1438 – La Cava | Nothing Works, Everything Happens Ep 4

Episode 1438 – La Cava | Nothing Works, Everything Happens Ep 4

 

SCOOTER: Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time for the podcaster who’s here to keep you company, take your mind off of stuff, attempt to bring you some sleepy joy and delight across the deep, dark night, which is something I accidentally came up with on my second or first recording in 2026, even though these are coming out more in the middle…or, what do you call it, late-mid 2026? Early mid, I guess, or late early. I don't know, this will be scheduled to come out in April, maybe? What is it? What is there, twelve months in a year? So, four months is 33% of a year. You say, oh boy, don't…I say, I get it, I get it. But I’m here to help. If you're new to the show, welcome. The show is very, very different. It’s just like a friend hanging out with you and keeping you company so you could fall asleep in the deep, dark night. Yeah, it’s a bit…it takes some getting used to. I’m just your rambling friend here to hang with you.

 

So, I’m glad you're here if you're new or you're just coming back, you're going through a tough time. I’m here to help out and just keep you company so you could fall asleep, take your mind off of stuff. So, the show does take some getting used to. Give it a few tries. I’m here to help. I also have…if this podcast doesn't work for you or you don't like it, don't worry; coming up I’ll have advice on other podcasts…ways to find something else to help you fall asleep. But yeah, I’m just here to hang out with you and keep you company. I love making this show. Regular listeners, so good to have all you back. Usually I try to think of something…occasionally I think of something funny to say, but I don't have anything particularly…this show is barely humorous. Humor…he makes a lot of humor attempts. It is somewhat humorous watching him make humorous attempts. We don't laugh with him, we don't laugh at him, but we laugh because we appreciate him being him.

 

Old Scoots, Scoots Magoots, I think, as some people used to call me back in the day, some listeners. So anyway, I’m glad you're here. What we got coming up if you're new or you're just coming back after a long break, kinda a standard thing. We got support so that paying for the show is optional. It really comes down to the people that listen the most. So, if you're a new listener or occasional listener, you don't gotta worry at all. We got you. We're here for you. Then after the support is a long, meandering intro, totally separate from the support. It’s a show within a show meant to ease you into bedtime. Then after that will be kind of like audio fiction, short stories, a little bit of sleepy, dreamy stuff. So, I’m glad you're here. Again, if you're new, you're a occasional listener, you're never…you're not in a position to support the show, don't worry, we really do have you. But if this podcast makes your life better on a nightly basis, we really…the show does count on your support. Whether you support one of these sponsors or support the show directly, here’s how you could do it so we’ll be here for you and for all those other listeners, too. Thanks.

 

Intro: Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? Well, welcome. This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. We do it with a bedtime story. Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press Play. I’m gonna do the rest. What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake. That could be thoughts on your mind, thoughts about the past, the present, the future, it could be feelings, anything coming up for you emotionally or feelings related to those thoughts, feelings that are just there, it could be physical sensations, changes in time, temperature, routine, you could be going through something, in the middle of something, getting over something. Whatever it is, I’m here to try to help. It could be travel, work schedule, maybe you work a different schedule, maybe you have guests or you're anticipating something, getting ready for something.

 

The only reason I mention some of that stuff is so you know you're not alone or you get the sense, hey, maybe this is the one podcast that gets me or understands how I feel in the deep, dark night when I’m trying to fall asleep or when I can't get the sleep I need. I get it. I’m in the…right now I’m in…getting over something. Or, no, I don't think that’s the right way to put it, but I’m in the middle of something, and, yeah, that I probably won't get over, right, and I’m here to…I mean, my sleep has not been great. Even though I’ve been following a lot of the good habits that usually help me most of the time, it’s been tough. So, I know what it’s like when you can't sleep or when you're frustrated or you say, I did everything right and I still can't fall asleep. But it could be different for you, right? I don't know exactly what brought you here, but maybe something different brought you here, or maybe you're like, you just can't understand me or where I’m coming from, Scoots. I say, okay, I believe you.

 

I do, because I’ve heard from enough listeners and I really do believe that it is true that there is someone listening right now that really does get where you're at, and they are…well, I know they're wishing you well even if they only can relate to what you're dealing with. There’s somewhere…someone somewhere in the world that can relate very closely to you and what brought you here, and they're wishing you well, someone that doesn't even know you, and they're hoping you get the good night's sleep you deserve, that your bedtime…that this podcast can help you or introduce you to something else that can, 'cause we all know and we're wishing you well because you deserve a bedtime where you could get the rest you need on a regular basis. I’ve been doing the show long enough that I know there is a other side to my sleep stuff right now, and there’s a positive to it, right? It’s fuel for the show. I could tell you I know it’s gonna be okay.

 

I’ll just keep trying to do these things, maybe try to go to bed…start my wind-down routine earlier. I might say more during…whatever it is. I have other things I can do, and I know at some point having…I’ve got listeners wishing me well, too. Thanks, by the way. I just noticed that…and that I’ll be getting the sleep I need on a regular basis on the other side of this when things settle down a little bit. I know that’s true for you in some sense. There is a other side to this, and I’d like to be a part of that journey or introduce you to something that can help. But more important than the helping part is the feeling part. That’s the most real part of the show, that we're all gathered here together during the intro of the podcast to welcome everybody listening but also to wish them well. When you do wish other listeners well…I don't know, that’s the only term I can think of to provide sending comfort across the deep, dark night, rooting for them.

 

It feels good, and it feels good to receive it and send it out at the same time. I get…I’m doing it right now. So, it’s okay for you to do both. Because we all are in this together, and it is a little bit rebellious, right, to be like, man, we're all in this together. It’s not great. Some people are having a tougher time than others, but we can send out this caring across the world to one another, and more so in the sense of like, I get it or I’ve been there somewhere similar. That’s not great, and I hope you find something that helps you out. But for now I’ll send you this caring from my heart. That may be a little bit too much. The good thing is this podcast, it can be as…all that stuff I just said can be as indirect as you want. You could stand at the doorway of the show. You could look at the show throughout the…out…from the window on the outside, and you're still a part of it and you're still welcome here. You could participate in as indirect way as you want, 'cause that’s normally where I feel comfortable.

 

I say, I’d rather look in the window at the party or the gathering than be at the gathering. People say, really? I say, well, I’m not positive. I’ll try to come in at some point. But I also do enjoy sometimes just sitting out here watching it from afar. So, all that to be said is I’m glad you're here and I really hope I can help you out so that you get the rest you need and your life’s better tomorrow, or after you give the show a few tries and you see how it goes, your sleep improves, and if you're getting the rest you need on a regular basis that you could be out there in the world, flourishing. ‘Cause when you are out there in the world flourishing, it means our world’s a better place to be in. That’s what we really…that’s what we're really shooting for, is you out there in the world being you, because that’s what the world needs. If you're out there in the world being you, we need you, and our world’s a better place. So, that’s really the ‘why’ behind the podcast. Why does it even exist?

 

Well, it’s a strange take, but that’s what…the ‘why’ that exists below the surface. On the surface level this podcast is a little bit sillier and goofier than that, though I think due to seriousness I’m not super silly, but silly stuff always comes up anyway, much like the great Silly String thing that happened when…I think I’ve told this story before. Probably not the best time to tell it, but…yeah, let me finish up and maybe I’ll go back to the Silly String story. Where were we? Well, that’s why I make the show, right? The way it works is I send my voice across the deep, dark night. I use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, superfluous tangents. So, I go off topic, I get mixed up, I forget what I was talking about, then I get…then I use filler words or everything kinda just start…I run out of things to say, then I’ll remember something; oh, a story about Silly String. Let me tell you that. Well, what is Silly String? Great question. I’ve got no idea. I don't even know…I think it still exists.

