MWINYD and Me
 

I have a tale to share.

About 2 years back, my work life was plunged into discord and chaos. Following is a true, unembellished account of my personal Frank Dominio experience.

On a particularly stressful day of a likewise stressful week, I made a comment in jest to a coworker, "Man, it's days like these that could send one on a killing spree." The comment was offhand, and totally nonserious.

Unfortunately for me, someone (their identity remains anonymous to this day, though I have a pretty darned good idea of whom the person is) overheard my statement. This individual (hereafter referred to as The Vile Betrayer, or TVB for short) took it upon themselves to call Corporate Security and report my statement. TVB ALSO took liberty to describe me as "a quiet sort, not very social, with a propensity for wearing black." Everyone in my department knows i collect swords, and that factoid was also reported.

As luck would have it, I had recently begun wearing my hair in a crewcut (the same way it is in my album pics here).

Security ransacked my desk that very night, and found a printed transcript of MWINYD. These braniacs read it, and assumed that it was my "manifesto", and was written by me, despite the name Tom Ligotti at the top of the first page.....

Well, my manager called me and told me that I was not to report to work until a full investigation could be conducted, at which time I would be summoned to the office, escorted to the Security Offices, and "evaluated".

To make matters worse, teh names of "the Seven Dwarfs" from the story all happen to be names of people in my department. See where this is headed?

The pompous security chief questioned me for over two hours. He wanted to know why I had threatened to embark on a "killing spree". He informed me that a sudden change in appearance (my drastic haircut) was a sign of possible mental instability. He wanted to know if I owned firearms. he wanted to know why I collected swords. He wanted to know why rumors of my threatening a black co-worker were circulating, and if I was a racist. He informed me that I had been labelled a White Supremicist by some anonymous co-workers. He wanted to know what i ahd against Barry, Kerry, Sherri, etc.

To my credit, some of my coworkers outright dismissed these allegations when they were questioned. Also, I was able to convince Mr. Security that
A) I'm totally non-violent
B) I'm not a racist nor a White Supremicist
C) The remark I made was merely a jest, and signified nothing.

Even so, I was remanded to the company shrink for "Anger Management Therapy". This was mandatory, twice a week, for 8 weeks.

I was given 4 days suspension sans pay.

To make matters worse, the Gestapo-like techniques of investigation insured that even though this matter was meant to be kept confidential, that just about everyone knew some distorted version of this debacle.

For months, I had to endure sullen and furtive looks from people who I didn't even know. More frightening, those Racist rumors ensured that I was on the wrong end of many an angry stare by non-caucasian employees, including the security guards.

Thankfully, at this point no one seems to recall the incident. Even so, I become angry and trepidatious when I think back on those months. I narrowly escaped being sacked over this snafu, and felt enormously uncomfortable and paranoid for a long time afterward. Talk about the Sword of Damocles...

I loved MWINYD before the horror befell. Now that I have to some extent lived a similar situation, I love the story even more. It really hits home when you feel like poor "Domino".

I understand that Tom himself had similar experiences at the Gale Group he used to work for. I truly empathize with him, or anyone, who ever has to deal with this kind of atmosphere at work. Big Companies like the one I work for (Bellsouth telecom) can really chew you up and spit you out.

Well, that's my tale, and my work is now done.

-Aether

To quote Frank Barone from EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, "Holy crap!"

I had no idea you had been through such a grueling, disturbing, and infuriating experience at your workplace, Aether. It does indeed sound a bit like Frank Dominio's tale. You have my belated condolences. At least you're still alive, unlike poor Frank. (But then, being alive isn't all that great a thing in the Ligottian universe.)

The fact that such stories are becoming more and more common in contemporary corporate America surely speaks of a profound cultural disease.

That's really lame. I can easily see something like that happening to me. At least you pulled through it okay.

I assume you still work with this company?

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

Thanks Matt. It was awful, but seeinga s how my life motto is the poem INVICTUS, I pulled through ok. However, if I HAD been able to tap into the Darkness Under It All, chances are I may very well have been sore tempted to wreak wild and and unholy vengeance upon my persecutors at that time.

