33 - Cassette

October 15, 2013 - Cecil finds an old cassette tape of himself at age 15, and he is surprised at what it contains. Plus, a new exhibit at the Museum of Forbidden Technologies, Children's Fun Fact Science Corner, and an important message from new station management.
Weather: "Big Houses" by Squalloscope, squalloscope.com.
Become a member on Patreon today to help us keep making Welcome to Night Vale and get cool stuff, like Director’s Notes, bonus episodes, and even a new character named after you.
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Music: Disparition, disparition.info
Logo: Rob Wilson, robwilsonwork.com
Produced by Commonplace Books. Written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. Narrated by Cecil Baldwin. More Info: welcometonightvale.com, and follow @NightValeRadio on Twitter or Facebook.
HEY WHY'S THERE NO VIDEO? Welcome to Night Vale is a audio podcast. All standard episodes have no video component. To subscribe to the podcast, go to iTunes, Stitcher, or find our RSS feed at nightvale.libsy...

[@tutterbear98]

in an interview, Cecil said that fifteen year old Cecil was voiced by him, with a tiny amount of voice editing to make it higher pitched. Otherwise, it's all him.

[@cactusbrandon440]

Cecil, The Intern That Lived

[@PussNBoots1002]

That was my thought exactly, I mean seriously all the interns have died so far apart from dana. How did Cecil survive?

[@cactusbrandon440]

maybe the intern that survives is the one that gets to be the next voice of night vale?

[@kelly-bisson]

Maybe he didn't. Cecil can't remember the tapes. In a previous episode his mother prophesied that his death would involve a mirror. At the end of the tape younger Cecil was standing in front of a mirror seeing something around him followed by what sounds like someone being strangled and a thump possibly the recorder being dropped or a body hitting the floor. He also described the dark planet which is almost certainly symbolical of death as we've seen previously on the show. This is just a theory but, my conclusion is the Cecil we know is not the same Cecil we hear on the tapes. I'm not quite sure what or how but the thing in mirror killed that Cecil and quite likely his brother and mother as well (his mother most likely hid from him because she knew this.) Whomever we know as Cecil now was somehow created or repurposed by the entity. Cecil is quite clearly unaware of this.

[@MayraCma]

+Kelly Bisson you know? i'm not sure when, but cecil hinted that he was actualy some kind of gosth or undead (he said something like an always present radio host staring lifeless at one spot refering to himself), so maybe he died but he kinda... didn't

[@AliceGrimm69]

camilo cocconi in Sandstorm; he describes the picture of kevin lacking his lifelessness.

[@muradsadik4903]

"They become perfect when you learn to accept them for who they are". Cecil says that in a previous episode regarding pets. When he was young he used it regarding his brother.

[@bubbleonfire6488]

Murad Sadik Just like all good siblings do. XD

[@oliviasimmons9984]

Murad Sadik and he said the bit about past performance too, I know that one was recent but I like that it meant something nice in this context

[@dcatlovescreativity31]

Oh.

[@evilFarmin]

I literally flinched when it said that Cecil was an intern.

[@bellpebber63]

My eyes widened in fear when I heard

[@johnstoehr5340]

I think that was in the past PHEW.

[@jamchiroptera4258]

Howwwwwww did he survive

[@honeybee7815]

@@jamchiroptera4258 I feel like he didn't. And the reason he doesn't remember making those tapes was because _he_ didn't. The original Cecil did. And the Cecil we know is a different one because the prophecy stated he must be the voice of Nightvale so they just- made a new Cecil.

[@skedizzle]

​@@honeybee7815 In like the first ten episodes something happens to Cecil where the producers come out and he thinks he'll never be heard from again. Then the next episode he acts as if nothing happened. I wonder how many times he has forgotten things this way?

[@nicolelizbith2264]

"Something is going to kill you one day, Cecil, and it is going to involve a mirror."

[@lillizard6634]

Thats exactly what I thought

[@martianmadwoman]

Nicole Lizbith GASP

[@littlemisslouis1856]

Kevin

[@IceQueen975]

You know. Kevin sounds like young Cecil. What if the Cecil we are listening to right now is actually originally from Desert Bluffs and the Cecil from the tapes is actually Kevin and the Cecil of now forcibly switched with him to get out of dodge?