 

Here’s a counter-intuitive idea; if you do know what Silly String is, I would say even though this is the worst idea ever, only use it inside, in your own home on the inside, because it’s kinda like an aerosol-type can. When you spray it, something like a streamer comes out. It’s paper-like. It’s made from liquid that turns into a paper-like substance. Again, I don't need to know the substances 'cause I’m assuming…I haven't seen it in a while, but it would be the thing…you'd say, well, don't use it outside. You say, most people that clean up would say, please use it outside. But then you say, why would I use it outside? Not gonna be good for…there’s no way it could be good for the outside. I mean, maybe one day they’ll make bio-Silly String, but…so, Silly String was this thing you could buy as kids.

 

It usually came in neon colors, usually sold around the autumnal season, and the first time my new friend came over…so, I went from middle school to high school, I believe, but most of my friends ended up…almost all…no, all my close friends, I believe, went to a different school than I did. I had some friends, but…I guess, yeah, the three friends, four friends I was closest with, they all went to a different school. So, I made new friends. This was the first time my new friend was coming over to my house after school. For some reason I thought it’d be a great idea for us to buy a bunch of Silly String probably at a store. Well, where else would you buy it? But I was just trying to think, like maybe I got distracted. You know what you should do before you come over is eat a bunch of candy. I said, oh, Silly String. Whatever, so, we bought multiple cans of Silly String. Then my sister…so, this was towards the beginning of the school year 'cause it was the autumnal season.

 

My sister also…who is two years younger than me, also had a friend over, probably for the first time. My friend and I decided to chase my sister and her friend around the house, spraying them with Silly String. Not just some, but copious, copious, copious amounts of Silly String, entire containers. Then my poor mother, who was probably out doing…was doing some sort of work to support all of us or driving multiple siblings different places and making sure we had food to eat, probably heard all the noise we were making and then opened the door to the room we were in, and she was not pleased. Now, she wasn't…from my experience, wasn't entirely displeased, but for my friend, he didn't…he wasn't used to raised voices, I guess. That’s all it really was. I was like…he was like, oh boy, I’m in…I said, oh no, don't worry about it. We just gotta clean up. Anyway, that was…that’s the story about Silly…that’s a pointless, superfluous tangent, a Silly String…superfluous Silly String tangent.

 

I do wonder if that stuff’s still around, but probably better…it's probably an invention that had it…you say, okay, that probably wasn't the best idea. So, who knows? That’s a little bit about…it is a nice thing to say, but you can always replace it with silly straws. Silly String? Silly straw, which I’ve talked about quite a few times on the podcast. So anyway, my voice is not traditionally soothing, I’m always talking about nothing, and this podcast just isn't for everybody. I guess whatever brought you here…alls I can tell you is what all the listeners over the past 12+ years said, which is that it takes two or three tries to get used to the show. When people first start to listen, they don't like it. They say, what is…? I thought this was a sleep podcast. Where’s the sleep stuff? When’s the bedtime…? When are you gonna tell me a bedtime story like…? You know. I say, yeah, it’s not really like that, but it does take some getting used to. The first time you're like, what? You're skeptical, you're doubtful, maybe you're irritated.

 

Of course you would be, right? You're trying to find something to help you fall asleep, and I’m talking about Silly String and just going on tangents. Then usually the second try you're like, oh, wait a second; okay, I think…and then the third time hopefully you're asleep and you say, wait a second, I fell asleep at some point. I don't know what he was talking about. Maybe…he was talking about different neon things, how important neon colors for things were in his childhood for hair gel, Silly String, silly straws, shoelaces, other things that he can't think of right now, and that I guess…I think that’s when I fell asleep, but I don't know. So, give it a few tries. See how it goes. If you find the podcast doesn't work for you, you don't acquire a taste for it, it doesn't help you, or you…do you already know; you say, this show is…you are definitely not for me, I’d say, totally cool.

 

I have a website set up, sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou, so you could find other stuff on there to help you out and to still try to help you fall asleep. So, just check that out, other sleep podcasts and sleepy stuff, sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou. But otherwise give the show a few tries. See how it goes. You got nothing to lose. Then you go to sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou and find something. What else do you need to know? This is a podcast you don't really listen to. You just kinda barely listen to it like it’s background noise, a out-of-focus picture, a TV on in the other room, a show streaming under your pillow, or a friend talking to you and hanging out with you and rambling on and on and on. It’s also a sleep podcast where there’s no pressure to fall asleep. There is no expectation or pressure to fall asleep with this show. That’s why the episodes are over an hour. I’m here to keep you company, not to put you to sleep.

 

There’s people listening who can't sleep at all or who need a break during the day, and I’m here to the very end whether you're awake or asleep, to help you out. So, if you wake up, I’m here, or if you're…you need somebody…you need something to listen to, I’m here, or if you fall asleep and I’m just background noise, I’m here, or if you use a sleep timer, I’m still here for you, you know? It’s like kind of…I don't know, non-interactive in a interactive way. Because my job is to be your bore-friend, your bore-bae, your bore-sib, your bore-bud, your neighbore, your bore-bie, your boreman, your Boris Borelaf, your chairman of the boreds, your best bore-friend forever. A bore-friend, a bore-bae just hangs with you, but I don't need anything in…I don't need you to pay attention, you know? So, just give it a few tries. See how it goes. The only other thing I like to go through in the intro is the structure of the show. Just in case you're new, the structure of the show definitely throws people off, and it’s another thing not everybody likes, and I understand that.

 

But let me explain to you why…well, the reason why we structure the show the way we do is to benefit the maximum amount of people it can. So, the show starts off with a greeting; friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, so you feel seen and welcomed in and you say, okay, I might check that show out. Then we have support and sponsors so that paying for the show is optional versus it just being like a paid service or a paid audiobook or whatever. There’s more than 600 shows in this…where paying for it’s optional, that you could listen to, instead of like ten episodes and then everything else you have to pay for. It benefits a lot of people, and the people it benefits are new listeners, people that only listen while they're going through a tough time or when their tough times come up, and then people who really can't support the show. They need the help, right?

 

The sponsors cover that, and the people that support the show cover it, and that’s what it comes down to, is if the people that benefit the most from the podcast support the show directly or support the sponsors, it’s there for them and everybody else that listens. But if you're new, you're a occasional listener, you can't support the show, don't worry about it. We all work really hard and we believe in this podcast helping out the maximum of people it can. There’s a lot of listeners that believe in that, too, and that’s…so, if you don't like the support and stuff, just remember that’s what it’s there for, right, versus it just being a paid show and you have limited options of episodes. You got a lot of options of different style of episodes out there, 'cause I want to help out. So, yeah, that’s…so, there’s the beginning, then there’s support, then there’s a long, meandering intro which we're towards the end of now.

 

It’s usually fifteen to twenty minutes long where I try to set up what the podcast is, I follow a familiar structure, but every intro is also different so that is has variety. I just found that variety is one of the things that helps me sleep versus…I like something familiar but that’s not repetitive. But the reason the intro is fifteen to twenty minutes instead of three minutes long is to ease you into bedtime. The intro is not designed to put you to sleep. If you fall asleep fast, you fall asleep during the intro, please consider supporting the show, 'cause those are the people…we definitely need your support if you're a fall-asleep-fast person. ‘Cause most people, they listen to the intro while they're getting ready for bed, while they're winding down, in bed getting comfortable, or chilling out somehow. The intro is a part of that, like a wind-down time, and that’s just what works for me personally most of the time. It makes my bedtime better, having a wind-down time.