Unknown, yep, I DO still serve the Vile Phone Company. I hate to sound *mercenary* (ya catch that, Doc L?), but I at least am paid well and have excellent benefits. Were I a single gentleman without two wonderful daughters, I would have quit postehaste. As I am a family man, and good jobs are hard to find, I'll stick it out until something clearly better comes along.

I do hope that none of you, my friends, ever have to experience anything like this.

The most ironic thing is this: in my Rage Counselling Sessions, the therapist asked my WHY I was so angry. My reply was:

"Well, until now, I HAVE NOT been angry. The events that coerced me into being in this room, however, have made me quite angry. I'm mad as hell at t he indignity which requires me to be 'counselled' twice a week."

Ah, for the carefree life of the independently wealth diletantte.

-Aether

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

Hey Aether. Thanks for sharing your unfortunate yet interesting tale. I had a similar annoying event befall me about 15 years ago when I was in High School. Two kids in my school (one of whom I knew) committed suicide on the same day for unrelated reasons. News got out that the two kids had used an Ouija board in the past. See where this is going...? Things started to snowball out of control, and rumors of Satanic cults in the school began. For some reason still unknown to me the Chief of Police of my town kept the fires burning around these rumors since there was really no good reason these kids killed themselves (is there ever?), especially on the same day. This police chief compiled a list of possible "cultists". I was #1 on the list because I was the weird kid in school that dressed all in black and didn't fit in. More rumors began that "I" (being head of this fictional cult) had told them to kill themselves. News got out about this alleged satanic cult, and it was even covered nationally on CNN. Thankfully the parents of one of the unfortunate kids knew me and knew that it was all false. The parents of the other child realized it was not true as well since their child had been struggling with severe depression for years. All this for not "looking the part", and being one more invisible, brainwashed, drone in the system. Good thing I didn't collect swords, or they didn't find "Songs of a Dead Dreamer" in my locker!

hahaha. I would've like to have seen the therapist's reaction (or lack thereof)

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

Ah, beware the higher eschelons of management? Soon we all shall. They have their Special Plan. Oh, right, not-too-sane people. Since I am fortunately not in your particular situation, I can only sympathise. My opinions on big business are ill mostly in the political sense, although this sort of thing seems more prevelant in academia. *WARNING: Rant forthcoming.* But, now the upper eschelons of our very government (in the U.S.A., specifically) are doing the same thing! And, not only are they doing that, they're trying to drag us into an identical and equally paranoid era such as the one half a century ago in hopes to suppress those who do not think the way they do. The President hasn't read in years! Give the Bible-thumpers and scum-leakers Grimscribe, give those block-headed dolts at Bellsouth MWINYD, and send 'em all on the midnight express straight to downtown Detroit! *Rant over.* Anyway, now that the worst of my rantings are over and my opinions have softened to center-left, at least it's over. Thank goodness for the thin, wavering veil of sanity. Hope your wife and "little colleens" are well, and that you can fully ignore the job while you're there. Now, I must attend to my forum-lurking, forboding stares at the unwary, and moping over my lack of a copy of MWINYD. See you on the Street of Wavering Peaks.
-The Silent One, Sitter Upon the Black Throne, Courtier of Fallen Yhtill, Whom Strideth in the Outer Dark

that would be awesome

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

Well said, O One-Who-Is-Silent!

Whenever I meet someone who says "I don't read." , I'm always amazed.
The only real excuse for it IMO is if they happen to be afflicted with extreme dyslexia or some other ailment which prevents the physical act of reading. I cannot imagine NOT reading by choice! What would one DO?

Aside from swords, I also collect lanterns, antique canes, and old ironmongery. Boy am I glad those Sentinels of Security didn't know THAT!

Oh...I wish I still had the insipid brochure I was given in therapy! It was entitled "Recognizing Your Anger Problem", and gave examples of the Three Types of Angry People. The 3 characters in this puerile pamphlet were "Petey Passive" (who suppressed his anger to an unhealthy degree), Andy Assertive (who was Just Fine, and expressed what Anger he had in healthy ways), and Atilla Aggressive ( "Atilla Aggressive here! I speak in a LOUD voice, and always get my way! I don't CARE who I step on, and I use my language to BLAST anyone who disagrees with me! I have a STRONG, painful handshake, and I ALWAYS get even!").

Hmmm. Atilla sounds a lot like many of the managers at work....

