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cecilspeaks · 4 years ago

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175 - The October Monologues

[static] [slightly distorted] The trees are dying again. You know it, I know it. The trees know it. They have known it for decades, centuries in some cases. The shiver of cyclic, symbolic death. A rattle in the cold night air. A rustle in the footsteps of a hungry deer. It is October and something is different. It is October and the trees draw the crackling red and orange curtain in the year’s final act. It is October, and so listeners, dear listeners, Night Vale community radio is proud to introduce The October Monologues.

Faceless Old Woman: I am lonely. Oh, I see people. I see lots of people every day. I see you right now. I see you, Caleb, sitting in your rolling desk chair, hunched over your computer. I am a faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home, watching you download yet another video game, Caleb.

But seeing people and being with people are different things. Different ideas altogether. I miss touch most of all. A father’s hand, a friend’s arms. A lover’s chest. I still touch, am touched, but it is not the same. It is not a mutual touch. My touch is unwelcome, unfriendly, unwanted. Yet I touch because I love.

And I love you, Caleb. I do. I know you don’t believe me after what I did to you tonight, but I do. My love is not romantic nor maternal. It’s not platonic, either. I love you the way a deer loves a cornfield. It is safe, it is nourishing. It is in its DNA to want to be there, to hide, to eat, to play. You’re very much like a cornstalk, Caleb. You are loved and you are benign. Better than benign, you are a contribution to this world. The cornstalk is unaware that a deer loves it so much that it will bend it and stomp it until its edible morsels spill out from its crumpled empty husk. The cornstalks, there are so many cornstalks, do not understand that they are so loved by the deer as to be devoured.

You’ve seen a kitten before, Caleb, I know you have. Sometimes kittens are so cute. So so so so cute that you wanna put them in your mouth. Do you understand that kind of love, Caleb, that kind of touch? You do not, no one does. And this is why I’m lonely. But I think you know that. You’re different. You’re lonely too. That’s not what makes you different, we’re all lonely in our own way.

You’re different, Caleb, because you know I am here. You see me even when I do not want to be seen. No one has been able to do that in at least 200 years. Sometimes you speak to me. Not in terror, not in rage; I’ve heard many of these voices in my life from those who feared and detested my presence. No, you ask me my name. I won’t tell you, not yet. You tell me about your day, I’m sorry your new boss is so mean, I will rectify this. And last night, you prepared a dinner for me. You’re not a good cook, I can smell that much, but it was your gesture of generosity that touched me. You made cashio e pepe, a recipe you learned from TikTok, and you prepared a bowl just for me. You waited to see if I would appear, and when I did not, you told me you understood wanting to eat alone, so you left it for me on the dining room table, as you went to play the new flight simulator.

Few men have ever been this kind to me before being frightened into it first, or without using their kindness as a disguise. I think you genuinely understand your own quiet desperation among the mass of men. And in turn, you understand others too. I don’t trust the kindness of men, Caleb. I don’t trust the kindness of women, either. Or anyone else’s kindness, to be truthful, but I especially don’t trust men’s kindness. There are exceptions. Andre, whose kindness was loyalty and honesty, and Albert, although his was a much different kind of kindness.

But Caleb, 23-year-old, unshaven, video game loving, boss hating aimless Caleb, your kindness frightens me. I’m scared of what you want, what it is you plan to take from me. Kind men have stolen my childhood, my morals, my money, my love, my life, and my family. What will you take from me, Caleb, that I have not already lost? I’m afraid. I’m afraid to respond to your gentle bait of friendship, because I am afraid you will take my loneliness from me. I am lonely, and that is a choice I have made for myself.

One day, Caleb, you will die. I know exactly when. It will not be of my hand, although I will do nothing to stop it. It is my fate, my path, to know such things. And in your death, you will return my loneliness to me, and it will be a horror to behold, bloody and misshapen. My loneliness, not recognizing its former owner, will howl an unholy and unceasing cry, and I will not be able to bear it.

This is what I fear, Caleb, and this is why I took the bowl of cashio e pepe you left for me and hurled it against the wall, just missing your cheek. I’m not sad that you screamed at me, I’m happy that you did so. This is how it has to be. We are not enemies, Caleb, no no. I love you deeply. Deeper than you can know. I am your deer Caleb, and you are my corn.

Cecil: The fiery flash of fall leaves stuns us, captivates us. Fireworks in slow motion. Or the crackling embers of a finishing flame. Upon the leaves are written instructions for how to make oxygen, how to give life, with every exhalation. How to find flair in fading grace, and how to raise new life by falling to your death. The leaves know they will return again, so much will return again. We return now to the October Monologues.

Michelle Nguyen: There’s this new song I like, but I don’t wanna tell you what it is. I find it kind of embarrassing. Usually I love to talk about my favorite music. There was that summer I was obsessed with the new single by Saint Vincent. The single came in the form of a glazed vase containing three blue flowers. Only one was ever made, and I got the only copy. I found it very catchy, but the flowers eventually died. Or the year I spent listening over and over to that new Janelle Monae album. I forget the name, but the cover was a black and white picture of a well, and if you didn’t share it with someone else in 7 days, you would die. Of course no one ever died, because the album was so good, people just couldn’t stop telling their friends to listen.

