#the horror stories from this trip wil never stop i fear

[littlestarbigsky]

me when i have to be an adult and i DON’T eat shit and die?

[morporkian-cryptid]

The voice of Night Vale is...

(I’ve written this essay last summer and posted it on fanfiction.net; guess I should also put it here. English isn’t my first language, so please don’t mind the little grammar mistakes ^^ Also, it is not up to date with the latest episodes, such as Filings (that episode alone could be the reason of a whole essay in itself))

We have all noticed strange stuff about Cecil Gershwin Palmer: his lack of feelings (especially empathy or fear), his ability to communicate with most, if not all of the supernatural beings that roam Night Vale, and the fact that he seems to have been around forever. But like, literally: EVER.

It is time to investigate.

The Theory:

It all fits in one phrase: Cecil is the immortal incarnation of Night Vale.

The Arguments:

Too lazy to go through the whole explanations? A short summary of all the arguments is at the end of this essay.

I - Credits

The first thing that struck me is the way Cecil is credited at the end of each episode. The “Proverb Lady” usually credits the actors by saying: “The voice of Dana Cardinal is Jasika Nicole” , “The voice of Earl Harlan is Wil Wheaton” , but for Cecil, all that we get is “The voice of Night Vale is Cecil Baldwin”. Sure, they had to credit Cecil Baldwin before the radio host actually had a name (which happened quite late in the podcast), but it continued even after we knew that he was Cecil Gershwin Palmer. It is also interesting to note that the same thing relates to Kevin, from Desert Bluffs: at each of his apparition, he is credited as “The voice of Desert Bluffs” … even though he does have a name since his very first apparition.

II - Immortality

It has been obvious, since the episode Homecoming, that Cecil has been around for a long time. During his discussion with Earl Harlan, the cook mentions the fact that they were childhood friends and have graduated high school together; which means they were about the same age. Then, Earl was 19, and remained stuck at that age for a long time - according to him, it was decades, maybe even centuries. And in all that time, Cecil's life has been going on.

Internship

Cecil’s first broadcasts were as a radio station intern, while Leonard Burton was the community radio host. And Leonard has also been around for a very long time - according to Cecil in [Best Of?]. In truth, Cecil’s first ever broadcast, as an intern, was when Night Vale was founded (this is the first recording played by Leonard in [Best Of?].) Well. As with everything in Night Vale, it is actually way more complicated than that.

There are two episodes that give us a lot of information about Cecil Palmer’s youth: Cassette, and later, [Best Of?] . And both stories don’t really match.

1) In Cassette, we learn that Cecil was 15 when his mother gave him a tape recorder so that he could practice radio talking (since the tablets at City Hall said that he was meant to replace Leonard Burton someday, but we’ll talk more about that later). It is also at that time that Cecil started interning at the radio station. Important point: he mentions the newly open Big Rico’s Pizza, and the previous pizza place that burned down the week before. Which means (along with the mention of City Hall) that Night Vale already existed.

When Cecil started interning, his mother suddenly covered all the mirrors of the house, and hid from him for three days in a row.  Hiding is apparently a normal behavior for her, but Cecil mentions that it is the longest she has ever hid. Cecil’s brother does not seem to appreciate his brother interning at the station, either. Did they know what was going to happen to him?

Now comes the important part…

While recording, Cecil notices a flickering movement at the edge of his vision. The movement stops when he stops recording. He then mentions that the movement seems “encouraged” by the fact that he is recording. All the mirrors are eventually uncovered (by his mother? by the Faceless Old Woman? by someone else? we will never know), Cecil notices the movement stronger than ever, and then… struggling noises, faint screams, and blank.

I think that, at that moment, Cecil became possessed by a different entity, which I believe is the spirit of Night Vale (or something similar). That spirit keeps Cecil alive, and erased some of his memories: he does not remember anything that was on the tapes, such as him interning at the station, and the fact that he has a brother (There is a rumor going around that Abby, Cecil’s sister, is transsexual; and knowing Night Vale, it wouldn’t be surprising that in addition to the surgery to become a woman, doctors did “something” (?) to make everyone believe that Abby had always been a woman. But that is an entirely different theory. ).

2) The story told in the other information-full episode, [Best Of?], unfortunately bears a lot of details that contradict the clues from Cassette.

Cecil, in his first recording, is older than he was at the time of Cassette: he has a more mature voice, and is not as hysterical about his new job as he previously was. But! the first recording is obviously done at the moment of the foundation of Night Vale. And intern Cecil in Cassette lived in already-founded Night Vale.

