I'm sure most, if not all, of you have at least heard of the podcast "Welcome To Night Vale." Since its first episode in 2012, the fictional radio broadcasts from this weird little desert town have gained massive popularity, consistently staying on top of the iTunes charts, as well as performing several world tours with their live show and publishing a New York Times-bestselling book. As a fan myself, I might be a bit biased, but it's very easy to see why this odd piece of media has been so successful: It's different. I'm not just talking about "wow this plot is so weird! There's a massive glowing cloud (all hail) dropping dead animals all over town" (even though that totally happened). I'm talking about how it's different from other media in the way that it portrays minorities: As strong characters in their own right, not reduced to stereotyped caricatures. The purpose of this list is to show some appreciation for the stereotype-smashing citezens of Night Vale.
Disclaimer: None of these characters have official images. All art used is fan art based on the head canon of the artist.
1. Cecil Gershwin Palmer
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At the beginning of the show, we the listeners knew very little about our mysterious narrator. However, as the podcast went on, Cecil became less mysterious and more of, well, a massive dork. One thing we knew about from the get-go was his massive crush on Carlos the Scientist. While he could have been made to fit the stereotypes surrounding gay men, he wasn't.
Cecil's voice is everything. Seriously, it's rich and deep and mysterious and frightening and comforting all at once. One thing it isn't is stereotypically gay. You know the voice I'm talking about: High-pitched, effeminate, etc. This is one stereotype the Voice of Night Vale will never fit.
As his relationship with Carlos developed, Cecil began to defy another trope: Bury Your Gays. In a great deal of media, lgbt+ people just can't seem to find a happy ending. They get killed off, go insane, and the list goes on and on. In contrast, Cecil and Carlos' life together seeps to keep getting better, becoming a shining example of a truly healthy relationship: A little patched-up, a little weird, but "perfectly imperfect."
2. Carlos the Scientist
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One of the few characters of "Night Vale" to be physically described - "dark and delicate skinned," "perfect hair," and "teeth like a military cemetery" are a few phrases that come to mind - Carlos the Scientist has been confirmed as latino by the creators of the podcast. There are many negative stereotypes about Latino people, particularly in today's society and Carlos blinds them all with science.
Carlos, before coming to Night Vale, was a professor at The University of What It Is. As such, he directly refutes the stereotype of the uneducated Latino. On more than one occasion, his profound intellect, as well as his innovativeness and rational thinking, have saved Night Vale from impending disaster.
Another stereotype Carlos breaks (and the last one I'm going to discuss here) is the criminal Latino. In a great deal of media, Latino men are portrayed as gang members and drug dealers. Even Trump seems to believe it. (Ew) Carlos refutes this simply by being himself. Not only is he a law-abiding citizen, he goes out of his way to help people, not to harm them. To quote: "There aren't a lot of things I love more than helping people. Science and Cecil are about it."
3. Dana Cardinal
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One of the few to survive an internship with Night Vale Community Radio, Dana became mayor almost without trying. Seriously, she didn't even run, she just sort of...became mayor. In the media, most women in power are portrayed as cold, calculating, and seemingly emotionless. Dana, however, is kind and open about her feelings.
If I had to pick a campaign slogan for Dana, it'd be "be a good neighbor." This is because, when the town of Desert Bluffs, the closest town to Night Vale, was in need, she chose to help them, eventually merging the two cities and alleviating the economic crisis that had been plaguing Desert Bluffs since the fall of StrexCorp. Not only was this act kind, it was selfless. Night Vale has long harbored animosity for its neighboring town, and there was a massive outcry against her decision to merge the two towns. Despite this threat to her power and, potentially, to her life, Dana decided that a town full of strangers was more important than her career.
Although Dana is confident in her mayoral decisions, she is open about her worries and uncertainties. She had on numerous occasions pondered aloud if she is truly the best person to be mayor. She wonders if The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home or Hiram McDanials (a literal five-headed dragon) might have done a better job. She also does not pretend not to be nervous when she is. In fact, she frequently chews on dirt to express anxiety. Also, she just likes to chew on dirt.
4. Tamika Flynn
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At age 12, Tamika Flynn survived the Night Vale Summer Reading Program, valiantly slaying a savage librarian and leading her book-loving peers to safety. At age 13, she led a rebellion against StrexCorp, saving her town from its terrifying capitalist influence. Most would say that she was too young and too innocent to do these things, that, as a child, she should be innocent and obedient. Tamika would laugh in the faces of those who believe that's all a child is supposed to be. Also, she might hit them over the head with a hardcover edition of War and Peace.
Tamika is not an innocent lamb. She is not naive, she doesn't have the sunny worldview that most children in media seem to have. She has seen things that would have made a grown man scream for his mother. She had survived things that would have dismembered that screaming man. Tamika knows that the world is not as pure as some people would insist on telling her it is. In fact, most of the adults of Night Vale are more naive than she, as she is one of the few that do not see books as dangerous.
Not only does Tamika understand things that the stereotypical child of her age wouldn't, she takes action to change the things that she understands are wrong. As I mentioned before, she led a rebellion against an evil corporation that an entire town had been unable to stop. Even after that, she continues to work to change her community, fighting ignorance and discrimination. She especially advocates for the importance of reading, because books are taboo in Night Vale. She does not obey; she leads, and refuses to obey rules she does not believe in.
5. Janice Carlsburg
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Janice Carlsburg is Cecil's beloved niece and the stepdaughter of Steve Carlsburg, Cecil's least favorite person. She has no physical description, other than the fact that she has been unable to walk since birth. In media,there is a dichotomy between two stereotypes for disabled people. One: That they are burdens incapable of being active members of society, and two: That they are somehow inspirations to abled people. Janice wheels cheerfully overtop of these misconceptions.
Janice is an active member of the Night Vale scouts. She's great at selling cookies, and once persuaded Cecil to buy every box she had. On top of that, she's very interested in science, and often peppers Carlos with questions about experiments. Her wheelchair is a "stealth wheelchair" that she designed herself. In short, she is a smart and social girl who is in no way a burden. She is not defined by her disability.
This is not to say she is trope number two, the Inspiration, because she isn't. She's just an 11-year-old kid, with a normal 11-year-old life. She's never used for pity points, she's not there as a "token" character. She just is. Disabled is not her definition, it's just an adjective.
