Welcome to Night Vale is a podcast, and the fandom for it consumed my dash about two or three weeks ago. I held out until last Tuesday in terms of starting to listen to it myself, because it seemed almost too good to be true. But, to paraphrase a post by a dear online friend -- this is what this podcast has on offer:
• An openly queer narrator/protagonist. Cecil Baldwin, the radio announcer for Night Vale Community Radio, falls in love with another man literally during the first episode of the podcast. He says it straight up -- I fell in love instantly.
• Satire on both government spying and censorship, and the NRA, spanning the whole of the political spectrum (nothing on the political spectrum is safe).
• Calling out a racist, culturally-appropriative asshole repeatedly on air.
• Gender-neutral language so subtle and natural you don't even realize Cecil's doing it.
• A slow-burn interracial queer romance between Cecil and the scientist he falls in love with, Carlos.
And that's just in the social and political spheres of this podcast's relevance.
Technically and plotwise, it is absolutely beautiful and is as perfect as Carlos's perfect hair (and, if you take Cecil's word for it, that's pretty damn perfect). It's split roughly into four or five sections -- news, sponsor ads, the weather, editorials, and occasionally what I like to call the Cecil's Crush Section, where Cecil talks about Carlos and how perfect he is and how interesting his science stuff is. It's pretty adorable -- about as adorable as the rest of Night Vale is weird.
Technically and plotwise, it is absolutely beautiful and is as perfect as Carlos's perfect hair (and, if you take Cecil's word for it, that's pretty damn perfect). It's split roughly into four or five sections -- news, sponsor ads, the weather, editorials, and occasionally what I like to call the Cecil's Crush Section, where Cecil talks about Carlos and how perfect he is and how interesting his science stuff is. It's pretty adorable -- about as adorable as the rest of Night Vale is weird.
And Night Vale is really, really weird. It's run by the mysterious and inhuman City Council, and deals with eldritch horrors like murderous mind contr-- A L L H A I L T H E M I G H T Y G L O W C L O U D -- olling glow clouds, ten foot tall Angels who, according to the City Council, do not exist, and strange hooded figures seen or not seen congregating in the forbidden Dog Park. Approximately six of Cecil's interns have died, and one is currently trapped inside the Dog Park.
Moving back a bit to technique -- the actor who plays Cecil is absolutely brilliant. During a highly-charged sequence in episode 25, "One Year Later," I was reduced nearly to tears by the way Cecil breaks down. I only didn't because I was in public at the time. The resolution to that episode, I must say, is absolutely adorable, so I don't mind really.
Over all, I highly, highly, highly recommend this podcast. To everyone. It's incredible.
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