 

Anytime I try to just get in bed and go to sleep, it doesn't all…it doesn't usually go how I want it to, right? But if I set the mood, the sleepy mood, which is what I’m really good at, setting a sleepy mood is…it does help. Being eased into bedtime is nice, and it’s when we all get together and hang out. Some people are wondering what Silly String is, some people are looking it up, and some people are reminiscing, though it’s like something probably best…Silly String; best in reminiscence. No need for nostalgia, but it’s good…reminisce all you want. Maybe…I don't know, that kinda sounds like a song. I don't know who would sing it. For some reason my brain said Christopher Cross, but I don't think he would have a ode…could it be in parentheses, An Ode (to Silly String)? Best to reminisce, An Ode (To Silly String). Who’s a modern-day Christopher Cross, is what I’d like to know. Give me some…let me know. So…okay, so, where…? So, that’s why the intro goes on and on and on. It got silly at some point.

 

Who is she? Who is the modern-day Christopher Cross? It could be anybody. I’m just wondering. So, where was I? Trying to…the intro goes on and on and on to ease you into bedtime. Now, there is a version of this podcast that just has the stories that’s called Bedtime Stories from Sleep With Me, or on Sleep With Me+ it’s called the Story-Only Podcast if you don't like the intros. But for most listeners, the intros are our chill time. So, then after the intro…again, if the podcast changes your life on a regular basis, check out the sponsors or please support the show. But those…if you're not a person whose life is made better on a nightly basis by the show, that support is just there so that you don't have to pay for the show, either. It’s free. Then after the support will be our ongoing series where we're reading a little bit of audio fiction, a little bit of short story reading from a book called Nothing Works, Everything Happens.

 

Yeah, I’m glad you're here, whether this is your first time checking out the show or your 5,000th time listening to an episode. I’m sure there’s people in their 10 to 20 to 30,000 times, too. Oh, definitely over that, 'cause there’s people that listen to eight episodes a night every night or five nights a week. So anyway, I’m glad you're here. But if you are one of those people that listens to episode after episode after episode, the show is a part of your life, please consider checking out these sponsors or supporting the show directly so you could support it for your listening and the listening of thousands of other people who might listen a little bit less than you or just not be in a place where they can support the show. Thanks.

 

Alright everybody, this is Scoots, and we're continuing our reading through of stories from Nothing Works, Everything Happens, and the name of this story is La Cava. It starts with make…your friendly shadow on the wall. Raja looked down at the message. Sustenance time. Yeah, yeah, fine, she muttered and confirmed. Her friends gathered around the picturesque form of warmth. Their silhouettes stood out in front of her, back-lit by the flickering glow. The outlines of their shadows danced and twisted against the empty darkness of the night. Some looked straightforward. Others she was able to playfully imagine they were something else. She, too, had spent the last hour dismantling her old avatar and building another one. Her avatar was vaguely human-esque, human-like, essences of human, but she had flagrantly exaggerated their proportions, kinda like a multiple fun…like when you go and look at multiple funhouse mirrors. She said, well, from that funhouse mirror I’ll take that.

 

I like…I want something…some nice bulbousness, if that’s a word. I want to be a taller version but also a bit broader, but I also like to say taut? Just like teachers say that on…in Ronkonkoma, but the other word for taut. Not T-A-U-G-H-T. She also wanted some organicness. So, a little bit of friendly plant growth, almost. She said, I want…I like it like lichen. I like it like lichen. I love the texture of lichen. I like…I’m liking saying ‘lichen’. I wonder if Lincoln liked lichen. She did not think that. The narrator did, though. Raja had sculpted her avatar’s form into a different thicker, organically sturdy, sylvan version of herself. She stepped forward into the circle. There was nothing beyond the gathering of her friends, the glow of the glade. This was an in-between place, somewhere to meet and reset their senses. The group huddled closer, chitter and chattering. The source of warmth had shifted color from purple to turquoise and grew brighter. It was loading.

 

It even had little shooting stars coming off it, little meteors that reflected every color of the spectrum and then vanished. Now time to pause for a second and move on to the next part, Discovery. Now, one of those shooting stars from the source of warmth, little, tiny meteors, caught Raja’s vision. She turned to look away, but that particular speck stayed where it was. She looked down at her feet and then to the other side at her friend, Goya. The speck in her vision had dimmed to a deep black, yet it still floated over Goya’s face, and Goya had a wonderful furry face. Raja pulled up her settings. Full visual reset. Weird, she said. What’s up? Asked Goya. It’s nothing. Just seeing something weird. Just tired, maybe, she assured herself. They had skipped a few sleep cycles. Her thinking felt heavy. Yeah? You okay? Goya said. 100%. We’ve been at it a while. I’m gonna go into slumber mode. I hear you. Just one more jump and I’m gonna do the same, said Goya, leaning over to nudge her with his shoulder.

 

Catch you in a bit. Then he, along with the rest of her friends, leapt into a portal, which was also the source of warmth, and disappeared. They were off to another world. Raja lay down and activated a sleep cycle. Another moment to pause and then we move to adjusting the light here in the story La Cava. When she woke up, she noticed something that she did not prefer. Raja was still by the source of warmth, but everyone else was still out on their adventure. Her vision had not reset, and to further confound her, the tiny speck of black had grown into almost a large circle, almost, in her field of vision. She tried closing her eyes one at a time. Her left was fine, everything in vivid detail. This is her avatar, remember. Her right avatar’s way to view things, however, was the one with an empty gap starting at the edge and working towards the center. So strange, Raja said to herself. She messaged Goya. Where you at? Question mark. No response. Must be in slumber mode.

 

She pulled up her UI — on her right side or her left side? Let me double check. Her left side — and looked through Goya’s jump history. Raja chuckled. Definitely slumber mode. The list was long and it ended only an hour ago. They had been on a jump, jump, jumping jump. A banquet, the nebula, surfing off of Pangaea, another of Goya’s vision journeys in the desert. It went on. Now then…so, suddenly, something in the center of the hole in her vision lit up. Raja shifted her focus, surprised. What for the love of H-E double hockey sticks is happening here? Now, a tiny green glow appeared within the dark area of her right vision, and then it disappeared. She tried moving closer, but only…she just only stepped forward and it moved, the circle. Her body could not move closer to the green dot. She shook her head, which only served to expand the area within her vision that had darkness. She closed her left eye again, and now it was all darkness, almost like her right eye was closed.

 

But then a second green spot appeared, blinking against the velvet, murky darkness. As she adjusted…she kept her left eye closed, so she slowly adjusted to the lack of light. She looked down at her body. What in the…? She gasped. Opening both eyes, Raja saw her avatar — remember, this is just an avatar — had divided into two avatars. But on the left side was the avatar she just had created, the one she was familiar with, and also the source of warmth, the grass. But the avatar on the right side was a vague shape, unfamiliar, kinda hard to pick out in the darkness. It had a bunch of silly straws. It was almost like the avatar was wearing silly straws as adornments and clothing; pink silly straws, blue silly straws. It definitely looked different next to the avatar she had just created. Another blink of the green dots gave her a moment with more light. She noticed that that side of her was in a room, a simple room with four walls, a bed, a flat painting she couldn't quite make out.

