on WTNV Old Oak Doors B

[xparrot]

OMG OMG STEVE! DANA!!!

CARLOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!

In no order:

Dana became mayor! Exactly as the bro predicted, and much better than my fear of her replacing Cecil as the Voice. The bro is also thrilled that Hiram and the Faceless Old Woman ran off together to plot (I think he ships them.)

Kevin...was not a willing Strex-convert, then? But was he always so terrifying and bloodthirsty? Or is that a result of his forced conversion? Also if he was thrown through a door does that mean he's where Carlos is???

CARLOS--

...no, I can't process yet, I'll get back there...

STEEEEVE CARLSBERG!!!! Yaaaaaay Steve - how does he manage to still be a conspiracy nut in NIGHT VALE??? Where the conspiracies are almost all real but Steve is still a nut because he believes in the WRONG CONSPIRACIES (Really, Steve, secret missile silos, EVERYBODY knows about those!)

And Steve is a good step-father to Janice! Awwwwwwwww...Also great at impressions (except when it comes to Carlos, ahahah). And he's also...the Hulk? A werewolf? wtf???? But I feel justified in my Steve Carlsberg love, Cecil's just being ridiculous, not because Steve is actually a bad person or a bad father. Lack of proficiency at selling girl scout cookies aside.

Also, Steve refers to Cecil as his 'step-brother', which...either he actually is his step-brother (one of Cecil's parents married one of his parents) or it's because he's Janice's step-father, taking the place of Cecil's brother, so now is, kind of? Cecil's step-brother. Either way I am 99% positive that Janice is the daughter of Cecil's forgotten brother, and not his sister (as I've said before, I really hope Janice isn't his sister's daughter, because it would mean Cecil has a terrible relationship with his sister, that he talks about how much he loves his niece but hasn't mentioned his sister once.)

And Strex is gone, and taken out, and possibly owned by Marcus Vansten Erika. Which...well, considering the chimney sweeps may not be that great an improvement for the world overall. But better for Night Vale, anyway.

--I cannot say how much I loved that Cecil several times questioned was it really better, Night Vale with or without Strex, given that Night Vale is such a terrible terrifying place. It's been one of the things that's amused me the most about this whole arc, that we-the-audience come out so strongly on Night Vale's side even though there is no good reason to be, except that Night Vale is the devil we know - it's Cecil's beloved town, and we love Cecil so we have to love it, too!

And speaking of love, and because I can't avoid it forever...CARLOSSSSS ;_____________;

As soon as his phone message starts you just KNOW where it's going, from his tone (oh Dylan Marron, your little crying voice)...especially as Steve had just brought up that Carlos is an outsider (and also maybe a government agent? HMMMMM...) and oh Carlos, you goof, with your science and your emotions and figuring things out. But now he's trapped on the wrong side of the doors (with Kevin?) and Night Vale can be very difficult to enter...

...Especially when he doesn't remember how he got there to begin with. Ummmm I really hope we hear more about that - did he have a life outside of Night Vale? Does he remember that life? Will he remember it now? I'm wondering if he might be able to leave the desert and mountain behind the doors, and go to the real world...

I'm also wondering how long it's going to take him to get back - because he has to get back to Night Vale; putting aside my poor little breaking shipper's heart, I don't see how their story can go anywhere satisfying except reunion. Not in a comedy, which Night Vale ultimately is. But it could take some time...I'm really hoping not another year! Heck, it could be fixed next episode, though I doubt it; there's too much story potential in the separation.

It amuses me how painful I find it, really, given that from our perspective as an audience, it changes almost nothing - we've never actually seen Carlos & Cecil together (given it's an audio drama) and almost all their interactions we've heard have been over the phone anyway, which we'll still get! Though as a ficcer it's upsetting to me given that Carlos is my sole POV char (somewhat uniquely - WTNV may be the only fandom I've written for extensively that I am so tied to a single voice. It's just, getting inside a Night Vale native's head, brrrr~~~)

Also as a ficcer I have to say - totally called it in "Displacement" ...Okay I was just playing on existing themes but still, it works rather presciently well if I say so myself :P

So now the question is where is the story going - with Carlos, and with the show in general? What plot will come in next year? This arc was so successful I suspect they've got plans for some other ongoing story - my hope is that it will involve Cecil's backstory somehow because I want to knooooow, what's the deal with his mother? his brother? WHAT HAPPENED IN CASSETTE? Also who bought Lot 37? There are a lot of places the show could go...looking forward to seeing where it does!

