Haven Application

[thelabcoat]

Name: Stitch
Contact Info: I have a plurk with the username: institches. I can also be emailed at stitchingmeup@gmail.com
Other Characters Played: N/A
Requested apartment: N/A

Character Name: Carlos (the scientist)
Canon: Welcome to Night Vale
Canon Point: The end of Condos

Background/History:

Official Night Vale website and Wikipedia entry. It is also worth noting that Carlos's history before arriving in Night Vale has not been revealed. This means we do not know about his family life or childhood, but I will make sure to try and remain vague on these points until they are clarified by canon.

Personality:

The first time that Carlos is introduced in Night Vale, it's as a nameless scientist who has come to investigate the town. And even though he gets a name soon after, his identity as "the scientist" only ever grows. He is clearly passionate about what he does, and this is shown in the numerous times that he jumps in feet first to investigate any new phenomena that have invaded Night Vale. It's his scientific curiosity that first draws him to Night Vale in the first place, and he can frequently be heard saying that it's the most scientifically interesting town in America.

His clear expertise in his field (which is only ever referred to as "science"), makes it easy to deduce that he is an intelligent man. He further displays this when he's actually heard during the episodes of "First Date" and "Condos", which show his vocabulary to be extensive and his scientific curiosity insatiable. Another indication of his competence in the sciences, are his position of the leader of the team of scientists, and his tendency to be the first to know about risks in Night Vale, which he then tries to warn others about via the community radio medium.

However, his interest in science is not all virtues, and comes with a share of glaring flaws as well. He is obsessed with it to the point that a lot of other things can fall by the wayside without him noticing, this includes his personal relationships and his own safety. While there is certainly an element of bravery in his willingness to put himself on the line for his research, such as when he climbed down to the miniature city or when he investigated the house that doesn't exist, it also seems to be that he is blind to the risk as long as scientific discoveries are on the line.

The town of Night Vale itself has contributed to Carlos's character arc, and how his personality has changed. To explain for the non canon familiar, the town of Night Vale is full of things that we in our normal world would consider horror material or downright bizarre. These include things such as secret dog parks, and glow clouds that drop the carcasses of animals. Deaths are frequent and almost expected, and seem to be an accepted fact of life for most Night Vale residents.

When Carlos first arrived in Night Vale, he was one of the only ones that seems still worked up about the terrors that occur regularly. He went out of his way to warn people when new dangers came around, and he was constantly calling the radio station to have more information reach the masses. And even though he does eventually settle in, he never loses some of the initial amazement for the goings-on, that long-term or permanent residents don't seem to feel.

Now that he has been in Night Vale for over a year, his outlook has altered to become more accepting of strange occurrences. The first real example of this is during "First Date", when he doesn't bat an eyelid about people turning into strange things or having to jump out of the window of the restaurant. It's further shown when he later dismisses an approaching army as a mirage which he has seen before, without displaying any fear or trepidation.

The final way that can be examined to show Carlos's personality, is his relationship with others and how they develop over the series. The most important of these relationships is with Cecil Palmer, the voice of the community radio station and the host of the podcast. While Cecil's commentary on Carlos has a clear bias, the times when Carlos is actually heard speaking for himself give an insight into his return feelings.

He is clearly not a very experienced man in the ways of love and relationships, and can come across as quite shy or awkward. He spends many months tuning into the radio to hear Cecil talk because he likes him, and he couldn't fail to hear that Cecil felt the same way while listening, but it takes until a near death experience for him to come right out and ask for a date. It also takes the catalyst of him nearly being turned into a mindless floating body inside a condo, for him to come out and say that he would like to move in with Cecil. His inexperience and awkwardness show in the times we hear him talk on the air. He constantly fumbles expressing his feelings by wrapping them in scientific analogies, and goes off on long tangents about unrelated theories and ideas. He is also having to learn how to prioritize being in a relationship, and can still often mess up by unintentionally snubbing Cecil in favor of science.

Although it is not shown as often as his relationship with Cecil, which is cast into sharp relief due to Cecil being the main voice of the show, Carlos's interactions with other Night Vale residents and his team of scientists can show a little more about him. His team of scientists generally seem to respect him, indicating that he has fair leadership and communication skills, and follow his lead when investigating phenomena. The other Night Vale residents seem to like him, most clearly indicated when they seem concerned about his apparent death under the bowling alley, when the Apache Tracker even leaps in to save him. He is always heard to be polite and pleasant when talking to others and, even if his obsession in science can make him a tough conversationalist sometimes, he is clearly friendly and compassionate towards others.

Abilities/Powers: None.
Items/Weapons:

+ Digital dictaphone for recording scientific discoveries.
+ Changes of outfit, including laboratory coats for different occasions.
+ Wallet, including money and driver's license, etc.

Sample Entry: Bakerstreet Meme Thread: Cecil

Sample Entry Two:

The radio that was kindly provided by the benevolent and terrifying overlords of Haven should have belonged to the whole communal house, but Carlos had decided that they might not mind if he borrowed it for one night. He would have left a note informing them of this, but as the words would have faded perhaps before they had been seen, it had seemed like an exercise in futility to do so.

Haven was an interesting place, perhaps even as interesting as Night Vale, but he still missed the small town. He wondered idly if it was the issue of free will that determined his fondness levels - he had chosen to travel to Night Vale and remain there, he had not chosen to travel and remain here - but free will was undoubtedly an illusion and so that was unlikely to be it. His stomach rumbled and cut into his train of thought, effectively pulling it into the station of realization to the real reason he disliked Haven so much. He was hungry. He would do unspeakable things for a slice of pizza from Big Rico's, or to see the lights of Arby's come into view on the horizon.

He sighed and took a seat on the ground, and fiddled with the dials and knobs on the radio. Perhaps he wasn't in Night Vale any longer, but at least if he listened to the radio for long enough then the voice he longed to hear would transport him back there for a little while.