#wtnv ghost stories

[go-to-the-mirror]

also i've seen one person say like "perhaps we'll get a redemption of cecil and abby's mom" and i think... maybe we'll just get an explanation?

whatever caused her to be unable/unwilling to look after her children can explain it. but it doesn't excuse it. it doesn't make it alright. we already know she wasn't okay, cecil, for example, says in ghost stories,

She’s lost many battles to herself. Alcohol, debt, and lack of treatment or even awareness of a mental illness.

this doesn't make it better, though. she isn't a good mom because there were extenuating circumstances. it doesn't make abby or cecil any less traumatised.

maybe she was fucked up by their father, maybe she couldn't look at them without seeing him, maybe. probably. but that doesn't make her redeemed. it makes her a person. it makes her a person who fucked up her kids, and was fucked up herself.

i really love the way wtnv is handling cecil and abby's family. i think it's done really well, especially this newest episode.

#yeahg #my lonely rambles #wtnv #wtnv ghost stories #<- not shutting up abt that btw #wtnv 246 #<- not shutting up about that either

[lostboywriting]

Today on Night Vale thoughts:

Thinking about Cecil's tendency to look away from deaths he doesn't want to see. Thinking about Go to the Mirror?: Do you think disbelief in death will make it disappear? Are awareness and manifestation one and the same? Thinking about the crooked path leading to the Narrow Place, which Cecil now claims he has never entered, where he wore a black coat and never existed.

Thinking about how in Ghost Stories Cecil tells the story of his mother returning home and dying ten years earlier, when he was an adult. Yet in Go to the Mirror? he asks: When was the last time you saw your mother? It's been since childhood, hasn't it? Since then, I don't think there's been any direct acknowledgement on the podcast that he remembers her death. I could be wrong about this.

In Ghost Stories he says that he and Abby came back together, when their mom returned, to navigate that dark and narrow path of forgiveness.

But he's never been into the Narrow Place, where he wore a black coat and never existed.

You know something you wear black to? Funerals.

All of this is to say, what if somewhere in the last few years Cecil looked away from his mother's death so hard, maybe due to his fears over parenting Esteban and confronting his own mortality, that he subconsciously retconned it into never happening and now as far as he's concerned she's still Out There Somewhere? What if like @bulkhummus said, the traffic in episode 227 was about Abby, and she was going to see their mom? What if the reason everything was identical to how Abby remembered it from decades earlier was because Cecil's just kind of stuck their mom in some nebulous vision of Somewhere that never changes, because Cecil can't let it change, because letting it change would mean letting time move forward and letting what already happened happen, and that would mean letting her die?

Do I think any of this is where the story is actually going? Nah probably not. Am I having too much fun thinking about it to care? Yep thank you for coming to my TED talk

#wtnv #wtnv 171 #wtnv ghost stories #wtnv 227 #wtnv 209

[desert-bluffs-and-me]

WTNV quick rundown - Live Show - Ghost Stories

For other live shows and episode rundowns please check here!

Featurings the voices of Meg Bashwiner as Deb, Symphony Sanders as Tamika Flynn, Joseph Fink as Teddy Williams, Hal Lublin as Steve Carlsberg, Desiree Burch as Pamela Winchell, Dylan Marron as Carlos The Scientist, Jasika Nicole as Dana Cardinal, Wil Wheaton as Earl Harlan, Jeffery Cranor as himself (in intern form), Jason Webley as Louie Blasko, Molly Quinn as Melony Pennington, Kate Jones as Michelle Nyugen and Emma Frankland as Sheriff Sam.

We have nothing to fear but fear itself. Also many other things, several of which can be found in your home. Welcome to Night Vale!

The Ghost Stories in question are submissions by citizens for NV 'annual' ghost story competition. We also got a few regular segments.

Horoscopes reveal that Steve Carlsberg is a Scorpio. Cecil says this is not why they're usually mean. He also mentions that Janice is soon having her first 'ballet fight' which Abby said he wouldn't be invited to if he weren't nice in his horoscopes.

Deb returns with an ad for American Airlines. She tells a story about a family of sentient patches of haze moving into a house that is inhabited by humans. It is pointed out that humans often own houses, a fact which gets Deb in a huff.

In the Children's Fun Fact Science Corner, Cecil suggests that it's been confirmed that time travel will be invented in 30 years and proposes a (failed) experiment to test this out.