My favorite song of all time is a blank cassette tape still in its plastic wrapper. It was owned by a man named Gary Joy. He was a real estate lawyer, reasonably successful, but he always dreamed of being a singer/songwriter. He dreamed all the time of quitting his job and writing songs, but he had never even written one song. Then one day, in a fit of optimism and energy, he bought this cassette, intending to make his first memo. But the day got away from him, and then the week, and then the rest of his life, and he never quit being a lawyer, and he never even wrote one song. This blank cassette tape, still in its wrapper, contains the potential of all the songs he could have written but never did, which is better and more powerful than any song anyone’s actually managed to write. The potential of the thing is always more perfect than the reality of the thing. However, and this is the crucial drawback, the potential is absolutely useless and the reality, however imperfect, can be quite useful. Anyway, I like to hold Gary Joy’s unwritten demo and imagine what it would be like. Hold on, sorry. There’s a customer.

[bell dings] Welcome to Dark Owl Records. What? No, no. No. No! No. OK, bye! [bell dings] Sorry about that. Some people are so unreasonable. I don’t even know what a Taylor Swift is.

But there’s a new song I like, and it’s not cool like my other favorite songs. It’s not a song that fits the kind of image I like to project. When I put on my mirrored leggings, my extra long jorts, and my really big hat, people expect something from me. They expect me to be on the cutting edge. They expect me only to be into bands that aren’t popular yet, or will never be popular, or that frankly don’t know how to play their instruments very well. And the song I like now is not any of those things. It’s… ordinary. It’s… popular. I don’t wanna say what it is. Remember when I only listened to the sound of beez buzzing? That was a good summer. Of course I got stung once or twice or 30 times. [sighs] Hold on, sorry, there’s a customer.

[bell dings] Welcome to Dark Owl Records! Hey. Hey! Hey! Hey! HEEEEY! Thanks, nice to see you again. [bell dings] Sorry about that.

I’m tired of being cool. I was going to say trying to be cool, but trying implies the possibility of failure, and there has never been a moment when I’ve failed to be cool. But here’s the hard truth I’ve come up against: being cool is a young person’s game. And that’s not because young people are better or more interesting than older people. God no. God no. God no! It’s that coolness itself is a concept tied to youth. Coolness is a reactionary manifestation of insecurity. The more insecure you are, the cooler you need to be. It’s colorful plumage. But as I’ve gotten older, I no londer need flashy plumage. I just wanna sit in the comfort of who I am, and not worry about what that looks like from the outside.

Anyway, I can’t stop listening to “Karma Police” by Radiohead. It’s just… a good song, you know? Hold on, sorry, there’s a customer.

[bell dings] You! You’ll never catch me alive! [sound of running] [bell dings]

Cecil: An abundance of words, words falling, fluttering to the earth. Words crunching beneath our feet. They were beautiful once, the words. Now they are beginning to rot, to wilt, to compost, to ferment new growth. To fertilize new words growing upon great trunks of paragraphs and chapters, but not now. Those will come later. Now the words sputter and drop in spiraling arcs to the ground. Here, then, are the final few brightly painted words falling upon you now. The October Monologues.

Steve Carlsberg: What does it mean to be believed? I’ve always known that Night Vale isn’t like other places. As long as I can remember, I could see that. I could also see that no one else could see it. I was alone in my knowledge. Knowledge may be power, but power is often lonely. My grandfather knew. He could see that I was like him. “Steve,” he would say, “us Carlsbergs have always been the town pariahs, but just because they hate you, doesn’t mean they’re right.” I would sit at night as a kid and listen to Cecil on the radio. He was the same age as he is now, and at the time he seemed so wise. But I would hear him dismiss what I knew shouldn’t be dismissed. I would hear him cover up what should be uncovered, and I would know with a child’s certainty that it was wrong. I loved him still. Everyone in town loves Cecil. It is possible to love someone who you know is doing wrong. It’s terribly easy, in fact.

What does it mean to be believed? As a teenager, I started trying to express what I saw about the world. I gave a presentation in my social studies class called “Night Vale – there’s literally nowhere like it”, and I thought it was informative. The class all plugged their ears in unison. The teacher stopped me a minute in, glancing nervously at the 8 surveillance cameras monitoring the classroom. “Are you trying to get us all killed?” the teacher hissed at me. I remember that her breath smelled like Strawberry Jolly Ranchers, and there was a lose crumb of mascara in the sweat of her temples. “No,” I said. I didn’t know what to say. It’s not the kind of question that demands a sincere answer. The report earned me a trip to the principal’s office, and then the re-education pit, which honestly is not as bad as its name. I mean, almost not as bad. It’s pretty bad. It’s a pit, for re-education. So, certainly learned something from that re-education. I learned that you’re equally likely to be punished for being right as you are for being wrong.

What does it mean to be believed? I was a young man entering the workforce, and I had long ago learned to hide away what I knew about my city. I had learned the handshake and the smile, the nod and the necktie, all the signifiers that hid what I truly signified. All of life is a code, and I had been thought the key against my will.

I got a job as a bank teller at the Last Bank of Night Vale. I studied with great interest the townsfolk who came and went there. I learned about their lives and their secrets, and what kind of money they made for the whispered deals out back of quiet parking lots just before the sun went down, pulled up next to a black Sedan that contained their handler who they only knew by a false first name. but I couldn’t forget what I knew, even if I learned to playact that I had. What I know shapes who I am. I can’t close my eyes, not to this town I love. This weird and secret town I love.

