[text] @keeper; cw: character death [open]

[beaconkeeper]

Heyyy everybody. I'm the LH Keeper. I know you guys probably got some questions for me but like sit tight first OK? I promise I'll answer eeeeverything you wanna know in just a sec. There's a couple things I wanna say.

The first one being, hi! I'm Robin. It's SO good to finally get to chat with you all, like jeez I've been hella bored over here. That party you guys just put on looked really fun. :( I'm sad I missed it! But that's kinda how it goes when you're the Keeper. Rastus said there's been a lot of talk about like fulfilling our roles and stuff, and this is mine! I'm in the lighthouse because it let's me do a bunch of stuff to manage the town and help keep the world safe, but it means I'm stuck out here all by myself and I don't get to do the fun stuff I want to do sometimes. Which is why I'm so so SO happy that you guys and gals got me hooked up to the network again! Thank you so much!!! ❤❤❤

Oh right, and you guys have had a lot of questions about what I'm protecting the town from, haven't you? Me and Will talked and he's super sure it's best if HE gives you the skinny on all that since he said he would and he wants to make good on his promise, you feel? So he's gonna do that after the ferry gets here so all the new people can get the info too. Sound good? Sorry you gotta wait just a liiiittle bit longer but there's something else I think we should talk about first...

The forest spirits are still reporting the numbers so I don't know exactly how many we're up to yet but... A lot of people went missing and probably died from how things went down after the party. I'll put all the names in the next bulletin (sorry I didn't do one this week btw! things have been kinda crazy...) but if you want to ask about your friends and stuff in the meantime, I'll do my best to tell you what I know. Maybe some of them will come back? We just have to wait and see.

But... you guys probably saw this in that post Rosinante and Riku and Peter did, but just in case you didn't: Captain Winters died, and so did Five. I didn't see what happened exactly but I saw the spirits starting to come for them all and I tried to stop them but they didn't listen. They get really angry about people coming to the lighthouse or me trying to leave, even the ones that are usually really nice.

I hope they'll both come back but I don't know if they will, so, just in case... Winters would want you all to take care of the town for him and move on you know? He won't be around when the ferry comes so make sure you all fill the new people in on what's happened and how to survive here. All that really important stuff he's been telling people is up to you guys to spread around now.

*BIG SIGH* OK WELL I don't want to end on that super negative note but now I'm all sad sooo ask me questions and stuff, and Will will tell everyone about what I'm keeping the town safe from real soon. It really is nice to meet you all!!

Comments

[beaconkeeper]

Your "so far" is like a blip on my radar, you get that, right?

The forest spirits are wild animals, when you boil it down. Some of them are super nice! Some of them aren't! Mostly, they're neutral. Unpredictable. You've seen those stories in the news where like, some Jane Goodall thinks it'd be real cute to keep a chimp for a pet, and they're besties for years until one day it just up and claws her face off? Forest spirits in a nutshell. Even your family dog is gonna bite if you spook it enough.

If you don't want to listen to me, that's fine!! But it kinda seems like you formed an opinion of me before we even started talking! But like, suit yourself, if you really think we're not on the same team.

[beaconkeeper]

I dunno! Seems like most of you don't, for reasons beyond my control. I'm not sure how to change that. :/

Why wouldn't you, though? Aside from the theory that I kidnapped you all myself which, I'll tell you right now, not the case.

[beaconkeeper]

So what doesn't add up??

I get that me being in charge of stuff is freaky, but like, maybe that's a good reason to be nice to me? Everything is gonna go a lot smoother if we're allies.

[beaconkeeper]

There's only limited information since we don't know much yet ourselves.

But anyway, you're not wrong. It sucks. I hate having to reset this place, especially when there's a really good group and we've just run out of time. But that's the thing: It's always my choice, yeah, but I can't let anyone stay here indefinitely. It's too dangerous.

Just keep that in mind when Will tells you guys what's up.

It's kind of like... have you heard of that thing where, if you get a terminal illness or something, you can freeze yourself instead of dying? Where I'm from, that technology is nowhere NEAR advanced enough to actually bring people back from being frozen, but people still sign up for it since a 0.000001% chance is better than nothing.

[reigniter]

I do. And now we lost even that little blip we were all building in the past months. Now we don't know if it will ever be safe outside or no.

I wasn't as far off the mark as you make it be, but fair enough.

You said, and I quote "Have YOU ever had your boss chew you out over a loudspeaker? It leaves you pretty shook."
So why did you spook them if you knew how they will react?
I'll leave you with that.

I am on a team that is not rash in their decisions and has just a little trust in what we do. If you think you can't muster either, you'll find me on a team that's protecting the people.

[beaconkeeper]

Huh. I guess.

Anyway, yeah, the lighthouse beacon is my lantern these days. I can't leave because the forest spirits won't let me, but mostly because I'd just straight up die if I went too far.

[consecrates]

5 or 6 doesn't seem a lot.
but i guess it depends on how long each lighthouse keeper stays to do the job.

how long have you been doing this?

[beaconkeeper]

OH wow. I'm really sorry. I hope your friend is OK. It's a good thing you went quick though! Not remembering what happened is the best way to go, if you ask me.

