[Jondahr] Demons of power

[jondahr]

As I was leaving my apartment one day, I saw something I had seen every day for the last couple of years, that I had known well for many years, and that had always brought a smile to my face. However, on this particular day, it made me feel really bad.

[GalFisk]

Did you see a thing? A situation? Something living? Formerly living? Did it remind you of something bad this time? Did you feel: anger? Regret? Sorrow? Loss? Nostalgia? Sadness? Fear? Nausea? Grief? Pain? Hunger? Thirst? Need to go to the bathroom? Panic? Stress? Did you see it indoors? Outdoors? Humans relevant? Animals? Buildings? Vehicles? Streets? Were you seeing it for the last time?

[jondahr]

Did you see a thing? This A situation? Something living? Formerly living?

Did it remind you of something bad this time? Yesish or yope

Did you feel: anger? Regret? Sorrow? Loss? Nostalgia? Sadness? Fear? A bit of this Nausea? Grief? Pain? Hunger? Thirst? Need to go to the bathroom? Panic? Stress?Quite a lot of this

Did you see it indoors? This, but beware... Outdoors?

Humans relevant? Indirectly Animals? Buildings? Vehicles? Streets?

Were you seeing it for the last time? Nope, I saw it plenty of times after this, but it never had that same effect on me

[GalFisk]

WAG: did you see a public transit vehicle leaving? But this time you were suppose to be on it?

[jondahr]

WAG: did you see a public transit vehicle leaving? But this time you were suppose to be on it?

That’s a really good idea, but nowhere near the right answer, I’m afraid.

[trebor2]

Was what you saw outside, while you were inside as you saw it? Vice versa? Were you somewhere that could be described as either inside or outside when you saw it? Was it?

When you say you’d known it well, do you mean just that the thing was familiar? That the thing was imparting some advice/warning/information that you were already aware of?

Had something happened that made seeing this thing bad that day?

Politics involved? Does your stress pertain to: your finances? Your physical health? Mental health? Human rights issue? Is your work relevant?

[jondahr]

Was what you saw outside, while you were inside as you saw it? Vice versa? Were you somewhere that could be described as either inside or outside when you saw it? Was it?
Both I and what I saw was inside. However, it was outside of my apartment.

When you say you’d known it well, do you mean just that the thing was familiar? That the thing was imparting some advice/warning/information that you were already aware of? Yesish, though those words might not be the right ones

Had something happened that made seeing this thing bad that day? In a way, but more importantly…

Politics involved? No Does your stress pertain to: your finances? Your physical health? Mental health? Human rights issue? Is your work relevant? My work is indirectly relevant, but beware of possible false assumption No to rest.

[Biograd1]

So you were in your apartment? and the thing you saw was inside of a building, but NOT in your apartment? If so, was the thing you saw inside another apartment in the same building/complex? in some other building (for example a storefront) across the street? in a vehicle?

Or were you ALSO no longer in your apartment at the time, but in some other indoor space you needed to pass through when leaving (such as a parking garage)?

[Sundowner64]

Did you see the thing in the elevator? on the stairs? in the corridor/hallway? in the basement? at/about the main door? on the doorsteps? in someone else's apartment? indoors in some other building? in a means of transport?
Did someone carry or wear this thing? Was it an item of clothing?
Was the thing fixed to its place? was it a painting/drawing/graffiti on the wall?
Do you always leave your apartment about the same time? also that day? did you go to work? relevant?
Was on that particular day something different about the thing? was it altered? in a different place? not there at all?
If the thing was exactly the same, did it also convey the same message to you? just in the context of that day this message made you feel bad?
Calendar date relevant? 9/11?

[jondahr]

Biograd1:


So you were in your apartment? Yesish and the thing you saw was inside of a building, but NOT in your apartment? Yes If so, was the thing you saw inside another apartment in the same building/complex? in some other building (for example a storefront) across the street? in a vehicle? …but none of these

Or were you ALSO no longer in your apartment at the time, but in some other indoor space you needed to pass through when leaving (such as a parking garage)? Not a parking garage, but you are kind of OTRT

[trebor2]

I think you missed Sundowner's questions.

