“A friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and strange lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep.”
Four years ago, the world of Night Vale was founded in podcast form by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, and has since become a phenomenon, branching out into merchandise, world tours, and even a New York Times bestselling book. How does a fictional town captivate fans for so long? It’s essentially how abnormal the town of Night Vale is, captured into two 20-minute long episodes a week, detailing everything from the news, to traffic reports, to the reason why you should never go into the dog park. If you’re as big of a fan of Night Vale as I am, then maybe these bullet points will relate to your experience.
“Welcome to Night Vale."
1. The lights above Arby’s are meaningful to you.
No, not the glowing lights of the Arby’s sign, but higher. You get oddly sentimental when you walk/drive/see an Arby’s restaurant. It reminds you of the vastness of the universe, the unreliability of time, and how the universe can align to create perfect moments that you share with the right person underneath that Arby’s sign, like in "One Year Later." If this is unfamiliar to you, then welcome to the weird and wonderful town of Night Vale.
2. You try to recruit new listeners, but end up scaring them off.
Half of the time, there is an issue when I try to bring my friends into this fandom. It either sounds too weird or confusing to follow my explanation of this podcast. It’s like NPR, but with tons of conspiracy theories, and they’re all true. And there’s a five-headed dragon running for mayor! You know what all this means in context, but friends, family, and strangers you met at the grocery store unfortunately don’t.
3. You have favorite and least-favorite episodes.
It’s bound to happen that you have a
favorite episode that, at this point, you can quote like a well-rehearsed
monologue. It may be an episode that gets you up in the morning, comforts you
while you sleep, or is just good for about any time of the day. For me, it’s "A Story About You." It’s so well-written
and convincing that you feel like the story is about you, or at least you wish
it were. You’re also bound to have a least-favorite, or one that hits you in the
deep pits of your soul and chills you to the very bone. "Faceless Old Woman" scared me upon first listen, because I
personally would not want a ghostly faceless woman in my home. The picture in
my mind is too terrifying.
4. You own an excessive number of purple items.
One of the only visuals given of the world of Night Vale is the ominous and infamous logo of a purple eye below the title. You may have decorated your room with purple posters of this logo several times over -- maybe even went so far as to purchase purple lipstick and eyeliner to match your new Night Vale wardrobe (also in varying shades of purple). Purple is now your favorite color, if it wasn’t already, because it reminds you of this world where time doesn’t exist, and there is such a thing as invisible pie. You love that invisible pie.
5. Some of the Night Vale T-shirts you own only act as pajama shirts.
Besides being a weird and wonderful podcast, Night Vale is also known for its eclectic variety of merchandise. You may own a grey shirt with a two-headed, many-eyed deer on it or a pair of shorts that says "creepy" on the butt. At first, you wonder if anyone will judge you for your clothing, and you try your best not to creep out random strangers. But then you pop in your earbuds, turn on the podcast, and cease to care.
6. You’re so done with the race/gender debates surrounding your favorite characters.
Perhaps the best aspect of the Night Vale podcast is that it’s an audio-only podcast. The world is built through words in a way that you get a feel of the deep, immersive environment through just one episode. There is so much description put into places, emotions, and objects in the show--but not placed on characters. Gender isn’t even considered in terms of pronouns unless absolutely certain (e.g., Carlos is referred to as “he,” but the new sheriff androgynously named Sam is referred to as “they”). It’s a wonderful world in which the viewers determine the characters’ genders, sexualities, and races. If you’ve been listening to Night Vale long enough and you've explored the fandom, then you know about some arguments about characters' races (mainly concerning the main character Cecil). And you’re probably sick of it. Why can’t people have their own canon characterization, and leave the arguments aside? It’s way less important in the grand scheme of the plot.
7. You’ve sung “The Bus Is Late" by Satellite High while waiting for a bus/train/plane.
You’d like to think that your music taste has expanded since listening to Night Vale, since the show features talented and little-known artists as their "weather" segment for each episode. At this point, you may have caught yourself having a playlist exclusively dedicated to the weather songs and singing them aloud, though some of the songs are as strange as the podcast itself. The most popular song in the fandom (arguably), " The Bus Is Late," is perfect for commuting… or waiting… or practicing to rap.
8. You’re really into science now.
Or maybe it’s just the idea of science that intrigues you. Carlos is Cecil’s boyfriend, a fan-favorite and a scientist, so, naturally, Cecil "gets" into science just to impress him. Cecil is just so into science these days, and so are you, whether it’s aesthetically, ironically, or realistically. You've never appreciated science -- whatever science that may be -- in quite the same way.
9. When you listen to the regular radio, something is missing.
On a 14-hour car drive through the desert,
my dad and I listened to at least five episodes of Night Vale before turning on
the regular car radio and listening to NPR. Suddenly, NPR didn’t sound familiar
to me, and I couldn’t be sure what was real news. I was so used to reports
of pteranodons attacking a PTA meeting or librarians terrorizing the town that
local real-life stories didn’t sound normal to me. I must not be the only one
who has experienced this, right?
10. Live shows are a main reason you go outdoors.
The "Welcome to Night Vale" live shows have become unforgettable events for the fandom. The stories are just as weird, just as in-depth, but come with the added comfort of an audience and performers, so you can experience and enjoy the stories with like-minded fans and the creators themselves. It was enjoyable just to see the faces of the actors I was listening to on a nightly basis in person. Oftentimes, people come dressed as their interpretation of their favorite character, which brings an added level of interactivity to the show. Plus, it’s just interesting to witness how someone could dress up as a dog park, complete with "Do Not Enter" signs.
11. You have your calendar marked for when new episodes and uploads release.
Listening to episodes of Night Vale has
been my nightly routine for the past three years. I’ll stay up until midnight
waiting for the newest biweekly episode to appear, get into bed, and let Night
Vale take me into dreamland. You can only imagine the kinds of dreams I have. [Shudders.]
I now set my alarm for every other Tuesday as well, since the creators of Night Vale recently released the pilot of a new podcast called "Alice Isn't Dead." Featuring Jasika Nicole, a familiar voice from the Night Vale universe, "Alice Isn't Dead" centers around a truck driver narrating her strange experiences on the road to an unknown person named Alice. If it’s as wonderfully strange and poetic as Night Vale, I know it’ll be a hit.
Stay tuned for the clicks of computer keys, returning you to whatever it was you were doing a moment ago.
Goodnight, Odyssey readers. Goodnight.
