don't actually drink phosphor it's not caffeinated

about | ask/RP/in-character blog for Lamplighter | M!A: none

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

Open Starter

The Refuge had an eerie, cold aura around it, like the vague malaise before someone fell ill. The majority of citizens avoided the darkened streets altogether, while those who had to brave the outdoors hurried past with faces buried in their scarves. Even the brightest, most resilient lights began crystallizing too fast in the chill, much to the dismay of the city’s maintenance expert. 

“I was just here, and, this is gonna be my whole day today, huh–” The Lamplighter muttered to himself. The once-lit street he was at only an hour and a half before was already starting to dry up. He looked around. He saw no one through the halflight and, with the help of a guardrail, he climbed the dimmest lamp. Sitting on one of its decorative prongs did not look comfortable by any stretch of the imagination, though he managed. He hung a still-full jar of phosphor on the other prong, and got to scrubbing the inside of the glass with an old sponge. All the dead crystals sure didn’t want to come off…

He hummed a familiar tune as he worked, and despite being in weirder positions before, he prayed he wouldn’t be recognized. 

[cateyedmessiah]

❂// Tired legs trembled a bit as they carried a small body up yet another tiring flight of stairs. The luminous glow of the sun in Niko’s arms seemed to be the only ray of hope within The Refuge. A once beautifully illuminated city seemed to droop sadly- though, Niko had never known it from before the Sun had stopped shining its light onto it. He had no doubt in his mind that it had been a once more densely populated area, the population bringing plenty of light pollution. A huge city with few inhabitants seemed quite melancholic, nonetheless. The savior had grown used to shining like a star in contrast to his surroundings throughout his journey, but The Refuge seemed to be brighter than the others. As Niko took in this vast new location, shimmering yellow eyes wide, he took quick note of the phosphor filled lamps. They filled the streets with an eerie magenta glow. A last glimmer of hope before the phosphor eventually ceased to provide light. A reminder that the child had to fufill his duty as the savior to this world.

Some seemed to be dimmer than the rest. He shook away a yawn as he let his bright gaze linger for a moment more before continuing walking down the barren street. Very few people passed by, rushing to get to their destinations as soon as possible. 'I can see why!’ His tiny footsteps on weary feet scarcely made a sound. Sensitive ears soon caught wind of a scrubbing noise. The prospect of someone with more knowledge than he returned the messiah’s former vigilance. He quickened his pace, making turns in the direction of the noise.

To Niko’s suprise, there seemed to be.. ’Someone on top of a lamp post? ..What.‘ The thought made the child’s brows furrow a bit, though it brought a small smile to his face. The figure looked rather uncomfortable, perched upon the prongs in an awkward position. “Excuse me?” Niko’s voice rang out, soft in comparison to the sharp sounds of scrubbing. He had a good guess of who it could be, but he couldn’t be too sure.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

A lot of things could’ve been going better for Lampy, all things considered. Everything on his to-do list was already set back a few days thanks to the newfound cold, and with more bots finding new and interesting ways to die, it kept growing further. The idea that he needed to be in preparation to meet the Messiah himself, and by loose extension, God was so far out of his mind he just blotted the bright yellow light of the Sun out of his vision when it approached. He was winded just trying to de-crystal one lamp, let alone the hundreds in this sector alone… His humming had turned to grumbling at some point in the process about this or that. 

Something worth noting about the lamplighter is that he only has two things going for him: First, he’s an idiot. Second, he’s determined.

An important thing not included in that list? People skills. Of any sort. 

Upon hearing a tiny voice walking up to him and asking for his attention, he… panicked. Completely froze on the spot. 

And he lost his balance on the lamp prong. He crashed down to the sidewalk below with all the grace of a brick trying to achieve its first flight. He slooooowly stood back up to his full height, adjusted his hat, and gave himself a moment to readjust to the brightness in front of him. “Did you, um, need so-.” He stopped. The realization struck him fast. He coughed and attempted to put on his better, more official voice™, though even that turned to panic fast. “Oh god, I mean, um, goodness? Gracious?? It’s, you. Big fan?? Gonna save us all or something?? Do you need anything? That is the sun, right?” 

He looked much more tired than he had moments before. 

[cateyedmessiah]

A squeak emitted abruptly from Niko’s vocal chords, eyes growing as wide as saucers as they watched the figure crash to the ground below. The child instinctively tightened his grip on the Sun. It was warm and made him feel.. Safer, somehow. It had stuck with him throughout his travels, after all.

He felt a bit bad for calling out so suddenly. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you fall, sir.” Niko grew a bit bashful as he observed the figure drawing himself up rather.. oddly. He wasn’t one to judge though. The man looked more like what God had described as /humans/ than anyone else- other than that nice boy at the diner. Plus, he was a rather tall compared to his own small frame. Oh, but he noted one thing most of all. This person seemed very, veeery tired. Like he hadn’t slept in ages! That train of thought reminded the messiah that he, too, was exhausted. ‘Oh, but there’s no way that I’m as tired as this guy..‘ 

The man looked as if he were growing more anxious by the minute. His panic made Niko’s own stomach fill with butterflies. He smiled reassuringly and bobbed his head. The movement shifted his hat a little so he reached one hand up to adjust it before returning it to the well missed warmth of the Sun. Just a moment away from its exothermic nature was regrettable. “Yep! It’s the sun!” He paused nervously before adding, “I’m gonna try my best to save everyone, yeah..” A weak laugh. “I still gotta get to The Tower, though.. It seems forever away!” Niko grew a bit concerned, averting his gaze before returning it again to take in the man’s features.

He tried to change the subject a bit. The burden of light was growing heavier and heavier as the journey progressed. “Are you the one who fills all of these lamps up? With that phosphor stuff, right? It seems like a lot of work.”

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

Oh no, the kid didn’t look too happy, oh no, oh god, –

Plight stretched upwards as if he were literally pushing his anxious thoughts aside, and the aura of social fear seemed to dissipate from him. All he needed was a moment, it turned out, to pick up the pieces of his professionalism that shattered on the ground where he’d landed. Okay. It was just a kid. He’d talked to one, like, once. He even asked about work. That’s something he could talk about for hours.  He cleared his throat for the second time.  

“It’s, um, not a problem. Being up there wasn’t the most effective anyway,” he began. “Not only am I in charge of every streetlight in the city, I also repair catwalks, roofs, elevators, houses, clean up litter and on…” He stopped dead in his tracks. What day was it again? “…Weekends, I deliver mail for the coolest people in the city. It’s a lot but, someone has to do it. Might as well be me.” Smooth delivery for someone in his predicament.

Okay, so he embellished a lot. The most probable takeaway from it though, with how he stood there, frazzled and slouched over, bruise forming on his cheek, hands covered in healing acid burns and shaking like a water glass in an earthquake, was that he was either full of nonsense or insane, and should lay down sometime. 

He took his gaze away from the bright light of the Sun and back up towards the lamp, half cleaned, and then the rest of the street. Dark. And no longer his problem. He transitioned back to staring at Niko with finger guns. 

“So, uh, you got a name, kid?” 

[cateyedmessiah]

Niko’s mouth gaped, a little fang showing. “You must be really busy then!” He found it rather impressive that this singular person could do all of that work. Niko remembered having to do chores, sometimes, back home; nothing he had done was remotely as tedious as repairing everything within the bounds of a big city, though. “With all of those weird squares floating around and destroying everything, especially.” He thought back to when he’d been peering down allyways, occasionally catching a glimpse of the destructive mass. Niko never dared to get too close to it. It gave him a bad feeling.. God said that even they didn’t know what it was, and if they didn’t know he wasn’t sure who would. The child closed his eyes and smiled, “That’s really cool! Do you ever get a break?” It came as no suprise to him that the man looked as tired and worn as he did. He doubted that the man ever got much of one. Or, at least, not after the Sun was gone. ‘Maybe, once I return the sun, he’ll have less work to do..’

Absentmindedly swiping at the Sun with his sweater sleeve, Niko looked up and gave a nod to the asker of the question. “My name is Niko! How about you? What’s your name?” To lessen the tension he peered around some more, admiring the gentle glow of magenta that radiated throughout the city. It really was pretty. The imposing size nearly reminded him of home, in the giant wheat field.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

“The squares aren’t the worst thing ever,” The man scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. He didn’t sound too sure of himself… “In fact, most of the time they even leave on their own. And then it’s just a few screws until it’s back in order. Most of the time. Sometimes you gotta get creative or reroute things but it’s just, uh, the small stuff, usually.” The man looked like he had more to say on the subject, but stopped himself. 

His expression deadpanned. “To get like, real level with you, I haven’t slept in four days. But! I’m still going! Somehow.  And, on names? I.. um, don’t. Have. One? Right now? For… Reasons. And purposes.” He turned his gaze to the ground, then back to the child. It seemed he didn’t want the issue to be pressed. “A few people just call me ‘Mr. Lamplighter’ or ‘Plight’ though, which is good enough. Anyways, though, I know you’re headed towards the Tower and all but, if there’s any other place you needed to be in the meantime, I could, like, walk you or something. Show you around a bit. I’d love to hear about outside the city if you have any stories.” 

[cateyedmessiah]

The fact that this stranger didn’t actually have a name blew over the Niko’s head. He didn’t even think of asking about it since Mr. Lamplighter seemed so put off by it- and he didn’t find it odd, considering how many other things were going on in this world. ‘Goodness, four days?’ It was a bit concerning in the eyes of a child who had never experienced the toils of anything beyond the age of 10. ‘And he does all that work, too.. No wonder.’

“Mhm! The big robot when I first got here told me to go to the library to get more information on the Tower.” Niko paused for a moment. He hadn’t really taken the time to explore the city more since God ushered him to quicken his pace once he’d arrived. After some consideration, the messiah nodded with a smile, “But I’d really like to see more of this place!” He knew that God wouldn’t mind either. “..I also don’t know my way around.. At all. Even God gets me lost sometimes,” A giggle escaped him. Memories of the countless hours spent wandering around aimlessly in the Barrens sent more shivers down his spine than the cold. “Yup, I have lots of stories! Especially from the Glen.” Niko liked the Glen a lot. Particularly, he liked the friendly siblings he’d met there.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

“Good to know even God gets lost sometimes,” he laughed awkwardly. “It’s a bit of a maze in the city if you aren’t used to it. In fact, it looks like–Hold on–” 

The lamplighter sifted through his multitude of pockets digging around for something, and after a solid minute of rummaging, he finally found it. He unfurled what looked like a hand-drawn map of Refuge. It was riddled with enough holes, doodles, pencil marks, etc. to prove it was well-loved. He knelt down to Niko’s height and pointed to a spot on it. “The library is here,” he motioned across a canal and to the west a bit. “And we, currently, are here…ish. That’s, um, a ways. But I know a pretty great scenic route, if you’re interested.” He folded the map back up and passed it to the child, standing up. 

He picked up his hook and reached for the hanging phosphor jar before something else struck him. “Gonna. Need a minute, my sponge is still.” He pointed up at the lamp. “Y’know.” There he went, standing on the guardrail, then clambering up the post. At least he got the thoroughly crystallized, gross sponge from the streetlight without falling onto the sidewalk again. 

He muttered something else, and wrote down another thing in a notebook he kept in his chest pocket, but he otherwise looked ready to go somewhere.  

[cateyedmessiah]

Ignorant but receptive eyes scanned the map. He didn’t exactly know how to read maps fully, but he figured that Mr.Lamplighter knew. It was an adult thing, he supposed. ‘Like coffee! I bet he drinks lots of that, too,’ The child accepted the map into a free hand curiously, passing the Sun to his other, “..What exactly does ‘sce’-yeah, that sounds fun!” He wouldn’t pester Mr.Lamplighter anymore than he already had. Niko assumed it was a good thing, based off of the surrounding words. Mama always told him to figure things out that way. A small thumb felt the paper. It was definitely touched up quite a bit, seeing as it was soft and light. Only his head moved as he watched the man return to his full height and make a realization. The amount of work that it took just to get up each lamp post amused Niko to an extent. ‘Good thing he didn’t fall again,’

He curiously watched as Mr.Lamplighter muttered and pulled some sort of book out of yet another coat pocket. Not about to pry, the messiah took a last glance around before shifting nearer to the taller frame of the lamplighter, prepared to closely behind. No way was he getting lost again. In doing so, he also hoped that none of the squares would somehow separate them on the way. He’d seen what they had done to the robots.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

The man tilted his head curiously at the child for a moment before starting on his way. He walked at a calm, leisurely pace, often checking over his shoulder to see that Niko was still in tow. He turned down one street and cut through an alleyway to get to another, until they were out of the labyrinth and walking alongside a glowing red canal.

“The city’s a pretty great place I’d say,” he began, walking as far around a sewer grate as he could without crossing the street. “There isn’t much crime to speak of, politics aren’t a big issue, it’s got some amazing sights. I really don’t think I could be comfortable living anywhere else. Though, that might just be familiarity talking, not reason.” He sighed. “Paying rent sucks, let alone food costs with things only being able to grow in greenhouses now, working hours are god awful, er.” He stopped mid-step, as if waiting for his mind to catch up with his walking pace. “Can I just like, say that in your presence? Is that rude? I mean, I guess if I don’t get smited in the next ten minutes or so it’s not a problem but, uh… Anyway.” He continued forward again. “Right now all the scientists and people vaguely related to the scientists, so, um, me, mostly, are in this weird state where everything’s dying real fast. People, our food sources, water sources, phosphor, the world. Y’know. Kind of everything. So everyone’s all up in a tizzy trying to fix it, but nobody can come up with any workable solutions. But then not only are they trying to save the world, they’re also trying to fix the current, pressing issues like squares, keeping the city lit up, making sure all the bots are in working order, trying to put up better.. Infa.. info.. Hm. Better ways of keeping in communication with people for emergencies. Which means sometimes triple the hours and no days off. The whole system right now is ran by one lady and she’s really cool, yeah, but she’s also terrifying.” 

A few people, bots, others, gathered around a drawbridge that was twisted into an unnatural position, like partly-folded construction paper. A loud buzz could be heard from within the crowd, all too familiar despite being out of sight. 

The lamplighter grabbed Niko’s sleeve and pulled them through another alleyway, headed around the ruckus. “…There’s… another bridge ahead, let’s just not pay attention to that one.” He sighed. 

[cateyedmessiah]

Niko’s little feet and short legs didn’t have to work too hard to keep pace with the lamplighter, which he was pretty greatful for. As he walked, he looked around quite a bit, scanning with pools of yellow. The more he saw of the Refuge, the more he came to like it. Of course, the child always made sure to glance back to make sure he was still following Mr.Lamplighter, too.

The messiah listened closely as the man began speaking. Most of this stuff sounded like things that Mama would talk about reading in the newspaper. Or, otherwise known as ‘adult stuff’ to a young catchild. Problems like those never occurred in his homeland.

