Line #54 Heartwarming/WelcomeToNightVale


1	!! Moments pages are Administrivia/SpoilersOff. You have been warned.
2	* The end of the street-cleaners episode. Everybody that has survived, and even the City Council members, hold hands together in still silence and out of a sense of camaraderie. Cecil implies that everybody is exhausted from the ordeal but grateful to be alive.
3	--> "Some of us are not here. We leave space for them. Space, that has been emptied by time."
4	** Not only that, but how broadly the words at the end could be applied to anyone who is going through tough times -- it makes one wonder, how many people who were ''contemplating suicide'' got cheered by the wording there:
5	-->"We have survived all the way from birth to this very moment... You, too, have survived, survived everything up to this moment. Grip tight! Hum! Laugh! Cry! Forget nothing, and think many things of it. Good night. Good night. Good night."
6	** Cecil mentions in particular the reuniting of two Night Vale citizens named Wilson and Amber. Wilson, in the heat of the moment, proposes to Amber, who he'd apparently only met once or twice. Amber declines his marriage proposal, but offers to get dinner with him instead. Wilson agrees and tries to laugh it off, saying it was nothing, and Amber insists she thought nothing of it, but Cecil insists that both of them took it very seriously. It's an incredibly sweet moment. (Perhaps it's a coincidence, but the names Amber and Wilson are more meaningful if you're a fan of Series/{{House}}.)
7	*** In Episode 56, it's mentioned that they took a trip together "last spring".
8	* "One Year Later", the anniversary episode. Especially the final scene, where Cecil and Carlos quietly sit together watching the lights in the sky.
9	-->"What danger are we in? What mystery needs to be explored?"
10	-->"Nothing. ...I just wanted to see you."
11	* After 16 episodes of sounding like something of a StalkerWithACrush about Carlos, Cecil proves that he really is a good guy by quietly accepting that 'sometimes people just don't call, and that's okay' and that he isn't going to pressure Carlos into anything. Of course, it just makes it even more adorable when Carlos does actually call him.
12	* In Episode 27, after over a year of build up, the listeners are almost led to believe that Carlos and Cecil's date is off to an awkward end, until Carlos leans in and kisses him.
13	** Cecil almost drives his car into a cloud of shadow energy on the way home, he's so delighted.
14	* Cecil's closing narration in Episode 12:
15	-->Sleep heavily and know that I am here with you now. The past is gone, and cannot harm you anymore. And while the future is fast coming for you, it always flinches first, and settles in as the gentle present. This now, this us, we can cope with that. We can do this together, you and I, drowsily, but comfortably.
16	* A lot of Cecil's FauxlosophicNarration ends up being weirdly heartwarming, even when it's nonsensical.
17	** From Episode 2, "Glow Cloud":
18	-->The desert seems vast, even endless. And yet, scientists tell us that somewhere, even now, there is snow.
19	* The oddly bittersweet traffic in "The Man in the Tan Jacket":
20	--> There is a car. It's not in Night Vale, or even in the desert which cradles our little town. It's out somewhere, beyond that. There are many cars there, but I'm speaking only about one- blue, squarish, with tires and windows and an engine that works most of the time. A woman is driving it, and she is also glancing whenever she can at the child in the passenger seat. He is a child, but he is 15. You understand. She is glancing at him, but she is not saying anything, and ''he'' is not saying anything either. She wants to cry or she wants to push him out of the car. Or, she wants to go back in time and insist on using a condom. Only she would never do that. She wouldn't change any of this, really. Not for all the money, piles of money, some of it defunct money from defunct and absent governments. She wouldn't give ''any'' of this back. So she drives her car, blue, squarish, with tires and windows and an engine that works most of the time. And she glances at the 15-year old child, and neither of them speaks.
21	* It's very understated, but Cecil calling Carlos "caring and reliable" in Episode 29.
