Welcome to Night Vale

[Quiver he/him]

4 hours ago, Quadrophenia said:

Name a favourite side character!

Hiram McDaniels, Tamika or Kevin come to mind.

I have to back Twilyght and say Steve. I admit, I emphasise a lot with the guy; his good-natured intent, bumbling nature...yeah, I maybe see a lot of myself in him.

Aside from him, I like so many people. So far as characters who haven't been mentioned yet... I actually found the writing for Michelle Nguyen surprisingly fun. It's a character who could be annoying, but I actually found her and Maureen a highlight during the latest storyline.

(Do we have any official name for it yet? The only name I've seen is spoilers.)

[Quadrophenia]

4 hours ago, TwiLyghtSansSparkles said:

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He's not just my favorite side character, but one of my favorite characters overall. One who understands the world perfectly, is treated like the Cassandra for it, and keeps going in the hope that someone will see the truth….I love him so much. 

 

He is, inarguably, the most tragic character in the show.

[Jo and the Bush all/any]

I've only listened up to Episode 14, because I don't have a lot of time on my hands, but I love it! I'm gonna keep listening to it. What are the actual 'Storylines' though?

[Quadrophenia]

30 minutes ago, The Only Joe said:

I've only listened up to Episode 14, because I don't have a lot of time on my hands, but I love it! I'm gonna keep listening to it. What are the actual 'Storylines' though?

The show started off slice of life, but overtime each season would constitute an overarching story. First season is about Cecil and Carlos coming together as a couple while the civilization beneath the Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex rises to take over the city. Second season is all about their rivalry with a mirror counterpart town called Desert Bluffs. Third season is election season. Fourth season... well, spoilers. 

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Someone made house sigils for Night Vale characters. 

Spoiler

Spoiler

And my personal favorite….

 

[marsoupial they/them]

Just now, TwiLyghtSansSparkles said:

Someone made house sigils for Night Vale characters. 

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And my personal favorite….

 

I have never loved anything as much as I love this right now.

[Edgedancer he/him]

5 hours ago, TwiLyghtSansSparkles said:

Someone made house sigils for Night Vale characters. 

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And my personal favorite….

 

Is it just me or did they spell Carlsberg wrong? Anyway, I now declare the house of Steve the offical unoffical Slitherclaw house.

[marsoupial they/them]

Oh, Twi, I retook and I got Ravenclaw.

I am safe and where I belong. 

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

If you need cheering up, find a picture of pug puppies. Preferably some that are playing, waving one paw in the air, rolling on the floor, etc. 

Now imagine Cecil freaking out over the adorable pug puppies. 

[Quiver he/him]

Ya know, thinking about it? There is a better love story in Night Vale than Cecil and Carlos.

I mean... Steve is weird by typical Night Vale standards. He doesn't believe lots of stuff they do, and believes stuff that they don't, and he talks openly about the sheriff's secret police and the vague yet meaning government conspiracy.

And Abby still chose to marry him. Despite Steve being weird. Despite Abby -presumably- being a traditional Night Vale citizen. Despite Cecil trying to talk her out of it and disrupt the wedding by accusing Steve of speaking forbidden truths. 

All of that, and Abby still married with Steve.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

2 minutes ago, Quiver said:

Ya know, thinking about it? There is a better love story in Night Vale than Cecil and Carlos.

 

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I mean... Steve is weird by typical Night Vale standards. He doesn't believe lots of stuff they do, and believes stuff that they don't, and he talks openly about the sheriff's secret police and the vague yet meaning government conspiracy.

And Abby still chose to marry him. Despite Steve being weird. Despite Abby -presumably- being a traditional Night Vale citizen. Despite Cecil trying to talk her out of it and disrupt the wedding by accusing Steve of speaking forbidden truths. 

All of that, and Abby still married with Steve.

 

Spoiler

Adding in Steve's fierce love of his stepdaughter--to the point that insinuating she needs "fixing" is a berserk button--makes the love story even sweeter. 

 

[Quadrophenia]

What's wonderful about Steve as a character?

His whole existence is predicated on the inherent gag... that all the cool weirdness the listener has come to roll with and the ordinary inhabitants of Night Vale take in stride...?

Is not normal. At all. It's unhealthy, cultish and aggressively creepy when you're looking at the town without Cecil's rose-tinted lenses.