“I can’t imagine having to run all of that! That lady must have a lot of work on her hands, huh?” He thought back to everyone he had met so far. The only thing resembling a ‘lady’ he could think of was Silver, but even then.. He wasn’t sure if she could actually be called a lady, being a robot and all? It didn’t really matter since she was still pretty nice anyway. Thinking back, he’d remembered seeing some family artifacts in her lab- maybe the other person he’d seen could be behind it all? There weren’t all that many people in this world after all. However, that didn’t make it any less worth saving in the eyes of the messiah.

A ruckus that the pair had came across suddenly interrupted the peace of the walk. The fear came before Niko actually knew what caused it- but he didn’t have long to figure it out as the lamplighter pulled him away by his sleeve, leading him through a different alley. It confused him thoroughly, “What.. What was that?” Niko’s brows furrowed a bit as he walked, though he didn’t pause his intake of his constantly changing surroundings. Maybe the situation of this world was more dire than he’d previously believed.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

The lamplighter turned away so the messiah couldn’t see his myriad of pained expressions. He felt like he shouldn’t lie to Niko, for obvious reasons, but the whole truth of just how bad things were wouldn’t be good either… He chose his words carefully. 

…If only they could stay careful in the time it took him to say them. Something got mistranslated along the way. “Y’know how those squares, um, do…. things?They mess with the catwalks above us a lot, and sometimes they… also… eat the canal bridges. And robots. But rarely people, at least. That’s, um, nice of them.” His mind retraced his words and he looked like he’d realized he chose the wrong dialogue option in some sort of game and was looking for the back button. 

He realized he’d still been clinging to Niko and let go of his sleeve, seeing as the chaos was far enough behind them. The distant whirring and buzzing of square particles could still be heard above the rest of the noise. “They do clear up on their own at least, though not before taking something with them… So, um, the Glen! What’s it like? With all those, um. Glen… folk.” 

He was trying his best. 

[cateyedmessiah]

The way that Mr.Lamplighter looked away, and the expression he wore when his face could at last be seen almost made the child stop in his tracks. He hadn’t seen the man look so.. Dejected since he’d seen him- which meant quite a lot, considering the way in which the two had first met.

Niko’s little face contorted rather noticably. ‘Rarely..?’ He knew it meant that it had to have happened before. He only hoped that nobody had been hurt in that particular incident. What could really be the cause of those things? It was beyond the messiah entirely. The thought scared him. ‘What if returning the sun doesn’t help anything?’ He shook the idea from his mind. There was no way that the robot he’d met back in the Barrens, Prophetbot, had lied to him.

His resolve only strengthened.

The messiah was quiet at first before thinking back a bit to his previous location. “The Glen? Well, uhm..” A small pause filled by the buzzing of squares in the distance, “There’s lots of phosphor filled trees and stuff- Oh, and glowy fireflies! There’s also a whole village of people that live there.” His voice softened, “I met a girl named Alula and her big brother Calamus, too. Alula was missing so Calamus had asked me to find her.. They’re both really nice. They gave me a golden feather, kinda like some odd journal I found. Oh, and the black clover pendant Silver gave me.” Digging through a pocket, Niko retrieved the golden feather. It was as bright as the sun in his other hand. “Lots of robots were there doing water tests and stuff like that.. No squares anywhere.”

His gaze mellowed, trained on the glowing feather, “I.. Also met this lady there. She..” He didn’t continue. Guilt rose in his stomach, even though he knew he couldn’t have done anything. “..Sorry. Anyway, it was a lot more peaceful there, haha.” The child’s voice trailed off as he looked to the ground, the sun in one hand and the feather in the other. “Those squares haven’t really been anywhere but here, so far.”

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

The pair crossed a bridge to a side of town much better lit than the last. The haunted atmosphere continued to hang over them, perhaps stronger with the Tower directly over their heads. But, there was still more to see, and the lamplighter paid careful attention to the words Niko spoke. He perked up at a few of the names, trying to remember them. 

He lighted up significantly as he spoke. “A friend of mine has one of those phosphor tree things? Just, like, living in his apartment. He calls it his pet or something, it’s kinda weird. And I remember him saying they’re actually a type of grass which makes it double weird??? What’s up with that?” He paused and looked down at the feather. “Oh, that’s.. bright. And, uh. certainly something. And you said you had more glowing stuff?? That people just… hand to you?” 

They were reaching a much more familiar part of town – A wide street with shops on either side, a few food carts closed down. Were it a better day, there’d probably be plenty of people here idly shopping or meeting with friends. The mass of catwalk and elevator a few alleyways over proved they were getting much closer to their destination. 

He started to speak again. “Also, y’know, I’m like. ancient. Old as he-. Heck. The pinnacle of youth being wasted, right?” He spoke as if he wasn’t actually twenty-six at oldest. “And despite that, I’ve never actually seen the Glen at all. I’ve never stepped outside the walls of this place. Always wanted to, and just never really got around to it. There’s a lot of cool people in the world and I know like, three of them on a first name basis.” 

[cateyedmessiah]

The looming view of the Tower gave Niko the chills. He didn’t exactly feel ready to face it when the time came, though he did miss his home. This area seemed a lot more like somewhere that people would be. Except there wasn’t really anyone besides them around. “Oh, it’s grass?” He gaped.

Recovering rather quickly the child pieced together an answer, “Well, yeah, they just kinda.. gave me this stuff. I’m not sure of what they’re actually for, but they feel pretty important.” The manner in which he had recieved them, anyway, gave him that feeling. Those who had presented him with them seemed to have had a special attachment to it.

Niko’s brow raised in both confusion and amusement at the lamplighter’s claim of antiquity, “You don’t seem that old.. But, maybe you’ll get to go see it one day? When things are better?” He yawned before freeing up a hand by pocketing the feather. Everything was illuminated enough with the Sun and the suddenly brighter lighting anyway.

The messiah squinted, staring up at the massive Tower as he walked. “It really is big!” Everything besides that gray column remained as unfamiliar as always. “I wonder how I’m supposed to get all the way up to the top..? I guess that’s what meeting the head librarian is for- like that huge robot told me to before. Er, it didn’t actually say much else, though.”

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

“That’s interesting,” he started, thinking about it. He looked like he had more on the topic of random gifts, but he stopped himself. He felt vaguely like he’d already done a bit too much oversharing, and while that wouldn’t stop him from doing it anyway out of awkwardness, he wanted to filter a few things. There was no reason to scar the child with discussion of his work antics. 

“I hope I can, honestly. Just, uh, during the daylight. Because despite being an ancient being, I’m, um, deathly afraid of the dark??? A little bit?  Sure makes my main job a bit more rewarding. And. Terrifying at the same time.” They turned a streetcorner at a perfect time for Plight to hide his deadpanned facial expression. “That being said, it’s… a limiter. Though I’m sure even though the city is this dark, it’s four times as bad anywhere else. And on the Tower? I hope there’s an elevator. Otherwise that’s a whole lot of stairs. And that many stairs just isn’t worth it.” 

“Can we take a minute? Just real quick–” He fell quiet, sitting on a stone bench whether the answer was yes or no. A few robots went by, holding newspapers, others playing clashing things on build-in radios, the occasional odd vendor sold weird street food. Laundry and paper flags were strung above on thick, black string, fire escapes and catwalks linking apartments to who knew what else. The scene would’ve been idyllic, maybe even serene, had even the slightest wind ran through the area – it felt too still, too made up. Even though to everyone, including the lamplighter, who was recollecting his breath, the stillness was normal. 

[cateyedmessiah]

The messiah noticed that Mr.Lamplighter had started and then dropped off of the subject rather quickly. Was it just another thing that somebody couldn’t tell him? His information intake felt so limited, even though he was tasked with saving the world. Niko giggled a bit, “You won’t have to worry about the dark anymore, once I return the sun.” He nodded in agreement, “I hope there’s an elevator, too. It would be impossible to get up all of those steps..” A sigh escaped him. “But if there isn’t an elevator, I guess I don’t really have much of a choice, do I?”

Niko was actually greatful for a break from walking for the first time in a while. He hadn’t stopped since his last nap. He hopped up and sat beside the lamplighter, setting the Sun between them so it could perhaps provide some warmth to Mr.Lamplighter too. Kicking his feet idly, he stared blankly at the big city. The size should yield more of a population, but.. It was unsettling how it wasn’t bustling with bunches and bunches of different people. The only people he spotted walked fast and muttered quietly amongst themselves. He turned his eyes up to the abyss of a sky above the two. “This world..” A moment passed as the messiah gathered his words carefully.

“Everyone I’ve met has been so nice to me.”

Everything was still, even the movements of the few wanderers seemingly slowed.

“I’m going to miss everyone..”

Even God didn’t know of the decision that lay ahead.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

Plight didn’t know what to say for a short while, and it showed as he occasionally made a vague hand gesture, then stopped. He stared up at whatever Niko did, before it registered he should say something, why was he being so quiet, the literal Messiah is expecting him to speak up– 

He sat up before speaking. “I guess that’s the thing, y’know? The world… technically ended. We survived, I don’t know, ten years just, chillin’ out, basically. The days just fell into each other for so long we all forgot to start counting them. People poured their life savings into big houses and fancy projects as a means of living comfortably in the oncoming apocalypse. People went out of their way to do everything they wanted in the early days of the darkness. But then it just. Kept being dark. And then there started to be a body count, y’know? Everything just kept piling up. We lost an entire generation of scientists from the Barrens, we lost access to industrial phosphor, wood, hell, even the stone we’re sitting on is unobtainable without so much licensing and money, people just started making their own weird alternatives.  Friends would disappear just like they… fell off the disc, or something. And all that’s left are the people too tired, too traumatized, too numb to tragedy to hold onto their lives before the sun went out.” 

The lamplighter sighed. “But even despite all that, we had to hold onto hope somehow, I guess. It’s all that keeps us going. And, um, call it sappy, or optimistic, or whatever you want but,” He pulled out one of the jars at his side. The phosphor inside was a strange, half gelatinous, half slushy mess as it kept trying to form crystals but then got jostled. The remaining liquid let off a brighter light in his hands. “I think the more hope you have in something, the stronger it’s going to be. That’s what’s been keeping us here. And that’s what might be the difference between morning tomorrow or more of this half life.” 

He stood up and stretched, several things popping and crackling in ways they probably shouldn’t. “That was.. a lot, and I’m sorry, um, we should probably get going again, we’re like, a street away now.” 

[cateyedmessiah]

Niko listened intently, eyes never leaving the sky above. Everything he’d said.. The child just didn’t know what to think, or how to process it. It was all just.. So much. The Sun helped regulate so much of the world, before this he could never have imagined what it would be like to have no sun back home. No warmth, no light, no energy.. A cold, dead world. The fire in his little heart grew, “You have to rely on that hope then, you know! Otherwise there wouldn’t be anything!” He felt his tiny voice crack a little. Bringing his eyes down, he focused intently on the light at the lamplighter’s hands. The last of the phosphor left had to go out eventually- and he was sure that with it, the hope would go out too. After the phosphor, there’d be nothing, right? No light at all. He suddenly felt anxious. Antsy. The messiah tried to stay positive a bit frantically.

“Soon, the sun will get put back and everything should go back to normal! You won’t have worry anymore, then, Mr.Lamplighter; nor will anybody else. There’s no way this world can just be-” He tried to search for a better word, but nothing more clear was in his vocabulary, “Gone like that.” The worry in his stomach stayed put like cement.

An eyebrow raised and the other furrowed as the child observed Mr.Lamplighter draw himself up and.. make rather noticable odd noises? Like his bones were cracking or something. It sent shivers. ‘That’s.. Probably not good.’

After the man had ushered them to continue, Niko cast a nervous glance to the side before nodding and delicately picking up the Sun. He paced up to the man’s side, ready to be led. “What was life like before, um.. This?” The child settled to ask more questions in order to occupy any awkward silence during the walk.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

The lamplighter was silent for a bit, trying to think on both an answer and what Niko’d said. He half-shrugged before he started. “Well, that depends on whether or not you’re asking about the world or me. As far as the world goes, it was pretty.. phos. Pros. Prosper...?” He stopped mid-sentence, expression deadpanning. “Stuff was real good. It was.. technically perfect, from what I remember, though that... really isn’t saying much. I’m so used to this dark nonsense I can’t recall much from when we still had sunlight. I mean. Stuff like wheat and sugar didn’t need to be rationed. It was warmer. There were bugs, I think, like butterflies and bees and junk. There was a lot more people to say hi to. And like, rain? There was rain. A lot of it. But like, it was great. And some other stuff but, mostly, it just didn’t suck. If that makes any sense.” 

Now the area looked familiar...! The pair stumbled by the elevator and Plight motioned to go down a seedy looking alley. The area had a few transient square particles and, for some reason, the scent of wet rams permeated the lane like a virus. Realizing thus far they’d been taking their time, he hurried his pace just a little bit. 

He continued his tale between the alleyways. “As far as my life goes, I mean, I was a theatre kid if that tells you anything. Back then, the only thing I had to worry about was finishing college and looking cool in front of guys. Never did succeed in either of those things, but, you can’t win everything. I swear though, every time someone says they want to be like me or look up to me, I lose like, five years of life.” 

The library was straight head now; unfortunately, a sign it was almost time to part. 

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

Are you any good at music? Can you sing?

am i good at music? no. kind of awful at it, to be honest, but people keep telling me i could sing in theory?? i don’t believe them but they say it

before i started transitioning i was actually in my school’s theatre club? class? thing? as an actor, because any and all misguided gay kids end up in theatre club in some way, but when that turned out to be a bit too much spotlight (and also, voice cracks, and like. remembering stuff. oh god) i was one of their tech guys until i was done with school. messing with lights / practical effects / building things, y’know, all the fun stuff.

thinking about it, i haven’t visited in awhile. i wonder if the same teacher is around. 

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

Open Starter

The Refuge had an eerie, cold aura around it, like the vague malaise before someone fell ill. The majority of citizens avoided the darkened streets altogether, while those who had to brave the outdoors hurried past with faces buried in their scarves. Even the brightest, most resilient lights began crystallizing too fast in the chill, much to the dismay of the city’s maintenance expert. 

“I was just here, and, this is gonna be my whole day today, huh–” The Lamplighter muttered to himself. The once-lit street he was at only an hour and a half before was already starting to dry up. He looked around. He saw no one through the halflight and, with the help of a guardrail, he climbed the dimmest lamp. Sitting on one of its decorative prongs did not look comfortable by any stretch of the imagination, though he managed. He hung a still-full jar of phosphor on the other prong, and got to scrubbing the inside of the glass with an old sponge. All the dead crystals sure didn’t want to come off…

He hummed a familiar tune as he worked, and despite being in weirder positions before, he prayed he wouldn’t be recognized. 

