“There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.” - Douglas Adams, "The Restaurant at the End of the Earth"

Things that happen in the world can be very odd, and there is a delight in the sort of chaos oddity brings. Such things happen in the world such as a man named Gambles winning a lottery for the second time, using the exact same numbers, ISIS opening two theme parks to entertain kids, or that jellyfish exist, which have no traditional organs as we know them.

I’m not sure if this applies to everyone, or if it is a personal quirk, but I adore settings baked in chaos and oddity. This is the reason I adore "Alice in Wonderland;" it’s a story about a world that has even more chaos and oddity than our own, while still having a coherent internal logic, which is where a lot of stories of chaos and madness can fall apart. If thing X does Y one second, then the next second it does A instead, then it’s not fun chaos, it’s just general chaos.

That brings me to a web podcast I’ve been enjoying quite a bit, known as "Welcome to Night Vale." "WtNV" is about a town called Night Vale, which has the same type of messed up logic I adore in Wonderland. Mysterious hooded figures who occupy the dog park (where dogs are never allowed to go), strange government helicopters that fly overhead, the weather which is music, and a station management which is a eldritch abomination.

While it might sound like it doesn’t, "Welcome to Night Vale" has an overarching narrative and a tight internal logic, nothing seems out of place within the world. The angels stay what they are the entire time, characters change realistically. I haven’t been caught up with "WtNV," but it’s twice monthly and I recommend listening to it. There’s something to amuse on each episode, and it’s very easy to fall asleep to.

Night Vale can be found here