"Yhtill! Yhtill! Yhtill!...The Phantom of Truth is laid..."
Watching the Cloud-waves break upon the shore of Lost Carcosa,
-Aether

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

Y'know, my story "The Prophet and the Marksman takes place during the reign of the previous king of Yhtill.

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

I'd be interested in seeing that, actualy. I'm a big Chambers/Carcosa Cycle fan. Gotta love The Repairer of Reputations.

Also, Blish's MORE LIGHT...

By the Black Stars of Carcosa,
-Aether

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

Putting "More Light" on the Mythos/Weird/Horror checklist...
Chambers is my favorite Victorian.

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

I found "More Light" in the original Chaosium Mythos Cycle Books series THE HASTUR CYCLE. I don't know how hard it'd be to locate this volume today, but let me know if you find the story. Also, let me know if you CAN'T find it...maybe I can help.

Have you read Karl Edward Wagner's "The River of Night's Dreaming"?
Excellent Carcosa Cycle tale!

Flow Morphea Slow,
-Aether

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

Thanks! Not yet, no. Yog-Sothothery is always fun to ponder. Personally, who do you think is the nastier: Hastur, Cthulhu, or Byatis? I've just got Alone with the Horrors and immediately read "The Room in the Castle" and "Cold Print". Now, like with Ligotti, I'm in love. Question: What do you think Y'golonac really looks like. All I need is the collection Cold Print and I'll be content. However, I do have a categoric knowledge of the Mythos, knowing Aphoom-Zhah and B'moth to Ycnagnnisssz and Zsystulzhemgni, being one of the few people who keeps track of the Cthulhu Mythos article at Wikipedia (My third favorite sight.). What are X'chll'at-aa and Y'hkmaat, exactly? And who is the God of the Red Flux? To quote an incredibly bright and 17% psychotic friend of mine, "Me is confuzzled!".

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

Nastier....well, depends on the type of nastiness.

Hastur in his KiY/Pallid Mask aspects are insidiously, Ligotti-like nasty. Decadent, insinuative, artistically destructive.

Byatis, in his original appearance (though RC did not invent the name) seemed quite dangerous, but in a relatively localized way.

Cthulhu, of course, would be the worst, and probably the most significantly devastating, were he free.

You really DO seem very conversant w/ the Mythoi, Silent. I'll check those names you tossed out and see if I can't find out who/what they belong to.

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

No? Pray tell. I am very fond of "The Room in the Castle", actually.
For nastiest in the unpleasant way, ol' Y'golonac all the way! I wrote a poem about him this morning at 12:30. The piece (and the deity) are very Ligottian in my opinion.

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

I believe Bob Bloch referenced Byatis, I'll find the story later...

Demystifying the Wyrm,
-Aether

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

Mysteries of the Worm just as a title has many meanings. Who/what is said worm? Man was once the worm as mentioned in "Last Feast", developing into Serpent Folk, then ourselves (see the Necronomicon Project's bit on Yidhra). I'm using this premise and a few odd references to various beasties in "The Noctuary". Also, the motif of blindness is prevelent in many Mythos creatures (Rlim-Shaikorth, Y'golonac and Servents, etc.), making it perfect for a story involving an all-seeing deity. Alright, I'm confusing everyone, but once you see it in print you'll get it. O.K., enough rambling from me.
P.S. I love Byatis. Then again, I've always been fond of toads. Plus, I can draw him in about 1 min. Same with many Lovecraftian horrors. I could post 'em, if anyone's interested.
P.P.S. "Throon, Gigi" :wink: ?

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

The Silent One,

I'll make the request that you follow through on your offer to share your art. Mythos creatures are often represented as an extensive catalog of variants, since the foundation for each construct was a literary source. Of course, many have evolved into stereotypes of representation over time, but the basic rules of interpretation are quite broad.

This is an interesting tangent for me, since Lovecraft created his Mythos full of completely original horrors, with no established preconception of visual representations existing. This is not the case for mythical or legendary horrors, many of which have centuries of pre-existing physical interpretations. Mythos entities may be interpreted by the artist without regard for distorting iconic imagery. And since part of Lovecraft's "craft" was to only provide glimpses of physical horrors, interpretations of entities can be highly diverse. Since you seem to exhibit an extensive knowledge of Mythos entities, I am most anxious to see your visions.