 

Her Silly String form or Silly…what is…? Not Silly String. Maybe it was Silly String, solidified Silly String and not silly straws. Maybe it was both. But that side of her was standing in that room, which was on that side of her. Then she looked through her left eye again at the source of warmth. I gotta get going here, do something. I’ll go through the portal, I guess. But before she jumped into the portal, her entire field of vision flickered fully on, then completely off, then on again, then off again. Wait, wait, wait a second, she said out loud. She tried to pull up her settings, but nothing. She tried to message Goya, but her entire UI had disappeared. She was there adjusting to the darkness, but she noticed that she was in that room with the Silly String, silly straw-adorned and clothed body. A pause in our next chapter, Revelation. Raja spent hours trying to figure out how to move this Silly String-adorned and covered body in the darkness, especially since some of the Silly String had solidified.

 

She couldn't see anything. Without her UI to adjust the light levels, it was impossible to know…even to see. Okay, wait a second, they have Silly String bracelets that are almost like sleeves and such things. It was then she realized that the green dots were actually floating friends, maybe, she was assuming. Oh, they're floating beings. Must be floating friends. They floated around the room clumsily. Occasionally…so, they were actually in the room with her or with her avatar, and they just gave her enough light to make sense of the strings, the Silly Strings, in the dark, and the silly straws. Now, after some passing of time, a faint glow had appeared through a small rectangle high on the wall opposite the corner where she was sitting trying to figure out where to go and how to move when you're covered in silly straws and Silly String. She realized as the glow increased that the rectangle was glass, a window. The sun was coming up, orange sunlight. Huh, she noted.

 

She could just barely glimpse outside the window. The tops of trees, a blue sky, distant shapes she couldn't quite make sense of. It wasn't a world she had been to before. Nothing too surprising. I mean, these kind of arrangements in adventures…but this was a little bit stranger than normal, but not that much. With the ambient light level now enough to make out the extension of…the difference between silly straws and solidified Silly String around her, Raja could see that there was also…the straws were connected to almost clothing with clips and buckles. So, it was like the clothing was mostly silly straws with some underlying fabric and material to give it superstructure for silly straws. But it was also constraining her movement. So, at first she realized that she was wearing a hood and a helmet made up of that stuff, and it was a headset, a Silly String, silly straw, Silly String superstructure helmet. So, she unbuckled the helmet and unclasped it and took it off.

 

The bulky headset clattered with a loud racket, and she started to unclip the fasteners for the jacket-vest type thing. One let loose and she realized that it was connected to her pants. Maybe she was in some sort of Silly String superstructure or silly straw one-piece suit. Not quite a jumper; more of like…almost like a snowsuit. Not that thick, though, either. So, she unbuckled the top. Also, her pants started to come off. Then she noticed that the straws were also…as she was trying to take it off, then the straws started poking her, and maybe even that the straws were not sentient but that they were trying to poke her. She was like, I don't like being poked by these straws. Are these straws poking me or am I poking myself with these straws? I’m trying to get out of this straw suit. Also, there was a thick layer of dust. So, as she was wriggling out of her straw-based clothing, there was dust everywhere. Then she’s sneezing and getting…still getting poked by the end of straws.

 

Also, a lot of it was heavier than you would expect. Said, what is this…? Why is the superstructure of these straws and Silly String so darn heavy? I’m really tired. I’m just sneezing in this dust. I think I’ll lie down and close my eyes and sleep even though the sun is continuing to rise. I’m getting sleepier and sleepier. So, Raja slept. Our next chapter is Return. Raja looked down at the headset. She had actually never seen one of these before, but she had heard of gear you'd wear that would cover your head and your eyes, but no one…we would call it a helmet, not a headset. Then you say, is that helmet covered in Silly String and silly straws with some sort of superstructure? But Raja was unfamiliar with helmets. As narrator I’m able to use words that you understand better. But yeah, it was like, why would anyone have to wear a helmet like this? Also, the dust had gotten caught on stuff, so it looked grimy and caked on. She sat cross-legged on the floor in this plain room. There was no seating or no bed.

 

So, when the narrator said she was sitting earlier, he meant leaning against the wall, kinda doing a wall squat-type thing. She did a cursory look around and opened the door and realized she was in a house, a bedroom in a house. She started to look around. She found a downstairs side table with a drawer, and that had scissors in it. She was curious about the headset 'cause it also looked like it had powered electronics and stuff, and she wanted to use the screw…or the scissors as a screwdriver, which she did. She started to open up the headset on the helmet and took off the plastic shell and then a plastic panel, and looked inside. There was elaborate circuit boards and wires that were filthy with dust. She blew into the headset and watched the fine particles of dust float up into the beams of sunlight that streamed through the window. It was almost as beautiful as the sparks of the turquoise portal from last night. She paused for another moment to watch them drift unpredictably back down.

 

The physics were amazing. She had not yet explored the house in full, but having carefully walked down the stairs, she had found more windows. She could see more of the exterior landscape through them. There were many more identical houses outside. With some practice and wiggling, she figured out that she could open the windows, but they were old fashioned. You had to physically turn a handle. That was odd. Once she turned the handle, though, her reward was one of the greatest sensations she had ever felt. A cacophony of sounds flooded into the room, bird songs, buzzing, and the soft rustle of a cool breeze filling the house. It felt even better than it sounded. The breeze blew across her face and blew the dust and sleep out of her eyes. The sun’s glow had made all her skin feel euphoric. It had been overwhelming, this feeling, similar to other feelings she knew but so much more intense. She could also relive it in her head, just conjure it up and imagine the feeling again.

 

It was like the breeze was now somewhere in her psyche. That had never happened before. Even when she closed her eyes, the detail of it had been so vivid it left a lasting impression. This wasn't something Raja was used to. You had an experience and then you moved on to the next. You didn't ruminate about things that had already happened. Always forward. You designed the next thing you wanted to feel. If you craved an experience, you jumped to it, ran through it again. This was different. It was a vague version. Only the shape and the color and the feeling. She couldn't put her finger on it. Raja returned from her reverie and examined the headset. She did not expect that there would be wires and circuit boards inside. It was a bit of a mess electronics-wise, and it all looked too delicate to touch. She blew into the headset once more to clear away any remaining dust and noticed a tiny cable with one end bobbing around loosely.

 

After some inspection she found one empty slot it could reasonably plug into. She connected it. Maybe that’s all it needed, Raja said to herself as she closed the helmet surrounding the headset…like put it all back together. She delicately turned the tiny, tiny screws with the scissor blade. Raja stood up and walked back over to the straw-based clothing. She started to check out the straps and put the clothing together, and realized she could put it back on when she wanted to. She also had found jugs of water downstairs and drank, drank…hydration. Hello, hydration. But the water was beyond delicious. It was probably the best thing she had ever tasted. She also wondered, because she saw a reservoir in the back of the thing she had been wearing, did that…was that supposed to be filled with water that would travel through the straws? She wondered.

 

She was still getting used to her physical…her avatar’s physical being as well, and she started to reassemble the clothing and put the headset over her eyes. Another thing she discovered when she was examining it was a button on the side of the helmet. She prepared to hit the button, but first she paused, and paused for us until we reached another chapter, Resistance. Everything there weighs more. It’s weighty, Goy, Raja tried to explain. The dust, the light, the way the things make…feel when your fingers touch them. Goya looked unimpressed and continued terraforming the ground around them carelessly like a toddler doodling. Cool. You found a new world with some new physics parameters. I don't know what the big deal is. He was terraform-splaining, I guess. He shrugged and moved his hand up and down repeatedly, turning a mountain into a crater over and over again. No, Goya, listen, Raja paused, emphasizing her point. This is not just some new code.