22	* Apparently Cecil and Carlos have reached the point in their relationship where Cecil is noticing Carlos' flaws (but still calls him lovely and refers to him as ''his'' Carlos), they're kind of snarky to each other, and text regularly.
23	* Cecil's concern for Dana. He's deeply worried about her and asks Night Vale to pray for her.
24	* Carlos spent Episode 31 making Cecil dinner. Was it at his place? Cecil's? Are they sharing a place now? Regardless we have reached domesticity critical mass.
25	* The live show performed during the latter half of 2013. Let's... discuss... this. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Atay_qSdAX8 Let's start here]].
26	-->Perfection is not real. Perfection is not human. Carlos is not perfect- no, even better- he is imperfect. Everything about him, and us, and all of this is imperfect. And those imperfections in our reality are the seams and cracks into which our outsized love can seep and pool.
27	--> And he said to me, "I just thought that maybe it was... it was time for us, maybe, to make a home. Together." And I said "Yes! Please! That would be, well, that would be neat! But somewhere else, OK? A duplex, an apartment... I don't think a condo." "No," he said, "Not a condo." And then he said, "'Listen--' Mmmmmm... he thinks I shouldn't tell you everything. That... I should leave a little something there that belongs just to us."
28	* Carlos' one month anniversary gift to Cecil in Episode 32: a watch that is the only true timepiece in Night Vale. And later in the episode, Cecil telling Old Woman Josie "I have a new boyfriend" in what sounds like a tone of ''wonder.''
29	** During said conversation with Old Woman Josie, she and Cecil realize that they don't hang out as much as they used to, and decide to reunite their old bowling team soon.
30	** Rather than dying or becoming part of a HiveMind, Intern Vithya ascends to heaven and becomes an angel.
31	* In an odd way, the relationship between Megan (a severed yet sentient adult man's hand) and the computer in Episode 34, ''A Beautiful Dream'', even if the computer is a bit of an extremist in accomplishing his goals.
32	--> '''Computer''': [[AC: There will not be war anymore, Megan. There will not be hatred or bigotry. Desert Bluffs will no longer exist. There will be fewer ice cream flavors, but they will be better. The air will be clean. I promise you, Megan, I will make the world just as you saw in your [[TitleDrop beautiful dream.]] No more teasing or pain. I will fix everything for you, my only friend.]]
33	** After the computer is shut down, Cecil implores for it to be turned back on because he didn't want Megan- who had been an outcast all her life due to being a hand- to be so lonely anymore. Also, he calls out the ''[[EldritchAbomination Glow Cloud]]'' on not allowing wheelchair ramps, albeit indirectly.
34	*** Even better: ''this is the first time we see Cecil really challenge the status quo.'' (It's said that our flaws are almost always an overextension of our strengths, and Cecil's civic-mindedness sometimes crosses the line into conformism.) The same man who dismissed the idea of metal detectors in schools because they'd never been there before... now stands up for Megan's right to participate in her community, even if it means that Night Vale will need to adjust. It would be significant enough if Cecil had simply begun to question received wisdom--something he hasn't shown much inclination to do until now--but, best of all, when he starts to look at what he's told and compare it to what's important to him, he begins with kindness and empathy. We've seen him grow as a person before, but this is the first time he seems to be aware of it.
35	*** FridgeBrilliance: Cecil's niece is also disabled and he adores her. He would naturally want to break the status quo for her and other kids who have disabilities.
36	** When asked for what she wanted, Megan simply answered "For everyone to be happy and for everything to get better." Even Cecil admits it's adorable.
37	* Episode 33 gave us a clue as to what Cecil was like when he was 15. The answer is ''achingly adorable.''