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

True, interpretations can vary greatly. After all, the purest source is the tale in itself. Personally, I am quite enamoured by the works of these various writers, so I try to stay true to the thing as it was written*. Otherwise I'd seem like a porcine cretin. In truth, what's so artful about Ligotti, Lovecraft, Campbell, etc. is that, as you said, nothing is revealed in whole. If it were, it would be positively dull.
P.S. In writing or in sketches ;) ?
*Derleth, Lumley, you fools, you can right a ghost story but you still think "good" always triumphs over "evil" and Ghatanothoa is Cthulhu's son? The first one is just disappointing, but the second? Unacceptable!

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

Indeed. The gaps in Campbell and Ligotti reflect the gaps in our own psyche. The blur of our mental genesis and the jolt of the darkness of sleep.

Amongst many others.

Oh, how pompous I am. I think I'll stride around in a suit clutching a half read book.

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

Hey Guys,

I work at a textbook company.
No one reads books at this place.
They all have favorite reality tv shows.
I've learned to keep a low profile.

At my previous job, I made an off-the-cuff joke about fragging my immediate supervisor. This clinically sensitive moppet didn't even know what the word meant. I was fired soon after (although the vp who canned me said he would give me a good recommendation what a gutless candyass!)

Your story just showed me that I have to warn a friend of mine who works for an insurance company. Last year one of his co-workers found a copy of Nick Cave's Murder Ballads in his cube. She immediately dubbed him weird (he took it as a compliment).I wouldn't be surprised if he's on every terror watch list around the country.

Anyway, you have my sympathies sir.

Perhaps you could plant some of these around your office:

http://www.despair.com/indem.html

Cheers everyone!

Chris

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

Chris,

Thanks for the link, it is hilarious. I passed that one on.

A few more for the road:

The harder you work, the more money you make...for others.

I might be lazy, but not as lazy as a stockholder.


Here is one by L.A. Rollins that should be posted in every Bush Admin. office:
Every cloud has a silver lining, even a mushroom cloud.


Take Care,
bendk

And remember,
keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

Ha! Thanks for the link, it WAS very amusing.

I can only say that I'm quite glad the whole incident is past. Perhaps if i ever leave for a different job, I'll take your suggestion on the cool ads. Until then, I'l refrain, however...

-Aether

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

Hello!

I'm throwing my post of this awful incident back up top for the benefit of newer members who may not have seen it.

Enjoy, and be glad it wasn't you!

-Aether

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

Hello, Aetherwing

I'm glad you posted this again. A while back I was looking for despair.com that waffles posted but I couldn't remember the thread. I have also considered posting a True Corporate Horror Tales thread so we could all vent. They used to have Disgruntled.com but it was closed down. (I suspect the Heritage Foundation or a similar disgusting organization bribed the owner to close it. Yes, my paranoia runs deep - but it is completely justified.)

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

If not the Heritage Foundation, then probably FranklynCovey. Run silently screaming if you ever have to sit through a training session lead by the cult of Covey. Auto-defenestrate if necessary!

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

Strangely enough I work in a company that resembles Mr. Domin(i)o's company very much. I even used to be a supervisor myself before I was complimented back to being a custumer care agent ... Although a couple of people saw me reading this book at work, no-one has asked me about it ... That just may be because I am one of these "wearing black and being quiet" weirdos ...

Re: MWINYD and Me
 

I am a contract employee (i.e. temp) in a large office building working for - that's right - an insurance company. I am happy to say the atmosphere is nothing like MWINYD, which I just finished reading for the first time. Oh sure, there is the standard pettiness and power plays and behind-your-back talking, but nothing intolerable. The vast majority of my coworkers are pretty decent people.

I am the replacement for another contractor who was let go for having an inappropriate picture. The story I was told had something to do with a drawing of a woman holding a gun to her head. I think it was doodle he did in a meeting or some such, but that was enough.

I don't keep any personal effects in my cubicle (I am a temp after all, albeit a long-term temp), and while I do tend to have macabre or odd desktop pictures on my Mac, I avoid scenes of outright horror or anything with blood or violence.

Aetherwing, it pains me to hear what you had to go through. Welcome to 21st Century America, I guess... Glad you persevered. Non illigitamus carborundum - don't let the bastards grind you down. :cool: