#listener and watcher

[echoes-lighthouse]

Cecil and Echo: The Full Story

Previously: Toga / Tate

I did a poll for how I should share my selfship stories, and ‘text post with illustrations’ won the poll, so I’m doing a full post for each of my f/os! They’re written to be as understandable as possible for people unfamiliar with the source, but I'm.... not sure how Welcome To Night Vale will be for people who haven't listened to the podcast lol

This selfship is a bit of a hard dynamic to impart because this self-insert is very much not a person but I hope I got it across!

Chapter One: Backstories 

Cecil was born in Night Vale, a timeless and unknowable town. He was born in the 80s, although which century is uncertain, and was a teenager in the early 90s. When Cecil was five, it was prophesied that he would become the Voice of Night Vale, and his father left their family soon afterwards. His mother resented the prophecy and the role it had in the disintegration of their family, while the town began to treat Cecil differently with the knowledge of his future role. When Cecil was fourteen, his mother also left: Cecil’s older sister was forced to drop out of college to work for a place for them to live. 

Far above Night Vale is a star, not part of any recognized constellation, but burning brightly enough for Night Vale residents to see it in the darkened skies of evening. 

Chapter Two: First Meeting

At sixteen, Cecil started as an intern at Night Vale’s Community Radio station. Sharply aware of his sister’s resentment at having to work for both of them, and the pressure of the prophecy as the Voice on his shoulders, Cecil’s anxiety was reaching critical levels. 

One night, sitting outside in an old ritual circle, Cecil looked up at the sky and made a wish that he wouldn’t be lonely forever. His eyes settled on one of the stars as he whispered, a secret from a boy at his limit. 

And the star fell: out of the sky, out of its original form, and into Cecil’s hands. For a moment, formless light filled his palms. Then Echo took form, and Cecil was filled with the knowledge that Echo would always be with him, and his wish was granted: he would never be lonely. 

Chapter Three: Getting Together Growing Up 

Echo is with Cecil for his last two years of high school: inseparable, always sitting on his shoulder or hiding in his pocket. Cecil survives his first year at the radio station and the two of them celebrate by running away for a night in the forest, sometimes dancing and sometimes singing and sometimes lying still, looking up at the other stars above them. 

When Cecil graduates, his sister is set free: the radio station starts to pay Cecil enough for a little Night Vale apartment, and Echo fluctuates in size to help carry the furniture and boxes, always shrinking back to their familiar size at the end of the night, to curl up on Cecil’s pillow and burrow into his hair. 

Night Vale goes through a fluctuation and when the fluctuation finishes, Cecil is the host of the radio station, and has always been the host: his prior teacher is forgotten by all but Cecil himself. With the new money and position, Cecil takes some time off and goes to Europe. 

Echo is with him for the wild days of exploration: a new Cecil for every town, a new world at every train stop, the decades falling at their heels, Night Vale a glowing beacon behind them, waiting to guide them home again. In most of the towns, Echo remains an unobtrusive glow on Cecil’s shoulder, but occasionally it walks with him and dances with the strangers in the bars, bringing them back to Cecil for approval, the shining lure of an anglerfish. 

Eventually, Cecil is tired of Europe: tired of being a stranger, and tired of the endless re-invention. He brings them back to Night Vale, and it’s never felt more comfortable in the little town. 

Chapter Four: Where We’re At 

Adulthood is new to Cecil, the flush of Europe still fading from his cheeks. Night Vale itself is new again when they return from the trip: a new bowling alley, a new pizza place, half the residents new but settled for generations. Still, they greet Cecil as their radio host, and express their interest in his European travels. 

Echo and Cecil settle into their routines: days at the radio station, evenings wandering the town, and nights in their quiet apartment, listening to the hum of government helicopters overhead and the singing of the stars beyond that. 

Cecil is an endless well of energy and enthusiasm, rediscovering their home again: the residents, the shops, the gossip. Echo loves to sit on his desk, just under the microphone that broadcasts his voice to the rest of the town, and let his voice wash over it. It shares Cecil’s love for Night Vale, a faithful reflection of his emotions and priorities, and sees the town as an extension of Cecil in many ways. 

And one day in the future, a newcomer will arrive, and Cecil will fall in love. But for now, he is still finding himself, and the true story is yet to begin.

[whatidkwhatimsupposedtowriye]

Scar's sort of a freak maybe

Try to keep a consistent artstyle for 4 frames challenge: impossible

[maddiesharafian]

Stick close to your sisters, prepare for anything.

[solargeist]

I feel like something bad is going to happen to me. I feel like something bad has happened. It hasn't reached me yet but it's on it's way.

[pixxlotl]

Going with the "Grian is the one who designed this game as opposed to the others" headcanon, it makes you think about the superpowers he gave his friends, how they were all laughing and having fun in the beginning, and that was intentional. It goes to show that even when forced to design the death game his friends are put through (a punishment for trying to usurp the Watchers time and time again), he still cares. They all know he's the one who designed this game, and he hopes they realize the little mercies he's giving them.

He gives Cleo the power to bring people back from the dead, just so he can have a chance to see his best friend again.

He gives Pearl the power to fly, and hopes she appreciates having her wings back, if only for a short time.

