Entering Night Vale

In one reality Night Vale is a friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep (Pilot). In another it is a bi-monthly podcast presented as a community radio show. It is narrated by Night Vale radio host Cecil Palmer, though other citizens of Night Vale make guest appearances. One of Welcome to Night Vales creators Joseph Fink describes Night Vale as “a town in the desert where all conspiracy theories were real” (Interview). The paranormal to the unimaginable not only exists but is accepted as a part of everyday life. Strange hooded figures, a vague yet menacing government agency, creatures named Erika who are definitely not angels and the constant threat of impending doom are viewed as the norm by the citizens of Night Vale. As Cecil once said “A couple neighbourhoods are emptied out, sure, with books and food and televisions left where they had been at the time of the sudden vanishing, a tableau of the life that never again will be. But it wouldn't really be a weekend without that happening somewhere, right?” (First Date).
Having reached 1^st on the American, Australian and British itunes podcast charts and with over 25 hours’ worth of content Welcome to Night Vale is still going strong (Welcome to Night Vale, 2014). As the main podcast is free the show is funded by donation, merchandise sold through their store and sales from live shows. These lives shows feature new content, special guests and live music, often selling out within minutes (Stats). Luckily these shows are recorded and can be downloaded for pay what you want.

However with (at the time of writing this) 55 episodes already out, not including the live shows, and continuity and call backs playing a key role in its narrative getting into Welcome to Night Vale may seem like a daunting task.  Do not be afraid, unless of course it is street cleaning day then RUN! RUN! FORGET YOUR CHILDREN AND LEAVE BEHIND THE WEAK! RUN! If it is not street cleaning day then do not be afraid (Street Cleaning Day).  While I would recommended starting from the first episode, through this blog I plan to write a catch-up post for those people wanting to start from one of the more recent episodes, as well as character guides and event explanations. For those readers who are already familiar with Welcome to Night Vale I also plan to post episode discussions and other thoughts I may have. So long as these thoughts are approved by the sheriff’s secret police.