[cateyedmessiah]

❂// Tired legs trembled a bit as they carried a small body up yet another tiring flight of stairs. The luminous glow of the sun in Niko’s arms seemed to be the only ray of hope within The Refuge. A once beautifully illuminated city seemed to droop sadly- though, Niko had never known it from before the Sun had stopped shining its light onto it. He had no doubt in his mind that it had been a once more densely populated area, the population bringing plenty of light pollution. A huge city with few inhabitants seemed quite melancholic, nonetheless. The savior had grown used to shining like a star in contrast to his surroundings throughout his journey, but The Refuge seemed to be brighter than the others. As Niko took in this vast new location, shimmering yellow eyes wide, he took quick note of the phosphor filled lamps. They filled the streets with an eerie magenta glow. A last glimmer of hope before the phosphor eventually ceased to provide light. A reminder that the child had to fufill his duty as the savior to this world.

Some seemed to be dimmer than the rest. He shook away a yawn as he let his bright gaze linger for a moment more before continuing walking down the barren street. Very few people passed by, rushing to get to their destinations as soon as possible. 'I can see why!’ His tiny footsteps on weary feet scarcely made a sound. Sensitive ears soon caught wind of a scrubbing noise. The prospect of someone with more knowledge than he returned the messiah’s former vigilance. He quickened his pace, making turns in the direction of the noise.

To Niko’s suprise, there seemed to be.. ’Someone on top of a lamp post? ..What.‘ The thought made the child’s brows furrow a bit, though it brought a small smile to his face. The figure looked rather uncomfortable, perched upon the prongs in an awkward position. “Excuse me?” Niko’s voice rang out, soft in comparison to the sharp sounds of scrubbing. He had a good guess of who it could be, but he couldn’t be too sure.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

A lot of things could’ve been going better for Lampy, all things considered. Everything on his to-do list was already set back a few days thanks to the newfound cold, and with more bots finding new and interesting ways to die, it kept growing further. The idea that he needed to be in preparation to meet the Messiah himself, and by loose extension, God was so far out of his mind he just blotted the bright yellow light of the Sun out of his vision when it approached. He was winded just trying to de-crystal one lamp, let alone the hundreds in this sector alone… His humming had turned to grumbling at some point in the process about this or that. 

Something worth noting about the lamplighter is that he only has two things going for him: First, he’s an idiot. Second, he’s determined.

An important thing not included in that list? People skills. Of any sort. 

Upon hearing a tiny voice walking up to him and asking for his attention, he… panicked. Completely froze on the spot. 

And he lost his balance on the lamp prong. He crashed down to the sidewalk below with all the grace of a brick trying to achieve its first flight. He slooooowly stood back up to his full height, adjusted his hat, and gave himself a moment to readjust to the brightness in front of him. “Did you, um, need so-.” He stopped. The realization struck him fast. He coughed and attempted to put on his better, more official voice™, though even that turned to panic fast. “Oh god, I mean, um, goodness? Gracious?? It’s, you. Big fan?? Gonna save us all or something?? Do you need anything? That is the sun, right?” 

He looked much more tired than he had moments before. 

[cateyedmessiah]

A squeak emitted abruptly from Niko’s vocal chords, eyes growing as wide as saucers as they watched the figure crash to the ground below. The child instinctively tightened his grip on the Sun. It was warm and made him feel.. Safer, somehow. It had stuck with him throughout his travels, after all.

He felt a bit bad for calling out so suddenly. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you fall, sir.” Niko grew a bit bashful as he observed the figure drawing himself up rather.. oddly. He wasn’t one to judge though. The man looked more like what God had described as /humans/ than anyone else- other than that nice boy at the diner. Plus, he was a rather tall compared to his own small frame. Oh, but he noted one thing most of all. This person seemed very, veeery tired. Like he hadn’t slept in ages! That train of thought reminded the messiah that he, too, was exhausted. ‘Oh, but there’s no way that I’m as tired as this guy..‘ 

The man looked as if he were growing more anxious by the minute. His panic made Niko’s own stomach fill with butterflies. He smiled reassuringly and bobbed his head. The movement shifted his hat a little so he reached one hand up to adjust it before returning it to the well missed warmth of the Sun. Just a moment away from its exothermic nature was regrettable. “Yep! It’s the sun!” He paused nervously before adding, “I’m gonna try my best to save everyone, yeah..” A weak laugh. “I still gotta get to The Tower, though.. It seems forever away!” Niko grew a bit concerned, averting his gaze before returning it again to take in the man’s features.

He tried to change the subject a bit. The burden of light was growing heavier and heavier as the journey progressed. “Are you the one who fills all of these lamps up? With that phosphor stuff, right? It seems like a lot of work.”

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

Oh no, the kid didn’t look too happy, oh no, oh god, –

Plight stretched upwards as if he were literally pushing his anxious thoughts aside, and the aura of social fear seemed to dissipate from him. All he needed was a moment, it turned out, to pick up the pieces of his professionalism that shattered on the ground where he’d landed. Okay. It was just a kid. He’d talked to one, like, once. He even asked about work. That’s something he could talk about for hours.  He cleared his throat for the second time.  

“It’s, um, not a problem. Being up there wasn’t the most effective anyway,” he began. “Not only am I in charge of every streetlight in the city, I also repair catwalks, roofs, elevators, houses, clean up litter and on…” He stopped dead in his tracks. What day was it again? “…Weekends, I deliver mail for the coolest people in the city. It’s a lot but, someone has to do it. Might as well be me.” Smooth delivery for someone in his predicament.

Okay, so he embellished a lot. The most probable takeaway from it though, with how he stood there, frazzled and slouched over, bruise forming on his cheek, hands covered in healing acid burns and shaking like a water glass in an earthquake, was that he was either full of nonsense or insane, and should lay down sometime. 

He took his gaze away from the bright light of the Sun and back up towards the lamp, half cleaned, and then the rest of the street. Dark. And no longer his problem. He transitioned back to staring at Niko with finger guns. 

“So, uh, you got a name, kid?” 

[cateyedmessiah]

Niko’s mouth gaped, a little fang showing. “You must be really busy then!” He found it rather impressive that this singular person could do all of that work. Niko remembered having to do chores, sometimes, back home; nothing he had done was remotely as tedious as repairing everything within the bounds of a big city, though. “With all of those weird squares floating around and destroying everything, especially.” He thought back to when he’d been peering down allyways, occasionally catching a glimpse of the destructive mass. Niko never dared to get too close to it. It gave him a bad feeling.. God said that even they didn’t know what it was, and if they didn’t know he wasn’t sure who would. The child closed his eyes and smiled, “That’s really cool! Do you ever get a break?” It came as no suprise to him that the man looked as tired and worn as he did. He doubted that the man ever got much of one. Or, at least, not after the Sun was gone. ‘Maybe, once I return the sun, he’ll have less work to do..’

Absentmindedly swiping at the Sun with his sweater sleeve, Niko looked up and gave a nod to the asker of the question. “My name is Niko! How about you? What’s your name?” To lessen the tension he peered around some more, admiring the gentle glow of magenta that radiated throughout the city. It really was pretty. The imposing size nearly reminded him of home, in the giant wheat field.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

“The squares aren’t the worst thing ever,” The man scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. He didn’t sound too sure of himself… “In fact, most of the time they even leave on their own. And then it’s just a few screws until it’s back in order. Most of the time. Sometimes you gotta get creative or reroute things but it’s just, uh, the small stuff, usually.” The man looked like he had more to say on the subject, but stopped himself. 

His expression deadpanned. “To get like, real level with you, I haven’t slept in four days. But! I’m still going! Somehow.  And, on names? I.. um, don’t. Have. One? Right now? For… Reasons. And purposes.” He turned his gaze to the ground, then back to the child. It seemed he didn’t want the issue to be pressed. “A few people just call me ‘Mr. Lamplighter’ or ‘Plight’ though, which is good enough. Anyways, though, I know you’re headed towards the Tower and all but, if there’s any other place you needed to be in the meantime, I could, like, walk you or something. Show you around a bit. I’d love to hear about outside the city if you have any stories.” 

[cateyedmessiah]

The fact that this stranger didn’t actually have a name blew over the Niko’s head. He didn’t even think of asking about it since Mr. Lamplighter seemed so put off by it- and he didn’t find it odd, considering how many other things were going on in this world. ‘Goodness, four days?’ It was a bit concerning in the eyes of a child who had never experienced the toils of anything beyond the age of 10. ‘And he does all that work, too.. No wonder.’

“Mhm! The big robot when I first got here told me to go to the library to get more information on the Tower.” Niko paused for a moment. He hadn’t really taken the time to explore the city more since God ushered him to quicken his pace once he’d arrived. After some consideration, the messiah nodded with a smile, “But I’d really like to see more of this place!” He knew that God wouldn’t mind either. “..I also don’t know my way around.. At all. Even God gets me lost sometimes,” A giggle escaped him. Memories of the countless hours spent wandering around aimlessly in the Barrens sent more shivers down his spine than the cold. “Yup, I have lots of stories! Especially from the Glen.” Niko liked the Glen a lot. Particularly, he liked the friendly siblings he’d met there.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

“Good to know even God gets lost sometimes,” he laughed awkwardly. “It’s a bit of a maze in the city if you aren’t used to it. In fact, it looks like–Hold on–” 

The lamplighter sifted through his multitude of pockets digging around for something, and after a solid minute of rummaging, he finally found it. He unfurled what looked like a hand-drawn map of Refuge. It was riddled with enough holes, doodles, pencil marks, etc. to prove it was well-loved. He knelt down to Niko’s height and pointed to a spot on it. “The library is here,” he motioned across a canal and to the west a bit. “And we, currently, are here…ish. That’s, um, a ways. But I know a pretty great scenic route, if you’re interested.” He folded the map back up and passed it to the child, standing up. 

He picked up his hook and reached for the hanging phosphor jar before something else struck him. “Gonna. Need a minute, my sponge is still.” He pointed up at the lamp. “Y’know.” There he went, standing on the guardrail, then clambering up the post. At least he got the thoroughly crystallized, gross sponge from the streetlight without falling onto the sidewalk again. 

He muttered something else, and wrote down another thing in a notebook he kept in his chest pocket, but he otherwise looked ready to go somewhere.  

[cateyedmessiah]

Ignorant but receptive eyes scanned the map. He didn’t exactly know how to read maps fully, but he figured that Mr.Lamplighter knew. It was an adult thing, he supposed. ‘Like coffee! I bet he drinks lots of that, too,’ The child accepted the map into a free hand curiously, passing the Sun to his other, “..What exactly does ‘sce’-yeah, that sounds fun!” He wouldn’t pester Mr.Lamplighter anymore than he already had. Niko assumed it was a good thing, based off of the surrounding words. Mama always told him to figure things out that way. A small thumb felt the paper. It was definitely touched up quite a bit, seeing as it was soft and light. Only his head moved as he watched the man return to his full height and make a realization. The amount of work that it took just to get up each lamp post amused Niko to an extent. ‘Good thing he didn’t fall again,’

He curiously watched as Mr.Lamplighter muttered and pulled some sort of book out of yet another coat pocket. Not about to pry, the messiah took a last glance around before shifting nearer to the taller frame of the lamplighter, prepared to closely behind. No way was he getting lost again. In doing so, he also hoped that none of the squares would somehow separate them on the way. He’d seen what they had done to the robots.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

The man tilted his head curiously at the child for a moment before starting on his way. He walked at a calm, leisurely pace, often checking over his shoulder to see that Niko was still in tow. He turned down one street and cut through an alleyway to get to another, until they were out of the labyrinth and walking alongside a glowing red canal.

“The city’s a pretty great place I’d say,” he began, walking as far around a sewer grate as he could without crossing the street. “There isn’t much crime to speak of, politics aren’t a big issue, it’s got some amazing sights. I really don’t think I could be comfortable living anywhere else. Though, that might just be familiarity talking, not reason.” He sighed. “Paying rent sucks, let alone food costs with things only being able to grow in greenhouses now, working hours are god awful, er.” He stopped mid-step, as if waiting for his mind to catch up with his walking pace. “Can I just like, say that in your presence? Is that rude? I mean, I guess if I don’t get smited in the next ten minutes or so it’s not a problem but, uh… Anyway.” He continued forward again. “Right now all the scientists and people vaguely related to the scientists, so, um, me, mostly, are in this weird state where everything’s dying real fast. People, our food sources, water sources, phosphor, the world. Y’know. Kind of everything. So everyone’s all up in a tizzy trying to fix it, but nobody can come up with any workable solutions. But then not only are they trying to save the world, they’re also trying to fix the current, pressing issues like squares, keeping the city lit up, making sure all the bots are in working order, trying to put up better.. Infa.. info.. Hm. Better ways of keeping in communication with people for emergencies. Which means sometimes triple the hours and no days off. The whole system right now is ran by one lady and she’s really cool, yeah, but she’s also terrifying.” 

A few people, bots, others, gathered around a drawbridge that was twisted into an unnatural position, like partly-folded construction paper. A loud buzz could be heard from within the crowd, all too familiar despite being out of sight. 

The lamplighter grabbed Niko’s sleeve and pulled them through another alleyway, headed around the ruckus. “…There’s… another bridge ahead, let’s just not pay attention to that one.” He sighed. 

[cateyedmessiah]

Niko’s little feet and short legs didn’t have to work too hard to keep pace with the lamplighter, which he was pretty greatful for. As he walked, he looked around quite a bit, scanning with pools of yellow. The more he saw of the Refuge, the more he came to like it. Of course, the child always made sure to glance back to make sure he was still following Mr.Lamplighter, too.

The messiah listened closely as the man began speaking. Most of this stuff sounded like things that Mama would talk about reading in the newspaper. Or, otherwise known as ‘adult stuff’ to a young catchild. Problems like those never occurred in his homeland.

“I can’t imagine having to run all of that! That lady must have a lot of work on her hands, huh?” He thought back to everyone he had met so far. The only thing resembling a ‘lady’ he could think of was Silver, but even then.. He wasn’t sure if she could actually be called a lady, being a robot and all? It didn’t really matter since she was still pretty nice anyway. Thinking back, he’d remembered seeing some family artifacts in her lab- maybe the other person he’d seen could be behind it all? There weren’t all that many people in this world after all. However, that didn’t make it any less worth saving in the eyes of the messiah.

A ruckus that the pair had came across suddenly interrupted the peace of the walk. The fear came before Niko actually knew what caused it- but he didn’t have long to figure it out as the lamplighter pulled him away by his sleeve, leading him through a different alley. It confused him thoroughly, “What.. What was that?” Niko’s brows furrowed a bit as he walked, though he didn’t pause his intake of his constantly changing surroundings. Maybe the situation of this world was more dire than he’d previously believed.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

The lamplighter turned away so the messiah couldn’t see his myriad of pained expressions. He felt like he shouldn’t lie to Niko, for obvious reasons, but the whole truth of just how bad things were wouldn’t be good either… He chose his words carefully. 