[jondahr]

Oh, so sorry! I did type the answers, but seems I forgot to hit submit or something. Here we go...


SUNDOWNER:

Did you see the thing in the elevator? on the stairs? in the corridor/hallway? THIS in the basement? at/about the main door? on the doorsteps? in someone else's apartment? indoors in some other building? in a means of transport?

Did someone carry or wear this thing? Was it an item of clothing? No to both

Was the thing fixed to its place? was it a painting/drawing/graffiti on the wall? No to both

Do you always leave your apartment about the same time? Not necessarily also that day? I might have left a little bit early that day, but I don't think that is going to help you much did you go to work? No relevant? It is relevant where I was going, yes.

Was on that particular day something different about the thing? was it altered? in a different place? not there at all? No, the thing was exactly as it had always been

If the thing was exactly the same, did it also convey the same message to you? just in the context of that day this message made you feel bad? The thing itself had the same message, but it meant something different to me on this day

Calendar date relevant? Relevant what kind of day it was, but the calendar ate probably won't tell you much 9/11? No

[trebor2]

Was the thing alive? Had it ever been alive? I was thinking it was maybe a poster or a sign or something similar, but those would be fixed in place. Was the thing man-made? Is it made of wood? Plastic? Metal? Is it something that is in a lot of apartment complexes? Is its purpose to make people smile? Laugh? Does it provide a practical benefit to tenants? Does it remind you of whoever put it there? Does it make you smile because it's a sign that people in the building care for each other? Was it put there by one of the tenants? By the landlord? By a maintenance worker?

Had someone died? Were you on your way to a funeral? To a religious event? To a rally? To something fun? Were you going out with friends? On a date? Were you going for a meal? Going shopping? To a medical appointment? To court? To something else involving lawyers? I think you're an actor/writer, correct? Were you going to an audition? To a pitch? To an industry event?

[jondahr]

Was the thing alive? No Had it ever been alive? No I was thinking it was maybe a poster or a sign or something similar, but those would be fixed in place. They would, so it is not that, but you are actually OTRT

Was the thing man-made? Yes Is it made of wood? Plastic? Metal? None of these

Is it something that is in a lot of apartment complexes? Absolutely!

Is its purpose to make people smile? Partially, yes, though that is not its main function Laugh? Probably also this Does it provide a practical benefit to tenants? Yes Does it remind you of whoever put it there? I actually think I hardly met the person who put it there Does it make you smile because it's a sign that people in the building care for each other? No

Was it put there by one of the tenants? Yes By the landlord? By a maintenance worker?

Had someone died? No Were you on your way to a funeral? No To a religious event? No To a rally? No To something fun? I did not consider this to be fun, no. Were you going out with friends? No On a date? No Were you going for a meal? No Going shopping? No To a medical appointment? No To court? No To something else involving lawyers? No

I think you're an actor/writer, correct? Well remembered! I am an actor and writer, and that is indeed somewhat relevant (though it would work for many other professions as well) Were you going to an audition? No, though you might say there is a hint of this in what I was going to To a pitch? No To an industry event? No, except if you're using a VERY vague definition of that term.

[trebor2]

Kind of day… a holiday? Rent day? Garbage/recycling/compost collection day? Payday? The day that some industry thing tends to happen? A weather-related type of day? Such as a snow day? Snow removal day? The day the clocks move back/forward? An equinox? Birthday? Anniversary? First day on a new job? Last day at a job?

Were you going to something related to writing? Acting? (Well, I mean as it pertains to your involvement.) To a writer’s room/writing session? To something to do with funders? Sponsors? Do you relevantly work in theatre? Filmed media? Commercials relevant? Voiceover? Were you going to a rehearsal? Performance? A performance that you would be watching, as opposed to participating in?

I can’t remember what country you’re in. The bane of my existence as a Canadian artist is grant-writing, although I’m grateful to have public funding agencies. Grants relevant here?