Secondly (but this is a minor point), in Cassette, Leonard Burton is said to have a very high-pitched voice… which is absolutely not the case in [Best Of?], where we hear him talk “live”.

If we stay in the subject of the time problem, we can also mention the fact that current Cecil has a family, in the name of his sister Abby. We know that Cecil has been around for a long time, it is said both in Homecoming and [Best Of?], and probably in various other episodes. Does that mean Abby is immortal too? Or that she is not really related to Cecil, and they both have fake memories of their childhood (if Cecil even remembers a childhood at all)?

Let’s close this little digression and go back to the [Best Of?] episode. Among the interesting stuff we learn there, we can list:

The fact that Cecil’s trip to Europe occurred during his internship (but probably not part of the internship itself).

That Josie was already around in the 1930s; she was at that time very young, but already knew how to perform magic tricks and minor prophecies.

That Leonard Burton, the previous radio host, retired sometime during World War II, in order to understand what family was about. It’s at that time that Cecil Palmer took on the job of community radio host.

That in 1983, the world ended. Yes. The world ended. It started with a report about Night Vale’s Russian sister town, Nulegorsk, being destroyed by bombs. Then, reports of all the horrors of the Cold War. And then... nothing happened, it’s a beautiful day in Night Vale, and only one person in the whole town realizes that reality has shifted, and still partially experiences a reality in which the world no longer exists (that person is not Cecil). That means someone, or something, moved all Night Vale into an alternate reality in which they were safe.

That a terrible accident (implying guts, blood, skin, and the toenails… oh my, the toenails…) happened to Leonard Burton, an accident so huge that it was likely to draw the attention of street cleaners. An accident that caused his death, as is very clearly said in the recording. An accident that he does not at all remember having. And that apparently had no consequences on his current self, who is perfectly alive and healthy, thank you very much.

The problem of these two episode’s stories not matching could be explained by saying that the Cecil present in Cassette is not the same person as the Cecil from [Best Of?], but then why do they both have the same name and the same voice? Or it could simply be explained by quoting Carlos: “Time isn't real!” (Although I know Night Vale cannot be studied using logic, I am not comfortable throwing away all my questions and concerns and just answering “Because Night Vale is weird, duh!”)

Other immortals

Cecil Palmer is obviously pretty much immortal. But the thing is, he is not the only one.

I already mentioned Leonard Burton, the previous radio host: he was radio host at the time of the foundation of Night Vale, if we base ourselves on [Best Of?], and was already host for a while when Cecil started recording his own tapes at home, according to Cassette. Anyways, Cecil himself says, in [Best Of?], that he genuinely can’t remember a time when Leonard wasn’t doing that job. If we consider true the theory currently being explored (the spirit of Night Vale incarnating in community radio hosts), it is probable that Leonard was the incarnation of Night Vale himself before he retired and passed on the job (and the role) to Cecil.

Earl Harlan has also been around for a pretty long time. He graduated high school at the same time as Cecil, so probably a very long time ago (assuming that Cecil is indeed immortal), and has been stuck for decades, maybe even centuries, at age 19. The thing is, he remembers spending a long time not growing up, and he does realize how strange his sudden change of situation (grown-up, father and sous-chef of Tourniquet) is, whereas Cecil doesn’t remember interning at the station, doesn’t remember much about Leonard Burton (except the fact that Leonard was the community radio host when he was little), doesn’t remember in what year he and Earl graduated, and suddenly changes the conversation when Earl asks sensitive questions about their common childhood and teen years. That leads us to an important question: what is Earl’s role, why is he immortal? His character is obviously here to bring up questions about Cecil’s past life, but he still must have a role to play in Cecil’s backstory. A pretty important role, considering all the stuff that has happened to him. And the fact that he mentions his extended youth so much means that it is not a common thing in Night Vale (contrary to other weird things such as having several limbs, or no sensitive nerves, for example).

As I said earlier, being part of his close family, Abby brings up the problem of Cecil’s life’s length. If he has been around forever, what about Abby? It is probable that she is also immortal - if she is actually related to Cecil, which is not totally sure.

In [Best Of?], acting legend Lee Marvin is also mentioned (probably only as a running joke). He has been around since the foundation of Night Vale, and seems to always be celebrating his 30th birthday.

