| “ | All hail the mighty Glow Cloud. | ” |
The Glow Cloud (all hail) was an eternal deity predating reality [1] and formerly served as the president of the Night Vale School Board.
First spotted by John Peters (you know, the farmer) in episode two, the Glow Cloud (all hail) was a cloud which made a sudden entrance to Night Vale from the west. It glowed in a variety of constantly changing colors and emits a low, whistling noise. Initially, the Sheriff's Secret Police recommended that citizens "run directly at the cloud, shrieking and waving your arms just to see what it does." This advice was ultimately unwise, as it was later revealed that the cloud rains down various small creatures such as armadillos, lizards and crows, all of which appear to already be dead. It once dropped a dead lion on top of the Ice Cream Shop, which offered a free dipped cone to anyone who could get the thing off. It also left all recordings of its effects blank and smelling faintly of vanilla. It appeared to be capable of telepathy and mind-control, as Cecil and several others recite a series of chants in worship of it.
The Glow Cloud (all hail) proceeded to double in size and cover the entirety of Night Vale before finally moving on toward the east until it was just a small spot in the distance.
In "The Lights in Radon Canyon," it returned to Night Vale and joined the school board (eventually becoming its president) after determining that Night Vale was the ideal place to raise its offspring. For the most part, however, direct statements taken from the Glow Cloud (all hail) still revolved around achieving dominance over Night Vale--though it appeared to have stopped trying to control anyone but the remaining members of the school board.
In "The Whispering Forest," we learn the the Glow Cloud (all hail) has become the School Board president. When the School Board shut down schools, the Glow Cloud (all hail) makes a statement, saying: "Grovel, Mortals. Put your tongues to the soil and beg for your worthless lives!”
It may have pitched in for community endeavors, as a large glowing cloud (all hail) was seen helping in the hunt for You as documented in "A Story About You."
The Glow Cloud (all hail) plays a central role in the episodes "A Beautiful Dream" and "WE MUST GIVE PRAISE."
In All Hail it is revealed that the Glow Cloud (all hail) doesn't want to be worshiped, but it desires only to communicate with people. Unfortunately, its nature makes communication very difficult, as it can't speak and must interact with human minds directly, which causes people to worship it. It came to Night Vale hoping it won't be worshiped there and when it turned out it still was, it spoke through Cecil, commanding people not to worry about being good to it and to be good to each other instead. It is also revealed that dropping dead animals is actually a medical condition and the Glow Cloud (all hail) can't control it. It did not Create us, but can certainly destroy us.
In "The Glow Cloud, Explained", Dr. Janet Lubelle explains that the Glow Cloud is actually just a regular cloud with light shining through it. She calls the dead animals a "meteorological phenomenon" and attributes the chanting to "collective hysteria".
References[]
- ↑ Episode 109 "A Story About Huntokar"