What does it mean to be believed? Then I married into the family of Cecil Palmer, host of Night Vale community radio! And he hated me, because he could see that I knew. And after all these years, my mask had slipped a little. I’d lost my interest in hiding. I wanted to speak the truth as I knew it, nothing could be more threatening to Cecil. His life and livelihood depended on speaking the truth as the City Council wanted it. Or as the Vague yet Menacing government agencies crafted it. And here I was, pointing out to him the sky. There are glowing arrows in the sky, there are dotted lines and arrows and circles. The sky is a chart that explains the entire world! I tried to tell him, and this only made him hate me more. I tried to share who I was with him, and this only made him recoil.

Abby listened to my stories, but she never shared my enthusiasm for the truth. “Let it lie,” she would say, “let it lie.” But that’s he point, I can’t let it lie and I can’t lie! We’ve done that for too long! We’ve let our town sit heavy under the weight of euphemism and half truth, and unless someone just said what they saw for once, we would be crushed eventually by that weight!

And then it all changed. I wasn’t alone. The others saw that we lived in a weird place. And you know what? We kept existing. Our world didn’t end merely because we dared acknowledge it. Cecil and I are friends now. I haven’t forgotten how he treated me, but I understand it and I forgive it. Forgiveness and understanding are not the same as forgotten.

What does it mean to be believed? It means everything. It means all.

Cecil: And as the leaves are done, so are the October Monologues. All that can be said has been said. And all that can be said will be said again.

Today’s proverb: Listen, it might seem like everything’s bad right now.

#welcome to night vale #welcome to night vale transcripts #episode 175 #the october monologues #sorry again for being so tardy #was swamped at work #but here it is

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bolontiku · 6 years ago

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“The Assistant”

Part 3

Word count: 1,157

****

Steve groaned as he turned over onto his side, he needed to throw up. Scrambling out of bed he crashed into a wall and blearily looked around till he found the bathroom door and made it in time to empty the contents of his stomach into the toilet.

Gasping he flushed the toilet and fell onto the ground, carefully cracking open a bloodshot eye to look around.

This is not his bathroom.

Steve stood and washed his hands, grabbing a plastic cup and rinsing his mouth out quickly before splashing water on his face. He grabbed a small towel and walked out, looking around the room he had just been in he nodded, not his place. Not Bucky’s either, where was he? He opened the door to the bedroom and heard laughter, taking a deep breath he stepped out.

Last Night.

You stayed on the couch with Rome, both of you watching movies till you fell asleep in a jumbled mess of arms and legs.

It had been awful getting Steve out of the club and up to his apartment. Rome had to go get his car while you waited with a very drunk Steve leaning heavily upon you right inside the exit door. You had nearly been caught by a few people as you moved him out the door and into Roman’s waiting car, but you had managed it.

Dumping him onto Roman’s bed when you finally made it. “Jesus he’s so damned heavy!!” you exclaimed walking out of the room with Rome who was laughing so hard he had to hold onto the wall and breathe.

“How in the hell is it that we always end up in these kinda situations?! Shit! I should update my Facebook and let everyone know that you got me into some shit again!” he grabbed his phone.

“NO!” you leapt at him wrestling with him till he hoisted you up in his arms and headed for the couch.

“Fine, FINE!!” he exclaimed laughing the entire time, dropping you on it, “Give me a sec, I got extra covers,” he hurried off as you grabbed the remote and switched on the tv, flicking through Netflix for a movie.

“There isn’t anything on here we haven’t watched you know?” you asked as he came back and dumped the covers on you.

“Wanna beer?” he asked moving towards the kitchen.

“Sure,” you leaned your head back on the couch, pulling and kicking on the covers till you were comfortable. “Hey, does he have someone we should call? Like you know...”

“His assistant?” Roman asked dryly.

“I don’t know..” you sighed, “his mom? Family?”

Roman came back handing you a beer and stood for a moment. “Wait..” he set his beer down and ran back to the room. You were about to get up and follow him when he came back. “Thought he might have his phone with him. I am pretty sure his family live outta town,” he plopped beside you groaning when you reached over pulling his hair out of its bun, he dropped his head into your lap letting you run your fingers through the wild mass of silky blond and caramel hair. “Your gonna put me to sleep ya know?!” he warned.

You giggled holding your hands up. “He really doesn’t have a lock on that thing?” you asked surprised.

“I know right?!” he chuckled, “here we go!” he hit dial and sat up, riotous hair going everywhere and you smiled watching him shove his free hand through it. “Hey! Yeah, Bucky Barnes? It’s Roman Vale, I work as an assistant for Tony Stark? Look, I have Steve with me... No, no we got him out. Me and a friend. Yeah, that new assistant of his was...determined, no actually it wasn’t me but my friend that was with me that got him outta the situation, I was just a bystander...Yeah, I will text you my address...”

You watched a variety of emotions cross his face, “Yeah, tomorrow will be fine.” He hung up and groaned dropping against the couch, “So they’ll be here in the morning to pick him up. We just can’t make a lot of noise, Taylor has to be up super early.”

Steve relaxed when he recognized Bucky’s voice coming from ahead. He rubbed his face tiredly and followed the voices, he perked up when he heard a female voice followed by Buck’s ‘sexy voice’.

