Night Vale Fanfiction
The pioneering fiction podcast styled as community radio from a desert town where every conspiracy is true and the dog park is forbidden. Its fandom helped define podcast fic culture, centered on radio host Cecil Palmer's on-air adoration of Carlos the scientist — one of fandom's most beloved canon queer couples — and the gentle surrealism of writing daily life where helicopters have feelings and the Glow Cloud chairs the school board. Domestic fic that treats cosmic horror as a mundane backdrop is the signature genre.
Start Reading Night Vale Fanfiction
Explore 15,000 Night Vale stories on Archive of Our Own, sorted by popularity. Then enjoy the best reading experience with Fanfict Reader.
📱 Download Fanfict Reader for offline reading, custom themes, and seamless sync across devices.
What is Night Vale fanfiction?
Night Vale fanfiction is fan-created stories set in the Welcome to Night Vale universe. With over 15,000 works on Archive of Our Own, Night Vale is one of the most popular fandoms in the fanfiction community.
These stories explore beloved characters like Cecil Palmer, Carlos, Steve Carlsberg, Dana Cardinal, and many more. Writers create everything from short one-shots to epic novel-length adventures, exploring relationships, alternate universes, and "what if" scenarios.
Most Popular Night Vale Fanfics
These are the highest-rated Night Vale stories on AO3, ranked by kudos from readers.
The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows
by EzraBlake
“I can't believe you did that.” “Kissed you?” Carlos asks. He feels Cecil shudder under his hands. “Yes,” he hisses. “Right there, where anyone could – oh, beautiful, perfect Carlos, I never thought you were kinky too!”Or, Cecil's erogenous zones are in nonstandard places.
run, run, fast as you--
by orphan_account
The night that his research partner (and sort-of ex) shows up at his apartment with a gun, Carlos decides to take a mysterious but exceptionally well funded two-year research posting in a town called Night Vale. A story in which Night Vale is there for the people who need it, Cecil's propensity to w
More Than Weather
by JumpingJackFlash
Cecil is tongue-tied when he's with Carlos, but he's never at a loss for words when he's on the air.
What We've Got Here
by Margo_Kim
Carlos's reaction to the first date involves a lot more anguished cries than Cecil's, though to be fair, they're only anguished cries of "Why did I do that, why did I say that, why am I allowed to interact with other people" so they're still better than at least eighty percent of Night Vale's late n
My Love Should Be Heard And Not Seen
by orphan_account
Cecil Palmer is the best phone sex operator in the small company called Night Vale. One night, a slightly tipsy and very lonely scientist dials his number, and gets far more than he bargained for - a late night conversation about advanced biochemistry, a brand new fetish for surreal horror, a surpr
Sweetest Sound
by Dracothelizard
For the following prompt on the kinkmeme:Whenever he turns on the radio, Carlos can feel Cecil's voice touching him, molesting him...fucking him, if he lets it.He thinks it's incredibly hot. But Cecil has no idea that his voice is doing this.
A Beautiful Thing That I Couldn't Escape
by Chash
As it turns out, explaining Cecil to his mother is much easier than explaining upstate New York to Cecil.
An Eye for an Eye
by Anonymous
In which Jonathan Sims is not from the UK but instead, if you took his origins and turned them sideways twice then flipped them over, he technically would be from the US, the town of Night Vale specifically.Elias can’t do shit about it and gets a headache and slowly creeping madness instead. ***** O
Instinct
by Mixxy
Carlos has managed to get a hold on his incubus side over the years. It's not the happiest existence, fighting against nature every step of the way, but it's necessary. After all, feeding on life energy through sex? It's not so good for the other person. If Carlos has to be an abstinent sex demon, t
Mostly Void, Partially Stars
by Infinite_Monkeys
The Avengers' search for Loki takes them to a small desert town where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and the single mother of an eight-legged horse can join the PTA.
inspired by your laugh to wait for things
by gyzym
Maybe in Night Vale, where everything else works a little bit wrong, love works a little wrong too. Maybe in Night Vale, where time occasionally stands on end and gravity pulls slightly less than usual every second Thursday, someone like Cecil, a love like Cecil's, could come without any strings att
Lemon Pie - He's Coming Through
by paperclipbitch
Carlos is absolutely objective. It’s just that it’s quite hard to stay objective when you’ve got Hooded Figures living in your kitchen, radio news reporters stalking you with somewhat dubious baked goods, and everything is so soaked with chemicals, radiation and dark magic that half the time your f
The Voice of Night Vale
by cafecliche
Cecil is, at worst, not much longer for this world. (And at best, a bit high-maintenance.)
The Job Fair
by sabinelagrande
Clint isn't entirely sure that it's a coincidence that the car breaks down right outside of Phil's hometown.
Inhuman
by Twigwise
Both Carlos and Cecil are keeping secrets. Carlos dismisses his own in light of the theory that his boyfriend is more than what he appears. As with any theory, it bears investigation.
The Knowable Universe
by novembersmith
“Let us approach a much more modest question: not whether we can know the universe or the Milky Way Galaxy or a star or a world. Can we know, ultimately and in detail, a grain of salt?” – Carl SaganorImmediately following the events of Episode 25, Carlos realizes he’s been asking the wrong questions
How I Survived My Summer Vacation, by Tamika Flynn, Age 12 3/4
by thingswithwings
The first book on Tamika Flynn's Summer Reading Program Sticker Chart is Lord of the Flies.She doesn't really like it.
Taste of Home
by daroos
Phil Coulson grew up in Night Vale. Somehow SHIELD is both more terrifying and easier to survive than his childhood home.
The Rat and the Ruby Slippers
by indigostohelit
Carlos is having the strangest dreams, and the strangest headaches, like there's something he's supposed to be remembering. Not to mention the intern's wedding coming up, and that new chemical StrexCorp wants him to develop. It's going to be a busy week.
Pas De Deux
by copperbadge
Cecil has an unexpected bonus. In his pants.
Night Vale Fanfics by Length
Pick a reading commitment — from one-sitting one-shots to 100k+ epics:
Best Night Vale Fanfic Rec Lists
Common Night Vale Tropes
Popular Characters
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Night Vale fanfics are on AO3?
There are over 15,000 Night Vale fanfiction works on Archive of Our Own, making it one of the platform's largest fandoms.
What are the best Night Vale ships?
Popular Night Vale pairings include Cecilos. Each ship has thousands of dedicated stories exploring their relationship.
How can I read Night Vale fanfiction on my phone?
Download Fanfict Reader for iOS to browse and read Night Vale fanfiction with a beautiful mobile interface, offline reading, and custom themes.
Read Night Vale on the go
Fanfict Reader is the best way to browse, search, and read AO3 fanfiction on your iPhone. Download for free and start reading your favorite Night Vale fics today.