…If only they could stay careful in the time it took him to say them. Something got mistranslated along the way. “Y’know how those squares, um, do…. things?They mess with the catwalks above us a lot, and sometimes they… also… eat the canal bridges. And robots. But rarely people, at least. That’s, um, nice of them.” His mind retraced his words and he looked like he’d realized he chose the wrong dialogue option in some sort of game and was looking for the back button. 

He realized he’d still been clinging to Niko and let go of his sleeve, seeing as the chaos was far enough behind them. The distant whirring and buzzing of square particles could still be heard above the rest of the noise. “They do clear up on their own at least, though not before taking something with them… So, um, the Glen! What’s it like? With all those, um. Glen… folk.” 

He was trying his best. 

[cateyedmessiah]

The way that Mr.Lamplighter looked away, and the expression he wore when his face could at last be seen almost made the child stop in his tracks. He hadn’t seen the man look so.. Dejected since he’d seen him- which meant quite a lot, considering the way in which the two had first met.

Niko’s little face contorted rather noticably. ‘Rarely..?’ He knew it meant that it had to have happened before. He only hoped that nobody had been hurt in that particular incident. What could really be the cause of those things? It was beyond the messiah entirely. The thought scared him. ‘What if returning the sun doesn’t help anything?’ He shook the idea from his mind. There was no way that the robot he’d met back in the Barrens, Prophetbot, had lied to him.

His resolve only strengthened.

The messiah was quiet at first before thinking back a bit to his previous location. “The Glen? Well, uhm..” A small pause filled by the buzzing of squares in the distance, “There’s lots of phosphor filled trees and stuff- Oh, and glowy fireflies! There’s also a whole village of people that live there.” His voice softened, “I met a girl named Alula and her big brother Calamus, too. Alula was missing so Calamus had asked me to find her.. They’re both really nice. They gave me a golden feather, kinda like some odd journal I found. Oh, and the black clover pendant Silver gave me.” Digging through a pocket, Niko retrieved the golden feather. It was as bright as the sun in his other hand. “Lots of robots were there doing water tests and stuff like that.. No squares anywhere.”

His gaze mellowed, trained on the glowing feather, “I.. Also met this lady there. She..” He didn’t continue. Guilt rose in his stomach, even though he knew he couldn’t have done anything. “..Sorry. Anyway, it was a lot more peaceful there, haha.” The child’s voice trailed off as he looked to the ground, the sun in one hand and the feather in the other. “Those squares haven’t really been anywhere but here, so far.”

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

The pair crossed a bridge to a side of town much better lit than the last. The haunted atmosphere continued to hang over them, perhaps stronger with the Tower directly over their heads. But, there was still more to see, and the lamplighter paid careful attention to the words Niko spoke. He perked up at a few of the names, trying to remember them. 

He lighted up significantly as he spoke. “A friend of mine has one of those phosphor tree things? Just, like, living in his apartment. He calls it his pet or something, it’s kinda weird. And I remember him saying they’re actually a type of grass which makes it double weird??? What’s up with that?” He paused and looked down at the feather. “Oh, that’s.. bright. And, uh. certainly something. And you said you had more glowing stuff?? That people just… hand to you?” 

They were reaching a much more familiar part of town – A wide street with shops on either side, a few food carts closed down. Were it a better day, there’d probably be plenty of people here idly shopping or meeting with friends. The mass of catwalk and elevator a few alleyways over proved they were getting much closer to their destination. 

He started to speak again. “Also, y’know, I’m like. ancient. Old as he-. Heck. The pinnacle of youth being wasted, right?” He spoke as if he wasn’t actually twenty-six at oldest. “And despite that, I’ve never actually seen the Glen at all. I’ve never stepped outside the walls of this place. Always wanted to, and just never really got around to it. There’s a lot of cool people in the world and I know like, three of them on a first name basis.” 

[cateyedmessiah]

The looming view of the Tower gave Niko the chills. He didn’t exactly feel ready to face it when the time came, though he did miss his home. This area seemed a lot more like somewhere that people would be. Except there wasn’t really anyone besides them around. “Oh, it’s grass?” He gaped.

Recovering rather quickly the child pieced together an answer, “Well, yeah, they just kinda.. gave me this stuff. I’m not sure of what they’re actually for, but they feel pretty important.” The manner in which he had recieved them, anyway, gave him that feeling. Those who had presented him with them seemed to have had a special attachment to it.

Niko’s brow raised in both confusion and amusement at the lamplighter’s claim of antiquity, “You don’t seem that old.. But, maybe you’ll get to go see it one day? When things are better?” He yawned before freeing up a hand by pocketing the feather. Everything was illuminated enough with the Sun and the suddenly brighter lighting anyway.

The messiah squinted, staring up at the massive Tower as he walked. “It really is big!” Everything besides that gray column remained as unfamiliar as always. “I wonder how I’m supposed to get all the way up to the top..? I guess that’s what meeting the head librarian is for- like that huge robot told me to before. Er, it didn’t actually say much else, though.”

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

“That’s interesting,” he started, thinking about it. He looked like he had more on the topic of random gifts, but he stopped himself. He felt vaguely like he’d already done a bit too much oversharing, and while that wouldn’t stop him from doing it anyway out of awkwardness, he wanted to filter a few things. There was no reason to scar the child with discussion of his work antics. 

“I hope I can, honestly. Just, uh, during the daylight. Because despite being an ancient being, I’m, um, deathly afraid of the dark??? A little bit?  Sure makes my main job a bit more rewarding. And. Terrifying at the same time.” They turned a streetcorner at a perfect time for Plight to hide his deadpanned facial expression. “That being said, it’s… a limiter. Though I’m sure even though the city is this dark, it’s four times as bad anywhere else. And on the Tower? I hope there’s an elevator. Otherwise that’s a whole lot of stairs. And that many stairs just isn’t worth it.” 

“Can we take a minute? Just real quick–” He fell quiet, sitting on a stone bench whether the answer was yes or no. A few robots went by, holding newspapers, others playing clashing things on build-in radios, the occasional odd vendor sold weird street food. Laundry and paper flags were strung above on thick, black string, fire escapes and catwalks linking apartments to who knew what else. The scene would’ve been idyllic, maybe even serene, had even the slightest wind ran through the area – it felt too still, too made up. Even though to everyone, including the lamplighter, who was recollecting his breath, the stillness was normal. 

[cateyedmessiah]

The messiah noticed that Mr.Lamplighter had started and then dropped off of the subject rather quickly. Was it just another thing that somebody couldn’t tell him? His information intake felt so limited, even though he was tasked with saving the world. Niko giggled a bit, “You won’t have to worry about the dark anymore, once I return the sun.” He nodded in agreement, “I hope there’s an elevator, too. It would be impossible to get up all of those steps..” A sigh escaped him. “But if there isn’t an elevator, I guess I don’t really have much of a choice, do I?”

Niko was actually greatful for a break from walking for the first time in a while. He hadn’t stopped since his last nap. He hopped up and sat beside the lamplighter, setting the Sun between them so it could perhaps provide some warmth to Mr.Lamplighter too. Kicking his feet idly, he stared blankly at the big city. The size should yield more of a population, but.. It was unsettling how it wasn’t bustling with bunches and bunches of different people. The only people he spotted walked fast and muttered quietly amongst themselves. He turned his eyes up to the abyss of a sky above the two. “This world..” A moment passed as the messiah gathered his words carefully.

“Everyone I’ve met has been so nice to me.”

Everything was still, even the movements of the few wanderers seemingly slowed.

“I’m going to miss everyone..”

Even God didn’t know of the decision that lay ahead.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

Plight didn’t know what to say for a short while, and it showed as he occasionally made a vague hand gesture, then stopped. He stared up at whatever Niko did, before it registered he should say something, why was he being so quiet, the literal Messiah is expecting him to speak up-- 

He sat up before speaking. “I guess that’s the thing, y’know? The world... technically ended. We survived, I don’t know, ten years just, chillin’ out, basically. The days just fell into each other for so long we all forgot to start counting them. People poured their life savings into big houses and fancy projects as a means of living comfortably in the oncoming apocalypse. People went out of their way to do everything they wanted in the early days of the darkness. But then it just. Kept being dark. And then there started to be a body count, y’know? Everything just kept piling up. We lost an entire generation of scientists from the Barrens, we lost access to industrial phosphor, wood, hell, even the stone we’re sitting on is unobtainable without so much licensing and money, people just started making their own weird alternatives.  Friends would disappear just like they... fell off the disc, or something. And all that’s left are the people too tired, too traumatized, too numb to tragedy to hold onto their lives before the sun went out.” 

The lamplighter sighed. “But even despite all that, we had to hold onto hope somehow, I guess. It’s all that keeps us going. And, um, call it sappy, or optimistic, or whatever you want but,” He pulled out one of the jars at his side. The phosphor inside was a strange, half gelatinous, half slushy mess as it kept trying to form crystals but then got jostled. The remaining liquid let off a brighter light in his hands. “I think the more hope you have in something, the stronger it’s going to be. That’s what’s been keeping us here. And that’s what might be the difference between morning tomorrow or more of this half life.” 

He stood up and stretched, several things popping and crackling in ways they probably shouldn’t. “That was.. a lot, and I’m sorry, um, we should probably get going again, we’re like, a street away now.” 

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

are you secretly a moth?

……you know too much

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

Open Starter

The Refuge had an eerie, cold aura around it, like the vague malaise before someone fell ill. The majority of citizens avoided the darkened streets altogether, while those who had to brave the outdoors hurried past with faces buried in their scarves. Even the brightest, most resilient lights began crystallizing too fast in the chill, much to the dismay of the city’s maintenance expert. 

“I was just here, and, this is gonna be my whole day today, huh–” The Lamplighter muttered to himself. The once-lit street he was at only an hour and a half before was already starting to dry up. He looked around. He saw no one through the halflight and, with the help of a guardrail, he climbed the dimmest lamp. Sitting on one of its decorative prongs did not look comfortable by any stretch of the imagination, though he managed. He hung a still-full jar of phosphor on the other prong, and got to scrubbing the inside of the glass with an old sponge. All the dead crystals sure didn’t want to come off…

He hummed a familiar tune as he worked, and despite being in weirder positions before, he prayed he wouldn’t be recognized. 

[cateyedmessiah]

❂// Tired legs trembled a bit as they carried a small body up yet another tiring flight of stairs. The luminous glow of the sun in Niko’s arms seemed to be the only ray of hope within The Refuge. A once beautifully illuminated city seemed to droop sadly- though, Niko had never known it from before the Sun had stopped shining its light onto it. He had no doubt in his mind that it had been a once more densely populated area, the population bringing plenty of light pollution. A huge city with few inhabitants seemed quite melancholic, nonetheless. The savior had grown used to shining like a star in contrast to his surroundings throughout his journey, but The Refuge seemed to be brighter than the others. As Niko took in this vast new location, shimmering yellow eyes wide, he took quick note of the phosphor filled lamps. They filled the streets with an eerie magenta glow. A last glimmer of hope before the phosphor eventually ceased to provide light. A reminder that the child had to fufill his duty as the savior to this world.

Some seemed to be dimmer than the rest. He shook away a yawn as he let his bright gaze linger for a moment more before continuing walking down the barren street. Very few people passed by, rushing to get to their destinations as soon as possible. 'I can see why!’ His tiny footsteps on weary feet scarcely made a sound. Sensitive ears soon caught wind of a scrubbing noise. The prospect of someone with more knowledge than he returned the messiah’s former vigilance. He quickened his pace, making turns in the direction of the noise.

To Niko’s suprise, there seemed to be.. ’Someone on top of a lamp post? ..What.‘ The thought made the child’s brows furrow a bit, though it brought a small smile to his face. The figure looked rather uncomfortable, perched upon the prongs in an awkward position. “Excuse me?” Niko’s voice rang out, soft in comparison to the sharp sounds of scrubbing. He had a good guess of who it could be, but he couldn’t be too sure.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

A lot of things could’ve been going better for Lampy, all things considered. Everything on his to-do list was already set back a few days thanks to the newfound cold, and with more bots finding new and interesting ways to die, it kept growing further. The idea that he needed to be in preparation to meet the Messiah himself, and by loose extension, God was so far out of his mind he just blotted the bright yellow light of the Sun out of his vision when it approached. He was winded just trying to de-crystal one lamp, let alone the hundreds in this sector alone… His humming had turned to grumbling at some point in the process about this or that. 

Something worth noting about the lamplighter is that he only has two things going for him: First, he’s an idiot. Second, he’s determined.

An important thing not included in that list? People skills. Of any sort. 

Upon hearing a tiny voice walking up to him and asking for his attention, he… panicked. Completely froze on the spot. 

And he lost his balance on the lamp prong. He crashed down to the sidewalk below with all the grace of a brick trying to achieve its first flight. He slooooowly stood back up to his full height, adjusted his hat, and gave himself a moment to readjust to the brightness in front of him. “Did you, um, need so-.” He stopped. The realization struck him fast. He coughed and attempted to put on his better, more official voice™, though even that turned to panic fast. “Oh god, I mean, um, goodness? Gracious?? It’s, you. Big fan?? Gonna save us all or something?? Do you need anything? That is the sun, right?” 

He looked much more tired than he had moments before. 

[cateyedmessiah]

A squeak emitted abruptly from Niko’s vocal chords, eyes growing as wide as saucers as they watched the figure crash to the ground below. The child instinctively tightened his grip on the Sun. It was warm and made him feel.. Safer, somehow. It had stuck with him throughout his travels, after all.

He felt a bit bad for calling out so suddenly. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you fall, sir.” Niko grew a bit bashful as he observed the figure drawing himself up rather.. oddly. He wasn’t one to judge though. The man looked more like what God had described as /humans/ than anyone else- other than that nice boy at the diner. Plus, he was a rather tall compared to his own small frame. Oh, but he noted one thing most of all. This person seemed very, veeery tired. Like he hadn’t slept in ages! That train of thought reminded the messiah that he, too, was exhausted. ‘Oh, but there’s no way that I’m as tired as this guy..‘ 

The man looked as if he were growing more anxious by the minute. His panic made Niko’s own stomach fill with butterflies. He smiled reassuringly and bobbed his head. The movement shifted his hat a little so he reached one hand up to adjust it before returning it to the well missed warmth of the Sun. Just a moment away from its exothermic nature was regrettable. “Yep! It’s the sun!” He paused nervously before adding, “I’m gonna try my best to save everyone, yeah..” A weak laugh. “I still gotta get to The Tower, though.. It seems forever away!” Niko grew a bit concerned, averting his gaze before returning it again to take in the man’s features.

He tried to change the subject a bit. The burden of light was growing heavier and heavier as the journey progressed. “Are you the one who fills all of these lamps up? With that phosphor stuff, right? It seems like a lot of work.”