Is the next ep here yet? What do you mean, TWO MORE WEEKS? D:

Comments

[sheron]

Your flailing reviews make me very curious about this show! Is it like, voice only the whole time? I've never even listened to audio books in my life so I can't imagine this XD But you make it sounds awesome... *torn*

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

(eheheheh you asked for it? Or maybe you didn't, but eh, fish gotta swim and a fangirl's gotta pimp! ;)

Yup, it's audio-only - this episode and a few others were actually performed as live shows, but even then it's just actors standing up in front of mics, no costumes or props or action to speak of (lots of goofy expression though, if you're there live; but the releases are audio-only anyway...)

For what it's worth, I rarely listen to audio books or podfic - I read so fast that I find reading out loud frustrating, it goes too slowly! But audio performances are different, I've always loved radio drama; they're a unique type of storytelling. WTNV is somewhere in between; certain eps like this one have a big cast, but most of the eps are just the single narrator Cecil, talking about local goings-on that build into a more complete story of a very strange town and the very strange people who live there.

And I'm crazily obsessed with it, so yeah, when I say I think it's worth listening to, I may be biased. But it doooooes have a canonical and canonically adorable gay romance that starts out ridiculously and slowly develops into this genuine low-key and sweet relationship. (I will warn you if that's the main thing that interests you, it's only in about a third of the episodes - Cecil tries to keep it professional and not talk/flail about his private life too much. He does not always succeed. ;) It's also got a ridiculously surreal and often dark and/or existential sense of humor that I love:

("And now a brief public service announcement.

Alligators: can they kill your children?

Yes."

*onto other news*)

--though it's overall a comedy; while people die by the droves to the town's many catastrophes (like the horrific bloodbath that is Valentine's Day. Or Street-cleaning Day), it's pretty much always nameless citizens, while the people you get to know and love all survive intact (somehow.) It pretty much hits me in my sweet spot of comedies-with-a-little-more - my most favorite series tend to be comedies that can go genuinely dramatic when called for; or else dramas with a lot of comedy...

Plus I really like how it uses the medium in its storytelling, a lot of what it does really only works in audio format, with so much left unsaid. And there's a great freedom in fanning on something when you don't actually know for sure what anyone looks like, just what they sound like...

Anyway, if you want to check it out, all the eps are posted for free (you can get them on iTunes, or I listen here: http://podbay.fm/show/536258179

(if the first ep throws you off, you may want to try a later one; Cecil's tone changes considerably as the series continues. The first year of eps are all pretty much self-contained random stories; second year gets an arc, though it's sporadic for the first half...)

[sheron]

Aww thank you for a great response!

I never listened to audio books for the same reason, it's too slow.

For this show I'd be worried that I wouldn't be able to identify who is who -- I'm not that great at telling apart voices (mostly because I never had to try?). But I think I'll give it a listen at some point soon just because your posts on tumblr make this seem like a genuinely cool thing :) Thanks for the link!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

If you're worried about differentiating voices, then WTNV is a great place to start with radio drama - like I said, it's not exactly normal drama, it's got a lot in common with narrated books as well. It plays like a community radio show usually, with the host giving news reports, ads, etc. For the first 15 eps there are no guest voices at all, only Cecil (giving accounts of what other people in town are saying.) After that there are guest voices maybe every 3-4 eps, but usually only one and in very limited roles (often in the form of someone calling into the show or somesuch). This ep had a huge cast but it's pretty much unique in that, and by the time you reach it you'll know who everyone is!

[joonscribble.livejournal.com]

Either way I am 99% positive that Janice is the daughter of Cecil's forgotten brother,

This would make more sense to me although when Cecil says in "Cassette" that he doesn't remember having a brother then how does he understand Janice's part in his life? Unless Cecil was adopted into a family after his mother and brother vanished and he has an adoptive brother or sister through that who is Janice's parent?