Roman smiled and waved as he stepped into the kitchen area where he and Buck sat at the island. Steve sat and looked up as you set a cup of orange juice in front of him and a couple of pills next to it.

“Morning,” Steve croaked and frowned clearing his throat as Bucky clapped him on the shoulder laughing. “Shit...what happened last night?”

“You...got really drunk and your assistant tried taking advantage of your fragile self...these two came to your rescue.” Bucky offered as he took a plate you handed him before setting one in front of Roman and Steve.

“Wait...where’s your plate?” Roman asked narrowing his eyes at you.

You stuck your tongue out at him smiling as you reached into the fridge pulling out a bowl of fruits. He scowled at you and pulled your seat closer to his and forced a strip of bacon on you. You slapped his hands away noticing the two watching you.

“Thank you,” Steve said when you looked over at him, before biting into his breakfast.

Bucky let out a little sigh, “I can’t remember the last time I had a home cooked meal for breakfast...or breakfast for that matter.” Steve nodded chewing on a bite of pancakes. “What are you going to do? You’re out an assistant now!!”

Steve dropped his head when Roman cleared his throat making the three of you look at him. Roman wrapped an arm around you and shook you a little, “She already had an interview with you!”

“Roman...”

Bucky clapped his hands together loudly making Steve wince,”THAT’S why you look so familiar! Thought I recognized the pretty face!” He grabbed Steve’s shoulder, “remember I said to hire the other one?! I was talking about her!!” He turned his blue eye’s back to you, “Great! This way I don’t have to track you down, can you start now?”

“Wha-uhhhhh, yes!” you managed to spit out before choking.

Bucky threw his hands up in the air “awesome!”

“Wait,” Steve started.

“Shut up Steve, she’s friends with STARK’S assistant, that in itself is enough to hire her, you need someone who will be good for you and if you don’t straighten up your own agent said he’d quit! She’s your last chance!”

*****

A/N: Let me know what you think?! If you wanna be tagged let me know.

Perma tags:@shamvictoria11 @hellkat2 @the-great-irene @mo320 @magellan-88 @lostinspace33 @tamianich @incadinkadoo @aquabrie @dustycelt @yknott81 @arwa-alii @alyssaj23 @insideoflit @debbielovesbucky @swtwtrgin @saysay125 @rda1989 @xxxprettydeadgirlxxx @whenallsaidanddone @s7sense @vaisabu @the-witching-hours12-3 @learisa @goodnightwife @roselock20 @everybodycriesonce @pegasusdragontiger @suz-123 @lostinthoughtsandfeelings @50shadesofyes @iamwarrenspeace @strange-intricate-dysfunction @lloeppky @feelmyroarrrr @red-writer13 @crystalsnow0304 @badassbaker @supernatural-girl97 @honey-bee-holly @patzammit @oswolfpack @the-real-kellymonster @wildefire @abbessolute @sarahp879 @mummy-woves-you @thisismysecrethappyplace @georgiagrl1990 @geeksareunique @stanevanschick @jamesbarnesappreciationsociety @alexaduke @tilltheendwilliwrite @redqueen1221 @redlipsinkorea @wordsfly-writes-ff

The assistant tags:

@chook007 @mia-at-work @missinstantgratification @breezy1415

#the assistant #Steve Rogers #steve x reader #Avengers #marvel #captain america #bucky barnes #ofc roman #tony stark

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wtnvwritings · 6 years ago

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Courtship Headcanons: Cecil Palmer

Cecil Palmer is a human-shaped being who is good at a great many things. He knows a lot about Night Vale’s history, can write really lovely fanfiction and, of course, he is bettered by no one when it comes to being a radio host for the little community around him.

Other things that Cecil is very good at:

Dealing with a crush on someone

Asking someone out on a date

Oh wait, did I put those things on that list? Let me cross them out, because Cecil is absolutely not good at them at all. Though he falls in love quite quickly with you (those perfect eyes and perfect smile and perfect hair), he absolutely does not know what to do with the feelings swimming around his chest whenever he sees them or thinks about you (which is pretty often, considering you’re his assistant).

It's easy to be professional with them, but any attempt at romance or flirtation only leaves him tongue-tied and breathless--one time he even got so flustered by a mentally-formulated flirtatious quip in your direction after finishing a segment that he forgot to keep up his humanoid glamour, and subsequently scared one of the interns so badly that they fainted (but lived! It would have been a shame to lose Taylor, they are quite the worker).

Hilariously, he doesn’t so much ask you out as you instead learn about his affections on the radio itself--while he may be tight-lipped in person, he’s certainly the talker when it comes to being on the air and in front of a microphone. He actually spent an entire segment talking about you, asking the listeners to call in with relationship advice.

"I've never felt so infatuated, dear listeners--I think I love them! Oh, how they make my heart feel a number of emotions, many of them meaningless in such a short, fragile life--but how they make me feel. What is a simple radio show host like myself to do about this? I haven't dated in...months? Years? Decades? Time is meaningless and silly anyway."

You might listen to this broadcast segment yourself, or perhaps you’re alerted to it with a helpful note on the top of your fridge from the Faceless Old Woman (’Hey, Cecil said that he loves you on the radio today. You should ask him out. Also get more rice, you’re running low and you hate going to the store when you get home from work.’). Nevertheless, perhaps when the work day has finally ended, one of you finally breaks the knowing silence.