[@plantinapot9169]

Damnit I can’t remember who said that wait I think the name was Kevin, who was Kevin again? Ho wait never mind it was his mother, I’m an idiot

[@swhitley2841]

Young Cecil's voice is cracking and it's so adorable! Young Cecil sounds like a nerdy teenage boy who just really excited. Daaaaaww, he's like a little puppy!

[@agentflo1683]

"Hello? Hellooo? I'm Cecil. Cecil Gershwin Palmer and you cannot scare me! You cannot! You canNOT! ... Hello...?" Love it.

[@viktorthecreator4458]

"On this show, something strange to talk about" In other news, water is wet.

[@PrettyBoyDevito]

Viktor the Creator there was a recent news report. all water is dry. and the news is fake. avoid the news. avoid the water.

[@hannahl5838]

@@PrettyBoyDevito there is no such thing as water. Please report to city hall for re-education

[@RoboNino]

15 YEAR OLD CECIL VOICE IS SO CUTE OHMIGOSH

[@raindropsroses7597]

IKR))

[@RoboNino]

I'm just sitting here and replaying certain parts cuz Omg

[@raindropsroses7597]

same))

[@ancalabond8703]

oooh he's wearing Dapper Blook! @w@

[@RoboNino]

Ancala Bond Yus 0ω0

[@katharinefitzgerald7667]

Headcannon that Cecil is clairvoyant and can see things happening around night vale as they happen. Most of the time he can control it and choose where he looks or if he sees anything at all, but sometimes he gets visions that just pop up and that is traffic or financial news. He doesn't know what they mean but he figures it must be important if he's seeing it so he reports it. This is what happened with the woman from Italy. The flickering in the corner of his vision was his powers beginning to develop but he didn't know what it was.

[@katharinefitzgerald7667]

Oh and Cecil yelling at the end is when his powers came into full effect and he was surprised and overwhelmed by seeing everything in nightvale all at once

[@campyroll9588]

katharine fitzgerald that would definitely explain the giant eye over the town. maybe Cecil's third eye is the beautiful moon that sees all going on around night vale. somehow he is the embodiment of the moon, that is like an eye, that sits silently and watches. reporting everything around night vale...

[@krazykitty3042]

katharine fitzgerald I love this!!! This is a headcannon that I like!!! I support this 100%!!! 👍

[@dragonsherlock9875]

@@katharinefitzgerald7667 that's when he got the 3rd eye

[@otakugirl5512]

A THIRD EYE OPENS ON HIS FOREHEAD WHENEVER HE USES THIS POWER

[@Starburst514]

I keep imagining young Cecil with braces XD I like how he's so unnerved, he just goes to the weather, then breaks the cassette.

[@johnniallen502]

I haven't finished the episode yet but I have this head cannon that Cecil wasn't the Inter That Lived, he died like the rest of them, but because prophecy stated that he would eventually be the Voice of Night Vale, the City Council or the SSP brought him back, but couldn't bring all of him back, so they salvaged what little of him they could, leaving behind many of his memories.

[@johnniallen502]

I also think that Cecil doesn't or didn't know the entire prophecy and his family left because they knew he'd die and didn't want to be there when it happened. Or they voted wrong. People disappear for all sorts of reasons here.

[@johnniallen502]

So now that I've heard the end of the tapes it has strengthened my belief in this theory

[@FionnFisher]

I think, that the cecil we know is cecil's double, and that the cecil who made the tapes was killed by our cecil. Like his mom said, "Something is going to kill you one day, Cecil, and it is going to involve a mirror.". So, Cecil killed by own double at age 15, but has no memories of killing his double.

[@kentucyfriedme]

Gryphon Jameson That sounds logical

[@DannyHardLuckWoman]

This might be the most logical thing that has ever happened to Night Vale.

[@missygentry1833]

i love it when he says"finally something strange to talk about on this show"because he's lived in Nightvale his whole life and the city council says everything that happens is normal

[@scottmcloud257]

I laughed out loud at work when he said that.

[@viktorthecreator4458]

Is nobody going to comment on the fact that a cardinal wasnt one of the cardinal birds

[@Prizzlesticks]

+Viktor the Creator I had that EXACT SAME THOUGHT. >o

[@wolfordragondemon]

I love that thought out the show Cecil gains more and more character. Even though his voice, it becomes less less monotone. It might because we now know him better now. We can hear his mannerisms now. And I'm not just talking about his 15 year old self. Just in gernal.