38	** At the end of the episode, Cecil gives a message to teenagers:
39	--> We all do foolish things when we are teenagers. We all have foolish false events that happen to us, foolish gaps in our memories. Not everything that has happened, has ever really happened. Listeners, especially our younger listeners, consider this:
40	-->When we talk about teenagers, we adults often talk with an air of scorn, of expectation for disappointment. And this can make people who are presently teenagers feel very defensive. But what everyone should understand is that none of us are talking to the teenagers that exist now, but talking back to the teenager we ourselves once were -- all stupid mistakes and lack of fear, and bodies that hadn't yet begun to slump into a lasting nothing. Any teenager who exists now is incidental to the potent mix of nostalgia and shame with which we speak to our younger selves. May we all remember what it was like to be so young. May we remember it factually, and not remember anything that is false, or incorrect. May we all be human -- beautiful, stupid, temporal, endless. And as the sun sets, I place my hand upon my heart, feel that it is still beating, and remind myself: Past performance is not a predictor of future results. Stay tuned now for whatever happens next in your life. Goodnight, Night Vale. Goodnight.
41	* Episode 35, "Lazy Day", had the whole of Night Vale becoming more and more steeped in malaise, up to the point of gravity having a bit of a break... except Carlos, who took the day to mow the lawn while whistling (the lawn whistled back), sort his closet, and use the floating brought on by the lessened gravity to clean his gutters. By the end of the episode, when everything's back to normal-for-Night-Vale, and everyone's back to being perky, Carlos has, for his part, had a long day, and opts to take a nap. Cecil promptly ends the show to hurry home and join him. "Maybe my lazy day isn't quite done after all..."
42	* Episode 38, "Orange Grove" has Cecil thinking of a goodbye text to Carlos apologizing for him being late for a planned dinner and telling him that he loves him as an impostor John Peters (you know, the farmer?) tries to force-feed Cecil an orange that causes spontaneous non-existence. Overlaps with crowning moment of awesome, as Cecil realizes that the text would be too long, and smashes John Peters (you know, the impostor?) in the face with his phone.
43	* Episode 40, "The Deft Bowman" Megan returns and finally gets a body
44	* The entire ending of "Condos," where Cecil rescues Carlos from within the Condo, and realizes that Carlos isn't perfect. In fact, Cecil realizes that imperfection is what makes this world worth living in, giving him the strength to carry Carlos out of the Condo. And to top this all off, Carlos asks Cecil to live with him, and he accepts!
45	** Even earlier in Condos, when Carlos calls Cecil for the first time. Cecil is surprised to hear that Carlos listens to his show, to which Carlos affectionately replies, "Every time you're on!"
46	** Also in "Condos," Hiram [=McDaniels=] comes on to give a speech about his mayoral campaign. He tells a story about how before he came to Night Vale, people were terrified of him, because he is literally a five-headed dragon. But when he came to Night Vale, he could do something as simple as asking for directions to a diner and have people treat him no differently from anyone else.
47	*** That said, the diner was sort of far away, so Hiram just [[MoodWhiplash ate the guy who gave him directions]], instead.
48	* "Numbers":
49	--> "And, Fey... you are so, so beautiful."
50	** Really, all of the encouragement Cecil shows Fey. Doubles as a TearJerker.
51	* "Vistor" is full of Cecil adorably gushing over animals. Special mention goes to him calling Khoshekh things like his "baby boy".
52	** Cecil has, up to this point, been referring to Khoshekh as the station cat. When the creature starts attacking Khoshekh, Cecil angrily demands, "What are you doing to my cat?!" Cecil loves his baby boy.
53	* "Cookies" reveals that Cecil bought Girl Scout cookies from his niece Janice. A lot of them. To the point that there's barely any room in the studio.
54	** Bad news: Khoshekh came out of what happened last episode damaged, but not so badly damaged. Good news: part of what was damaged was whatever kept Khoshekh suspended in one spot four feet above the ground, so Cecil got to take him home to recover.
55	** An odd extra bit of heartwarming here is that Cecil explains that Carlos is allergic to cats, but just assures listeners that with a bit of medicine Carlos'll be fine. In other words, Cecil is putting Carlos ''second'' behind Khoshekh, something that perhaps has never been seen before.