 

This is different, like heavier, deeper somehow. No headset needed. No UI. No settings. No conjuring things out of the air. Totally tactile, if you will. It was the difference between imagining a world or seeing it on a screen, or being immersive versus being immersed in something. I was actually there. I don't even know how to describe it. Goya stopped terraforming and looked at Raja, confused. Imagining a world sounds more interesting, he said. I’m not explaining it right, Raja said. Imagining worlds is great, but you miss all the details, the tiny details like a crack in a wall, a mess on the floor. What’s the word? The aliveness that’s hidden in it. You don't get all that when it’s just a vague memory or some detailed program. Goya shook his head. You keep saying no headset. What are you even talking about? What headset? Okay, Raja paused.

 

None of her words had come out quite right thus far. I think all of this, she gestured vaguely with her arms, all of this around us, all of this that we see, is happening inside of a headset, like something over your real head. Okay, so, over your avatar’s head, but you're not…you're the…you know there’s something doing the thinking, right? That has a physical form, and that physical form is wearing a headset. But what we see normally through the headset is imaginary. It only exists within our minds or the images our mind is being shown or our mind is creating. But the thing was, my headset malfunctioned, and it was a dusty mess. A wire came loose. When it did, I could see a place beyond the headset. Goya was now changing the color of the sun and barely listening. Oh yeah, those cracks in the walls, those are so juicy, you know? I’m serious, Goya. I think reality is out there. Years ago we all retreated from it into here, into these headsets. The reason I saw was to tell you about it.

 

Okay, so why have we never heard of anyone else having a headset or their headset failing before you? I mean, I don't know, there was a lot of dirt and dust. Maybe I had one of the early models or a cheap model, or maybe it was just…maybe this is the first time it’s ever happened, or maybe it’s a fluke. Maybe I bumped something. Maybe I was unlucky. Maybe I was lucky. It just depends on how you look at it. I don't know. We’ve been so busy in here, we’ve had so many adventures, so many different avatars, so many different ways of existing, we're either busy or asleep. Maybe I had forgotten what it was like out there. Who knows how long it’s been, who I was, who you were? Raja was pacing. Goya’s face continued to look unaffected as she rambled. Okay, so how do I get out of my headset? Goya asked cynically. I mean, I could do it right now. Just tell me…can you give me step-by-step instructions? Listen, you're head-splaining to me now.

 

I don't know that you actually can get out of your headset. I had all these straws on me, this interconnected superstructure. There was buckles and stuff, but I couldn't see it until the headset stopped working. Then I noticed I wasn't just…I was no longer controlling my avatar; I was controlling my actual body, maybe. Even before I was out, I was off kilter. I didn't realize that it was mine or that I could remove layers of stuff. Goya’s avatar pretended to reach up towards his eyes and pull off a helmet. Whoa, this is amazing. He stood feigning awe. Raja bumped him. Don't be like that. It’s not nice. Goya laughed. Sorry, sorry. I’m giving you a hard time. You know I love you, Raja. But it just sounds so out…it's not believable. They stood in silence for a long time. Goya kept toying with the landscape occasionally. Goya, this isn't a joke. It’s throwing me off. I really think that maybe none of this is real, and maybe what is real is out there. It felt different, like really different.

 

No amount of new code could make it feel how it felt. Just the sun on my skin was better than anything I can even remember. Goya stayed silent. The dust, it moves in this wild, beautiful way. There’s no pattern to it. It’s unpredictable. He reset their landscape. Well, let’s see what everybody else thinks, I guess. Goya shrugged. Okay, Building Consensus is the next chapter. Slumber mode, said Raja’s other friend, Icra. It says you were in slumber mode. Raja shook her head. I promise you, I was not in slumber mode. Do you see things when you're in slumber mode? Well, no, Icra responded, but that’s how…that’s just what your history’s…I’m looking through your log files. Slumber mode. Then one jump straight from last night to Goya’s personal terra. No, no, no, there was this entire world in-between, a vivid new one. It was strange. At first I was split between my avatar and a body, and the body was wearing a suit of Silly String and silly straws with a superstructure.

 

But I could feel things I had never felt before. Goya, having heard this before, interrupted. Raja thinks that everything we know is happening inside a headset. We're all plugged in, and somehow she’s the first person ever to unplug, kinda like those different movies, you know? She thinks there’s a world outside of all the worlds we know, and that it’s better somehow. Whoa, whoa, I didn't say better, Raja snapped back. I said more real somehow. All of Raja’s friends had the same lukewarm reaction as Goya. Raja tried to convince them. It’s like the warmth is warmer. Your body feels heavier, weightier, denser. I was on the floor. There were straws poking me. I was like, what is this feeling? I don't like this feeling. But it felt real. You're not really selling it that well, Icra responded. She started to build another source of warmth in a portal. Can you take us there? No, Icra. You're not hearing me. You can't jump there. You have to take off your headset, Goya chimed in again. Okay, Icra said.

 

I don't know what that means, but why don't you do that? Raja wasn't entirely sure she could. She started to get frustrated. She realized she hadn't properly thought through getting back to wherever she had come from, but she knew that something beyond her avatar was out there. She didn't know she could access it while plugged in. She concentrated and tried to focus, not on her organic, new avatar’s form, but on the form that was underneath the super…Silly String, silly straw superstructure. She tried to feel the feelings below the clothing. She made a grunting noise as she tried to lift her arms. Nothing happened. Her friends looked at each other and stifled a laugh. Quiet down, she said, taking a deep breath and trying again. Icra whispered something to Goya, but Raja couldn't make out what it was. She tried to take her thoughts into two places; one, the avatar Raja, and the other the clothing-wearing Raja.

 

She told the avatar, familiar avatar, the Raja that was always in different avatars that was familiar to her, but she asked it not to move. But she told the clothing-based Raja to try to lift her arms. Minutes went by. Suddenly she put a hand on her shoulder and started saying…someone said, okay, and then suddenly, surprisingly, the world lifted up in a way, revealing a heavy one just as she had left it. Raja was feeling a sensation in her tummy, tum, tum. She had never felt it before. She looked down. Her tummy, tum, tum was saying, get something down here for me. Then she watched as a wetness soaked through the superstructure, 'cause she also had clothing under the superstructure clothing. That suddenly got warm and wet. What is this? She exclaimed. Then she touched her tummy. It was so soft, and it gurgled. Huh, this is interesting. She had all that water; why was the water coming back out of her?

 

She realized she needed to focus on the task at hand, convincing everybody else that the reality they knew might not be genuine. Unclasping the rest of the buckles and stuff on the main superstructure suit, Raja realized that the superstructure also helped her stand. The gravity felt different here. With the short amount of time she had been back in, she already had lost…she forgot that it took a lot of work to stand up in this world. But she collected herself and headed back downstairs. The smell of the air outside had filled the house. It was visibly full of dust, but it smelled so clean. She paused for a moment and enjoyed the sensation, then reminded herself that she had to act quickly. She knew her plan was a long shot, but she couldn't think of any other way to prove things to her friends. She headed for the door. She grabbed the handle and swung it open. The sun was filling the world with warmth. It felt incredible on her face.