[@Dootalt]

Gernal lmao

[@hereiampercylover]

CECIL SOUNDS SO AWKWARD AND JUST TEENAGERY AND I CANNOT DJDKWKDJWJDKKMDJ

[@hereiampercylover]

He sounds like the Dipper Pines of Night Vale

[@kentucyfriedme]

Aniyah Cottingham YES

[@KokoroKaisen]

Aniyah Cottingham Dipper's real name is Cecil confirmed

[@averyzypher330]

ILLUMINATI CONFIRMED

[@Prophecyarmour]

Cecil died, or was going to be sacraficed. His mother mourned his death coving the mirrors. Sold the house and moved with his twin brother (Kevin) to Desert Bluffs.

[@kelly-bisson]

That is actually an even better theory than mine. Cecil described his brother's eyes as "hollow" and Kevin's eyes are "as black as obsidian" which sound pretty similar to me. Also keep in mind that we never heard Cecil's brother's name or Kevin's last name anywhere on this show. Also, Cecil never specifies whether his brother is older or younger so it is entirely possible that he has a twin brother whom obviously would be the same age and look more like Cecil than siblings usually do.

[@sophienah4654]

@@kelly-bisson hollow and black are definitely not the same thing lel. two very different describing words

[@emilyhudson1826]

@@sophienah4654 but could still be used to describe the same thing...

[@genderkwerfirebird8704]

Well it depends on who is describing them or it could be that his eyes changed because of something

[@maxiwright1411]

Wait so, Cecils brother. Is the dude from desert bluffs?

[@myaulloa5996]

Cecil survived being an intern?!

[@Autumn_Actually]

+Mya Ulloa Your request for promotion will be considered by station management if you meet the following criteria: Have you -survived- enjoyed being an intern for the minimum # of months, and would like to further your carreer? Y/N Very few can say they've lived long enough to check that 'y' ._.

[@user-io4ps9bi9y]

am I the only one creeped out by the part where it gets all weird and distorted when 15 year old cecil sang???

[@valuskajana]

NO

[@kelly-bisson]

I think a better question would be if anyone wasn't disturbed by that.

[@margheritaparacini7729]

I kiind sound like like that when I sing. But being in the parish' choir with really nice people helps

[@abitofpaprika]

He sang beautifully

[@8bitRae]

This might be the most disturbing episode And that's saying a lot, considering Night Vale.

[@kld9992]

8bitRae agreed

[@samanthacomfort2887]

Nah, the most disturbing episode was 19B

[@saillihou2224]

@@samanthacomfort2887 I agree with u 2 years later

[@fungalhog]

*me realizing I sound like 15 year old Cecil* oh

[@holytromboney]

god i wish that were me

[@julipazos1146]

Do you sounds like him now?

[@Dootalt]

Eight years ago, I assume you sound different now, amiright?

[@emilyholland279]

His voice when he said that his mom and brother were gone broke my heart aaa.

[@valuskajana]

young cecil is being so defensive about his family's behaviors and present cecil is still defensive about his past and lots of other stuff and it makes me sad :( also, a recording allows you to listen to your own voice, so isn't that mirroring?

[@thetricksterqueen1544]

I always wonder what the people in Night Vale think when Cecil talks about himself (Like his dates with Carlos and stuff)

[@monochromedream-eatingbaku]

Yeah. They must be like: "Am I listening to a radio station or reading someone's diary?"

[@amandanaoexiste5298]

in the book, i think people say they find cecilos cute and like it when Cecil talks about Carlos. yeah basically they ship it

[@punkcrocs7836]

Tãmbler Gurl To be honest, everyone who ever listens to Nightvale ships Cecilos

[@monochromedream-eatingbaku]

Tãmbler Gurl Yup, just read the book. Was kinda surprised by that. But I was more surprised by, ehm...you know...Cecil's slash fiction. Like okay man, write your slash fictions but do you really have to make interns edit it?

[@ktfinnst3796]

I think it's there only fun the get

[@starrkid9448]

Omg. The faceless old woman did a table flip. Also, little Cecil is so fricking cute. Well, there goes another intern (Anyone else think they need an intern kill count?)

[@yoscastgirl]

oh my god he sounds so pre pubescent and its so cute.

