Where Every Scroll is a New Adventure
Cecil Palmer - Blog Posts
Cecil in 9 for the palette meme? :3
(+ wedding attire, which has been added to the request later)
thank you so much for the request!!
trying out krita and looking for a design for cecil palmer
Cecil Palmer could do TMA but Jon Sims could not do WTNV. Cecil has no fucking curiosity, as the Archivist he would read all the statements and go “golly, these sure are fun :)” then find out about the Fears and kill Elias in three days. Jon in Night Vale would be fired and eaten day 1
an inktober cecil
I drew Cecil as a keyblade weilder. I'll do Carlos next and if y'all have any requests just let me know and I'll draw for you!
Me, a genderfluid puddle of confusion: *sees fanart of Cecil Palmer*
Im so gay for him.
Also me: *sees Allure*
Im so gay for her
Help me. I'm so confused
Light in the Dark(aka the Beauty and the Beast AU that no one asked for) Ch1
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. But then, one winter’s night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman’s ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. And as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there. Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle, with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his 21st year. If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?
Carlos liked his life. Well it was alright. He had structure. He always knew what to expect. Day after day, year after year. The only upside to his year was the medical convention that was held in a two that was a two day’s ride away. He always looked forward to it. A meeting of minds in a way. Carlos had grown bored of the repetition. Yes, it was safe; but it was so...boring. He wasn’t getting excited about his work anymore. He wished for a spark of excitement. Just a taste really. The convention is fast approaching, three days time. He liked to get there a day early so he could get a good room at the inn, as it filled up quickly. Today was the day that he set out. Packing didn’t take long,as Carlos didn’t have a lot of material possessions. Soon enough, he was on the road and heading down the familiar past.
The trip is uneventful for the first third of the way there. Then came the forest. A forest that had never been there before. Either that or he just never really payed attention. Sighing, Carlos clicks his tongue to urge his horse onward. There wasn’t another way into town so into the mysterious forest it was.
The forest wasn’t to bad at first, but the deeper he got, the darker it became. The trees were bare and there was likely bats in some of them.
It started to rain and that was just his luck, wasn’t it? He kept going for a while but as it was getting dark, the rain picked up. There was no way that he was going to get through this storm tonight. He needed to find shelter. He looks around, seeing a building looming in the distance. Carlos hoped that whomever lived there would be kind enough to let him wait out the storm.
When he gets close to the building, Carlos realized it was a castle. An old falling apart castle, but a castle nonetheless. It looked abandoned so hopefully it was. Carlos trekked up to the door, tying the horse to a tree. He slowly makes his way to the heavy oak doors and push them open. They creak loudly and Carlos winces.
“Hello?” He calls, hearing the echo.
Cecil watches the stranger approach, legs crossed as he held himself up on a group of tentacles. He had been asleep but hus ever awake third eye sensed the new comer. It had woken him. What did this human want? Was he a spy? Was he an idiot who sought to slaughter the mythical beast? Humans were idiotic. Cecil moved forward a bit, slithering across the ceiling like a spider. He caught a glimpse of brown hair and a stark white coat. Interesting….. He would wait and see what happens before deciding to strike.
Carlos slowly walks around the cold dark room. The building was beautiful, even after it had been weathered away by rain and wind. The stones were smooth but cracked. There was a rose carved in every other stone. Delicately done. He moves on to the next room. It was once a beautiful ballroom. Carlos moves across the floor, his shoes echoing off the tile. He stands in the middle of the floor and looks around.
Cecil crouches in the rafters, getting a better look at the man. He was tall and had a square jaw. It was a beautiful man. Then he hears movement, drawing his eyes across the room. It was that blasted candlestick. He cursed. That thing was always causing problems. Before anything could come of it, Cecil drops down, raising to his full height, tentacles spreading around him.
Carlos hears scraping and turns to see a…. candelabra? Coming towards him.
“What…?” He makes his way over and kneels. The candle lights on it’s own.
“Hello!” The candle has a gentle feminine voice.
Carlos was about to answer when he hears a loud thud behind him. He jumps up, spooked. He turns around quickly. His eyes widen behind his glasses. The man-no. Not a man. The creature was humanoid, with white hair and-as much as Carlos hated to admit it- beautiful violet eyes. His pale skin was decorated with light purple tattoos of tentacles that moved across his skin. In the middle of his forehead was a third eye. But it wasn’t a normal eye. This one glowed dangerously. Carlos took a step back nervously and got a full view of the man. He wasn’t standing on the floor. He was being held up by a swarm of black and purple tentacles. It was horrifying and beautiful at the same time.
“So.” The man’s voice was smooth like honey, deep and mesmerising. “You’re the mortal dumb enough to enter the Beast’s lair.”