Outside Cecil's perspective, we see how every character (including the man himself) we have grown to love is from the outside... essentially indoctrinated by a paranoid, bizarre, nonsensical and absurd culture of conspiracies, pseudo-science and Lovecraftian horror. Steve is the man in Plato's Cave who sees the world outside the darkness and campfire of the cave, ignored by everyone at best and outright exiled at worse for daring to speak the truth. 

... And in truth Night Vale faction, even Carlsberg isn't immune to Night Vale's weirdness. He isn't as sane as he'd like to believe, either. The symbols in the sky, anyone?

It's a wonderful bit of double subversion right there.

Edited October 3, 2016 by Quadrophenia

[marsoupial they/them]

Just now, Quadrophenia said:

What's wonderful about Steve as a character?

His whole _existence_ is to point out that all the cool weirdness the listener has come to roll with and the ordinary inhabitants of Night Vale take in stride...?

Is not normal. At all. It's unhealthy, cultish. Outside Cecil's perspective, we see how every character (including the man himself) we have grown to love is from the outside... essentially indoctrinated by a paranoid, bizarre, nonsensical and absurd culture of conspiracies, pseudo-science and Lovecraftian horror. Steve is the man in Plato's Cave who sees the world outside the darkness and campfire of the cave, ignored by everyone at best and outright exiled at worse for daring to speak the truth. 

... And in truth Night Vale faction, even Carlsberg isn't immune to Night Vale's weirdness. He isn't as sane as he'd like to believe, either. The symbols in the sky, anyone?

It's a wonderful bit of double subversion right there.

But he can't even take care of a tan Corolla...

[Zathoth]

7 minutes ago, Quadrophenia said:

... And in truth Night Vale faction, even Carlsberg isn't immune to Night Vale's weirdness. He isn't as sane as he'd like to believe, either. The symbols in the sky, anyone?

Then again considering Night Vale it wouldn't surprise me if the symbols in the sky were real, its just that Steve is the only one who can see them.

[Quadrophenia]

3 minutes ago, Zathoth said:

Then again considering Night Vale it wouldn't surprise me if the symbols in the sky were real, its just that Steve is the only one who can see them.

I always figured the implication was that they were just a projection of his own frustrations with the town, all products of his own mind. If they were real, it'd take the sting out of the whole layered gag, I'd find.

Edited October 3, 2016 by Quadrophenia

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Spoiler

This has been the Children's Fun Fact Science Corner. 

[marsoupial they/them]

3 minutes ago, TwiLyghtSansSparkles said:

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This has been the Children's Fun Fact Science Corner. 

Danger Noodle is my metal thrash punk rock screamo band.

[Quiver he/him]

Just got back from Ghost Stories! No spoilers (unless you guys want them), but I enjoyed it. Hopefully the album has the rest if the guests though, since I figure that will improve the experience immensely.

Also, I saw at least four Carlos, Cecil, two fem!Cecil, a Kevin (!?) and two Glow Clouds ALL HAIL

[Quadrophenia]

16 hours ago, Quiver said:

Just got back from Ghost Stories! No spoilers (unless you guys want them), but I enjoyed it. Hopefully the album has the rest if the guests though, since I figure that will improve the experience immensely.

Also, I saw at least four Carlos, Cecil, two fem!Cecil, a Kevin (!?) and two Glow Clouds ALL HAIL

 

ALL... HAIL... THE GLOW CLOUDS...

[marsoupial they/them]

Okay, so I may be sitting on my couch playing the Desert Bluffs theme on my guitar. 

[ccstat he/him]

As someone who has listened to the audiobook of the novelization, but not to the podcast, how similar are they? I was impressed in the book that the disparate elements were (mostly) brought together into a cohesive narrative, but I also got the sense that took a special effort in adapting from the podcast format. 

My description of Night Vale to others has been Look Around You for horror instead of science. Do you consider that accurate, and is that tone consistent for the various episodes?

[Quadrophenia]

2 hours ago, ccstat said:

As someone who has listened to the audiobook of the novelization, but not to the podcast, how similar are they? I was impressed in the book that the disparate elements were (mostly) brought together into a cohesive narrative, but I also got the sense that took a special effort in adapting from the podcast format. 

My description of Night Vale to others has been Look Around You for horror instead of science. Do you consider that accurate, and is that tone consistent for the various episodes?

I'd say the podcast is absolutely stronger. It's easier to be odd, surreal and whimsical in short bursts as opposed to three-six hours in a long, continuous arc. Heck, generally speaking, it's easier to run a slice of life narrative that lacks any typical three-act-structure...as opposed to a book that's, essentially, a made-for-TV movie set in its world that "does" have a typical three-act-structure.