Was the thing you saw: a garbage bin? A moveable sign? A projection? A shovel? A broom/dustpan? A doorstop? Was it on the floor? On a table? On a shelf? Is it a light fixture? Was it on a tenant’s door? Is it a decoration? Is it on a windowsill? On a bannister? Stairs or elevators relevant? Is it to do with the apartment mail thing? Is it a map of the complex? Something pointing out exits/fire extinguisher/emergency regulations? Laundry services relevant?

[jondahr]

Kind of day… a holiday? Rent day? Garbage/recycling/compost collection day? Payday? The day that some industry thing tends to happen? A weather-related type of day? Such as a snow day? Snow removal day? The day the clocks move back/forward? An equinox? Birthday? Anniversary? First day on a new job? Last day at a job? None of these.

Were you going to something related to writing? Acting? Acting was the relevant thing in this case, but don't get too hung up on it, as this could work with quite a lot of other professions or specialisations (Well, I mean as it pertains to your involvement.)

To a writer’s room/writing session? To something to do with funders? Sponsors? Do you relevantly work in theatre? Filmed media? Commercials relevant? Voiceover? Were you going to a rehearsal? Performance? A performance that you would be watching, as opposed to participating in? Not quite any of these, and I think there is a FA lurking here because of something you have not yet uncovered

I can’t remember what country you’re in. I live in Norway, but that's not all that relevant here. The bane of my existence as a Canadian artist is grant-writing, although I’m grateful to have public funding agencies. Grants relevant here? No

Was the thing you saw: a garbage bin? A moveable sign? A projection? A shovel? A broom/dustpan? A doorstop? None of these

Was it on the floor? YES! Great question!

On a table? On a shelf? Is it a light fixture? Was it on a tenant’s door? Is it a decoration? Is it on a windowsill? On a bannister? Stairs or elevators relevant? Is it to do with the apartment mail thing? Is it a map of the complex? Something pointing out exits/fire extinguisher/emergency regulations? Laundry services relevant? No to rest, except you could possibly call it partly a decoration. Its main purpose is something else, though.

[trebor2]

Is it a rug? A mat? The main boot-wiping mat for everyone in the building? A welcome mat at a tenant's door? A shoe tray?

[jondahr]

Is it a rug? A mat? Yes The main boot-wiping mat for everyone in the building? A welcome mat at a tenant's door? Yes, indeed, it was my neighbour's doormat. My neighour's door was straight across from mine, so the doormat was pretty much the first thing I would see when opening my door. A shoe tray?

[Sundowner64]

Was there something written on the doormat? Was there a picture? a drawing?
Was it meant to be funny? humorous? ironic? self-ironic? satirical? sarcastic?
Did you go to work on that day? relevantly not go to work?
Were you on vacation? on sick leave?
Did you go out to see someone? to do some errands? for recreation? sports? shopping? just for a walk?
Was it in the morning? during the day? in the evening? during night?
Did you go downstairs to meet someone at the main door? to collect a letter or a parcel?
Were you alone?

[jondahr]

Was there something written on the doormat? Yes Was there a picture? Also yes a drawing? It was a drawing rather than a photograph yes

Was it meant to be funny? Yes humorous? ironic? self-ironic? satirical? sarcastic?

Did you go to work on that day? relevantly not go to work? I relevantly did not go to work, beware of FA

Were you on vacation? on sick leave? No

Did you go out to see someone? to do some errands? for recreation? sports? shopping? just for a walk? no to all, except I would technically be seeing someone

Was it in the morning?yes during the day? in the evening? during night?

Did you go downstairs to meet someone at the main door? to collect a letter or a parcel? No to these

Were you alone? Yes, but not relevant

[trebor2]

Were you going somewhere else in the apartment complex? Were you running an errand? Were you going to do something that is pretty common to do? Were you going to grab something from the parking lot, and then come back? Were you going to a particular place? Somewhere indoors? Outdoors?

Were you stressed because of guilt? Extra work you'd have to do? Inconvenience? Did the mat look different this day than other days? Was there something else different about it?

[jondahr]

Were you going somewhere else in the apartment complex? No Were you running an errand? No Were you going to do something that is pretty common to do? Delends on your definition of common. This is common as in it’s being done all the time, but not in the sense that every person does this every day, if that makes sense yWere you going to grab something from the parking lot, and then come back? No Were you going to a particular place? YesSomewhere indoors? My final destination was indoorsOutdoors?