“What-” Carlos takes another step back, feeling the urge to run away but had the feeling that he wouldn’t get far. “I was just looking for a place to stay out of the rain.” He forces out.
“So you decided to trespass?” The man crosses his right leg over his left as if he were sitting at a desk, and clasped his hands.
“In my defense, it is pretty run down so I assumed it was empty.” Carlos protests.
One of the tentacles shot out and wraps around his body, pinning his arms to his sides. It squeezes a little and Carlos lets out a noise of shock as he is jerked into the air, his glasses falling off of his face.
“Do you know what happens to those who don't follow the rules Peanut?”
“My name is Carlos.” Carlos says, groaning in pain as his body is squeezed. The appendage probably could pop his head off.
“I. Don't. Care.” The man growls, letting go and causing Carlos to fall onto the tile, hitting his head. He looks up as the man looms over him.
“If you're going to kill me you might as well get it over with.” Carlos says, not moving. His head was pounding from where he hit it but he wasn't going to die with his eyes closed.
“I'm not going to kill you.” The hesitation in the man's voice confused Carlos. “I'm not a monster.” He seemed to be having an argument with himself, Carlos thought.
“Then what are you going to do with me?”
The man leaned down and Carlos jerked back on instinct, hitting his head again. He cursed under his breath. “You are going to be a prisoner. That is what happens when you trespass.”
“I think I'd rather you kill me.” Carlos says, narrowing his eyes. He feels something wrap around his wrists and looks down. A smaller tentacle was holding his hands together. Although it was smaller, it was just as strong as the others. He could feel it biting in to his skin. There would definitely be a bruise later. “Let me go!” He demands. Yet another tentacle slapped over his mouth.
“You talk to much.” The man retorts and was suddenly standing upright. Carlos was pulled up and off the floor by his hands. They left the ballroom and started up a winding staircase. A tower maybe?
Carlos was thrown into a room with a high window. He rubs his wrists,glaring at the monster.
“How long are you going to keep me here?”
“Forever.” The man answers nonchalantly.
“If I'm to be stuck here what am I supposed to call you? Or does Monster suffice?”
The man's eyes flash bright. “ I am not a monster .” He snarls.
Carlos gazes at him. “Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”
(The part neon ghost is replying to is where I asked if Cherri Cola's gender was a Welcome to Night Vale reference)
Now I can't help imagining a WTNV/Killjoy crossover though. Like, what if Night Vale is the Zone 13 no one talks about or something? Most of the time the radio signals can’t make it through that patch of weird interference, but once in a while, the wind blows just right and over the static the Killjoys hear not Dr. Death Defying but a strange man mooning over a handsome scientist or whispering the name ‘Huntokar’...
"What's your gender?" + the characters i hc as enby
Party Poison: *nods thoughtfully* "Yes, i do, indeed, have one."
Show Pony: "Dunno, lost it in the City. Hope to get it back some day." *sighs whistfully looking in the distance*
Cherri Cola: *shrugs* "Partially boy, mostly void."
Then Cecil and Carlos together
* all characters belong to their rightful owners so all credit belongs to them*
also not much either but I drew Cecil as well
* all characters belong to their rightful owners so all credit belongs to them*
I don’t even have to babygirlify that man, he does it all by himself
We are receiving unconfirmed reports that it is bedtime. Citizens are advised to get into their pajamas and remain on high alert
Ok ok, I know the sweatervest and button-up combo is a bit too stylish for cecil. counterpoint: the button-up he's wearing under is bright green and his pants are furry and dark orange.
mom never acknowledged dad
this episode did deeply fucked up damage to my psyche
Cecil Palmer could do TMA but Jon Sims could not do WTNV. Cecil has no fucking curiosity, as the Archivist he would read all the statements and go “golly, these sure are fun :)” then find out about the Fears and kill Elias in three days. Jon in Night Vale would be fired and eaten day 1
in light of people's confusion over cecil's longevity in @sexymanotd i wanted to document a bit of his history for those unfamiliar or nostalgic
welcome to night vale is a podcast written by joseph fink and jeffrey cranor. cecil gerschwin palmer is the main character and voiced by cecil baldwin.
it debuted on june 15, 2012 it reached its peak in popularity in 2013-2014
despite this, wtnv has been one of tumblr's top fandoms since staff started tracking fandom-related data in 2014
for the longest time the only thing we knew about cecil's appearance was: "He is wearing a tie. He is not tall or short. Not thin or fat." and that wasn't until episode 19 which aired march 15, 2013. for almost a full year we had no idea what cecil looked like. so tumblr's collective unconscious kicked into high gear and we did what we do best
we created a tumblr sexyman
from know your meme: "Defining traits of the archetype include skinny body type, trickster or villain role and dapper clothing."