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

Oh no, the kid didn’t look too happy, oh no, oh god, –

Plight stretched upwards as if he were literally pushing his anxious thoughts aside, and the aura of social fear seemed to dissipate from him. All he needed was a moment, it turned out, to pick up the pieces of his professionalism that shattered on the ground where he’d landed. Okay. It was just a kid. He’d talked to one, like, once. He even asked about work. That’s something he could talk about for hours.  He cleared his throat for the second time.  

“It’s, um, not a problem. Being up there wasn’t the most effective anyway,” he began. “Not only am I in charge of every streetlight in the city, I also repair catwalks, roofs, elevators, houses, clean up litter and on…” He stopped dead in his tracks. What day was it again? “…Weekends, I deliver mail for the coolest people in the city. It’s a lot but, someone has to do it. Might as well be me.” Smooth delivery for someone in his predicament.

Okay, so he embellished a lot. The most probable takeaway from it though, with how he stood there, frazzled and slouched over, bruise forming on his cheek, hands covered in healing acid burns and shaking like a water glass in an earthquake, was that he was either full of nonsense or insane, and should lay down sometime. 

He took his gaze away from the bright light of the Sun and back up towards the lamp, half cleaned, and then the rest of the street. Dark. And no longer his problem. He transitioned back to staring at Niko with finger guns. 

“So, uh, you got a name, kid?” 

[cateyedmessiah]

Niko’s mouth gaped, a little fang showing. “You must be really busy then!” He found it rather impressive that this singular person could do all of that work. Niko remembered having to do chores, sometimes, back home; nothing he had done was remotely as tedious as repairing everything within the bounds of a big city, though. “With all of those weird squares floating around and destroying everything, especially.” He thought back to when he’d been peering down allyways, occasionally catching a glimpse of the destructive mass. Niko never dared to get too close to it. It gave him a bad feeling.. God said that even they didn’t know what it was, and if they didn’t know he wasn’t sure who would. The child closed his eyes and smiled, “That’s really cool! Do you ever get a break?” It came as no suprise to him that the man looked as tired and worn as he did. He doubted that the man ever got much of one. Or, at least, not after the Sun was gone. ‘Maybe, once I return the sun, he’ll have less work to do..’

Absentmindedly swiping at the Sun with his sweater sleeve, Niko looked up and gave a nod to the asker of the question. “My name is Niko! How about you? What’s your name?” To lessen the tension he peered around some more, admiring the gentle glow of magenta that radiated throughout the city. It really was pretty. The imposing size nearly reminded him of home, in the giant wheat field.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

“The squares aren’t the worst thing ever,” The man scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. He didn’t sound too sure of himself… “In fact, most of the time they even leave on their own. And then it’s just a few screws until it’s back in order. Most of the time. Sometimes you gotta get creative or reroute things but it’s just, uh, the small stuff, usually.” The man looked like he had more to say on the subject, but stopped himself. 

His expression deadpanned. “To get like, real level with you, I haven’t slept in four days. But! I’m still going! Somehow.  And, on names? I.. um, don’t. Have. One? Right now? For… Reasons. And purposes.” He turned his gaze to the ground, then back to the child. It seemed he didn’t want the issue to be pressed. “A few people just call me ‘Mr. Lamplighter’ or ‘Plight’ though, which is good enough. Anyways, though, I know you’re headed towards the Tower and all but, if there’s any other place you needed to be in the meantime, I could, like, walk you or something. Show you around a bit. I’d love to hear about outside the city if you have any stories.” 

[cateyedmessiah]

The fact that this stranger didn’t actually have a name blew over the Niko’s head. He didn’t even think of asking about it since Mr. Lamplighter seemed so put off by it- and he didn’t find it odd, considering how many other things were going on in this world. ‘Goodness, four days?’ It was a bit concerning in the eyes of a child who had never experienced the toils of anything beyond the age of 10. ‘And he does all that work, too.. No wonder.’

“Mhm! The big robot when I first got here told me to go to the library to get more information on the Tower.” Niko paused for a moment. He hadn’t really taken the time to explore the city more since God ushered him to quicken his pace once he’d arrived. After some consideration, the messiah nodded with a smile, “But I’d really like to see more of this place!” He knew that God wouldn’t mind either. “..I also don’t know my way around.. At all. Even God gets me lost sometimes,” A giggle escaped him. Memories of the countless hours spent wandering around aimlessly in the Barrens sent more shivers down his spine than the cold. “Yup, I have lots of stories! Especially from the Glen.” Niko liked the Glen a lot. Particularly, he liked the friendly siblings he’d met there.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

“Good to know even God gets lost sometimes,” he laughed awkwardly. “It’s a bit of a maze in the city if you aren’t used to it. In fact, it looks like–Hold on–” 

The lamplighter sifted through his multitude of pockets digging around for something, and after a solid minute of rummaging, he finally found it. He unfurled what looked like a hand-drawn map of Refuge. It was riddled with enough holes, doodles, pencil marks, etc. to prove it was well-loved. He knelt down to Niko’s height and pointed to a spot on it. “The library is here,” he motioned across a canal and to the west a bit. “And we, currently, are here…ish. That’s, um, a ways. But I know a pretty great scenic route, if you’re interested.” He folded the map back up and passed it to the child, standing up. 

He picked up his hook and reached for the hanging phosphor jar before something else struck him. “Gonna. Need a minute, my sponge is still.” He pointed up at the lamp. “Y’know.” There he went, standing on the guardrail, then clambering up the post. At least he got the thoroughly crystallized, gross sponge from the streetlight without falling onto the sidewalk again. 

He muttered something else, and wrote down another thing in a notebook he kept in his chest pocket, but he otherwise looked ready to go somewhere.  

[cateyedmessiah]

Ignorant but receptive eyes scanned the map. He didn’t exactly know how to read maps fully, but he figured that Mr.Lamplighter knew. It was an adult thing, he supposed. ‘Like coffee! I bet he drinks lots of that, too,’ The child accepted the map into a free hand curiously, passing the Sun to his other, “..What exactly does ‘sce’-yeah, that sounds fun!” He wouldn’t pester Mr.Lamplighter anymore than he already had. Niko assumed it was a good thing, based off of the surrounding words. Mama always told him to figure things out that way. A small thumb felt the paper. It was definitely touched up quite a bit, seeing as it was soft and light. Only his head moved as he watched the man return to his full height and make a realization. The amount of work that it took just to get up each lamp post amused Niko to an extent. ‘Good thing he didn’t fall again,’

He curiously watched as Mr.Lamplighter muttered and pulled some sort of book out of yet another coat pocket. Not about to pry, the messiah took a last glance around before shifting nearer to the taller frame of the lamplighter, prepared to closely behind. No way was he getting lost again. In doing so, he also hoped that none of the squares would somehow separate them on the way. He’d seen what they had done to the robots.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

The man tilted his head curiously at the child for a moment before starting on his way. He walked at a calm, leisurely pace, often checking over his shoulder to see that Niko was still in tow. He turned down one street and cut through an alleyway to get to another, until they were out of the labyrinth and walking alongside a glowing red canal.

“The city’s a pretty great place I’d say,” he began, walking as far around a sewer grate as he could without crossing the street. “There isn’t much crime to speak of, politics aren’t a big issue, it’s got some amazing sights. I really don’t think I could be comfortable living anywhere else. Though, that might just be familiarity talking, not reason.” He sighed. “Paying rent sucks, let alone food costs with things only being able to grow in greenhouses now, working hours are god awful, er.” He stopped mid-step, as if waiting for his mind to catch up with his walking pace. “Can I just like, say that in your presence? Is that rude? I mean, I guess if I don’t get smited in the next ten minutes or so it’s not a problem but, uh… Anyway.” He continued forward again. “Right now all the scientists and people vaguely related to the scientists, so, um, me, mostly, are in this weird state where everything’s dying real fast. People, our food sources, water sources, phosphor, the world. Y’know. Kind of everything. So everyone’s all up in a tizzy trying to fix it, but nobody can come up with any workable solutions. But then not only are they trying to save the world, they’re also trying to fix the current, pressing issues like squares, keeping the city lit up, making sure all the bots are in working order, trying to put up better.. Infa.. info.. Hm. Better ways of keeping in communication with people for emergencies. Which means sometimes triple the hours and no days off. The whole system right now is ran by one lady and she’s really cool, yeah, but she’s also terrifying.” 

A few people, bots, others, gathered around a drawbridge that was twisted into an unnatural position, like partly-folded construction paper. A loud buzz could be heard from within the crowd, all too familiar despite being out of sight. 

The lamplighter grabbed Niko’s sleeve and pulled them through another alleyway, headed around the ruckus. “…There’s… another bridge ahead, let’s just not pay attention to that one.” He sighed. 

[cateyedmessiah]

Niko’s little feet and short legs didn’t have to work too hard to keep pace with the lamplighter, which he was pretty greatful for. As he walked, he looked around quite a bit, scanning with pools of yellow. The more he saw of the Refuge, the more he came to like it. Of course, the child always made sure to glance back to make sure he was still following Mr.Lamplighter, too.

The messiah listened closely as the man began speaking. Most of this stuff sounded like things that Mama would talk about reading in the newspaper. Or, otherwise known as ‘adult stuff’ to a young catchild. Problems like those never occurred in his homeland.

“I can’t imagine having to run all of that! That lady must have a lot of work on her hands, huh?” He thought back to everyone he had met so far. The only thing resembling a ‘lady’ he could think of was Silver, but even then.. He wasn’t sure if she could actually be called a lady, being a robot and all? It didn’t really matter since she was still pretty nice anyway. Thinking back, he’d remembered seeing some family artifacts in her lab- maybe the other person he’d seen could be behind it all? There weren’t all that many people in this world after all. However, that didn’t make it any less worth saving in the eyes of the messiah.

A ruckus that the pair had came across suddenly interrupted the peace of the walk. The fear came before Niko actually knew what caused it- but he didn’t have long to figure it out as the lamplighter pulled him away by his sleeve, leading him through a different alley. It confused him thoroughly, “What.. What was that?” Niko’s brows furrowed a bit as he walked, though he didn’t pause his intake of his constantly changing surroundings. Maybe the situation of this world was more dire than he’d previously believed.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

The lamplighter turned away so the messiah couldn’t see his myriad of pained expressions. He felt like he shouldn’t lie to Niko, for obvious reasons, but the whole truth of just how bad things were wouldn’t be good either… He chose his words carefully. 

…If only they could stay careful in the time it took him to say them. Something got mistranslated along the way. “Y’know how those squares, um, do…. things?They mess with the catwalks above us a lot, and sometimes they… also… eat the canal bridges. And robots. But rarely people, at least. That’s, um, nice of them.” His mind retraced his words and he looked like he’d realized he chose the wrong dialogue option in some sort of game and was looking for the back button. 

He realized he’d still been clinging to Niko and let go of his sleeve, seeing as the chaos was far enough behind them. The distant whirring and buzzing of square particles could still be heard above the rest of the noise. “They do clear up on their own at least, though not before taking something with them… So, um, the Glen! What’s it like? With all those, um. Glen… folk.” 

He was trying his best. 

[cateyedmessiah]

The way that Mr.Lamplighter looked away, and the expression he wore when his face could at last be seen almost made the child stop in his tracks. He hadn’t seen the man look so.. Dejected since he’d seen him- which meant quite a lot, considering the way in which the two had first met.

Niko’s little face contorted rather noticably. ‘Rarely..?’ He knew it meant that it had to have happened before. He only hoped that nobody had been hurt in that particular incident. What could really be the cause of those things? It was beyond the messiah entirely. The thought scared him. ‘What if returning the sun doesn’t help anything?’ He shook the idea from his mind. There was no way that the robot he’d met back in the Barrens, Prophetbot, had lied to him.

His resolve only strengthened.

The messiah was quiet at first before thinking back a bit to his previous location. “The Glen? Well, uhm..” A small pause filled by the buzzing of squares in the distance, “There’s lots of phosphor filled trees and stuff- Oh, and glowy fireflies! There’s also a whole village of people that live there.” His voice softened, “I met a girl named Alula and her big brother Calamus, too. Alula was missing so Calamus had asked me to find her.. They’re both really nice. They gave me a golden feather, kinda like some odd journal I found. Oh, and the black clover pendant Silver gave me.” Digging through a pocket, Niko retrieved the golden feather. It was as bright as the sun in his other hand. “Lots of robots were there doing water tests and stuff like that.. No squares anywhere.”

His gaze mellowed, trained on the glowing feather, “I.. Also met this lady there. She..” He didn’t continue. Guilt rose in his stomach, even though he knew he couldn’t have done anything. “..Sorry. Anyway, it was a lot more peaceful there, haha.” The child’s voice trailed off as he looked to the ground, the sun in one hand and the feather in the other. “Those squares haven’t really been anywhere but here, so far.”

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

The pair crossed a bridge to a side of town much better lit than the last. The haunted atmosphere continued to hang over them, perhaps stronger with the Tower directly over their heads. But, there was still more to see, and the lamplighter paid careful attention to the words Niko spoke. He perked up at a few of the names, trying to remember them. 

He lighted up significantly as he spoke. “A friend of mine has one of those phosphor tree things? Just, like, living in his apartment. He calls it his pet or something, it’s kinda weird. And I remember him saying they’re actually a type of grass which makes it double weird??? What’s up with that?” He paused and looked down at the feather. “Oh, that’s.. bright. And, uh. certainly something. And you said you had more glowing stuff?? That people just… hand to you?” 

They were reaching a much more familiar part of town – A wide street with shops on either side, a few food carts closed down. Were it a better day, there’d probably be plenty of people here idly shopping or meeting with friends. The mass of catwalk and elevator a few alleyways over proved they were getting much closer to their destination. 

He started to speak again. “Also, y’know, I’m like. ancient. Old as he-. Heck. The pinnacle of youth being wasted, right?” He spoke as if he wasn’t actually twenty-six at oldest. “And despite that, I’ve never actually seen the Glen at all. I’ve never stepped outside the walls of this place. Always wanted to, and just never really got around to it. There’s a lot of cool people in the world and I know like, three of them on a first name basis.” 

[cateyedmessiah]

The looming view of the Tower gave Niko the chills. He didn’t exactly feel ready to face it when the time came, though he did miss his home. This area seemed a lot more like somewhere that people would be. Except there wasn’t really anyone besides them around. “Oh, it’s grass?” He gaped.

Recovering rather quickly the child pieced together an answer, “Well, yeah, they just kinda.. gave me this stuff. I’m not sure of what they’re actually for, but they feel pretty important.” The manner in which he had recieved them, anyway, gave him that feeling. Those who had presented him with them seemed to have had a special attachment to it.

Niko’s brow raised in both confusion and amusement at the lamplighter’s claim of antiquity, “You don’t seem that old.. But, maybe you’ll get to go see it one day? When things are better?” He yawned before freeing up a hand by pocketing the feather. Everything was illuminated enough with the Sun and the suddenly brighter lighting anyway.