You can still hear the lingering tone of Cecil's soft voice in the air as the light of the ON AIR sign dies away. Before you can even open your mouth, the radio hosts is plenty quick to take the reigns of the conversation.

"Will you go out with me tonight? Together. Romantically. A mate-no, crap, I mean a date. With me. I mean, also yourself, I don't want that to be overlooked either."

He knew about your knowing (omnipotence and all) and he wasn't about to just let that knowledge go without at least giving a verbal invitation a good ol' college try. Cecil wasnt quite sure how you felt about pervasive dreams and 'the lingering feeling of being watched' as methods of courtship, since they seemed a but too forward to him.

Your first kiss with Cecil is likely on that very first date. He's shy and gentle as the two of you sit together, enjoying the night sky above Night Vale along with several helicopters hovering high over the desert landscape. You'll point out how beautiful the stars are, and Cecil will likely agree as one of his hands find your own, interlacing your fingers together. It will be then that you notice a figure hiding amongst the desert scrubs, but nothing to worry over as you realize it's simply a member from the Sheriff's Secret Police. The figure will offer a thumbs up to the two of you, a legal accepatance of the date to continue, and Cecil will gently press his lips to your cheek in a chaste, warm gesture of affection.

#headcanon #wtnv #welcome to night vale #sfw #sfw headcanon #writing #cecil headcanon

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castyourpodtothewind · 6 years ago

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CYPTTW Review #8 - Welcome to Night Vale

Who the hell are you?! Hi! I’m Taylor and I recently dived headfirst into podcasts! I have since binged on several of them and decided to make reviews of the ones that really stood out. These are not going to be big, professional reviews (I’m lazy) but they should hopefully contain information to help you get into some great new listens!

Where do you listen to your podcasts? My personal recommendation for listening to podcasts is the Pocket Casts app, available for Android or iPhone. It costs $3.99 to buy, but I think it's super worth it, since it has a lot of great features and zero in-app ads, which to me is worth every penny. But if you like free apps or just don't have the scratch right now, my runner up is Podcast Addict. It's free and has some (but not all) of the features Pocket Casts has, plus you have to deal with the ads. But if you don't like either of those, do some searching! There's lots of options out there.

---

Name of Podcast: Welcome to Night Vale

Creators of Podcast: Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor, Night Vale Presents

Genre(s): Horror, Humor, NPR-style

Start and End Date of Podcast: June 15th, 2012 - Present

Number of Episodes: 134 (as of 9/15/2018)

Release Schedule: New episodes every 1st and 15th of the month!

Where Can I Find It: http://www.welcometonightvale.com/

Donation/Patreon?: Can be found on their official site!

Age Rating: This show is notorious for getting pretty violent and creepy at times. PG-13.

Where I Am Now: Caught Up

Official Summary: Welcome to Night Vale is a twice-monthly podcast in the style of community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff's Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events.

Representation?: AND HOW! This podcast has one of the best reputations for representation, and it’s well deserved. Whether it’s LGBT, Jewish, Muslim, POC, Non-Binary, People With Disabilities, any combination of those things and more, this show is extremely refreshing for those who love a diverse cast that is treated as the most normal thing in a strange town.

Transcripts?: There are two illustrated transcript books available for sale so far, but a diligent fan has been making up-to-date transcripts and they’re awesome, so go check them out! @cecilspeaks

Trigger Warnings?: Death, Body Horror, Gore, Unpleasant Sound Effects, Disturbing Content

How Long To Listen Before Giving Up?: I fell in love with this show instantly, but if you’re new, I would listen until at least episode 13-20.

Anything Else I Should Know?: They do tons of live shows and sell recordings on their Bandcamp page! They also have released two novels and the aforementioned transcript books. They have also confirmed that FX has picked them up for a TV series!

If You Like This, You Might Also Like: King Falls AM, Limetown, Alice Isn’t Dead

Pros

This show is known as “The Gateway Podcast”, and I feel that’s a very deserving title. This show was, like to many others, my first podcast, and it definitely deserves a lot of credit for opening our minds to what this medium could be. The show told a new story in a very creative way and I love how many people it’s inspired to make their own podcasts. While it eventually led us to find other series to sink our teeth into, I think we still definitely owe it praise for how much work got put into making this a very special series. It is still a wonderful podcast and if you’re new to the medium, this show is an excellent place to start and will probably be the first on people’s list of recommendations.

Changing Carlos’ voice actor was a great choice. For those who don’t know, Jeffrey Cranor, co-creator of the show, originally did Carlos’ voice, but stepped down from the role when he realized it wasn’t a good thing to have a straight white guy play a gay Latino character. Dylan Marron was brought in (and his voice is ADORABLE) and they even gave a believable canon reason for why the voice was different. It warms my heart to see people actually do the right thing as far as diverse casting is concerned.

Cecil and Carlos are CANON. It’s easy to take for granted, but still, it’s amazing. It’s a slow burn until their relationship really starts to take off, but I felt that was a very realistic view of them finding each other. The show is great at dropping little hints every now and then that they’re getting closer, then finally bringing it to the forefront when they become official. And you get to see their happy moments of domesticity, their adorable conversations over text and on the phone, hear why the two love each other more than anything, and even get to see realistic arguments and realizations of your partner’s flaws. I feel like their relationship is written very believably and Cecil Baldwin and Dylan Marron have excellent chemistry with each other. A lot of fans are divided about the Desert Otherworld arc, and while that arc did drag on for quite a while, I think it was a good way of showing conflict between the two of them without having them outright fight or go for cheap drama. Like Joseph Fink said on Twitter, (paraphrasing here as I can’t find the exact Tweet), “If you think being long-distance is the worst thing that could happen to a couple, you have a very dim view of relationships.” And as someone who was personally in an extended long-distance relationship until a few years ago (Hi Eileen~), that really hit home for me. It was nice to have that represented on the show.