know your meme identifies wheatley (portal 2, 2011) and the onceler (the lorax, 2012) as being likely tumblr's first sexymen. and the onceler fandom was at its peak in 2012-2013, the same time as wtnv. in addition to this, the hannibal fandom has been cited as one of the contributing factors to wtnv's success on tumblr.
so tumblr had created an archetype that worked and the wtnv fandom was made up of mostly hannibal fans - the foundation for putting cecil in a suit was there. and honestly? cecil's at work in the show, why wouldn't he be well dressed?
however, while this explains his attire it doesn't explain some of cecil's more unique sexyman features, namely the tentacles. for this we have to return to the 2014 fandom review analysis where you can see the most popular fandom at the time: homestuck
haven't you ever wondered why almost a quarter (189/923 at time of writing) of E rated wtnv fics on ao3 are tagged tentacles or tentacle sex? why cecil having tentacles for a dick is such a seemingly popular headcanon? well look no further then homestuck cultural hold over.
throughout all of this, the development of the sexyman archetype on tumblr and the rise of homestuck, one creator really stands out: kinomatika
kino was one of the most popular homestuck artists on tumblr at the time, popular for her eridan fanart. if you google image search "welcome to night vale" kino's art is still one of the first results you'll get
her design was so popular in fact it was featured in wtnv related articles from the time
and yes there were absolutely other artists giving cecil tentacles and moving tattoos at the time, but it can't be understated the reach kino had and the influence her homestuck roots had on her design choices
i recommend going through the archive of @nightvaleartclub to see how cecil used to be portrayed back in the early days. unfortunately the earliest fanart i've been able to find is july 2013 and i find it hard to believe it took tumblr a year to draw him. although, i started listening at episode 5 and didn't start drawing him until then myself so who knows...
cecil has had tumblr's heart in a vice grip since episode 1, with "20,000 posts, 183,000 blogs and 680,000 notes using the #Night Vale tag" during its first week. tumblr's love for wtnv has always been fairly genuine, from the impact the writing has had on tumblr humor and future story telling, to how wtnv paved the way for lgbt+ representation in indi media, to how it popularized podcasts as a medium for story telling, to the little comforts some of cecil's quotes still bring people today
cecil is not only a founding father of tumblr culture, but also a blorbo of the people. cecil the character in canon has a tumblr account where he posts his art and slash fanfiction.
although cecil's character has developed over time and we've come to see what a ditzy, eccentric, brat he really is, changing his status from sexyman to babygirl, cecil is absolutely a character you should embrace. and you know what... despite what i've said in the past
#cecilsweep
THE ORIGINAL SEXYMAN
Learn the history here: NightVale Influence on Tumblr
the thing about sans and cecil both getting to the finals is that they're both the platonic ideal of what a tumblr sexyman is, but on opposite sides of the scales, covering the entire spectrum as a result.
on one hand you've got cecil, who is chronologically a classic. his lack of a canon appearance, his charming voice and his semi-fancy job allowed the tall white + suit twinkification phenomenon to run rampant. as the series progressed, he was actually revealed to be more of a babygirl (eat your heart out, arataka). he was drawn with tentacles. and he was sexy, sure, but the amount of porn generated for him was overall pretty standard.
sans, on the other hand, is a complete outcast in the classical definition of sexyman. he's chubby, short, charismatic not like an evil villain, but like some random guy with the local bar wrapped around his finger, constantly dressed casual. sure, there were white haired anime boy gijinkas, but that's not who people were here for, right? they wanted to jump his bones (literally) as he was. despite (or maybe because of...?) all this, the mind boggling amount of porn that resulted from him is a still gaping wound in the internet to this day. oh and he also got the tentacle treatment.
perfectly balanced. polar opposites. there isn't really a better candidate here. as far as I'm concerned, they both won tonight. but at least sans can finally break his curse. who knows! maybe we kill someone this time too.
This is how Cecil Palmer reports any game against Desert Bluffs
Cecil Gershwin Palmer???? In 2024???
Yes
Good a time as any to post my Cecil designs from August. I hadn't looked at a lot of fanart yet, this is just how I always imagined him.
Bonus Carlos the Scientist:
the day mother dearest stops controlling my wardrobe is the day i achieve my true form and become cecil palmer
cecil in a dress :0 i tried to make his sunhat thing look like the eye in the podcast cover but it's. it doesn't look like it lol. i'm only on episode 4 but i keep seeing memes and my girlfriend shares stuff with me so... let me know if this is something you think cecil would wear :p