[@AbbiXIII]

+Felenciana Vargas OMG I can't hear this. His voice is too much. Oh God Cecil is too cute for this world. I can't handle it! Oh and poor present Cecil. I wonder what happened to him to forget D:

[@graceliu8839]

+Matthew Williams +Felenciana Vargas Another Hetalian reporting in.

[@graceliu8839]

Matilda Wilder I can't roleplay because my character isn't a major one. So I've just been busy being more casual and trying to find time to write fanfic.

[@graceliu8839]

Matilda Wilder It's a collaboration on writing the States, Provinces and some Estado relatives.

[@Kittymouth]

+Matthew Williams Quietly. And with a polite disaproval. But then, he's always known America was weird.

[@xxeruss3080]

I gotta say... young Cecil sounds and acts a heck a lot like Kevin...

[@alexrolen3855]

I really want Carlos to hear these,Cecil sounds so adorable

[@alexrolen3855]

um....Cecil?...

[@brookevangelderen704]

He would love it! Except for the end, that was scary and sad.

[@patriasilverio1012]

The "neat!" is all i needed to confirm that that was, in fact Cecil.

[@enriqueramos2426]

Theory. I don't think Cecil died. the past locutor said he was "grown now" like in an adult body, plus the flickering movement started when he started recording his voice. also, the walls knew he would be locutor at the radio station, so he is our Cecil. I believe that the thing that made the flickering movement was waiting till he was "grown" enough to be the locutor, so what we hear at the end is that thing getting inside of Cecil's body, through his mouth, and that changes his voice and makes him forget everything before that moment.

[@hyenaedits3460]

That is my theory as well.

[@EarthlyMaidenLita]

HIS VOICE IS CRACKING. AWWW!! I WANT ONE OH MY GOD. Do they sell miniature Cecils, because I want one.

[@spaceynerd9956]

Golden Freddy I would want a Cecil smol baby bean version or Right now version.

[@MetasActReon]

A little mini desk helper Cecil (of either age catagory) would be beautiful! (But we would need mini Carloses to pare with them...)

[@klltsun_2576]

"All high pitched and grating like sandpaper!" Me:...Uhm, no no younger Cecil. We like your older self's smooth deep voice very much

[@Drace90]

There is no good luck. There is only bad luck that occasionally takes a short break.

[@oswaldobarr4950]

This is one of my favorite episodes, it just gives such a wonderful backstory to Cecil and just makes him that more real.

[@Apollo-ux1nt]

That end bit about teenagers was really deep

[@ZeakaXorrFitchus]

Damn, I freaking jumped when past Cecil gasped and started choking. Night Vale's always creeped me out, but it's never had me react like that. I love it.

[@Jay-ih9jp]

This... Uh... This is an, uh... Interesting episode... Uhh... What the hell? I've never thought of Night Vale as creepy before this.

[@Companion92]

You did not?!

[@sknfmsmr]

@@Companion92 OK, there are floating cats, a five-headed dragon, brainwashed demon twins and THE GLOW CLOUD but there aren't terrifying things. But hearing young Cecil choking and knowing that his death will involve a mirror. Now THAT is really scary

[@mariageorgescu1324]

"My first day as an intern was just NEAT!" I love him.

[@SiesVE]

I think Ceceil managed to survive what ever was attacking him in the mirror and that is why he continues to cover the mirror so it doesn’t come back. He probably doesn’t remember any of this happening in his teenage years because he was so traumatized that he repressed the memories.

[@redrasegarden]

I will always stick to my Kevin being Cecil's brother theory

[@redrasegarden]

Mei Ki that's a good question...maybe Kevin is the only non-double?

[@redrasegarden]

Mei Ki oh cool :)

[@RynRobitske]

+Mei Ki What if everyone has brothers... even those whose brothers are actually sisters...?

[@redrasegarden]

Dawn Johnson honny how much sleep did you get?

[@Prizzlesticks]

+raphaela ratzlaff ...... Headcanon accepted.

[@NovaStella_]

What if...the Cecil that made the tapes is actually Kevin? And the Cecil that we know is Kevin's brother that was made hollow by the thing that was stalking Kevin. The thing that followed Kevin made him crazy, and it made Cecil clairvoyant (which is how he knows so much about what's going on in the town?) I don't know, my train of thought left me about halfway through writing this, dammit. Now I have to go off and think about this.