The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home already Secretly Lived In Cecil’s Home at the time of Cassette. Which is not very surprising (The real question is: at what time was she a Faceless Young Woman? ).

III - The theory, detailed

Night Vale, as a town, is also represented by a spirit / a voice. That spirit inhabits the body of actual people, one at a time. These incarnations are not chosen randomly: it seems evident that Cecil was chosen because of his passion for radio (he says, in Cassette, that the flickering movement seems to be encouraged when he records, and he also says that the radio station immediately felt like home. Also, it was written on the tablets at City Hall that he was bound to replace Leonard Burton someday).

That person, that incarnation (Cecil Palmer, in this case), does not know that he is the incarnation of the town’s spirit. His original personality and behavior are not erased by the spirit (current Cecil, young Cecil from Cassette, and untimely Cecil from [Best Of?] all use the word “neat” to describe things that they find incredibly awesome), but can be overcome by it (according to the September Monologues, Cecil originally appreciated Steve Carlsberg, before Steve started showing that he knew “too much” about the Sheriff’s Secret Police’s hierarchy and work, which isn’t normal/legal for a Night Vale citizen). But the spirit erases part of its host’s memories (such as Cecil having a brother or interning at the station). Why? It remains a mystery.

Most things in the podcast seem to confirm this theory, except the timeline: if we consider the spirit took possession of Cecil’s body at the time he was an intern, in Cassette, then why was Leonard still the “voice of Night Vale”? I am certain that the incarnation of Night Vale has to be the current community radio host; which was Leonard for many years. But then, why have also Cecil inhabited by the spirit, while Leonard was the incarnation of the town? Why have two at the same time? I don’t think having a “replacement” in case something happened to Leonard is a reason good enough. The most probable (but not certain) answer is that Cecil seemed the perfect person to take on the job after Leonard; but considering at what time he was born, there was no chance he would still be alive when/if Leonard died (or retired). The spirit therefore took possession of him while it was still possible, and maintained him alive until he was needed to take on Leonard job/role (and still keeps Cecil alive today).

IV - Consequences of the possession

Cecil’s abilities

First of all, he is immortal. He has obviously been around since the foundation of Night Vale (he was 15 at that time), and although we have no idea of his current age, he doesn’t seem to be very old.

He is always in the middle of the action, and is often the one who speaks for or is spoken to by all the higher beings that roam Night Vale (such as the Glow Cloud, the Pyramid, the Hooded Figures, and very recently, the Deer-Masked figures). Although he is not the only one: Old Woman Josie is the only person to whom the not-at-all-angels revealed themselves, and Chad only talked to Steve Carlsberg about the arrows in the sky. And obviously, Steve is the only one who sees the chart in the sky and understands all that is going on (if we momentarily forget Chad, who apparently also could see them after his first encounter with the Beagle Puppy).

Cecil has very few emotions - or at least did at the beginning of the podcast. We have all been struck by his lack of feelings - “And now, a short public service announcement: can alligators eat your children? Yes.” But this seems to have been slowly changed, mainly by two people: Carlos (since the very first episode), and Khoshekh. Cecil always overreacts to anything Carlos says or does, and he is overwhelmed by his kitty’s adorableness. These kind of feelings have eventually started developing towards other people: Dana Cardinal, Janice (although Cecil rarely says anything about his sister Abby), Fay from ZZZ, the number radio station, Tamika Flynn during the revolution against Strex Corp,  and of course, the inhabitants of Night Vale in general. In the latest episodes (and especially in the 91st episode), Cecil has been able to feel a lot more for the people around him and for what was happening to him, and to express these feelings on the air, which he had very rarely done before.

However, it is interesting to note that he has always, since the beginning of the podcast, been able to feel anger or hate, especially towards two targets: Steve Carlsberg, and Kevin (and Desert Bluffs in general).

His feelings and mood sometimes radically change for no reasons. The main example of this is his first encounter with Steve Carlsberg, at his and Abby’s wedding. According to Steve himself in September Monologues, Cecil was at first very friendly and welcoming, before Steve showed him his knowledge of the secret hierarchy of Night Vale, and Cecil immediately started hating and avoiding him. Secondly, when asked by Earl Harlan in what year they both graduated from high school, instead of saying that he didn’t remember, Cecil remained silent for a few seconds, before redirecting the conversation on the tiramisu Earl was supposed to bake, and totally ignoring Earl’s question. The exact same thing happened more recently when Old Woman Josie begged Cecil to acknowledge the existence of angels: he stayed speechless for a moment, and then went on with the interview about the opera like nothing had happened. I think these changes in behavior are directed by the spirit of Night Vale inhabiting Cecil. It usually lets Cecil live his own life and make his own choice (even though it probably directs them towards a way that fits the Night Vale mentality), but when something is opposed to this mentality, or questions Cecil’s past or his role, then the spirit concretely interferes.