 

The first house across the street was nearly identical to the one Raja had found herself in. Everything was reversed, the kitchen on the left instead of the right, but other than that, the layout was the same. The copy-and-paste pattern was something she felt comfortable with, familiar. There were many new things to make sense of in this house. She’d have time for that later. For now she checked the rooms for one of her friends, but there was nobody there. Raja started to wonder if her plan was gonna work, and with that plan said, what if my friends aren't in these houses? Who will I hang with in this new world? So, Raja left that house, but there was a street filled with houses. She wouldn't give up after only one. But she went to leave, and something caught her attention, a calendar hung on the wall. Its pages fluttered gently as the breeze came in through the front door, the door, still ajar. The wind blew in the house.

 

The calendar was open to April 2033, but according to her mind, the year was 2058. This calendar was twenty-five years old. Could everyone have completely forgotten about the real world in just twenty-five years? Raja was not systematic in her approach to checking houses. The odds of finding someone seemed less disheartening if she checked at random. She hobbled down the street. It all looked the same, copy, paste, copy, paste, like Goya when he was terraforming. Commentary…not the most creative one, Goya. One house, though, had a strange sign stuck in an old tree stump. The sign was covered with weeds and vines grown over it, but Goya moved them to read what it said. No sims. Period. Touch grass, all caps, exclamation point. She entered the house hoping she’d be greeted by someone who could tell her more about this place, maybe someone without a headset or that did jumping and the rest of it. Disappointingly, that house was empty, too.

 

The next house she tried, however, was not. Raja saw someone as soon as she entered. They were standing in the corner of a large room with multiple couches. It was immaculate apart from a thick layer of dust. The decor looked much more elaborate than it had in the house where she had found herself. Raja jumped when she entered, and she was surprised…even though she had been hoping to find somebody, she was surprised to find someone. She crossed the room and stared at him. He also…she didn't know why he knew he was a he, but she did. He had a Silly String, silly straw suit and…a superstructure, and the tubes of the silly straws were vibrating. Sustenance time, she whispered to herself. Raja decided she’d let him finish his sustenance. Her stomach was hungry. She tried to get a look at the person’s face beneath the headset. Could that be Goya? She asked. She noticed a scent with this gentleman, musty body odor, a delicate mix of unpleasant and appealing.

 

While the tubes continued to churn away, Raja thought that it best to find some water. Water made everything better when she had first tried it. She found some of the same containers and filled them…filled with water in a cupboard, the same place they had been in her house. With a bottle in hand, she approached him. The whirring stopped. She took a breath and said, sorry, as she reached up and unplugged the headset. The man’s look of surprise startled her. The face was filled with surprise, and Goya was surprised at their surprise. But their eyes seemed to not be able to focus. Thirty seconds went by with the eyes going back and forth. His face had no expression, as if he was in total disbelief. Then he began to just groan. It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay. I’m sorry. I know it’s very jarring, Raja said, trying to comfort this person. They were still strapped in the suit of Silly String and silly straw. What the heck is going on? The man said, exasperated. Did I just jump? I was enjoying a meal with my wife.

 

You didn't just jump, Raja told him, unscrewing the bottle cap in a hurry. How do I put this? He groaned again. Here, drink some water. Take a minute. I’ll explain, Raja said, lifting the water bottle to the man’s mouth for him. The two sat on dusty couches opposite one another. Raja had once again propped up the front door to let the breeze in. The air was cooling off as the afternoon sun sank low. The man watched as the wind stirred up the dust and the particles floated around the room. He, too, seemed entranced by the motion. No, I’m not your Goya. I don't know who that is, the man said. My name’s Russ. Raja said…she tried not to let any disappointment show. She knew the perspective shift Russ was going through right now. No need to add that. Well, I’m still glad I found you, Russ. The man nodded but remained silent, distracted by the dust particles. He took another sip of water. Raja gave him a moment. What’s that smell? Russ asked.

 

Oh, I had a water leak in my non-avatar body, Raja said, chuckling softly. Russ looked confused. We’ll figure it out, Raja told him. The two sat in silence while Russ’ brain started to try to reconcile everything Raja had told him. The physics here are amazing, Russ said, holding his hand out and letting the dust fall into his palm. Raja nodded. Tiny specks floated through the air, falling haphazardly over one another, back-lit by the fading sunlight. They disappeared as they fell into the skin of Russ’ palm. I kinda wish you didn't take me out, though. This was not pleasing to Raja. She knit her brow. She didn't like how this made her feel. What do you mean? I mean, you could go back in. I’ve done it. I get that, Russ replied, pausing again, lost in thought. It won't be the same, though, will it? He turned his head and looked Raja in the eye. Raja tried to find the right response. I’m not sure. Well, these physics really are amazing, Russ said again, but it won't be the same. Maybe, but couldn't this be better?

 

Raja motioned out the window. I’ve barely explored this place. Maybe, Russ said, considering it, but maybe there’s a reason everyone is existing in some other existence. Probably just needs more time, Raja told herself. Her stomach grumbled again. She watched the dust with Russ in silence. Raja wondered what this place had been like before they all plugged in. She wondered how it felt when there was people outside, like real people. She thought of all the amazing places she had experienced inside the headset and how different and kinda barren this place seemed in comparison, plain. Raja wondered why it continued to pull her away from everything that was familiar. She hadn't found Goya or Icra or any of her friends, but she had found someone. Like her, he had been living inside a world inside a headset. Like her, he didn't remember the outside world at all. That meant that everyone inside must be somewhere here on the outside, too. The others had to be here.

 

She’d just have to search every house on the street until she found them. How big could this place be, anyway? Raja looked to Russ again. He sat watching the dust with an expression on his face, a frown. She looked out the window at the stump with the lawn sign and wondered where that person was. She wondered what truly made one place better than another. Raja thought about how long it might take to find her friends, then she wondered if she…maybe they would want to stay in there. But then she said, I’m gonna take a sleep that’s not slumber mode, like that first sleep I had that other time, and she lied down and closed her eyes. Russ, who was tired from his first journey into the real world, was tired, too. They both closed their eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep and said, goodnight, everybody.

 

[End of recording]

Transcription performed by LeahTranscribes

Nothing Works, Everything Happens

 

Silly String 

https://www.wired.com/2015/10/whats-inside-silly-string/

https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/silly-string.htm

https://dundeedesignhouse.com/everyday-objects/silly-string/

 

VR Headsets

https://sandboxvr.com/articles/history-of-vr?lang=en

https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/11/09/the-evolution-of-virtual-reality-exploring-the-past-present-and-future/

https://lumenandforge.com/the-history-of-virtual-reality

 

The Rise of Minecraft

https://www.exitlag.com/blog/history-of-minecraft-global-phenomenon/

https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,2144098-3,00.html

https://glcometstale.com/2098/features/the-rise-and-fall-and-rise-of-minecraft/

 

Suburb Design

https://www.thoughtco.com/overview-of-suburbs-1435799

https://architecture-history.org/schools/SUBURBAN%20PLANNING.html

https://westphillyhistory.archives.upenn.edu/exhibits/building-west-philadelphia/chronology

 

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Attempting to bring you some sleepy joy and delight

Late Early Mid

A lot of attempts at humor

Old Scoots McGoots, as some listeners used to call me back in the day

 

PLUGS

Nothing Works, Everything Happens; Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Story Only Feed; Emily Tat Artwork; Crisis Textline

 

SPONSORS

Helix Sleep; Zocdoc; Coyuchi

 

INTRO

In the middle of something, getting over something, etc

Maybe this is the one podcast that gets me

Right now, I’m in the middle of something

I’m not getting great sleep, so I know what it’s like

Someone can relate very closely to what you’re going through right now

We’re all gathered here to wish the listeners well

We can send out this caring across the world

For now, I’ll send you this caring from my heart

And everything that I just said can be as indirect as you want

I enjoy watching the party from the doorway sometimes

When you’re flourishing, our world is a better place

The Why behind the podcast

Silly stuff always comes up

The great silly string story that I’ll get to eventually

I think Silly String still exists, right?