Jimmy gets to go invisible because Grian knows the Watchers aren't happy with the curse being broken. He wants to protect him.

As for Martyn? Grian doesn't really know a lot about what's going on with him and the Listeners, but he might as well try to strengthen that connection in the little ways he can without arising suspicion.

He says it himself in the beginning, "let's not forget this is a PVP series," but it sounds hollow even to his own ears. It's pandering to the watching eyes, making them think the lighthearted fun is all unintentional.

He falls out of the sky with the wings he gave to Pearl, and he wonders if the Watchers are starting to catch on.

[wishwingalpha]

This is how I think Joel got to be a car floating in space

[trashworldblog]

"we're professional ghost hunters now"

"best in the business"

[radishearts]

Girls who don’t draw for like a week and have to relearn their artstyle it’s me Im girls this happens every few months 😔🙏

Anyways EVO/lifers crew bc I love them and. And. I watched Solarocks ‘Watcher, Tell me So I say.’ PMV (DEF RECCO. REALLY COOL).

[izelthewashbear]

(WIP)

For some reason, I got possessed into making a custom Trivia bot for each Lifer + a Watcher bot and a Listener bot!

I just finished the lineart + flat colors yesterday, now I just need to roughly render all of these

If you have any suggestions for changes lemme know!

[enka-antix]

The forgotten admin :}

[echoes-lighthouse]

Stim Headcanons For My F/Os

Not all of my f/os stim, but a lot of them do, and these are my headcanons about it! <3

Jester -doodles -rocks side to side -flutters hands -swishes sleeves -uses watercolours because the texture is better when it gets on her hands

Zero -hums and clicks and gets stuck on sounds -taps hands and fingers and bats his palms on his knees -tugs hair -also runs his nails over textures to make sounds -loud music

Dirk -swimming -runs the hem of his shirt between his fingers -puppet fabric -metal puzzles, keeping his hands busy -weighted blankets -twisting wires together

Cecil -hands hands hands: flapping, fluttering, shaking, running over fabrics, folding paper -hums to himself -goes jumping into the low gravity pits -gets excited about slime -hyperfixates on phone games for a period and then switches to a new one

Ms. Frizzle -texture of Liz’s scales and spikes -talks to herself pretty constantly -clicks pens when she’s alone -taps her toes -hand-sewing -will chew her hair if she doesn’t have it pulled back -more into silly putty than slime (especially because you can bounce it)

Tomura Shigaraki -twists or pulls his hair -taps on hard surfaces, especially cups and mugs -scratches neck -fidget cubes -phone games that make the phone vibrate

[loveinstreams]

like don’t you get it? by hunting ghosts you become a part of them. a presence that lingers. the memories you are making here right now is also what will survive of this place. it’s also what will haunt it.

[maddiesharafian]

Ah, how nice! To have the ear of the king!

[solargeist]

watcher grian doodles plus evo

[pixiemage]

More people need to watch Evolution SMP. More people need to at least SEE where the ORIGINAL Watcher concept came from, and how different it is from fanon interpretation. In Evo, the Watchers were a stand-in for the audience, because the Watchers literally just Watched. Grian became a Watcher after he left Evo because he left the server and joined the audience. Watchers were the audience with a twist, but otherwise neutral/benevolent for the most part.

Granted, that shifted after Grian left, because Martyn took over as the main story/lore lead for the server (to my knowledge) and the Watchers became much more complicated, which was fun. The Listeners were a Martyn creation afaik and only existed WELL AFTER Grian was gone.

Martyn’s Life Series extension of the Watcher concept is so, SO fun and I love all the lore implications of it, but it’s definitely different than how Watchers started out.

Am I saying Martyn’s version is Wrong because it deviated from the original intention of Watchers? Hell no! I LOVE where it has gone and it offers sooo much storytelling potential.

Am I saying you can’t make Watchers villains? Nope! Go for it! Have fun going crazy with it!

Am I saying fics that don’t follow the Evo lore are Incorrect? Oh fuck no. I’d be a hypocrite if I said so, and taking inspiration from something by taking it in a totally different direction from canon is what makes writing FUN.

What I AM saying is it’s a little funny when people say Watchers are evil and always have been when that’s definitely not the case. And I AM saying it’s fun to see other Evo viewers who reference things in their fics that aren’t just fandom-shared common knowledge. (Mumbo for Mayor was the second time Grian pulled that stunt y’all.) And I AM saying I sighed a little when I saw that someone said “I know Listener lore is a Grian thing but–” when Listeners didn’t show up at all on Evo until AGES after Grian left the server. Listeners aren’t a Grian thing. Listeners are a Martyn-Jimmy-and-other-survivors thing.

I sure ain’t gonna judge someone for referencing Watchers or Evo without having ever seen it, even if they reference it “wrong” so to speak. But I WILL encourage watching Evo SMP if you haven’t, because it’s an old school Minecraft SMP and it’s so silly and so fun seeing all our favorite Minecrafters interacting at a younger age. Go watch it! I’ll bring the popcorn!

(And you might find inspiration there that you weren’t expecting to find :3)

[c0rvusheart]

watcher grian??

i imagine him just existing in… wherever… between series.