is introduced in the Pilot (referred to as "The Indian Tracker"), in which he swears to investigate the "great howling" heard from the Night Vale Post Office. The results of his investigation are mentioned in more detail in Glow Cloud. The Tracker (now referred to as "The Apache Tracker") claims to have used "ancient Indian magics" in order to slip through the City Council's security into the Post Office, reporting that all the letters and packages had been thrown about as in a whirlwind, there was a heavy stench of scorched flesh, and that the words "More to come" and "Soon" had been written on the walls in blood.
The Tracker then disappears for several months. His house also vanishes, replaced by a bucolic meadow that even children avoid. Regarding the Tracker's disappearance, Cecil, speaking on behalf of the community, says "Good riddance to that local embarrassment. He made the whole town look ignorant and tribal."
"The future is what you make of it! Just know that your supplies are limited. Welcome to Desert Bluffs."
Desert Bluffs is the rival town to Night Vale, featured in The Sandstorm (Part B) and mentioned in several other instances. Instead of a council, it is governed and owned by StrexCorp Synernists Incorporated, and is seemingly a much nicer and cheerier place than Night Vale. It has its own community radio announcer, Kevin, and its baseball team is called the Sunbeams. Other citizens include the intern Vanessa, the staff weatherman Ted, and Lawrence Levine, out in the Edge-of-Town development.
Rather than descriptions of horrific events and fear-laced bulletins about lurking dangers and imminent peril, Desert Bluffs Community Radio seems to be focused on positive thinking, motivational messages and "work hard and you will get your reward" propaganda, all centered around StrexCorp.
CharactersKevinKevin is more upbeat and less foreboding than Cecil, as well as being more inured to the violence around him, as his booth is covered in animal viscera and his floor littered with teeth and hair. Unlike Cecil, he is distrustful of the government and puts faith in corporations instead, especially StrexCorp, which may or may not control Desert Bluffs. His leanings are far more libertarian than Cecil's.
He is aware of the existence of Night Vale but shows no distaste for it. In fact, despite Cecil's description of an obsessive rivalry between the towns that is carried out over sporting events, Kevin is genuinely surprised to get a fax from Steve Carlsberg and learn that Night Vale even knows about his little station.
You can listen to the podcast here:
http://podbay.fm/show/536258179
Poll