If you’re one of those fans (like me) who missed the original piano riff that opened the show, it officially comes back in Episode 114. That was nice to hear again.

THE CONCEPT EPISODES, ESPECIALLY EPISODE 133. HOW DO THEY KEEP DOING THIS. THEY’RE SO GOOD.

Cons

The biggest complaints I can really think of with this show are arc fatigue and plot lull. While this show does have numerous plot threads (and the plot threads actually go somewhere, even if it takes a while) it can be a long time after you first hear about a plot before they ever mention it again, or, like with the Desert Otherworld arc, can take over a giant chunk of episodes where it seems like nothing is moving. This can also make things confusing, like in many cases where you can’t remember this person or thing the show is suddenly referencing if you haven’t listened to the show a second or more times.

Not really a complaint the show can do anything about, as I know he’s got his own projects going on and is technically a guest star….but I really wish Dylan Marron could do more episodes. As of Episode 133, there was a 33-episode gap between appearances.

MY RATING: 7/10 GLOW CLOUDS - This podcast will always have a special place in my heart. After a long break away, somehow I always keep getting drawn back to Night Vale. It’s a podcast that excels at taking you on a journey to a strange and mysterious place that seems frightening, but also comforting, where being who you are without questions or apologies seems like a fair trade for danger. I always recommend this show to people who are still confused about what a podcast is, and while many other shows have taken up my attention since, this will always hold the mantle of the first one to make me dive into the medium. So turn off the lights, turn on your radio, hide under the covers, pretend to sleep, and fall in love instantly.

#Welcome to Night Vale #WTNV #CYPTTW #Cast Your Pod To The Wind #podcast #podcasts #Podcast Recommendations #podcast reviews #Podcast Review #Cecil Baldwin #Dylan Marron #Joseph Fink #Jeffrey Cranor #Night Vale #Night Vale Presents #podcast recs

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fey-and-sudden-and-unholy · 7 years ago

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Identity ask: 3, 8 & 20

Replies to this thing, for @seams-unusualpdx:

3. list your fandoms and one character from each that you identify with.Hmm, this will take some thought. There are a lot of characters I completely love, but not many that I look at and go “Hey, that’s me!” So, I’m not sure I’ll be able to do one each, for identifying, but I’ll list my favorites otherwise.

a.) Pandora Hearts - It’s the only manga I’ve read from start to finish, and if you’re into Alice in Wonderland, Victoriana, well-thought-out, psychologically complex characters and truly evil plot twists, I highly recommend it. I have a few favorites, but the one I identify most closely with is Lacie Baskerville. She’s been through a lot, and while it has hardened her, she still has love in her heart and tries to keep a good perspective, and while she’s damaged she’s kind of remarkably well-adjusted, considering everything. She’s got a villain’s background but doesn’t act as a villain (mostly… except when those guys hurt her friend, at which point she kills them and dances in their blood, but… I probably would’ve, too, in her place, so there we are still.)

b.) Labyrinth - One of the major movies of my childhood. Little-me identified quite a bit with Sarah. She had a family life she wasn’t happy with and was preoccupied with the fairness of things. I still get preoccupied with the fairness of things, though I’m better about catching myself at it. X-D My favorite character was Jareth, though.

c.) Welcome to Night Vale - Night Vale makes me so happy. /)_(\ I adore the casual weirdness of it. There’s really no one I identify with, but I love so many of them! Cecil and Kevin and Tamika, and STEVE CARLSBERG and The Faceless Old Woman who Secretly Lives Inside your Home.

d.) The Last Unicorn - Another major childhood thing. I identify a little bit with Molly Grue, in that, again her life’s been harder than she wanted it to be, and she’s still got kindness in her. I admire her practicality. I try for that. Don’t always succeed.

e.) Phantom of the Opera. Another one I’ve loved since I was a kid and I stumbled across this animated version of it. The acting was pretty terrible, but the story was actually more faithful to the book than literally anything else that’s ever been on the screen. I think you can find it somewhere on YouTube, these days. Little-me, having been picked on a lot at school, identified with Erik pretty hard. (As a result, yes, I was of the opinion that Christine should’ve chosen him for many many years. I ship her more with her career, these days. X-D)

f.)The Lecter Series: the books, the movies, the show, in that order. (Don’t get me wrong, the show was fantastic. I loved it, but it was an AU, and my heart belongs first and foremost to the original stories.) I wouldn’t say I identify with anyone, but I’m fascinated by Lecter as a character, in the books/movies, and I was fascinated by Will Graham in the show. For some reason show!Lecter didn’t compel me the same way the previous versions of him did.

g.) American Horror Story - My very favorite characters are Myrtle Snow and Liz Taylor. I aspire to be as unabashedly myself as they are themselves. Honorable mentions go to James Patick March, Misty Day, Marie Laveau, Edward Mordrake, Nan and Fiona Good.