Were you stressed because of guilt? Extra work you'd have to do? Inconvenience? Not really any of these

Did the mat look different this day than other days? Was there something else different about it? No, the mat looked identical to every other day I’d seen it

[Biograd1]

Is it the message written on the doormat that made you feel stressed? the simple fact that the doormat was there?

[jondahr]

Is it the message written on the doormat that made you feel stressed? Yes the simple fact that the doormat was there?

[Sundowner64]

Was this (the reason for which you left the house) a once in a lifetime event for you? something that would change your life?
or rather an activity that you did several times? if so: did in all of these occasions the message on the doormat make you feel sad?
Did you go to this place because you wanted? because you had to? because you were compelled to? because you felt obliged to do so?
Was the reason for this event sad per-se? (like: a funeral, a visit to a grave, ..)
Were you already sad when you left your apartment? and the message on the doormat made you still more sad?

[jondahr]

Was this (the reason for which you left the house) a once in a lifetime event for you? Yes, indeed (though I had done kind of similar things on several occasions, this was unique in its kind
something that would change your life? Potentially
or rather an activity that you did several times? if so: did in all of these occasions the message on the doormat make you feel sad? This COULD have happened on one of the similar occasions mentioned above, but probably wouldn't have had as great an impact then.
Did you go to this place because you wanted? because you had to? because you were compelled to? because you felt obliged to do so? All of the above, in a way.
Was the reason for this event sad per-se? (like: a funeral, a visit to a grave, ..) No, sad is definitely not the right word
Were you already sad when you left your apartment? Not sad, no, but I was already a little stressed. and the message on the doormat made you still more sad? It amplified a bad feeling that I already had a bit of in me, yes. But "sadness" is the wrong term.

[Biograd1]

Were you getting ready to move (out of that apartment)? possibly even to a completely different part of the country (or even to a foreign country)? and while you had moved before, you had never moved such a long distance?

[jondahr]

Were you getting ready to move (out of that apartment)? possibly even to a completely different part of the country (or even to a foreign country)? and while you had moved before, you had never moved such a long distance? No, that’s not it, I’m afraid

[Biograd1]

Were you about to change jobs?

[trebor2]

Were you going to a place that you had gone before?

Were you going to something that could have a significant positive outcome for you? Something where you were feeling stressed because of a need to do your best? An interview? A meeting about a promotion? This thing that you were going to, would there be another person there? Would there be multiple other people there? Were you going to an AA meeting? NA meeting? Therapy session? Perhaps for the first time?

Could your feeling be described as nerves/nervousness? Anxiety? Anger? Worry? Frustration? Trepidation? Outright fear? Grumpiness? That odd feeling of being hopeful of something that you know isn't at all likely to come true, so you're trying not to get your hopes up about it? Schadenfreude?

Thinking of common welcome mat themes: does the mat say anything about pets? Shoes? Household rules? Does the mat have something humourous on it? Something cheeky? Something inspirational? Something placating? Something instructional? Something about drinking? ("Shoes go off, wine goes in" style thing?).

Did the mat say, "Whatever the fuck you're doing today, Jondahr, don't make an absolute gong show out of it", and you were going to appear on an episode of The Gong Show? (Probably not.)

[jondahr]

Biograd1:

Were you about to change jobs? No, but.... (FA lurking)


Trebor2:

Were you going to a place that you had gone before? Oh yes, maaany times! (The context was different this day, though.)