You should only use silly string inside

Paper-Like Substance (PLS)

There’s no way it can be good for the outside

Maybe one day they’ll make bio silly string

Usually sold around the autumnal season

My first encounter with Silly String

Going into high school, almost all my friends went to a different school

So I had to make new friends

The first time a new friend came over

I thought it would be great to buy silly string

My sister also had a friend over

My friend and I chased them around the house with copious amounts of silly string

My poor mother was…not pleased

My friend wasn’t used to raised voices

But we just had to clean up

Superfluous Silly String Tangent (SSST)

Shoutout to silly straws, too

It’s normal for people to not like the show at first

The importance of neon colors in my childhood

sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou

A bore bae just hangs with you

But I don’t need anything from you

Explaining the show structure

I like something that’s familiar and not repetitive

Setting the Sleepy Mood

“Best to Reminisce (An ode to Silly String)” – Christopher Cross

Who’s the modern day Christopher Cross?

A little bit of audio and a little bit of short story fiction reading

Nothing Works, Everything Happens

 

STORY

“La Cava”

Your friendly shadow on the wall

Raha looked at the message

Sustenance Time

Her friends gather around the picture of warmth

She’d just dismantled her old avatar and had been building another one

Essences of Human

But she had flagrantly exaggerated the proportions

Some nice bulbousness

Like a funhouse mirror

I like it lichen

Raha’s form was a thicker, more organically sturdy version of herself

The group huddles closer, chattering

On to the next park

Discovery

A speck of a star stays caught in her vision

Her friend Goya, with a wonderfully furry face

Full Visual Reset doesn’t work

Heading into slumber mode

Adjusting the light in la Cava

Raha is by the warmth, and her vision has not yet reset

The speck of black in her vision keeps growing

She doesn’t get a response from Goya

She pulls up her UI

Goya has been jumping all around

What is going on?

A tiny green glow appears in her vision

Her body could not move closer to the green dot

It grows

She slowly adjusts

Raha now sees her avatar divided into two avatars

It’s as if the avatar was wearing pink silly straws as clothing

One side of her is in a simple room with a bed

Or maybe it was solidified silly string

Flickering field of vision

Her UI disappears

Revelation

She tries to move her body in this simple room

The green dots are maybe floating friends

The sun is coming up!

Orange sunlight 

This isn’t a world she’s been to before

The straws are connected to clothing with clips and buckles

Superstructure for Silly Straws

She also has a hood and helmet made up of this stuff

She unbuckles her helmet

She unclips her fasteners

Silly String Snowsuit

As she took it off, the straws started trying to poke her

A thick layer of dust everywhere

Why is this silly string superstructure so heavy?

She’s getting tired from the heaviness and the dust

And so Raha slept

Return

Raha looked down at the headset

Raha is unfamiliar with helmets

No seating and no bed

Doing a wall squat type thing

She opens the door and realizes she’s in a bedroom in a house

She goes downstairs

She uses a pair of scissors to open up the headset

Looking inside

Elaborate circuit boards, filthy with dust

The physics are amazing

She explores the house

More windows, and identical houses outside

A cacophony of sounds greet the opened window

An overwhelming, euphoric feeling

The breeze and sun are now somewhere in her psyche

She’s not used to ruminating on things that have already happened

You always move forward, you don’t look back!

She can’t quite figure it out

The headset still isn’t working

She starts reassembling the straw-based clothing

Hello, Hydration

She finds a button on the side of the helmet

Resistance

Everything weighs more!

Raha tries to explain this situation to Goya

Goya seems unimpressed

Terraform-splaining

This isn’t just a new code

No headset needed

Totally Tactile

Immersive vs Being Immersed

Goya is more interested in imagining a world

The aliveness hidden in it

Raha has trouble explaining this

Goya is confused by the “headset”

Raha explains – all this is seen through a headset

All we see is imaginary

A place beyond the sunset

Reality is out there!

If headsets are real, how come no one else has ever mentioned it?

Goya doesn’t believe Raha

Now you’re headsplaining, Goya

You won’t realize what’s going on until the headset stops working

Goya is being pretty sarcastic

Goya keeps toying with the landscape

Maybe what’s real is actually out there

Building Consensus

Others think that Raha was just in personal slumber mode

Raha didn’t say that the outside world is better, just different

It didn’t all feel great, but it felt real

Ikra is not impressed

Raha doesn’t know how to explain this

And she doesn’t know if she can get back to where she was

She tries

Feeling the feelings below the clothing

Nothing happens

She tries again

Taking your thoughts into two places. Avatar Raha and Clothing-Wearing Raha

She asks her body only to move her arms

And it suddenly works!

Her tummy tummy tum demands sustenance

A wetness soaks through the superstructure

Her tummy is so soft and gurgling!

Why is the water coming back out of her?

Unclasping the buckles

Gravity feels different here

It takes a lot of work to stand up in this world

She has to act quickly

She opens the door of the house

Checking the other houses for her friends

But what if they’re not here?

A calendar hangs on one of the walls

April, 2033

But according to her mind, it’s 2058

The calendar is 25 years old!

Did everyone forget about the world in just 25 years?

Copy Paste Searching for other people

A strange sign stuck in an old tree stump

No Sims. TOUCH GRASS!

The next house is not empty

Someone stands in the corner

Very elaborate decor

He has a silly straw suit on, too

The tubes are vibrating for sustenance time

Is that Goya??

A musty scent, part unappealing and appealing

She drinks more water

She unplugs this man’s headset

He looks surprised!

Total Disbelief, then a lot of groaning

Raha tries to comfort this person

What the heck is going on??

Raha lets the breeze in

He is entranced by the dust floating

His name is Russ, not Goya

Russ slowly adapts

Russ wishes that Raha hadn’t taken her out

But it’ll never be the same again if he does go back in

It won’t be the same…

But couldn’t this be better?

But maybe there’s a reason that everyone chose this other existence

She thought of what this world must’ve been like

Why does this plain world pull her away from the headset world?

Everyone else must be somewhere around here, too

How big could this place be, anyway?

She’s gonna take a sleep that’s not slumber mode

Russ is also tried, so he’ll nap too

 

SUMMARY:

Episode: 1438

Title: La Cava | Nothing Works, Everything Happens Ep 4

Plugs: Nothing Works, Everything Happens; Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Story Only Feed; Emily Tat Artwork; Crisis Textline

Sponsors: Helix Sleep; Zocdoc; Coyuchi

Notable Language:

• Paper-Like Substance (PLS)
• Superfluous Silly String Tangent (SSST)
• Silly Straws
• Setting the Sleepy Mood
• Sustenance Time
• Essences of Human
• Some nice bulbousness
• I like it lichen
• Solidified Silly String
• Superstructure for Silly Straws
• Silly String Snowsuit
• Wall Squat Type Thing
• Hello, Hydration
• Terraform-splaining
• Totally Tactile
• Headsplaining
• No Sims. TOUCH GRASS!