The messiah squinted, staring up at the massive Tower as he walked. “It really is big!” Everything besides that gray column remained as unfamiliar as always. “I wonder how I’m supposed to get all the way up to the top..? I guess that’s what meeting the head librarian is for- like that huge robot told me to before. Er, it didn’t actually say much else, though.”

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

“That’s interesting,” he started, thinking about it. He looked like he had more on the topic of random gifts, but he stopped himself. He felt vaguely like he’d already done a bit too much oversharing, and while that wouldn’t stop him from doing it anyway out of awkwardness, he wanted to filter a few things. There was no reason to scar the child with discussion of his work antics. 

“I hope I can, honestly. Just, uh, during the daylight. Because despite being an ancient being, I’m, um, deathly afraid of the dark??? A little bit?  Sure makes my main job a bit more rewarding. And. Terrifying at the same time.” They turned a streetcorner at a perfect time for Plight to hide his deadpanned facial expression. “That being said, it’s... a limiter. Though I’m sure even though the city is this dark, it’s four times as bad anywhere else. And on the Tower? I hope there’s an elevator. Otherwise that’s a whole lot of stairs. And that many stairs just isn’t worth it.” 

“Can we take a minute? Just real quick--” He fell quiet, sitting on a stone bench whether the answer was yes or no. A few robots went by, holding newspapers, others playing clashing things on build-in radios, the occasional odd vendor sold weird street food. Laundry and paper flags were strung above on thick, black string, fire escapes and catwalks linking apartments to who knew what else. The scene would’ve been idyllic, maybe even serene, had even the slightest wind ran through the area -- it felt too still, too made up. Even though to everyone, including the lamplighter, who was recollecting his breath, the stillness was normal. 

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

Sorry I didn't send you anything. It took me awhile to get enough pancake batter. I left a map to your reward. Also if you want your rumba back, you need to go. Have fun! -Legendary Pancake Anon

if i die im leaving my favourite coffee mug to ling

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

Open Starter

The Refuge had an eerie, cold aura around it, like the vague malaise before someone fell ill. The majority of citizens avoided the darkened streets altogether, while those who had to brave the outdoors hurried past with faces buried in their scarves. Even the brightest, most resilient lights began crystallizing too fast in the chill, much to the dismay of the city’s maintenance expert. 

“I was just here, and, this is gonna be my whole day today, huh–” The Lamplighter muttered to himself. The once-lit street he was at only an hour and a half before was already starting to dry up. He looked around. He saw no one through the halflight and, with the help of a guardrail, he climbed the dimmest lamp. Sitting on one of its decorative prongs did not look comfortable by any stretch of the imagination, though he managed. He hung a still-full jar of phosphor on the other prong, and got to scrubbing the inside of the glass with an old sponge. All the dead crystals sure didn’t want to come off…

He hummed a familiar tune as he worked, and despite being in weirder positions before, he prayed he wouldn’t be recognized. 

[cateyedmessiah]

❂// Tired legs trembled a bit as they carried a small body up yet another tiring flight of stairs. The luminous glow of the sun in Niko’s arms seemed to be the only ray of hope within The Refuge. A once beautifully illuminated city seemed to droop sadly- though, Niko had never known it from before the Sun had stopped shining its light onto it. He had no doubt in his mind that it had been a once more densely populated area, the population bringing plenty of light pollution. A huge city with few inhabitants seemed quite melancholic, nonetheless. The savior had grown used to shining like a star in contrast to his surroundings throughout his journey, but The Refuge seemed to be brighter than the others. As Niko took in this vast new location, shimmering yellow eyes wide, he took quick note of the phosphor filled lamps. They filled the streets with an eerie magenta glow. A last glimmer of hope before the phosphor eventually ceased to provide light. A reminder that the child had to fufill his duty as the savior to this world.

Some seemed to be dimmer than the rest. He shook away a yawn as he let his bright gaze linger for a moment more before continuing walking down the barren street. Very few people passed by, rushing to get to their destinations as soon as possible. 'I can see why!’ His tiny footsteps on weary feet scarcely made a sound. Sensitive ears soon caught wind of a scrubbing noise. The prospect of someone with more knowledge than he returned the messiah’s former vigilance. He quickened his pace, making turns in the direction of the noise.

To Niko’s suprise, there seemed to be.. ’Someone on top of a lamp post? ..What.‘ The thought made the child’s brows furrow a bit, though it brought a small smile to his face. The figure looked rather uncomfortable, perched upon the prongs in an awkward position. “Excuse me?” Niko’s voice rang out, soft in comparison to the sharp sounds of scrubbing. He had a good guess of who it could be, but he couldn’t be too sure.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

A lot of things could’ve been going better for Lampy, all things considered. Everything on his to-do list was already set back a few days thanks to the newfound cold, and with more bots finding new and interesting ways to die, it kept growing further. The idea that he needed to be in preparation to meet the Messiah himself, and by loose extension, God was so far out of his mind he just blotted the bright yellow light of the Sun out of his vision when it approached. He was winded just trying to de-crystal one lamp, let alone the hundreds in this sector alone… His humming had turned to grumbling at some point in the process about this or that. 

Something worth noting about the lamplighter is that he only has two things going for him: First, he’s an idiot. Second, he’s determined.

An important thing not included in that list? People skills. Of any sort. 

Upon hearing a tiny voice walking up to him and asking for his attention, he… panicked. Completely froze on the spot. 

And he lost his balance on the lamp prong. He crashed down to the sidewalk below with all the grace of a brick trying to achieve its first flight. He slooooowly stood back up to his full height, adjusted his hat, and gave himself a moment to readjust to the brightness in front of him. “Did you, um, need so-.” He stopped. The realization struck him fast. He coughed and attempted to put on his better, more official voice™, though even that turned to panic fast. “Oh god, I mean, um, goodness? Gracious?? It’s, you. Big fan?? Gonna save us all or something?? Do you need anything? That is the sun, right?” 

He looked much more tired than he had moments before. 

[cateyedmessiah]

A squeak emitted abruptly from Niko’s vocal chords, eyes growing as wide as saucers as they watched the figure crash to the ground below. The child instinctively tightened his grip on the Sun. It was warm and made him feel.. Safer, somehow. It had stuck with him throughout his travels, after all.

He felt a bit bad for calling out so suddenly. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you fall, sir.” Niko grew a bit bashful as he observed the figure drawing himself up rather.. oddly. He wasn’t one to judge though. The man looked more like what God had described as /humans/ than anyone else- other than that nice boy at the diner. Plus, he was a rather tall compared to his own small frame. Oh, but he noted one thing most of all. This person seemed very, veeery tired. Like he hadn’t slept in ages! That train of thought reminded the messiah that he, too, was exhausted. ‘Oh, but there’s no way that I’m as tired as this guy..‘ 

The man looked as if he were growing more anxious by the minute. His panic made Niko’s own stomach fill with butterflies. He smiled reassuringly and bobbed his head. The movement shifted his hat a little so he reached one hand up to adjust it before returning it to the well missed warmth of the Sun. Just a moment away from its exothermic nature was regrettable. “Yep! It’s the sun!” He paused nervously before adding, “I’m gonna try my best to save everyone, yeah..” A weak laugh. “I still gotta get to The Tower, though.. It seems forever away!” Niko grew a bit concerned, averting his gaze before returning it again to take in the man’s features.

He tried to change the subject a bit. The burden of light was growing heavier and heavier as the journey progressed. “Are you the one who fills all of these lamps up? With that phosphor stuff, right? It seems like a lot of work.”

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

Oh no, the kid didn’t look too happy, oh no, oh god, –

Plight stretched upwards as if he were literally pushing his anxious thoughts aside, and the aura of social fear seemed to dissipate from him. All he needed was a moment, it turned out, to pick up the pieces of his professionalism that shattered on the ground where he’d landed. Okay. It was just a kid. He’d talked to one, like, once. He even asked about work. That’s something he could talk about for hours.  He cleared his throat for the second time.  

“It’s, um, not a problem. Being up there wasn’t the most effective anyway,” he began. “Not only am I in charge of every streetlight in the city, I also repair catwalks, roofs, elevators, houses, clean up litter and on…” He stopped dead in his tracks. What day was it again? “…Weekends, I deliver mail for the coolest people in the city. It’s a lot but, someone has to do it. Might as well be me.” Smooth delivery for someone in his predicament.

Okay, so he embellished a lot. The most probable takeaway from it though, with how he stood there, frazzled and slouched over, bruise forming on his cheek, hands covered in healing acid burns and shaking like a water glass in an earthquake, was that he was either full of nonsense or insane, and should lay down sometime. 

He took his gaze away from the bright light of the Sun and back up towards the lamp, half cleaned, and then the rest of the street. Dark. And no longer his problem. He transitioned back to staring at Niko with finger guns. 

“So, uh, you got a name, kid?” 

[cateyedmessiah]

Niko’s mouth gaped, a little fang showing. “You must be really busy then!” He found it rather impressive that this singular person could do all of that work. Niko remembered having to do chores, sometimes, back home; nothing he had done was remotely as tedious as repairing everything within the bounds of a big city, though. “With all of those weird squares floating around and destroying everything, especially.” He thought back to when he’d been peering down allyways, occasionally catching a glimpse of the destructive mass. Niko never dared to get too close to it. It gave him a bad feeling.. God said that even they didn’t know what it was, and if they didn’t know he wasn’t sure who would. The child closed his eyes and smiled, “That’s really cool! Do you ever get a break?” It came as no suprise to him that the man looked as tired and worn as he did. He doubted that the man ever got much of one. Or, at least, not after the Sun was gone. ‘Maybe, once I return the sun, he’ll have less work to do..’

Absentmindedly swiping at the Sun with his sweater sleeve, Niko looked up and gave a nod to the asker of the question. “My name is Niko! How about you? What’s your name?” To lessen the tension he peered around some more, admiring the gentle glow of magenta that radiated throughout the city. It really was pretty. The imposing size nearly reminded him of home, in the giant wheat field.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

“The squares aren’t the worst thing ever,” The man scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. He didn’t sound too sure of himself… “In fact, most of the time they even leave on their own. And then it’s just a few screws until it’s back in order. Most of the time. Sometimes you gotta get creative or reroute things but it’s just, uh, the small stuff, usually.” The man looked like he had more to say on the subject, but stopped himself. 

His expression deadpanned. “To get like, real level with you, I haven’t slept in four days. But! I’m still going! Somehow.  And, on names? I.. um, don’t. Have. One? Right now? For… Reasons. And purposes.” He turned his gaze to the ground, then back to the child. It seemed he didn’t want the issue to be pressed. “A few people just call me ‘Mr. Lamplighter’ or ‘Plight’ though, which is good enough. Anyways, though, I know you’re headed towards the Tower and all but, if there’s any other place you needed to be in the meantime, I could, like, walk you or something. Show you around a bit. I’d love to hear about outside the city if you have any stories.” 

[cateyedmessiah]

The fact that this stranger didn’t actually have a name blew over the Niko’s head. He didn’t even think of asking about it since Mr. Lamplighter seemed so put off by it- and he didn’t find it odd, considering how many other things were going on in this world. ‘Goodness, four days?’ It was a bit concerning in the eyes of a child who had never experienced the toils of anything beyond the age of 10. ‘And he does all that work, too.. No wonder.’

“Mhm! The big robot when I first got here told me to go to the library to get more information on the Tower.” Niko paused for a moment. He hadn’t really taken the time to explore the city more since God ushered him to quicken his pace once he’d arrived. After some consideration, the messiah nodded with a smile, “But I’d really like to see more of this place!” He knew that God wouldn’t mind either. “..I also don’t know my way around.. At all. Even God gets me lost sometimes,” A giggle escaped him. Memories of the countless hours spent wandering around aimlessly in the Barrens sent more shivers down his spine than the cold. “Yup, I have lots of stories! Especially from the Glen.” Niko liked the Glen a lot. Particularly, he liked the friendly siblings he’d met there.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

“Good to know even God gets lost sometimes,” he laughed awkwardly. “It’s a bit of a maze in the city if you aren’t used to it. In fact, it looks like–Hold on–” 

The lamplighter sifted through his multitude of pockets digging around for something, and after a solid minute of rummaging, he finally found it. He unfurled what looked like a hand-drawn map of Refuge. It was riddled with enough holes, doodles, pencil marks, etc. to prove it was well-loved. He knelt down to Niko’s height and pointed to a spot on it. “The library is here,” he motioned across a canal and to the west a bit. “And we, currently, are here…ish. That’s, um, a ways. But I know a pretty great scenic route, if you’re interested.” He folded the map back up and passed it to the child, standing up. 

He picked up his hook and reached for the hanging phosphor jar before something else struck him. “Gonna. Need a minute, my sponge is still.” He pointed up at the lamp. “Y’know.” There he went, standing on the guardrail, then clambering up the post. At least he got the thoroughly crystallized, gross sponge from the streetlight without falling onto the sidewalk again. 

He muttered something else, and wrote down another thing in a notebook he kept in his chest pocket, but he otherwise looked ready to go somewhere.  

[cateyedmessiah]

Ignorant but receptive eyes scanned the map. He didn’t exactly know how to read maps fully, but he figured that Mr.Lamplighter knew. It was an adult thing, he supposed. ‘Like coffee! I bet he drinks lots of that, too,’ The child accepted the map into a free hand curiously, passing the Sun to his other, “..What exactly does ‘sce’-yeah, that sounds fun!” He wouldn’t pester Mr.Lamplighter anymore than he already had. Niko assumed it was a good thing, based off of the surrounding words. Mama always told him to figure things out that way. A small thumb felt the paper. It was definitely touched up quite a bit, seeing as it was soft and light. Only his head moved as he watched the man return to his full height and make a realization. The amount of work that it took just to get up each lamp post amused Niko to an extent. ‘Good thing he didn’t fall again,’

He curiously watched as Mr.Lamplighter muttered and pulled some sort of book out of yet another coat pocket. Not about to pry, the messiah took a last glance around before shifting nearer to the taller frame of the lamplighter, prepared to closely behind. No way was he getting lost again. In doing so, he also hoped that none of the squares would somehow separate them on the way. He’d seen what they had done to the robots.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

The man tilted his head curiously at the child for a moment before starting on his way. He walked at a calm, leisurely pace, often checking over his shoulder to see that Niko was still in tow. He turned down one street and cut through an alleyway to get to another, until they were out of the labyrinth and walking alongside a glowing red canal.