Were you going to something that could have a significant positive outcome for you? Definitely
Something where you were feeling stressed because of a need to do your best? Yes indeed
An interview? A meeting about a promotion? But none of these, and the same FA is still lurking because of something that has not been established yet.
This thing that you were going to, would there be another person there? Would there be multiple other people there? There would be multiple other people there, yes
Were you going to an AA meeting? NA meeting? Therapy session? Perhaps for the first time? No to all of these

Could your feeling be described as nerves/nervousness? Yes Anxiety? That might be going a bit too far
Anger? Worry? Frustration? No to these
Trepidation? Maybe
Outright fear? Grumpiness? That odd feeling of being hopeful of something that you know isn't at all likely to come true, so you're trying not to get your hopes up about it? Schadenfreude? No to rest

Thinking of common welcome mat themes: does the mat say anything about pets? Shoes? Household rules? No
Does the mat have something humourous on it? In the context of being on a doormat, yes. In a different context, not necessarily.
Something cheeky? Something inspirational? Something placating? Something instructional? Something about drinking? ("Shoes go off, wine goes in" style thing?). But these ar OTWT

Did the mat say, "Whatever the fuck you're doing today, Jondahr, don't make an absolute gong show out of it", and you were going to appear on an episode of The Gong Show? (Probably not.) Haha! I absolutely love that suggestion, but it is unfortunately completely wrong.

[GalFisk]

Getting a job relevant? Losing one? Jobs relevant at all? Education? Moving? Are you in a competition? Sports relevant? A performance? Art? Does the doormat have one word on it? Several? Something relevant apart from writing? Is it motivational? Silly? Is it the kind which reads differently depending on which way you look at it? Such as the come in/go away mat?

[trebor2]

Is the FA that you were the person who was in the subordinate position wherever you were going? Were you the person who'd be calling the shots there? Would other people be coming to you for a job/promotion? For assistance? Would the other people there be subordinate to you? At the same level as you? Higher rank than you? Were they all there for the same purpose as each other? Would they be there for the same purpose you were? Were you going to a job fair at a place you'd regularly been to? (Such as maybe at university?) Were you going there to start training for something? Courses for something?

WAG: is it the unemployment office, but it's your first day as an employee there instead of as someone coming to look for work?

Does the mat say the word "welcome"? Do we need to work out specifically what it says? Does it say something like, "Don't tread on me"?

[jondahr]

GALFISK:


Getting a job relevant? Losing one? Jobs relevant at all? Education? THIS!
Moving? Are you in a competition? Sports relevant? A performance? Art?

Does the doormat have one word on it? Several? THIS Something relevant apart from writing? There is also an illustration
Is it motivational? Silly? In the context of being a doormat, yes
Is it the kind which reads differently depending on which way you look at it? Such as the come in/go away mat? No



TREBOR2:

Is the FA that you were the person who was in the subordinate position wherever you were going? No. Were you the person who'd be calling the shots there? Would other people be coming to you for a job/promotion? For assistance? So no to these

Would the other people there be subordinate to you? At the same level as you? Higher rank than you? Were they all there for the same purpose as each other? Would they be there for the same purpose you were? Were you going to a job fair at a place you'd regularly been to? (Such as maybe at university?) Were you going there to start training for something? Quite the opposite Courses for something?

Since Galfisk already mentioned education and this line of questioning seems to only take us deeper into FAs, let me clear up the confusion by specifying that this took place quite some time ago, while I was still a student. I was in other words not a working actor at this time, but an acting student.

WAG: is it the unemployment office, but it's your first day as an employee there instead of as someone coming to look for work? I love the lateral thinking, but no.

Does the mat say the word "welcome"? No, the word “welcome” is not part of it Do we need to work out specifically what it says? Yes Does it say something like, "Don't tread on me"? No

[Sundowner64]

Were you going to take an exam? a final exam?
Did the text on the doormat mention "passing" or "failing"?

[jondahr]

Were you going to take an exam? a final exam? Indeed! This was the day for my final acting exam.
Did the text on the doormat mention "passing" or "failing"?And YES! Great questions!

[Sundowner64]

doormat.png (619.98 KiB) Viewed 5776 times

[jondahr]

Ding-ding! You’ve pretty much got it (except my neighbor’s mat was not the Yoda version.


***SPOILER***

My neighbour when I was studying had a humorous doormat with a drawing of Gandalf and the text “You shall not pass!”. Being a Tolkien fan myself, this may had always made me smile. However, on the day of my final exam, the text suddenly took on a very different meaning.


(Btw, the title, “demons of power”, was a somewhat obscure hint - a Tolkien fan might know that Gandalf says this to a balrog, and that “balrog” literally translates to “demon of power”.)

Great job getting this!