NVHS prom will be locking the kids in and allowing them to gamble. The schools tests kids using an electrified maze.

The NV fire department is sure it's kids that start fires, their mascot is a vulture with a camera for a head and their fire chief is Ramona Encarnacion.

Weather: "Where Did I Go" Erin McKeown

Tamika says she learnt English by reading it not listening to it and has a very unusual way of saying potato. Her story is about her best friend Jessice Littleton defeating a librarian.

Teddy Williams is having a haunted house kind of event at the Desert Flower. His story is about the ghost of Marcus Vanston's cat haunting the NV skating rink which was built over the pet cemetary. He says it speaks French, and he only has a Russian dictionary, which he assumes is similar enough to French. He believes that the cat is called Peanut and died of lonliness, waiting for Marcus to return. Unable to reunite even in death it is now a ghost.

Steve tells us about a bus of school children and their driver Mab, stalled on train tracks. They didn't actually get hit by a train but died of natural causes years later. Even so, Steve insists your car will roll and you'll see ghostly handprints if you go to the train station at the right time. He doesn't believe in Cecil's plausible explanations for this and waxes momentarily poetic about the nature of existence which actually scares Cecil. They hug.

Pamela appears to tell a story, seemingly accompanied by one of the mute hollow-eyes children. She insists he was probably there since the last press conference a month ago and Cecil forgot to send him home. She also says he grandfather was a bird. Her story is about a cool rock she found that has a latin inscription on it she is assuming is the book 'Gone Girl'. But since she thinks the movie 'Furious 7' is 'Gone Girl' and Cecil thinks the book 'Ms Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children' is 'Gone Girl' and nobody in NV speaks Latin there is no way it actually is a Latin translation of that book and if it were neither would recognise it. Pamela ate the rock. She also arrived and left on a horse.

Carlos' story actually involves him meeting a ghost in his lab and being more scientifically interested (and embarassing himself by phrasing things strangely to the ghost) than scared. He keeps forgetting he's on radio and not describing things. He also has an assistent called Winchell who lives in the crawl space and the ghost was his relative. He says that many scientists who died from not having OSHA approved eye washes are buried in the cemetary next to his lab. He also believes that Benjamin Franklin tied his kite to a tombstone and that Canada is in Boston.

Dana's story is about her uncle Herbert's mansion. He had apparently cut all contact with their family years prior to his death, only keeping the company of his manservant Sherfwood. The mansion is apparently hideously decorated and none of them wanted it, not even her ghost cousin Denise. This story may also be told by Sheriff Sam, making it dubiously canon for either.

Earl is retelling a story his old scout master Ron Veal used to tell. Its about a group of scouts getting lost at night and developing their own civilisation, eventually drawing straws to see who got killed and eaten. It turns out they were in somebodies back garden and are soon invited back inside, with the mother being upset that her son Richie is not there. His ghost did rejoin the trope eventually and get his apparition badge as did they all some time later. Earl insists it was centuries since he and Cecil were scouts, which causes Cecil to quickly change the subject. Also, Cecil has no idea what a fridge is and thought his fridge was a humming closet full of cold air. It's unclear what he's been using as a fridge as he changes the subject when asked. Earl mentions cooking shows such as 'America's next top self-surgeon' and 'Who's in the slow cooker?' and mentions that cooking masterclasses are in high demand. He also lights a bonfire right there in the studio in order to tell his story. Earl smiles by using his fingers to pull up the sides of his mouth.

Intern Jeffery Cranor tells us a story about Intern Felix's death and how souls work.

Louie Blasko tells us a story about a kid called Harold being murdered by spiders and haunting the NVHS locker room - in song.

Melony tells us of discovering the trapped soul of a person killed by an evil programmer inside of a computer, but fixed the computer as hired so its gone. She also says earthquakes are controlled by a red glowing gem, which you can connect to via wi-fi and use to do most anything. She uses one to get birds to attack her enemies. She says LOL is short for Loss of Lungs.

Michelle is having an open mic night where people who think of themselves as performers are invited to come and stare at the mic in silence. She tells of trying to record something only for a blank hiss to be on both sides of the tape, which she thinks makes her cursed. Cecil says the recording probably just fails and Michelle sighs that nothing fun ever happens to her.

Sheriff Sam tells us of their many, many fears which they apparently really needed to get off their chest.