h.) American Gods. Laura Moon and Mad Sweeney give me life. I have no feelings one way or another about them, ship-wise, and I don’t especially identify with them. I just wanna watch them snark at each other forever. :->

i.) Gotham. The Penguin was never my favorite villain, until this show, but I really love him, in this.

j.) Harry Potter. I love a lot of these people, but I suppose the one I come closest to identifying with is Luna Lovegood… a bit of Snape ( with the unhappy family life and being picked on in school, though I’m pretty sure I ultimately handled it better), and a bit of Credence Barebone, for similar reasons. (The grandmother who had the biggest hand in raising me was very fond of trying to use religion as a means of manipulating and frightening me into submission. If the darkness it put in me were capable of jumping out and killing people, she would’ve been the first to go.)

I think I’d better stop there, otherwise I’ll be nattering all night.

8.what musical artists have you most felt connected to over your lifetime?Well, the Beatles would have to be the first thing I talk about, here. For the first 10 years of my life my father and I listened to them on the way to and from school, pretty much every day. There was some David Bowie, Queen, Jethro Tull, and Led Zeppelin, too, some days (And I feel connected to them too, especially Bowie), but mostly it was the Beatles. Bowie is also huge, partially because of Labyrinth and partially because, you know, he’s God. Loreena McKennitt is another one. I adore her voice; it literally stopped me in my tracks the first time I heard it. Chopin made me love the piano, even if I never had the patience or talent to learn to play it well. Maynard James Keenan’s voice gives me chills regularly. Getting to hear him sing live, on Tool’s Lateralus tour, was a religious experience.

20. Would you rather be in Middle Earth, Narnia, Hogwarts, or somewhere else?Hmmmm, probably Hogwarts, with Middle Earth as a runner up. Narnia’s okay, but I’m not so much into it as the other two. There are plenty of other fictional worlds I’d rather be in.

#me

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carl-edwards · 8 years ago

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Creative futures week

Monday 27th February

Creative futures is a 4 day creative conference for students at Glyndwr University.

It’s a diverse mix of talks, workshops and lectures. It was kicked off by Dr Claire Taylor (Deputy Vice-Chancellor) and Professor Alec Shepley (Head of the School of Creative Arts and Professor of Contemporary Art Practice). The opening speeches consisted of the usual welcomes and outlined the benefits that can be had from visiting various lectures and workshops etc.

There was also some encouraging stats given to back up the worth of the creative arts to the economy of Wales. Such as £1in £10 of UK exports are generated through the creative arts, 1.5million people are employed within our industry in the UK. STEAM was also an interesting topic which Alec Shepley talked about. Science Technology Engineering Mathematics or STEM has now become STEAM with the inclusion of Arts, a clear indication that our industries contribution is now being taken seriously at last, as it should be given our contribution to exports and employment. The main Theme of Creative futures seams to be that of collaboration, I hope I’m not by myself in thinking it’s the future (sorry). Any thoughts #creativefutures17.

Collaboration in the creative industries.

A Panel Session with:

Tamara Harvey - Artistic Director of Theatr Clwyd. Alfredo Cramerotti - Director of MOSTYN Gallery & Visual Arts Centre. Gareth Jones - The founder of Welsh ICE, Andy Cheetham – Founded Cheetham Bell in 1992 with partner David Bell. Jo Marsh – Oriel Wrecsam has worked as a freelance artist, curator.

Hosted by Mike Corcoran.

This was an open discussion about the importance of collaboration from the five diverse arts practitioners mentioned above. It was encouraging to hear that the general consensus was that “collaboration is a good thing” be it from a theatre, arts/gallery or commercial perspective. Coming from the same industry as Andy Cheetham I related to many of his observations, and agreed strongly with “never be afraid to work with people that you perceive to be better than yourself”. After all it’s the sum of the parts that makes the whole and everyone learns something from collaboration even if it’s not to work with them again. Andy also made the point, that even when collaborating, someone must be responsible for steering the ship. Or “how many statues have you seen that commemorate committees” to paraphrase Mr Cheetham. That’s why some have the title director (creative director, art director) the clue’s in the name. The art is to create an open and honest, creative environment were everyone feels comfortable enough to say anything. If you don’t bounce the ideas around they don’t get off the ground.

Simon Amor on how to get a job.

Simon’s primary job roll at Qubit is Web design where he designs the UX/Ui of the company site. This talk consisted of the usual and sensible advice given to any creative arts student, work hard, knock on doors, present yourself well, yada yada yada. Simon has only been working for at most 2 years which may well explain why he had some incredibly naive views. One such view was that A.I. created logos were perfectly acceptable and the inevitable future. This just shows a total lack of understanding when it comes to brand. Yes a logo is only a pneumonic for a brands values, but if you don’t care about the logo that represents those brand values what do you care for the values themselves. Short term fly by night ventures please form an orderly queue at Simons (Fiverr.com) Amor’s door. Students deserve better advice.

To be sickened even further visit http://illustrationfriday.com/blog/?s=fiverr

Wednesday 1st March (Dydd gwyl Dewi)

Barry Purves - What is Art?