I'm wondering if he might be able to leave the desert and mountain behind the doors, and go to the real world...

This would be really interesting if Carlos made it to the real world and called Cecil from there. Glorious bread to eat everywhere! Totally safe dog parks! I'm writing with a pen right now! As a throwback joke, it'd be kind of funny if for that phone call they got Jeffrey Cranor to do it.

we've never actually seen Carlos & Cecil together (given it's an audio drama) and almost all their interactions we've heard have been over the phone anyway,

Apart from the live shows, the episode where Carlos calls in to do a quick interview before going through the doors, and this most recent episode where Carlos manifested in Cecil's radio station with Dana, we've never even really heard a conversation between them in real time.

It's amazing to me how invested I am in this pairing when there's been so little "screen time" between them to begin with. The separation almost gives more of an excuse for Cecil to broadcast his and Carlos' phone conversations as they happen which ironically will be more together-time for us to listen to than before when they were technically in the same plane of existence.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

This would make more sense to me although when Cecil says in "Cassette" that he doesn't remember having a brother then how does he understand Janice's part in his life? Unless Cecil was adopted into a family after his mother and brother vanished and he has an adoptive brother or sister through that who is Janice's parent?

Heh, I was just assuming Cecil managed to have a niece with no siblings because of his talents at doublethink. But I do wonder if more is going on there, if Steve is actually his step-brother more traditionally, or what...(another question is, is Cecil's brother forgotten by everyone in Night Vale, or only by Cecil himself? Like, does Steve know about him or not...?)

Now that I've thought of Carlos in the real world I'm rather hoping they go there, it will be pretty hilarious (now how acclimated is Carlos, really...he at least realizes Night Vale is weird...though he likes it for that, I think...)

--Also speaking of which, as I forgot to say it in your post's comments, but I totally still want your take on this, I'm hoping it may inspire you to work more on Stranger? :D

It's amazing to me how invested I am in this pairing when there's been so little "screen time" between them to begin with. The separation almost gives more of an excuse for Cecil to broadcast his and Carlos' phone conversations as they happen which ironically will be more together-time for us to listen to than before when they were technically in the same plane of existence.

Yup, it's kind of the reverse of "Condos", when we fans cheer Cecil telling us that he's going to leave some things "just between us" - because it's so meaningful for their relationship even if it means we'll get less of what we want to see. And this is tough on their relationship, but (potentially) offers more for us to fan on (I suppose that's always the paradox of fanning; you always want bad things happening to the chars you love, because that's what's interesting to watch. But Night Vale somehow makes this disconnect more transparent?)

At any rate, I'm really curious where the show will be taking this. It feels to me like it's doing what it's been doing all along, putting a Night Vale spin on a very ordinary element of a developing relationship, in this case how to handle long-distance. I'm hoping that's where it's going (and that it ends well, of course! But Night Vale is a comedy ultimately, so I'm not sure how it could go otherwise and remain true to itself...)

[joonscribble.livejournal.com]

and that it ends well, of course! But Night Vale is a comedy ultimately, so I'm not sure how it could go otherwise and remain true to itself...

Night Vale might actually be my most fluffiest fandom in that despite all the constant danger and casual death, it's so optimistic and funny. I have the most faith in Fink and Cranor out of any other showrunner that things will be okay, if not pretty damn great.

Also speaking of which, as I forgot to say it in your post's comments, but I totally still want your take on this, I'm hoping it may inspire you to work more on Stranger? :D

Yeah, I really do want to return to that story. It's so AU now that StrexCorp in the podcast has been sort of defeated and not exactly exposed but given the label of "Typical Evil Soulless Corporation." To me the scariest thing about StrexCorp was that you weren't ever sure what and why they were doing anything or how far they reached.

As a general personal goal, I hope to get Carlos home in "Stranger" before Carlos gets home in the podcast. Unless everything gets resolved in the next episode in which case, personal goal failed.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Yay for AUs (and Strex exploration - Strexploration?) and getting Carlos back - I approve of this goal! (and I really doubt he's going to be back next week, so you should have at least a bit of time to manage it! XD)