The longest story is told by Cecil, who keeps taking breaks to allow others to tell their stories or do his regular show. He tries to make it into a story about a woman who died in a mill fire ten years ago and is picked up by a man who she gets to guide her back to said tragic place. In reality, he was retelling the story of his own childhood with supernatural elements and eventually tells us the actual truth.

He tells us that his mother left home when he was 14 and never came back as much as he tried to believe that she would. Because of this, Abby had leave school (assumedly collage or university, as she'd likely have had to be at least 18 to be legally allowed to raise him) to take care of him. He admits that he was petulent and subversive because he was upset their mom was gone and that Abby was not their mother. Abby was reserved and controlling in her grief and also blaming him for her having to drop out. This greatly strained their relationship for years afterwards.

Eventually their mother does come back when the two are already adults, aged beyond her years, worn down by the stresses of debt, alcohol and undiagnosed or even recognised mental illness.

Their mother died and only Abby was there, because Cecil was busy working. On the ten year anniversary of said death he did indeed pick her up and take her home, both of them still full of the grief of their childhood and of their mothers passing and not really healed but on their way to healing. Cecil testifies that most actual ghost stories are like this.

Cecil has, by his own recollection, been working in the station for at least thirty years as he remembers tripping on a specific wire there thirty years ago.

Stay tuned next for that uncertain moment of silence between the last word spoken and the first applause. And from a night that is so much like tonight, as to almost be – indistinguishable. Good night, Night Vale, Good night.

#wtnv #wtnv quick rundown #wtnv ghost stories #welcome to night vale #wtnv live shows

[headofocs-inklesspen]

While everyone is on the topic of WtNV, there a lot of quotes from the series that I cling to and have clung onto since first hearing them but nothing has ever quite so hit me as the epilogue from the Ghost Stories live show.

And the whole entire epilogue is just so wonderfully beautiful and painful and the embodiment of “everything was beautiful and nothing hurts/nothing was beautiful and everything hurts” and when I still had my old iTunes account I would listen to just the epilogue when I really needed a good cry.

But here’s just part of it, for people who don’t know or remember it

“You see, the reality of ghost stories is that they would be comforting, not scary, if they were true like reassuring proof that we go on, after the after. Or a chance to speak with someone that we will never be able to speak with again, but instead we live in a story about us, and about our relationships, and about our families, and the choices of our families going back and back and back. And this story in the same way that a ghost story is scary because it is – unresolved. And filled with symbolism that we just don’t understand.”

#wtnv #wtnv quotes #wtnv ghost stories #also from the epilogue when he’s talking about his mother and ‘some things have wings. and mom just flew away when all defenses failed her’ #sobs and dies #everything was beautiful and nothing hurt/nothing was beautiful and everything hurt

[ace-fandom-dumbass]

Steve

I don't think you understand the point of a Ghost story

#hestia listens to night vale #wtnv #live shows #wtnv ghost stories

[hestias-night-vale-ramblings]

Carlos just being like "ooo science time" upon seeing a ghost I can't

#hestia listens to night vale #wtnv #live shows #wtnv ghost stories #hes a Nerd

[nightvaleofficial]

#wtnv #welcome to night vale #ghost stories

[hangingslothcentral]

Hello folks who enjoy TMA and WTNV, do you crave more audio content that is gay and spooky?

I have some recommendations for you!

@hellofromthehallowoods is a multilayered spooky narrative set in a sinister forest with a huge range of LGBTQ+ storythreads which weave in and out of one another. There are 85 episodes at time of writing and the fandom has been screaming about some of the most recent ones, and for good reason. There are transcripts on their website. Each episode has its own lovely artwork, and a patreon-exclusive bonus story.

@thenightpost tells the tale of conscripted postal workers in the strange setting of Gilt City, feat. a lot of queer love and found family. There are 38 episodes currently available and they're about halfway through Season Three at the moment. The plot is definitely thickening. Transcripts are linked from every episode in the shownotes. Their patreon offers early access to new episodes and some wonderful bonus stories.

@monstrousagonies is an advice show for monsters. enough said. but for good measure, it's softly spooky and has a lot of heart. There are 43 (edit: there are 71 I just can't read apparently sorry!) episodes already released, and many of them are written in response to prompts sent in by listeners to the show. The creator opens up submissions for episode prompts now and then, and submissions will be opening for Season Three fairly soon, so if you have a monstrous agony you'd like to see advised upon, keep your eyes peeled. Transcripts are available on the show website and they have a patreon!