Barry Purves is a renowned animator and has been involved in stop motion animation for forty years. Amongst his prolific output he’s directed many short films for children such as Wind in the Willows, Rupert Bear and Toby’s Travelling Circus. Barry has also made many films for adult audiences: Achilles, Screen Play, Next, Rigoletto, Plume and Tchaikovsky, they have won awards around the world, receiving Oscar and BAFTA nominations. Barry has also received several life time achievement awards and honorary Doctorates. As you may suspect after 40 years in the creative business this is only the tip of Barry's iceberg, Barry was also involved with Mars Attacks! And King Kong. Barry has written books, he also teaches and leads many workshops in Universities and studios. He’s even directed and designed several dozen theatre productions. You really need to visit http://www.barrypurves.com to understand how much great work he’s responsible for.

Did I find out the answer to the question “What is art?”

No, but I suspect raising the question was Barry’s intention, not to answer it. What I did take from this Keynote Address? I learnt the importance of storytelling and the role of devices within storytelling. One of my favourite examples, was the talking umbrella in Mary Poppins, used as the inner voice/conscience of Mary. There were many more examples from Shakespeare, greek mythology, folklore etc. How devices can be used to create a contract of understanding between the work and the viewer, Barry sighted many examples one being the opening credits of Star Wars.

It tells the viewer up front that this is a fantasy story, come along for the journey. A simple contract of suspended belief is entered and the story can begin. Let the viewer understand the technique it creates an understand and a bond. All of Barry's advice and observation could be well applied whatever your chosen discipline, all art is a contract between the creator and the recipient.

Making Arts Events Happen in Wales

Neal Thompson, co-founder of FOCUS Wales, and conference booker for the FOCUS Wales festival.

Sarah Jones, FOCUS Wales Festival Assistant.

Meilir Tomos, is one of Wales most exciting, intriguing and provocative musicians.

Hosted by Mike Corcoran.

This was a panel discussion which provided some expert advice on setting up and delivering arts events of all kinds. The discussion was conducted bilingually and seamlessly. One point that stuck me, was the observation that most music events are now truly of mixed language, not exclusively Welsh or English in nature. As a first language Welsh speaker I found this very encouraging, I personally believe that Welsh only acts gigs are sometimes insular and don’t encourage an understanding of or desire to learn our beautiful native tongue. For further information on a complex subject that I can’t do justice to in a blog please visit http://www.focuswales.com

A proud and important day to any Welshman and Welshwoman was brilliantly celebrated by a great bilingual set performed by Meilir Tomos, shame it wasn’t a longer set.

Thursday 2nd March

Channel 4, All 4 and the future of On-Demand

Speaker: Thom Gulseven, Tom Jenkins and Laura Rankin

Thom Gulseven, Commissioning Editor of All4 talked about Channel 4’s ground-breaking digital platform. Thom informed us that it was 2016 when the old 4OD site was re named and branded as ALL4. The new site was in response to changing consumer needs and patterns.

The screen above was the basic goal for the new branding.

This was what the new brand was to offer it’s chosen target audience.

Yes I know the slide says brief but I would say this slide was the new brand positioning or proposition.

Thom went on to explain what his job titles (Commissioning Editor) role was to choice content for All4, and that it took him a couple of weeks to get to grips with what this really meant. He had a chat with someone he considered to be a mentor, who advised him that he should simply choose the things that he liked.

This pricked my marketing ears, making me ask the question who’s actually acting as brand guardian at ALL4?. Surely content must be guided by the brands objectives? not just Thom and his fellow Commissioning Editor’s personal tastes, there must be more of a plan at All4, isn’t there? Unfortunately there wasn’t the opportunity for me to ask the question, any views?

Tom Jenkins and Laura Rankin from 4Mashed then finished of the talk.

As it say on the banner 4Mashed bring you the lucky consumer, sweet cartoons every week, in a short form content. One very interesting fact that Tom threw out was that You Tube vales a 4 minute viewing of a 10 minute video higher than a complete viewing of a 3 minute video, I personally find this really intriguing and would love to know more about there reasoning. If anyone know the answers please get in touch. Laura Rankin closed the talk nicely with some insights into her techniques.

Building a brand

Kirsten Hall

This was a solid useful talk with good case studies to back up the worth of brand building. It is the foundations on which brands build success and Kristen at Fogg Associates demonstrated a thorough and clear understanding of why and how to build a brand. Below is an example of some of the work for Warrington Rugby League done by Kirsten.

Personally I wish that more disciplines (illustrators, animators, photographers, etc.) understood what makes a brand and how a brand personality is built. It’s time for creatives to empower themselves with that knowledge. A brand that’s had the input of creative thinking by creative people before a pencil has been put to paper or typeface perused, now that’s a thought Mr Marketing Director.

INSPIRE Closing keynote address

Speaker: Tim Wallace

As you’d expect a well presented slick talk from an experienced pro photographer at the top of his game. This talk also consisted of the usual and sensible advice given to any creative arts student, work hard, knock on doors, present yourself well, yada yada yada, the difference with Tim’s advice was it wasn't interspersed with unsubstantiated bad advice based a blink of an eye career and ignorance. Enough bile.

If there’s one point I’ll take from Tim’s talk it would be “respect yourself and your work”. It’s reminded me to respect my own work, it’s very easy when you've been in the business for as many years as I have, to forget your value, achievements ability.

That’s how to value your work. If you don’t respect it why should others. How do you frame a PDF? Ever said, that PDF felt good, nice weight and texture? It’s made me think.

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