[@girlwholoveswords]

+Laura Moore HEAD CANNON ACCEPTED.

[@levishu991]

except cecil gets his news from informants and letters and such. so the whole clairvoyance thing is kinda debunked.

[@ddvan100]

yeah, but he knows things that happen after all the reporters leave

[@nicolelizbith2264]

that's what I thought too yaaay

[@casinthetardisin221b2]

This actually makes a lot of sense. i just went back and listened to Sandstorm parts A and B again, and guess which of the two 15-year-old "Cecil" sounds a lot more like? Kevin. He sounds a heck of a lot like Kevin.

[@downtownletdown8493]

15 year old Cecil sounds so adorable I just want to scoop him up and never let him go

[@littlebearbradick9263]

Cecil's bit about teenagers was one of the best things I've ever heard.

[@AnnaPresman]

I think Cecil was brainwashed so much by the management , his memories are affected.

[@strawyberryfairie]

When 15 year old Cecil was talking about the flickering light, a light began to flicker out my window

[@keythetrashking7491]

GET THE SALT!!!

[@Godless-Heathen]

If you have any holy water or anything pure iron get that too

[@sknfmsmr]

As a teenage i'm alone in the house now and there's a mirror two steps away from me. Who you gonna call? WINCHESTERS

[@wishmeluck9473]

in the words of Sir Hammerlock: "Repressed memories HO!"

[@iliketoeatbatteries8122]

Me: I bet that the person in the corner of his eye is just the faceless old woman who secretly lives in his house Young Cecil: and it’s not the faceless old woman who secretly lives in my house Me: w e l l then... I’m out of ideas

[@thrakerzad5874]

don't know why but I lost it when he just snapped the cassette in half lol.

[@lemon_macaroon_1777]

Fifteen year old Cecil's voice is so cute. It actually sounds like a fifteen year old.

[@stematart1327]

Oh my god... Cecil you adorable little nerd.

[@Yunisca30]

Maybe the flickering was old station management in the process of priming him for Leonard's eventual replacement... Maybe Station Management knew all along and his life was a lie. Or maybe I'm reading too much into it. *Shrug*

[@re-blitz]

You are. The station would never do such a thing.

[@aurawarrior1367]

Our hearts go out to the friends and family of intern Cecil, he will be missed

[@logane_pera]

"Something is going to kill you one day, Cecil, and it is going to involve a mirror." When we say a character mirrors another, we usually mean that they act and think alike, that they're similar. But a mirror is an inverted reflection, right? So, in my opinion, if we use the metaphorical meaning of "mirror", Cecil's mirror would be Kevin. ...I actually have no idea what to think of Kevin because I agree with multiple theories that can't coexist. (Or can they?)

[@specificdaughter]

"Finally, on this show, something strange to talk about." Cecil. Cecil, are you sure about that?

[@Jen-xl9ph]

I like your theory, Matilda Wilder but from what I remember and I even reread the transcripts for the episode, but both Kevin and Cecil said that the other looked like them. At the end, Kevin even said he passed a man in the vortex that looked just like him. Plus Kevin (spoiler) called Carlos ugly and if they looked the same, he would have called himself ugly and I don't think he would have. I think Cecil keeps a picture on the desk of himself since he doesn't use a mirror and wants to make sure he is real. Maybe it is some reassurance, or something. Other than that, it is a good theory.

[@allenbuddy3101]

The amount of times I shrieked WHAT during this episode is entirely unprecedented. Of course, it doesn’t help that in the year 2023 I’ve been pavloved by jonny sims to expect genuine fear when I hear a tape recorder click on. The call back to the story about you was an additional gut punch. This episode brings with it an awful sense of knowing so much while simultaneously not knowing anything at all.

[@kannonmedia]

haven't listened in a could years and came back on a whim to one of my all time favorite episodes in 2024. looks like its time to binge the series again.

[@decaf4450]

I was walking home and thought to myself: "Cecil has a really nice voice, one of those radio-voices. I should listen to another episode when I get home." Got home, started it and eventually young Cecil says his voice isn't fit for radio, "not a radio-voice", or well, his brother did and he would start practicing or whatever I know how this story is gonna end, it's looking good for young Cecil so far edit: well he was an intern, so it's not looking all that good anymore, but at least it eventually ended well

[@saramarsh502]

What if young Cecil was chased off by the stalker creature to Desert Bluffs and changed his name to Kevin and his brother took his place as Cecil because the council forced him to after wiping his memory?