There is also our own show, @spiritboxradio, the story of an unlikely radio show host who discovers he has a bigger part to play in the spooky events unfolding around them. The show is full of queer characters and aims for a growing sense of spookiness that builds as the show goes on. There are 69 (heh) episodes currently live and listenable, and you can get early access via our patreon, plus bonus content every Friday, including bonus stories, Creator's Notes, and a monthly behind-the-scenes podcast. Transcripts for every episode are available on our website.

All of these shows are made by LGBTQ+ folks. They're available on most places you find your podcasts. Is one of these shows not available on the platform you prefer? Drop an ask in our boxes and see if we might be able to change that.

#the magnus archives #welcome to night vale #tma #wtnv #audio drama #spirit box radio #horror podcast #podcast #audiodrama #sbr #ghost story #horror #fiction podcast #podcast recommendations #audio fiction #lgbtqiia+ #lgbtq #lgbt #hello from the hallowoods #hfth #monstrous agonies #the night post #tnp

[thousand-winters]

"I think he was like this in real life, Cecil. I think his ambiguity, his vagueness, is why mom hated talking about him. He is not enigmatic or magical. He is fucking frustrating. All these cryptic images, but I don’t think there’s much to understand about an absent father."

246 - A Story about Him

#welcome to night vale #wtnv #welcome to night vale spoilers #wtnv spoilers #246 - a story about him #why is night vale getting me through a ghost allegory. i say as if night vale doesn't always get me through the wildest stuff

[maxgicalgirl]

It was not a good idea to listen to today’s wtnv on my commute to work because as soon as Abby Fucking Palmer’s voice came out of my car radio I about choked and died. Which is NOT a good reaction when you are operating a vehicle.

#wtnv 246 #wtnv spoilers #Abby Palmer #I’m shocked they gave us the story so soon #but there are so many tidbits I adore about this episode #Abby and her ghost motifs #confirmation of her role in Cecil’s life and feelings about it #ceec and Abby have matching upturned noses and dimples #the possible redemption of their mother #Abby’s speech about humanity needing to check in on each other….. #like……wahhh it’s so good #Abby Palmer-Carlsberg the woman that you are……. #I was enraptured the whole ride to work it’s a good thing I can drive this route via muscle memory

[go-to-the-mirror]

All liveshows (barring The Attic) are a minimum of $5 on their bandcamp.

#wtnv #welcome to night vale #wtnv condos #wtnv the debate #thrilling adventure hour #wtnv the librarian #wtnv the investigators #wtnv ghost stories #wtnv all hail #wtnv a spy in the desert #the haunting of night vale #wtnv the haunting of night vale #wtnv the attic #my lonely rambles #polls

[joskippy]

Nightvale thank you for making ghost stories live show a mandatory listen due to this ep so everyone can experience the agony I went through

#jontalks #wtnv #nightvale I fucking hate you #wtnv spoilers #god ……..I don’t even know what to say about this episode #please listen to ghost stories if you haven’t #my first time through made me cry so hard I got a migraine #……..Abby va #! #woohoo! #…..augfg..

[ymawgat]

i'm re-listening to welcome to nightvale and "the faceless old woman who lives in your home" his very different now that my grandma is dead years after i first listened to it

#wtnv #i can't interpret it as anything other than a ghost story now #its gone from very alien to very familiar #like we have a bunch of stuff from her house after we emptied it so my g-ma is not NOT here yknow #and then listening to night vale and cecil tells me directly #that she's going through our photo albums and touching each face? #and she wants the wifi password? #well alright then

[eclipse-song]

ok but the traffic segment in 227 was definitely about Abby RIGHT?

#it gave hugr vibes of cecils ghost stories monologue #wtnv spoilers #wtnv #welcome to night vale

[destinyandcoins]

It's about the beauty of life and sharing a connection with another human being and remembering that we are all part of a great shared story no matter how small our part and now I'm sobbing at 11am on a Sunday

#Welcome to night vale #Wtnv relisten #I am not immune to wtnv ghost stories (live)

[hestias-night-vale-ramblings]

Oh

oh...

#hestia listens to night vale #wtnv #live shows #Cecil's backstory is real sad #wtnv ghost stories