56	** Dana meeting her future self and being so proud of herself for growing up to be an amazing, well-respected woman. When she's forced to leave, Dana becomes sad because she thinks she won't be important for many years, but Cecil tells her that [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre she has always been important]].
57	** Dana's parting words for Cecil before she fades out again:
58	-->'''Dana''': I can't stay any longer. I'm always going somewhere. Someday I won't have to go, I will just be in the place that I am. [[ReunionVow Our time and space will match again someday, Cecil.]]
59	* A minor heartwarming moment at the end of "The Debate." When Cecil is too shocked to speak because of Kevin's return, both Hiram and the Faceless Old Woman assure him that everything will be just fine. Well, mostly.
60	** Also in that episode, one from Kevin, of all people, when he tells The Faceless Old Woman That Secretly Lives In Your Home that she has a face, a beautiful face, a memorable face, one unlike any other in history.
61	*** A bit less heartwarming when you consider the possibility that Kevin is just trying to mess with her.
62	*** After Kevin leaves, the Faceless Old Woman, stunned by this, asks Hiram [=McDaniels=] if she is beautiful. "You are beautiful when you do beautiful things," replies Hiram. The Faceless Old Woman tells Hiram that he is beautiful too.
63	* Episode 49-Part A has Cecil reuniting with Carlos partway through the episode.
64	** Also from that episode, this exchange:
65	--> '''Intern Dana''': Carlos, thank you. I may get to see my mother and my brother again because of you. You are a hero.
66	--> '''Carlos''': I'm not a hero. I'm a scientist!
67	--> '''Intern Dana''': Well, then "scientist" will always be my word for hero.
68	** In part-B, Kevin insists that [=StrexCorp=] can 'fix' Janice's disability. Steve Carlsberg, who had been almost wooed by The Smiling God, [[BerserkButton lost his temper]], insisting there was nothing 'broken' about his stepdaughter, and cast Kevin through one of the oak doors. Cecil actually bonded with him about this. Very briefly. Very very briefly.[[note]]Hal Lublin's voice clearly conveyed that if walking had been ''Janice's'' wish, he'd have moved heaven and earth for that, too.[[/note]]
69	*** Also quite touching: Steve specifically mentions that Kevin will not change his stepbrother (ie., Cecil). There's something really sweet about the fact he really does care about Cecil despite getting nothing but frothing hatred in return.
70	** The voicemail Carlos leaves for Cecil is as much this as it is a tearjerker.
71	* Episode 50:
72	--> "I remind you, he is a hero. I remind you my boyfriend is a hero."
73	* Carlos spends most of Episode 51 talking about how it's more important for him to solve all the scientific mysteries in the desert otherworld. Cecil is understandably annoyed that he hasn't so much as tried to find a way out yet. The episode is about to end with the listeners thinking they're set for a big argument, until...
74	-->'''Carlos:''' But I do know two things.
75	-->'''Cecil:''' What is that?
76	-->'''Carlos:''' I love you.
77	-->'''Cecil:''' I love you too. What's the other thing?
78	-->'''Carlos:''' You just said it.
79	* The Man in the Tan Jacket's successful attempt to get former Night Vale mayor Pamela Winchell to come out of retirement and accept Mayor Dana's offer for the position of Director of Emergency Press Conferences, once again giving Pamela a sense of purpose in her life. [[BlatantLies Not that retirement was bothering her or anything, no-no-no-no-no.]]
80	** Also, the fact that almost the ''entire town'' turned up to stop Pamela Winchell's destructive press conference in front of the Radio Station; it shows just how many people listen to Cecil's show and cares for it enough to save it from the ex-Mayor's crazed retirement powers.
81	* Steve's entire monologue paints him in a completely different light. He loves Janice and cares for Cecil, but cannot seem to communicate with them.
82	** A throwaway line in his monologue indicates that Cecil's relationship with Carlos has been really good for him, noting he has become "softer" this year.
83	* When the carnival comes to town, Cecil is ''so excited'' to go there with Carlos, its adorable. (Also sad, when he remembers that he can't.)