Younger. His name is Jeremy and he was SUCH a piece of shit but we were like best friends and I miss him a lot.

Do you have siblings?

[silvercrusader]

[Ah.]

Had.

her name was Sherry

died a few years back

[webshoots]

Maybe she's busy.

Is there anything you think we should know that no-one's asked about yet, by the way?

[necromantiae]

i did and, as far as i'm aware, it wasn't an afterlife like this. resurrection wasn't unheard of where i come from but it wasn't something we were supposed to do.

( his aunt zelda like to kill hilda and then bring her back as a lesson to her. )

it's okay. it was worth asking. i don't know if i like the thought of never leaving, though. that sounds...way too permanent.

[evulsed]

Your lantern is that bright?

Why won't they let you leave?

[mutterseelenallein]

[ aislin hesitates at the request for information regarding her little sisters.

dead or not, she, more or less, made it her life mission to protect her sisters' identities. she feels like she has a duty to see that through even if they're no longer with her.

so watch aislin try to politely ignore the question/request and focus on the other topics at hand. thank goodness there are so many things for her to tackle- ]

I haven't explored the village yet but thank you for the reminder. I'll check it out when I have the time to do so. If you're not opposed to the idea, I would like to visit your former residence.

Perhaps I can even play a melody in there if you're open to the idea.

[featherknives]

well i can see from where they come from
'you have to listen to this person or you die' sounds like taking away people's freedom to choose
you know
that thing you have when you're alive and decide where you wanna go and what you wanna be?

bet those guys that went nuts felt like they were cornered with shackles on their wrists
scared animals with nowhere to go, trapped in this perpetual darkness

but you mentioned green-eyed spirit that induces madness
any more info on that sucker?

I don't think anyone's trying to start mutiny
we are just concerned what will happen next because spirits don't trust us anymore thanks to the little foghorn fiasco
even I don't dare wander further than village, and woods and wilderness is in my veins

[catholicisms]

So it isn't just a matter of continuing to try and find answers and not turning against each other, if we don't make progress fast enough the result will be the same?

( well, that's not super promising... )

I've heard of cryogenics in science fiction. Occasionally in rumors and urban legend, not really reality.

Do you mind me asking where you were before you were here? If it isn't too personal.

[beaconkeeper]

I'm sorry. Losing people is never easy. It's important to take time to be sad about them, too. Letting yourself grieve and all.

Tell me about your friends.

[beaconkeeper]

Oh my goddddd. I didn't know they were gonna flip out like they did, and my control over them is limited. It's not really control so much as, like, I can ask them to do stuff and they'll usually do it. Especially if I'm forceful about it.

It didn't work this time, and I'm just as upset about it as everyone else is, but by all means! Take it out on me! Consider it my fault!! Assume that I did this on purpose for some batty reason! Whatever makes you feel better, dude.

But if you're just gonna not listen, I'm done with this conversation. Bye.

[mind_blown]

trust me
you would know when i was being uncool to you
nicknames are hardly rude

a "command"
like a computer command, or a voice command?

[pure_havoc]

really. we're going to go that route? 'play nice with me because I could technically wipe you all out' is the oldest trick in the book, and I won't be surprised if others read a threat into those words.

[beaconkeeper]

Whoa. You've gotta be like SUPER smart then. That's awesome. Maybe you'll be able to help us get out of here.

I don't know where it came from, sorry. Aaaaand I would give you her name, but like, that won't really do you any good... She gets grumpy if I give out her personal info. :/ I guess names are "personal info" now.

Uhh, well, that's why there's no light. Nothing LIVES here. All the living stuff down there? The forest spirits and the plants and stuff? None of it's actually alive, apparently. The only reason we kinda look like we are is because we've got lanterns.

[beaconkeeper]

I've been here for about 20 years, I think. Sooo a pretty long time, lol. I don't know if that's the norm for other Keepers. The guy I replaced hadn't been doing it for very long... Just a few years, I think.

[consecrates]

20 years is a long time to be tending to the lighthouse by yourself.
i hope this isn't the first time you got finally got to talk to people.

[beaconkeeper]

SIGHS everyone already thinks I'm super threatening because I'm in the lighthouse in the first place. I'm stating a fact. It doesn't make a lot of sense to come at me guns blazing!

You didn't answer my question.

[beaconkeeper]

Yeah, basically. We're on a timer, so unless we find a way to disrupt the status quo, I'll have to do another reset.

Buuut that timer is pretty lengthy, at least. Usually we have about two years. The longest I've ever been able to go is close to three, but I've never HAD to do a reset before, like... Maybe a year and a half?

Will said he and Winters didn't tell you guys about This Big Thing because they wanted you to have some time to get your bearings here before dropping a big scary bombshell. I don't know if I agree, exactly, but that's a matter of opinion. They're not WRONG in that you guys do have some time to pace yourselves.

And like, you should. Just because there's a timer doesn't mean we gotta rush. That can only lead to bad things.

But I don't mind at all! I'm from Earth. Idk if you're familiar but I grew up in Los Angeles which is in the United States!! It was 2018 when I died. What about you?

[knifecollecting]

We don't know anything about you or this place. It's hard to trust the unknown.

As far as we can tell, you have the most authority. If you didn't, how did we get here?