“The city’s a pretty great place I’d say,” he began, walking as far around a sewer grate as he could without crossing the street. “There isn’t much crime to speak of, politics aren’t a big issue, it’s got some amazing sights. I really don’t think I could be comfortable living anywhere else. Though, that might just be familiarity talking, not reason.” He sighed. “Paying rent sucks, let alone food costs with things only being able to grow in greenhouses now, working hours are god awful, er.” He stopped mid-step, as if waiting for his mind to catch up with his walking pace. “Can I just like, say that in your presence? Is that rude? I mean, I guess if I don’t get smited in the next ten minutes or so it’s not a problem but, uh… Anyway.” He continued forward again. “Right now all the scientists and people vaguely related to the scientists, so, um, me, mostly, are in this weird state where everything’s dying real fast. People, our food sources, water sources, phosphor, the world. Y’know. Kind of everything. So everyone’s all up in a tizzy trying to fix it, but nobody can come up with any workable solutions. But then not only are they trying to save the world, they’re also trying to fix the current, pressing issues like squares, keeping the city lit up, making sure all the bots are in working order, trying to put up better.. Infa.. info.. Hm. Better ways of keeping in communication with people for emergencies. Which means sometimes triple the hours and no days off. The whole system right now is ran by one lady and she’s really cool, yeah, but she’s also terrifying.” 

A few people, bots, others, gathered around a drawbridge that was twisted into an unnatural position, like partly-folded construction paper. A loud buzz could be heard from within the crowd, all too familiar despite being out of sight. 

The lamplighter grabbed Niko’s sleeve and pulled them through another alleyway, headed around the ruckus. “…There’s… another bridge ahead, let’s just not pay attention to that one.” He sighed. 

[cateyedmessiah]

Niko’s little feet and short legs didn’t have to work too hard to keep pace with the lamplighter, which he was pretty greatful for. As he walked, he looked around quite a bit, scanning with pools of yellow. The more he saw of the Refuge, the more he came to like it. Of course, the child always made sure to glance back to make sure he was still following Mr.Lamplighter, too.

The messiah listened closely as the man began speaking. Most of this stuff sounded like things that Mama would talk about reading in the newspaper. Or, otherwise known as ‘adult stuff’ to a young catchild. Problems like those never occurred in his homeland.

“I can’t imagine having to run all of that! That lady must have a lot of work on her hands, huh?” He thought back to everyone he had met so far. The only thing resembling a ‘lady’ he could think of was Silver, but even then.. He wasn’t sure if she could actually be called a lady, being a robot and all? It didn’t really matter since she was still pretty nice anyway. Thinking back, he’d remembered seeing some family artifacts in her lab- maybe the other person he’d seen could be behind it all? There weren’t all that many people in this world after all. However, that didn’t make it any less worth saving in the eyes of the messiah.

A ruckus that the pair had came across suddenly interrupted the peace of the walk. The fear came before Niko actually knew what caused it- but he didn’t have long to figure it out as the lamplighter pulled him away by his sleeve, leading him through a different alley. It confused him thoroughly, “What.. What was that?” Niko’s brows furrowed a bit as he walked, though he didn’t pause his intake of his constantly changing surroundings. Maybe the situation of this world was more dire than he’d previously believed.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

The lamplighter turned away so the messiah couldn’t see his myriad of pained expressions. He felt like he shouldn’t lie to Niko, for obvious reasons, but the whole truth of just how bad things were wouldn’t be good either… He chose his words carefully. 

…If only they could stay careful in the time it took him to say them. Something got mistranslated along the way. “Y’know how those squares, um, do…. things?They mess with the catwalks above us a lot, and sometimes they… also… eat the canal bridges. And robots. But rarely people, at least. That’s, um, nice of them.” His mind retraced his words and he looked like he’d realized he chose the wrong dialogue option in some sort of game and was looking for the back button. 

He realized he’d still been clinging to Niko and let go of his sleeve, seeing as the chaos was far enough behind them. The distant whirring and buzzing of square particles could still be heard above the rest of the noise. “They do clear up on their own at least, though not before taking something with them… So, um, the Glen! What’s it like? With all those, um. Glen… folk.” 

He was trying his best. 

[cateyedmessiah]

The way that Mr.Lamplighter looked away, and the expression he wore when his face could at last be seen almost made the child stop in his tracks. He hadn’t seen the man look so.. Dejected since he’d seen him- which meant quite a lot, considering the way in which the two had first met.

Niko’s little face contorted rather noticably. 'Rarely..?’ He knew it meant that it had to have happened before. He only hoped that nobody had been hurt in that particular incident. What could really be the cause of those things? It was beyond the messiah entirely. The thought scared him. 'What if returning the sun doesn’t help anything?’ He shook the idea from his mind. There was no way that the robot he’d met back in the Barrens, Prophetbot, had lied to him.

His resolve only strengthened.

The messiah was quiet at first before thinking back a bit to his previous location. “The Glen? Well, uhm..” A small pause filled by the buzzing of squares in the distance, “There’s lots of phosphor filled trees and stuff- Oh, and glowy fireflies! There’s also a whole village of people that live there.” His voice softened, “I met a girl named Alula and her big brother Calamus, too. Alula was missing so Calamus had asked me to find her.. They’re both really nice. They gave me a golden feather, kinda like some odd journal I found. Oh, and the black clover pendant Silver gave me.” Digging through a pocket, Niko retrieved the golden feather. It was as bright as the sun in his other hand. “Lots of robots were there doing water tests and stuff like that.. No squares anywhere.”

His gaze mellowed, trained on the glowing feather, “I.. Also met this lady there. She..” He didn’t continue. Guilt rose in his stomach, even though he knew he couldn’t have done anything. “..Sorry. Anyway, it was a lot more peaceful there, haha.” The child’s voice trailed off as he looked to the ground, the sun in one hand and the feather in the other. “Those squares haven’t really been anywhere but here, so far.”

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

The pair crossed a bridge to a side of town much better lit than the last. The haunted atmosphere continued to hang over them, perhaps stronger with the Tower directly over their heads. But, there was still more to see, and the lamplighter paid careful attention to the words Niko spoke. He perked up at a few of the names, trying to remember them. 

He lighted up significantly as he spoke. “A friend of mine has one of those phosphor tree things? Just, like, living in his apartment. He calls it his pet or something, it’s kinda weird. And I remember him saying they’re actually a type of grass which makes it double weird??? What’s up with that?” He paused and looked down at the feather. “Oh, that’s.. bright. And, uh. certainly something. And you said you had more glowing stuff?? That people just... hand to you?” 

They were reaching a much more familiar part of town -- A wide street with shops on either side, a few food carts closed down. Were it a better day, there’d probably be plenty of people here idly shopping or meeting with friends. The mass of catwalk and elevator a few alleyways over proved they were getting much closer to their destination. 

He started to speak again. “Also, y’know, I’m like. ancient. Old as he-. Heck. The pinnacle of youth being wasted, right?” He spoke as if he wasn’t actually twenty-six at oldest. “And despite that, I’ve never actually seen the Glen at all. I’ve never stepped outside the walls of this place. Always wanted to, and just never really got around to it. There’s a lot of cool people in the world and I know like, three of them on a first name basis.” 

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

hm, pancake guy wasn’t around yesterday. i wonder if i’m free of the curse yet

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

Open Starter

The Refuge had an eerie, cold aura around it, like the vague malaise before someone fell ill. The majority of citizens avoided the darkened streets altogether, while those who had to brave the outdoors hurried past with faces buried in their scarves. Even the brightest, most resilient lights began crystallizing too fast in the chill, much to the dismay of the city’s maintenance expert. 

“I was just here, and, this is gonna be my whole day today, huh–” The Lamplighter muttered to himself. The once-lit street he was at only an hour and a half before was already starting to dry up. He looked around. He saw no one through the halflight and, with the help of a guardrail, he climbed the dimmest lamp. Sitting on one of its decorative prongs did not look comfortable by any stretch of the imagination, though he managed. He hung a still-full jar of phosphor on the other prong, and got to scrubbing the inside of the glass with an old sponge. All the dead crystals sure didn’t want to come off…

He hummed a familiar tune as he worked, and despite being in weirder positions before, he prayed he wouldn’t be recognized. 

[cateyedmessiah]

❂// Tired legs trembled a bit as they carried a small body up yet another tiring flight of stairs. The luminous glow of the sun in Niko’s arms seemed to be the only ray of hope within The Refuge. A once beautifully illuminated city seemed to droop sadly- though, Niko had never known it from before the Sun had stopped shining its light onto it. He had no doubt in his mind that it had been a once more densely populated area, the population bringing plenty of light pollution. A huge city with few inhabitants seemed quite melancholic, nonetheless. The savior had grown used to shining like a star in contrast to his surroundings throughout his journey, but The Refuge seemed to be brighter than the others. As Niko took in this vast new location, shimmering yellow eyes wide, he took quick note of the phosphor filled lamps. They filled the streets with an eerie magenta glow. A last glimmer of hope before the phosphor eventually ceased to provide light. A reminder that the child had to fufill his duty as the savior to this world.

Some seemed to be dimmer than the rest. He shook away a yawn as he let his bright gaze linger for a moment more before continuing walking down the barren street. Very few people passed by, rushing to get to their destinations as soon as possible. 'I can see why!’ His tiny footsteps on weary feet scarcely made a sound. Sensitive ears soon caught wind of a scrubbing noise. The prospect of someone with more knowledge than he returned the messiah’s former vigilance. He quickened his pace, making turns in the direction of the noise.

To Niko’s suprise, there seemed to be.. ’Someone on top of a lamp post? ..What.‘ The thought made the child’s brows furrow a bit, though it brought a small smile to his face. The figure looked rather uncomfortable, perched upon the prongs in an awkward position. “Excuse me?” Niko’s voice rang out, soft in comparison to the sharp sounds of scrubbing. He had a good guess of who it could be, but he couldn’t be too sure.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

A lot of things could’ve been going better for Lampy, all things considered. Everything on his to-do list was already set back a few days thanks to the newfound cold, and with more bots finding new and interesting ways to die, it kept growing further. The idea that he needed to be in preparation to meet the Messiah himself, and by loose extension, God was so far out of his mind he just blotted the bright yellow light of the Sun out of his vision when it approached. He was winded just trying to de-crystal one lamp, let alone the hundreds in this sector alone… His humming had turned to grumbling at some point in the process about this or that. 

Something worth noting about the lamplighter is that he only has two things going for him: First, he’s an idiot. Second, he’s determined.

An important thing not included in that list? People skills. Of any sort. 

Upon hearing a tiny voice walking up to him and asking for his attention, he… panicked. Completely froze on the spot. 

And he lost his balance on the lamp prong. He crashed down to the sidewalk below with all the grace of a brick trying to achieve its first flight. He slooooowly stood back up to his full height, adjusted his hat, and gave himself a moment to readjust to the brightness in front of him. “Did you, um, need so-.” He stopped. The realization struck him fast. He coughed and attempted to put on his better, more official voice™, though even that turned to panic fast. “Oh god, I mean, um, goodness? Gracious?? It’s, you. Big fan?? Gonna save us all or something?? Do you need anything? That is the sun, right?” 

He looked much more tired than he had moments before. 

[cateyedmessiah]

A squeak emitted abruptly from Niko’s vocal chords, eyes growing as wide as saucers as they watched the figure crash to the ground below. The child instinctively tightened his grip on the Sun. It was warm and made him feel.. Safer, somehow. It had stuck with him throughout his travels, after all.

He felt a bit bad for calling out so suddenly. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you fall, sir.” Niko grew a bit bashful as he observed the figure drawing himself up rather.. oddly. He wasn’t one to judge though. The man looked more like what God had described as /humans/ than anyone else- other than that nice boy at the diner. Plus, he was a rather tall compared to his own small frame. Oh, but he noted one thing most of all. This person seemed very, veeery tired. Like he hadn’t slept in ages! That train of thought reminded the messiah that he, too, was exhausted. ‘Oh, but there’s no way that I’m as tired as this guy..‘ 

The man looked as if he were growing more anxious by the minute. His panic made Niko’s own stomach fill with butterflies. He smiled reassuringly and bobbed his head. The movement shifted his hat a little so he reached one hand up to adjust it before returning it to the well missed warmth of the Sun. Just a moment away from its exothermic nature was regrettable. “Yep! It’s the sun!” He paused nervously before adding, “I’m gonna try my best to save everyone, yeah..” A weak laugh. “I still gotta get to The Tower, though.. It seems forever away!” Niko grew a bit concerned, averting his gaze before returning it again to take in the man’s features.

He tried to change the subject a bit. The burden of light was growing heavier and heavier as the journey progressed. “Are you the one who fills all of these lamps up? With that phosphor stuff, right? It seems like a lot of work.”

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

Oh no, the kid didn’t look too happy, oh no, oh god, –

Plight stretched upwards as if he were literally pushing his anxious thoughts aside, and the aura of social fear seemed to dissipate from him. All he needed was a moment, it turned out, to pick up the pieces of his professionalism that shattered on the ground where he’d landed. Okay. It was just a kid. He’d talked to one, like, once. He even asked about work. That’s something he could talk about for hours.  He cleared his throat for the second time.  

“It’s, um, not a problem. Being up there wasn’t the most effective anyway,” he began. “Not only am I in charge of every streetlight in the city, I also repair catwalks, roofs, elevators, houses, clean up litter and on…” He stopped dead in his tracks. What day was it again? “…Weekends, I deliver mail for the coolest people in the city. It’s a lot but, someone has to do it. Might as well be me.” Smooth delivery for someone in his predicament.

Okay, so he embellished a lot. The most probable takeaway from it though, with how he stood there, frazzled and slouched over, bruise forming on his cheek, hands covered in healing acid burns and shaking like a water glass in an earthquake, was that he was either full of nonsense or insane, and should lay down sometime. 

He took his gaze away from the bright light of the Sun and back up towards the lamp, half cleaned, and then the rest of the street. Dark. And no longer his problem. He transitioned back to staring at Niko with finger guns. 

“So, uh, you got a name, kid?” 

[cateyedmessiah]

Niko’s mouth gaped, a little fang showing. “You must be really busy then!” He found it rather impressive that this singular person could do all of that work. Niko remembered having to do chores, sometimes, back home; nothing he had done was remotely as tedious as repairing everything within the bounds of a big city, though. “With all of those weird squares floating around and destroying everything, especially.” He thought back to when he’d been peering down allyways, occasionally catching a glimpse of the destructive mass. Niko never dared to get too close to it. It gave him a bad feeling.. God said that even they didn’t know what it was, and if they didn’t know he wasn’t sure who would. The child closed his eyes and smiled, “That’s really cool! Do you ever get a break?” It came as no suprise to him that the man looked as tired and worn as he did. He doubted that the man ever got much of one. Or, at least, not after the Sun was gone. ‘Maybe, once I return the sun, he’ll have less work to do..’