84	* Episode 56 begins with Cecil excited for Night Vale's homecoming game, which there, means ''all'' of Night Vale's alumni - living, dead, and as yet unborn - will come and visit during the halftime show. Unfortunately, the homecoming game is cancelled, due to a scandal involving [[ItMakesSenseInContext a player that only exists in the town's collective imagination and a torrential rain storm that lasts five days]]. The entire town is saddened by the cancellation, so the high school football coach invites the whole town to the field to talk with each other and share stories of the year, since they can't do it with their deceased loved ones.
85	--> ''We stayed late into the night under the fluorescent corona of the bleachers, eating damp barbecue, wearing our orange ponchos and telling those tales we wanted to tell to those loved ones who have left us. Telling them instead to those who we currently, or may eventually, love. Tears were hardly noticeable on our rain-streaked cheeks by the time we said our goodbyes.''
86	* Episode 65, 'Voicemail'. While it is a sad episode, it's heartwarming in a way to show that so many people care about Cecil... especially when he realizes that he can come to the Empty Desert to see Carlos.
87	** Another of the callers was Fey, the numbers station AI that had gained and lost sentience. The fact that she called was a lot, but there are indications that she might be waking up again.
88	* Episode 66, Station Management finally approves Cecil's vacation, so Cecil can finally go see Carlos again. His sign off was probably the happiest we've ever heard him sound.
89	* [Best Of] might be a total MindScrew, but teenaged Cecil is still adorable
90	* Carlos decides to finally leave the desert otherworld and returns to Night Vale. His reunion with Cecil in "Review" will melt your heart.
91	--> "Night Vale is just a name, Cecil. Night Vale is just the name for a place where everyone you love lives. Don't worry about the name. Worry about the everyone."
92	* Violet - the preferred name of Hiram [=McDaniels'=] purple head - being revealed as the person who bought Lot 37 (Cecil) so that Dana would have a protector against the Faceless Old Woman and the other dragon heads. He even apologizes to Cecil for using his body without his consent.
93	* Janice has started referring to Carlos as "Uncle Carlos."
94	* Oddly, Kevin in 70A was this. He's implied to have been controlled by the Smiling God to work for [=StrexCorp=], and although he clearly isn't all the way back to normal, what with "decorating" his new studio and all, seeing him sort of bond with Carlos and that fact that he seems to have some degree of emotional stability makes one think he's managing to recover from the mind-control and opens the possibility of a complete reform.
95	* Cecil's attitude towards Intern Danielle in episode 74. While he does want her to go to the Dog Park to cover a story, he respectfully agrees to her wishes to stay behind a desk. And she lives through the episode!
96	* In the novel, the Man in the Tan Jacket finally returns home to his family and they know who he is.
97	* Cecil trying to assure Earl Harlan that despite his complicated relationship with his son, he ''is'' a good father. Then he asks Earl and his son Roger to join his family's Thanksgiving dinner, and Earl is clearly touched by invitation.
98	* At the end of "Lost in the Mail", Basimah Bashara being reunited with her father after he went off to fight in the Blood Space War when she was six.
99	* 83 - One Normal Town: A few.
100	** Mayor Dana stopping Sheriff Sam and the City Council from attacking the former Desert Bluffs residents, saying that they're ''all'' Night Vale citizens now.
101	** Cecil comes to terms with Desert Bluffs becoming part of Night Vale, clearly trying his best to see the bright side of things.
102	** The new church of the Smiling God, started by the former Desert Bluffs residents - they don't force people to "smile" and they don't cover their walls with entrails. Some Night Vale citizens even take part of it.
103	* 84 - Past Time: A small one, but while Cecil finds himself terrified to the point of almost throwing up at the realization of the Strangers and the Beagle, he thanks Steve for driving them, even putting his hand on Steve's arm in gratitude. Steve looks at Cecil, but not in amusement, but with concern.