[@Animal00Kaiser]

**faints** This shouldn't be that cute but it *is*. It *iiss* **later** ... Oh. Shits. And. Craps.... Oh wow. Oh shit. ... oh.

[@lunaraven000]

"when you die, the surface of the moon will not change." In other news, the sky is blue, fire is hot.

[@davybones1723]

Theory: Cecil was an intern, but he didn't die. He started his own radio show. Dana is the only living intern of Cecil's. She will take over the show one day.

[@sillyguyinthecomments]

15 YEAR OLD CECIL IS A BABY CINNAMON ROLL OH MY GOOOD

[@NovaStella_]

+Shimmer - Fangirl - Star A cinnamon roll that evolved into... a *sinnamon* roll >:D

[@sillyguyinthecomments]

Laura Moore I see what you did there And I like it.

[@NovaStella_]

Shimmer - Fangirl - Star wiiiiiiiiiink!

[@professionalnerd4055]

@@NovaStella_ Lol😂

[@NovaStella_]

@@professionalnerd4055 Jesus, this was so long ago. Lol chat thread, how's it hangin?

[@lollynight4604]

FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD CECIL IS SO ADORABLE KKFGSGBJHEHHJHGJHHFYVJI

[@WatchNlaugh123]

Cecil was so adorable when he was an intern!! I wonder why he can't remember his past?

[@ThatCatmeow]

I dont really know why but when I listen to young Cecil getting murdered my welding improves significantly

[@just_peace]

17:34 oh. Fun fact, where I come from, when someone dies, their relatives who lived with them cover all mirrors in the house for 40 days. Gives you a new perspective on this part

[@jadynnkotch1833]

i know we're all freaking out about cecil having a very freaky experience but can we please talk about the weather today? it was literally so amazing i'm dying omg i hope we have weather this nice everyday :D

[@TheNicMMc]

Well shit, I didn't know Morty Smith had aspirations of doing radio. XD

[@spectregoesboo5233]

It was just....NEAT! I'm sobbing, how CUTE

[@KingSpyros]

Maybe Cecil hates Kevin because , Kevin is his brother and wasn't proud of his achievements and because he told Cecil that he can never become a radio host.

[@MugetsuFused]

maybe his mom and brother moved to desert bluffs when they disappeared?

[@CorvusTheFeatherbrain]

This is one of my favorite Weathers.

[@leojacobson1274]

I like Sni Bong. This one is nice to!

[@galacticccactus]

YO THE WEATHER IN THIS EPISODE USED TO BE MY FAVORITE AND I SOMEHOW COMPLETELY FORGOT IT 💀💀💀 THE WAY I HEARD THE FIRST FEW CHORDS AND IT ALL CAME RUSHING BACK TO ME WAS MAGICAL

[@fruitsalad2843]

The weather was quite lovely.....

[@antonialunarius9564]

His voice is cracking ^/////^ so cute

[@Montork]

he should give these to carlose.. carlose would adoreeeee young cecil.

[@sknfmsmr]

I think he would more think about the ending

[@kyreannightblood6592]

I usually don't like the Weather and skip it, but this one is great. It just is pleasing to the ears and evocative in a way that the others aren't.

[@missygentry1833]

the 5 dislikers are steve,kevin,and 3 other Desert Bluffs residents

[@cathulu7975]

I like to think that Carlos listens to Cecil's show while he works

[@Legacyofthewizard]

little Cecil sounds like a nerd and I love it

[@kjreese9433]

Wait hold on, so remember when his Mom said that a mirror would kill him? Here you go. The real Cecil was a kid but got killed by whatever replaced him.

[@kelly-bisson]

I was thinking along the same lines except I think our Cecil was created in some way, shape, or form by the entity that killed young Cecil rather than having been the entity that did it. After all, if our Cecil had been the entity that killed young Cecil, he would have know what was on those tapes and would not be bothered by them.