Cecil is able to predict future events, or present events that he is not included in. It was mainly shown in two episodes, A story about you, and A story about them. As said by one of the two crate sellers, “for some reason, everything you’re doing is being broadcasted on the radio”. However, Cecil doesn’t know everything that is going on, and he is certain to be a normal Night Vale citizen. (The Sheriff's Secret Police constantely watching all of Night Vale could be a rationnal explanation for Cecil's extremely extended knowledge about the people of the town.) Second example: in [Best Of?], after mentioning some strange figures observing the pioneers from the heights, intern Cecil prophecies that the inhabitants of Night Vale will grow to ignore, and even stop believing in anything related to height, such as hills or mountains. Which eventually became real: nowadays, most Night Vale citizens don’t believe in mountains.

He is totally dedicated to his radio host job: being literally  the voice of Night Vale, and having originally a strong passion for the radio, he is totally dedicated to bringing the news to his fellow citizens, even at the peril of his own life.

We could also imagine that, if Strex Corp failed in effectively taking over Night Vale, it is in fact because at that moment, Cecil wasn’t in Night Vale. For instance, when Strex Corp took over Desert Bluffs, they easily captured Kevin, who was standing against them to protect the radio station. Cecil, on the other hand, had fled in the Desert Otherworld when Strex Corp “invaded” Night Vale; and although the Dog Park is geographically located in Night Vale, the Desert Otherworld isn’t (as a proof, Carlos had to stay in the Desert Otherworld at the end of Old Oak Doors, because he didn’t belong in Night Vale). The spirit of Night Vale itself being temporarily out of the geographical location of the town, Strex Corp had no chance of successfully controlling Night Vale; although the Erikas and Tamika Flynn’s help were needed to actually kick Strex Corp out of the place. (This is totally unsure, and we don’t have enough clues to confirm it; it is only an additional theory. )

V - Small recap

Confused? Too much information at once? This is the Night Vale syndrome. Welcome to the fandom. Anyways, here is a short recap of the arguments leading to think that Cecil is the immortal incarnation of Night Vale.

Voice actor Cecil Baldwin is always credited as “The voice of Night Vale” instead of “The voice of Cecil Palmer”.

Cecil Palmer is pretty much immortal, or at least has been around for a very, very  long time.

He is more often than not the spokesperson of the many supernatural beings that visited/invaded Night Vale (the Glow Cloud, the Pyramid, one of the Hooded Figures, the elementary school’s computer, the Deer Masks…).

He can predict future events, and reports on news he has no means of knowing about.

His first ever broadcast has been made at the moment of the foundation of Night Vale, and he had been working at the radio station way before radio was even invented.

He has very few feelings (at least at the beginning of the podcast), and has an utter trust in Night Vale’s totalitarian government.

A seemingly mortal accident happened to him in his youth; accident that actually didn’t kill him or leave any visible sequels, but probably lead to a possession by a supernatural entity.

He has fake memories, and doesn’t remember many of the major events of his past life, which suggest that someone or something modified his memory.

His mood/feelings/opinion change incredibly quickly when something comes to question his beliefs or knowledge (such as Steve Carlsberg’s presentation on the hierarchy of the Secret Police, and Earl Harlan’s questions on their common childhood).

 He is totally, absolutely dedicated to his news reporter duty, at the point where he values his job more than his own life, leading him to take great risks to fulfill his duty. (But not more than his relationship with Carlos, though: he took the decision to quit his job and leave Night Vale to meet his boyfriend in the Desert Otherworld. It is interesting to notice that family is also the reason Leonard quit the radio station (although in his case, he wanted to understand what family meant, rather than spending time with his).)

Do you believe, now?

But despite these clues, many questions remain: why doesn’t Cecil remember his childhood? Why do the stories of Cassette and [Best Of?] contradict each other? Who is really Abby? What is Earl Harlan’s role? What happened to Cecil’s mother and brother?

These might be answered in future episodes, but they might as well remain mysteries forever. After all, Night Vale is a weird place, isn’t it?