104	** Steve and Janice's interactions in general are this as well. It shows that whatever Cecil might think, Steve is a good father.
105	* At the start of Episode 89: Who's a Good Boy? Part 1, despite the horror of the episode, we get several of these back to back.
106	** While Cecil feels he must report on what's happening to the city, he insists his sister Abby, his niece Janice and Steve stay with Carlos at the latter's lab, since within the proximity of science is the safest place to be during any natural or unnatural disaster.
107	** Cecil tells Steve to keep his family safe. The fact that he's willing to trust Steve with their safety is heartwarming in and of itself.
108	** Steve responds that with Abby around, he can't imagine anything bad will happen. While we know from past experience that Steve will violently protect his family if need be, he trusts his wife to keep him safe.
109	** Cecil finally admitting that Steve truly loves Abby and Janice, recognizing after all this time that he's a good husband and father. More than that, Cecil admits that he just didn't let himself see the love Steve had for Abby and Janice, and that it was there this whole time.
110	* Episode 90: Who's a Good Boy? Part 2 has the Night Vale and former Desert Bluffs citizens all banding together, holding hands and walking to the temporarily open Dog Park to face down the Strangers. When they all meet at the gates of the Dog Park, Good Boy approaches and then briefly takes over different people and tries to draw them in. It asks the titular question and Steve, apparently pulled in, confusedly asks "is it me? Am I the good boy?" and Cecil panics and in his own words "holds" Steve to keep him away from Good Boy, and all the people around them, including Janice and Abby, crowd in to keep Steve safe.
111	* Episode [[HappilyMarried 100]] in its entirety.
112	* Episode 109. Huntokar, a god of destruction who only wanted to protect her town. Unfortunately, for this same reason, she [[NiceJobBreakingItHero accidentally causes the unraveling of reality.]]
113	* Episode 110: Cecil finally recognizes his abuse of Steve Carlsberg and makes amends.
114	** To expand, Cecil is unable to go to the hearing regarding the angels due to his job, but Steve offers to go and speak on Cecil's behalf. Steve listens as Cecil outlines his points, but when Steve draws a comparison between one point and the patterns Steve sees in the skies, Cecil becomes dismissive as usual. Only this time, Steve doesn't just brush it off or ignore it. Instead, Steve tells Cecil to stop. To stop making fun of him, that it hurts and has hurt Steve every single time Cecil has done that over the years. Steve goes on to say that he doesn't know why Cecil does this, what his problem with Steve is, but Steve isn't angry. He just wants to talk about it, to figure out why so that they can move past it.
115	** After that, Cecil opens up about his own life, about how he and his sister hadn't gotten along, how he had trouble letting people into his life. How it was just easier to keep Steve at arms length rather than let him get close. The two talk for a good while, and before leaving, Cecil lets Steve hug him. And then, to Steve's surprise, hugs him back.
116	** But it somehow gets even better, because Cecil reveals this to everyone in town on his radio show. He even further expands on what he told Steve, about how through helping his sister and his niece, Cecil grew very close to both of them, even though it cost him time and money. Then Steve came and was both a good husband and a good father, being very loving and supporting. But instead of being grateful at having those responsibilities lifted and knowing his sister and niece were happy, Cecil resented Steve for relieving him of what he felt was his duty. He admits this to everyone, how he was basically angry at someone for the crime of being a loving husband and responsible father. He reflects how Steve has been nothing but patient and kind to him, how Steve is a good man, a good friend, and in the end, Cecil just flat out states that he loves Steve.
117	* Through the hellscape that 2020 was, both Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor used the pre-show message to both request contribution for the show and it's crew, which was going through the same hardships as everyone else (or worse) but also to always give a word of encouragement, strength and hope to the listeners who they acknowledge that are probably going through something similar, to remind everyone that they're not alone and we will get through it, together.
118	* From the live show "A Spy in the Desert": ''Cecil and Carlos have a son!''

Context Heartwarming / WelcomeToNightVale