[@lealalchemical470]

So, I'm going to drop my headcanon that Cecil is currently an Eldritch abomination in a humanoid form and say that he "died" when he received these powers. His human physiology died and that's when he (if you headcanon him with powers and tattoos) is when he got his third eye, tattoos, and possibly otherworldly tentacles. He still keeps mirrors covered because he can see his true form in them, it's not human. He is the thing that "killed" Cecil, and he is Cecil.

[@poeticpursuits1332]

Years later and I still listen to Big Houses and some other songs by Squalloscope because of Night Vale

[@JenLight]

This is the best episode of This American Life ever.

[@jonathanrobinson8926]

So 1.He has a twin in Desert Bluffs who sounds like his younger self. 2. His mother said he would die in a way that involves mirrors. 3. Cecil covers all mirrors and therefore does not know what he really looks like. Answer: Cecil isn't really Cecil. Cecil is dead. Our Cecil is something else.

[@depressedmoss6397]

i regret listening to this in class but hearing "the sun is cold" from someone almost my age made me pause

[@hiphyro]

The end of this episode was weirdly beautiful

[@euphoricb33]

Nobody is talking about how BEAUTIFUL THE WEATHER IS OMG

[@cherrysda7815]

Ok this might seem strange but we never hear Cecil mention his dad before. we heard him mention his sister, brother, mother, niece, and even his best friend Earl. So what exactly happen to his father? I may be thinking way too into it...o_o

[@randomplaylists6789]

Only came here to comment omg you are right idk it seems weird that he didn't maybe he just doesn't remember since it is hinted that he has been in the reeducation process awhile

[@s.wollberg4247]

Mmmh, most beautiful weather today. OuO

[@QSTtheGreat]

Smol satan spawn, we shalt always love you, smol lil Cecil

[@dak3938]

I’m going to bite something. I can’t believe the preverb of this is literally referenced in episode 224. IM GOING TO BITE SOMETHING

[@nuga_nareul_magado4419]

I literally teared up at the part where his mother hid from him & then both she and his brother disappeared, and then again at the part about teenagers. I’ve never thought of it that way but it makes so much sense… adults see themselves and their mistakes in today’s youth and try to stop them from making the same dumb decisions. And when they talk with contempt they’re really talking about their past selves more than the present teens. It’s crazy how this podcast is about a totally,,, normal town but will just have such beautiful and deep quotes out of the blue. Every episode there’s something that applies to my life (in a ‘normal’ way, not a ‘faceless old woman’ way lol). It’s amazing

[@francabanillas813]

This is my theory, Cecil, the true Cecil Gerwish Palmer, is dead, he was killed as all Interns when he got his job, but by a kind of parasite spirit, with a mirror, after that, the spirit posessed his body, and bonded or got mixed whit Cecil's mind, Kevin, his hollow eyed brother, got traumatized with Cecil's violent death and resurexion, so he moved to desert bluffs, always smiling because of the trauma. Some of Cecil's true self is still there, mixed with the unknown entity, that part loves his job, his town, his friends and HIS Carlos, but the other part, hates Kevin because he saw the murder, and doesn't get scared with all the terrifying supernatural stuff, and because of his already existant death, he cant die again

[@mistertea603]

1. 'Perhaps you saw something strange yesterday, perhaps you have forgotten it'...well, that's as funny as it is terrifying 2. That ending speech was some good advice 3. I love it when these episodes have a theme like a connecting thing throughout the entire episode this one's was the biggest yet remembering, childhood, and forgetting...

[@wishmeluck9473]

precious cinnamon roll 15 year old cecil

[@maximilliontimes]

Cecil: What is this. What is THIS?! Me: WHAT IS THIS!!!!!!!

[@DannyHardLuckWoman]

Goals: Look for a job that makes you talk like young Cecil talks about being an intern.

[@anonymoustipper1541]

Today's weather was beautiful. While it was playing I invisioned 15-year-old Cecil surviving as an intern and becoming the radio host. The flickering movement was being picked up by his third eye (blame fanart). If only I could draw what I saw.

[@Alicecantdraw]

Came back to listen to Night Vale again and wow,,,,that last bit about teens was told to me when I was still a teen. Now I am a young adult and that part still holds so much meaning

[@olisa_hehe]

OH MY GOD. Cecil said, copying that old radio host, "See you, Night Vale, see you!". HE WAS SO INSPIRED BY IT THAT HE SAYS "Good night, Night Vale, good night" NOW!! THE SAME REPEATING OF THE SAID