 

Notable Culture:

• Silly String
• sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou
• “Best to Reminisce (An ode to Silly String)” – Christopher Cross
• Nothing Works, Everything Happens

 

Notable Talking Points:

• • In the middle of something, getting over something, etc
  • Maybe this is the one podcast that gets me
  • Right now, I’m in the middle of something
  • I’m not getting great sleep, so I know what it’s like
  • Someone can relate very closely to what you’re going through right now
  • We’re all gathered here to wish the listeners well
  • We can send out this caring across the world
  • For now, I’ll send you this caring from my heart
  • And everything that I just said can be as indirect as you want
  • I enjoy watching the party from the doorway sometimes
  • When you’re flourishing, our world is a better place
  • The Why behind the podcast
  • Silly stuff always comes up
  • The great silly string story that I’ll get to eventually
  • I think Silly String still exists, right?
  • You should only use silly string inside
  • Paper-Like Substance (PLS)
  • There’s no way it can be good for the outside
  • Maybe one day they’ll make bio silly string
  • Usually sold around the autumnal season
  • My first encounter with Silly String
  • Going into high school, almost all my friends went to a different school
  • So I had to make new friends
  • The first time a new friend came over
  • I thought it would be great to buy silly string
  • My sister also had a friend over
  • My friend and I chased them around the house with copious amounts of silly string
  • My poor mother was…not pleased
  • My friend wasn’t used to raised voices
  • But we just had to clean up
  • Superfluous Silly String Tangent (SSST)
  • Shoutout to silly straws, too
  • It’s normal for people to not like the show at first
  • The importance of neon colors in my childhood
  • sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou
  • A bore bae just hangs with you
  • But I don’t need anything from you
  • Explaining the show structure
  • I like something that’s familiar and not repetitive
  • Setting the Sleepy Mood
  • “Best to Reminisce (An ode to Silly String)” – Christopher Cross
  • Who’s the modern day Christopher Cross?
  • A little bit of audio and a little bit of short story fiction reading
  • Nothing Works, Everything Happens

• “La Cava”

• Your friendly shadow on the wall

• Raha looked at the message

• Sustenance Time

• Her friends gather around the picture of warmth

• She’d just dismantled her old avatar and had been building another one

• Essences of Human

• But she had flagrantly exaggerated the proportions

• Some nice bulbousness

• Like a funhouse mirror

• I like it lichen

• Raha’s form was a thicker, more organically sturdy version of herself

• The group huddles closer, chattering

• On to the next park

• Discovery

• A speck of a star stays caught in her vision

• Her friend Goya, with a wonderfully furry face

• Full Visual Reset doesn’t work

• Heading into slumber mode

• Adjusting the light in la Cava

• Raha is by the warmth, and her vision has not yet reset

• The speck of black in her vision keeps growing

• She doesn’t get a response from Goya

• She pulls up her UI

• Goya has been jumping all around

• What is going on?

• A tiny green glow appears in her vision

• Her body could not move closer to the green dot

• It grows

• She slowly adjusts

• Raha now sees her avatar divided into two avatars

• It’s as if the avatar was wearing pink silly straws as clothing

• One side of her is in a simple room with a bed

• Or maybe it was solidified silly string

• Flickering field of vision

• Her UI disappears

• Revelation

• She tries to move her body in this simple room

• The green dots are maybe floating friends

• The sun is coming up!

• Orange sunlight 

• This isn’t a world she’s been to before

• The straws are connected to clothing with clips and buckles

• Superstructure for Silly Straws

• She also has a hood and helmet made up of this stuff

• She unbuckles her helmet

• She unclips her fasteners

• Silly String Snowsuit

• As she took it off, the straws started trying to poke her

• A thick layer of dust everywhere

• Why is this silly string superstructure so heavy?

• She’s getting tired from the heaviness and the dust

• And so Raha slept

• Return

• Raha looked down at the headset

• Raha is unfamiliar with helmets

• No seating and no bed

• Doing a wall squat type thing

• She opens the door and realizes she’s in a bedroom in a house

• She goes downstairs

• She uses a pair of scissors to open up the headset

• Looking inside

• Elaborate circuit boards, filthy with dust

• The physics are amazing

• She explores the house

• More windows, and identical houses outside

• A cacophony of sounds greet the opened window

• An overwhelming, euphoric feeling

• The breeze and sun are now somewhere in her psyche

• She’s not used to ruminating on things that have already happened

• You always move forward, you don’t look back!

• She can’t quite figure it out

• The headset still isn’t working

• She starts reassembling the straw-based clothing

• Hello, Hydration

• She finds a button on the side of the helmet

• Resistance

• Everything weighs more!

• Raha tries to explain this situation to Goya

• Goya seems unimpressed

• Terraform-splaining

• This isn’t just a new code

• No headset needed

• Totally Tactile

• Immersive vs Being Immersed

• Goya is more interested in imagining a world

• The aliveness hidden in it

• Raha has trouble explaining this

• Goya is confused by the “headset”

• Raha explains – all this is seen through a headset

• All we see is imaginary

• A place beyond the sunset

• Reality is out there!

• If headsets are real, how come no one else has ever mentioned it?

• Goya doesn’t believe Raha

• Now you’re headsplaining, Goya

• You won’t realize what’s going on until the headset stops working

• Goya is being pretty sarcastic

• Goya keeps toying with the landscape

• Maybe what’s real is actually out there

• Building Consensus

• Others think that Raha was just in personal slumber mode

• Raha didn’t say that the outside world is better, just different

• It didn’t all feel great, but it felt real

• Ikra is not impressed

• Raha doesn’t know how to explain this

• And she doesn’t know if she can get back to where she was

• She tries

• Feeling the feelings below the clothing

• Nothing happens

• She tries again

• Taking your thoughts into two places. Avatar Raha and Clothing-Wearing Raha

• She asks her body only to move her arms

• And it suddenly works!

• Her tummy tummy tum demands sustenance

• A wetness soaks through the superstructure

• Her tummy is so soft and gurgling!

• Why is the water coming back out of her?

• Unclasping the buckles

• Gravity feels different here

• It takes a lot of work to stand up in this world

• She has to act quickly

• She opens the door of the house

• Checking the other houses for her friends

• But what if they’re not here?

• A calendar hangs on one of the walls

• April, 2033

• But according to her mind, it’s 2058

• The calendar is 25 years old!

• Did everyone forget about the world in just 25 years?

• Copy Paste Searching for other people

• A strange sign stuck in an old tree stump

• No Sims. TOUCH GRASS!

• The next house is not empty

• Someone stands in the corner

• Very elaborate decor

• He has a silly straw suit on, too

• The tubes are vibrating for sustenance time

• Is that Goya??

• A musty scent, part unappealing and appealing

• She drinks more water

• She unplugs this man’s headset

• He looks surprised!

• Total Disbelief, then a lot of groaning

• Raha tries to comfort this person

• What the heck is going on??

• Raha lets the breeze in

• He is entranced by the dust floating

• His name is Russ, not Goya

• Russ slowly adapts

• Russ wishes that Raha hadn’t taken her out

• But it’ll never be the same again if he does go back in

• It won’t be the same…

• But couldn’t this be better?

• But maybe there’s a reason that everyone chose this other existence

• She thought of what this world must’ve been like

• Why does this plain world pull her away from the headset world?

• Everyone else must be somewhere around here, too

• How big could this place be, anyway?

• She’s gonna take a sleep that’s not slumber mode

• Russ is also tried, so he’ll nap too