Absentmindedly swiping at the Sun with his sweater sleeve, Niko looked up and gave a nod to the asker of the question. “My name is Niko! How about you? What’s your name?” To lessen the tension he peered around some more, admiring the gentle glow of magenta that radiated throughout the city. It really was pretty. The imposing size nearly reminded him of home, in the giant wheat field.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

“The squares aren’t the worst thing ever,” The man scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. He didn’t sound too sure of himself… “In fact, most of the time they even leave on their own. And then it’s just a few screws until it’s back in order. Most of the time. Sometimes you gotta get creative or reroute things but it’s just, uh, the small stuff, usually.” The man looked like he had more to say on the subject, but stopped himself. 

His expression deadpanned. “To get like, real level with you, I haven’t slept in four days. But! I’m still going! Somehow.  And, on names? I.. um, don’t. Have. One? Right now? For… Reasons. And purposes.” He turned his gaze to the ground, then back to the child. It seemed he didn’t want the issue to be pressed. “A few people just call me ‘Mr. Lamplighter’ or ‘Plight’ though, which is good enough. Anyways, though, I know you’re headed towards the Tower and all but, if there’s any other place you needed to be in the meantime, I could, like, walk you or something. Show you around a bit. I’d love to hear about outside the city if you have any stories.” 

[cateyedmessiah]

The fact that this stranger didn’t actually have a name blew over the Niko’s head. He didn’t even think of asking about it since Mr. Lamplighter seemed so put off by it- and he didn’t find it odd, considering how many other things were going on in this world. ‘Goodness, four days?’ It was a bit concerning in the eyes of a child who had never experienced the toils of anything beyond the age of 10. ‘And he does all that work, too.. No wonder.’

“Mhm! The big robot when I first got here told me to go to the library to get more information on the Tower.” Niko paused for a moment. He hadn’t really taken the time to explore the city more since God ushered him to quicken his pace once he’d arrived. After some consideration, the messiah nodded with a smile, “But I’d really like to see more of this place!” He knew that God wouldn’t mind either. “..I also don’t know my way around.. At all. Even God gets me lost sometimes,” A giggle escaped him. Memories of the countless hours spent wandering around aimlessly in the Barrens sent more shivers down his spine than the cold. “Yup, I have lots of stories! Especially from the Glen.” Niko liked the Glen a lot. Particularly, he liked the friendly siblings he’d met there.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

“Good to know even God gets lost sometimes,” he laughed awkwardly. “It’s a bit of a maze in the city if you aren’t used to it. In fact, it looks like–Hold on–” 

The lamplighter sifted through his multitude of pockets digging around for something, and after a solid minute of rummaging, he finally found it. He unfurled what looked like a hand-drawn map of Refuge. It was riddled with enough holes, doodles, pencil marks, etc. to prove it was well-loved. He knelt down to Niko’s height and pointed to a spot on it. “The library is here,” he motioned across a canal and to the west a bit. “And we, currently, are here…ish. That’s, um, a ways. But I know a pretty great scenic route, if you’re interested.” He folded the map back up and passed it to the child, standing up. 

He picked up his hook and reached for the hanging phosphor jar before something else struck him. “Gonna. Need a minute, my sponge is still.” He pointed up at the lamp. “Y’know.” There he went, standing on the guardrail, then clambering up the post. At least he got the thoroughly crystallized, gross sponge from the streetlight without falling onto the sidewalk again. 

He muttered something else, and wrote down another thing in a notebook he kept in his chest pocket, but he otherwise looked ready to go somewhere.  

[cateyedmessiah]

Ignorant but receptive eyes scanned the map. He didn’t exactly know how to read maps fully, but he figured that Mr.Lamplighter knew. It was an adult thing, he supposed. ‘Like coffee! I bet he drinks lots of that, too,’ The child accepted the map into a free hand curiously, passing the Sun to his other, “..What exactly does ‘sce’-yeah, that sounds fun!” He wouldn’t pester Mr.Lamplighter anymore than he already had. Niko assumed it was a good thing, based off of the surrounding words. Mama always told him to figure things out that way. A small thumb felt the paper. It was definitely touched up quite a bit, seeing as it was soft and light. Only his head moved as he watched the man return to his full height and make a realization. The amount of work that it took just to get up each lamp post amused Niko to an extent. ‘Good thing he didn’t fall again,’

He curiously watched as Mr.Lamplighter muttered and pulled some sort of book out of yet another coat pocket. Not about to pry, the messiah took a last glance around before shifting nearer to the taller frame of the lamplighter, prepared to closely behind. No way was he getting lost again. In doing so, he also hoped that none of the squares would somehow separate them on the way. He’d seen what they had done to the robots.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

The man tilted his head curiously at the child for a moment before starting on his way. He walked at a calm, leisurely pace, often checking over his shoulder to see that Niko was still in tow. He turned down one street and cut through an alleyway to get to another, until they were out of the labyrinth and walking alongside a glowing red canal.

“The city’s a pretty great place I’d say,” he began, walking as far around a sewer grate as he could without crossing the street. “There isn’t much crime to speak of, politics aren’t a big issue, it’s got some amazing sights. I really don’t think I could be comfortable living anywhere else. Though, that might just be familiarity talking, not reason.” He sighed. “Paying rent sucks, let alone food costs with things only being able to grow in greenhouses now, working hours are god awful, er.” He stopped mid-step, as if waiting for his mind to catch up with his walking pace. “Can I just like, say that in your presence? Is that rude? I mean, I guess if I don’t get smited in the next ten minutes or so it’s not a problem but, uh… Anyway.” He continued forward again. “Right now all the scientists and people vaguely related to the scientists, so, um, me, mostly, are in this weird state where everything’s dying real fast. People, our food sources, water sources, phosphor, the world. Y’know. Kind of everything. So everyone’s all up in a tizzy trying to fix it, but nobody can come up with any workable solutions. But then not only are they trying to save the world, they’re also trying to fix the current, pressing issues like squares, keeping the city lit up, making sure all the bots are in working order, trying to put up better.. Infa.. info.. Hm. Better ways of keeping in communication with people for emergencies. Which means sometimes triple the hours and no days off. The whole system right now is ran by one lady and she’s really cool, yeah, but she’s also terrifying.” 

A few people, bots, others, gathered around a drawbridge that was twisted into an unnatural position, like partly-folded construction paper. A loud buzz could be heard from within the crowd, all too familiar despite being out of sight. 

The lamplighter grabbed Niko’s sleeve and pulled them through another alleyway, headed around the ruckus. “…There’s… another bridge ahead, let’s just not pay attention to that one.” He sighed. 

[cateyedmessiah]

Niko’s little feet and short legs didn’t have to work too hard to keep pace with the lamplighter, which he was pretty greatful for. As he walked, he looked around quite a bit, scanning with pools of yellow. The more he saw of the Refuge, the more he came to like it. Of course, the child always made sure to glance back to make sure he was still following Mr.Lamplighter, too.

The messiah listened closely as the man began speaking. Most of this stuff sounded like things that Mama would talk about reading in the newspaper. Or, otherwise known as 'adult stuff’ to a young catchild. Problems like those never occurred in his homeland.

“I can’t imagine having to run all of that! That lady must have a lot of work on her hands, huh?” He thought back to everyone he had met so far. The only thing resembling a 'lady’ he could think of was Silver, but even then.. He wasn’t sure if she could actually be called a lady, being a robot and all? It didn’t really matter since she was still pretty nice anyway. Thinking back, he’d remembered seeing some family artifacts in her lab- maybe the other person he’d seen could be behind it all? There weren’t all that many people in this world after all. However, that didn’t make it any less worth saving in the eyes of the messiah.

A ruckus that the pair had came across suddenly interrupted the peace of the walk. The fear came before Niko actually knew what caused it- but he didn’t have long to figure it out as the lamplighter pulled him away by his sleeve, leading him through a different alley. It confused him thoroughly, “What.. What was that?” Niko’s brows furrowed a bit as he walked, though he didn’t pause his intake of his constantly changing surroundings. Maybe the situation of this world was more dire than he’d previously believed.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

The lamplighter turned away so the messiah couldn’t see his myriad of pained expressions. He felt like he shouldn’t lie to Niko, for obvious reasons, but the whole truth of just how bad things were wouldn’t be good either... He chose his words carefully. 

...If only they could stay careful in the time it took him to say them. Something got mistranslated along the way. “Y’know how those squares, um, do.... things?They mess with the catwalks above us a lot, and sometimes they... also... eat the canal bridges. And robots. But rarely people, at least. That’s, um, nice of them.” His mind retraced his words and he looked like he’d realized he chose the wrong dialogue option in some sort of game and was looking for the back button. 

He realized he’d still been clinging to Niko and let go of his sleeve, seeing as the chaos was far enough behind them. The distant whirring and buzzing of square particles could still be heard above the rest of the noise. “They do clear up on their own at least, though not before taking something with them... So, um, the Glen! What’s it like? With all those, um. Glen... folk.” 

He was trying his best. 

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

When's your birthday? Just asking, no pancake related reason or anything. - Defiantly Not the Legendary Pancake Anon

uhhhh 1-19, i’m a capricorn or something

if it rolls around to my birthday and my apartment is covered in pancakes i’m calling the police

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

I subscribed to pancake weekly for you. You should be getting the issue this coming friday! -Legendary Pancake Anon

you can’t see it for obvious reasons but please imagine me but like staring into a camera like i’m on a low budget tv show

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

Open Starter

The Refuge had an eerie, cold aura around it, like the vague malaise before someone fell ill. The majority of citizens avoided the darkened streets altogether, while those who had to brave the outdoors hurried past with faces buried in their scarves. Even the brightest, most resilient lights began crystallizing too fast in the chill, much to the dismay of the city’s maintenance expert. 

“I was just here, and, this is gonna be my whole day today, huh–” The Lamplighter muttered to himself. The once-lit street he was at only an hour and a half before was already starting to dry up. He looked around. He saw no one through the halflight and, with the help of a guardrail, he climbed the dimmest lamp. Sitting on one of its decorative prongs did not look comfortable by any stretch of the imagination, though he managed. He hung a still-full jar of phosphor on the other prong, and got to scrubbing the inside of the glass with an old sponge. All the dead crystals sure didn’t want to come off…

He hummed a familiar tune as he worked, and despite being in weirder positions before, he prayed he wouldn’t be recognized. 

[cateyedmessiah]

❂// Tired legs trembled a bit as they carried a small body up yet another tiring flight of stairs. The luminous glow of the sun in Niko’s arms seemed to be the only ray of hope within The Refuge. A once beautifully illuminated city seemed to droop sadly- though, Niko had never known it from before the Sun had stopped shining its light onto it. He had no doubt in his mind that it had been a once more densely populated area, the population bringing plenty of light pollution. A huge city with few inhabitants seemed quite melancholic, nonetheless. The savior had grown used to shining like a star in contrast to his surroundings throughout his journey, but The Refuge seemed to be brighter than the others. As Niko took in this vast new location, shimmering yellow eyes wide, he took quick note of the phosphor filled lamps. They filled the streets with an eerie magenta glow. A last glimmer of hope before the phosphor eventually ceased to provide light. A reminder that the child had to fufill his duty as the savior to this world.

Some seemed to be dimmer than the rest. He shook away a yawn as he let his bright gaze linger for a moment more before continuing walking down the barren street. Very few people passed by, rushing to get to their destinations as soon as possible. 'I can see why!’ His tiny footsteps on weary feet scarcely made a sound. Sensitive ears soon caught wind of a scrubbing noise. The prospect of someone with more knowledge than he returned the messiah’s former vigilance. He quickened his pace, making turns in the direction of the noise.

To Niko’s suprise, there seemed to be.. ’Someone on top of a lamp post? ..What.‘ The thought made the child’s brows furrow a bit, though it brought a small smile to his face. The figure looked rather uncomfortable, perched upon the prongs in an awkward position. “Excuse me?” Niko’s voice rang out, soft in comparison to the sharp sounds of scrubbing. He had a good guess of who it could be, but he couldn’t be too sure.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

A lot of things could’ve been going better for Lampy, all things considered. Everything on his to-do list was already set back a few days thanks to the newfound cold, and with more bots finding new and interesting ways to die, it kept growing further. The idea that he needed to be in preparation to meet the Messiah himself, and by loose extension, God was so far out of his mind he just blotted the bright yellow light of the Sun out of his vision when it approached. He was winded just trying to de-crystal one lamp, let alone the hundreds in this sector alone… His humming had turned to grumbling at some point in the process about this or that. 

Something worth noting about the lamplighter is that he only has two things going for him: First, he’s an idiot. Second, he’s determined.

An important thing not included in that list? People skills. Of any sort. 

Upon hearing a tiny voice walking up to him and asking for his attention, he… panicked. Completely froze on the spot. 

And he lost his balance on the lamp prong. He crashed down to the sidewalk below with all the grace of a brick trying to achieve its first flight. He slooooowly stood back up to his full height, adjusted his hat, and gave himself a moment to readjust to the brightness in front of him. “Did you, um, need so-.” He stopped. The realization struck him fast. He coughed and attempted to put on his better, more official voice™, though even that turned to panic fast. “Oh god, I mean, um, goodness? Gracious?? It’s, you. Big fan?? Gonna save us all or something?? Do you need anything? That is the sun, right?” 

He looked much more tired than he had moments before. 

[cateyedmessiah]

A squeak emitted abruptly from Niko’s vocal chords, eyes growing as wide as saucers as they watched the figure crash to the ground below. The child instinctively tightened his grip on the Sun. It was warm and made him feel.. Safer, somehow. It had stuck with him throughout his travels, after all.

He felt a bit bad for calling out so suddenly. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you fall, sir.” Niko grew a bit bashful as he observed the figure drawing himself up rather.. oddly. He wasn’t one to judge though. The man looked more like what God had described as /humans/ than anyone else- other than that nice boy at the diner. Plus, he was a rather tall compared to his own small frame. Oh, but he noted one thing most of all. This person seemed very, veeery tired. Like he hadn’t slept in ages! That train of thought reminded the messiah that he, too, was exhausted. ‘Oh, but there’s no way that I’m as tired as this guy..‘ 

The man looked as if he were growing more anxious by the minute. His panic made Niko’s own stomach fill with butterflies. He smiled reassuringly and bobbed his head. The movement shifted his hat a little so he reached one hand up to adjust it before returning it to the well missed warmth of the Sun. Just a moment away from its exothermic nature was regrettable. “Yep! It’s the sun!” He paused nervously before adding, “I’m gonna try my best to save everyone, yeah..” A weak laugh. “I still gotta get to The Tower, though.. It seems forever away!” Niko grew a bit concerned, averting his gaze before returning it again to take in the man’s features.

He tried to change the subject a bit. The burden of light was growing heavier and heavier as the journey progressed. “Are you the one who fills all of these lamps up? With that phosphor stuff, right? It seems like a lot of work.”

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

Oh no, the kid didn’t look too happy, oh no, oh god, –

Plight stretched upwards as if he were literally pushing his anxious thoughts aside, and the aura of social fear seemed to dissipate from him. All he needed was a moment, it turned out, to pick up the pieces of his professionalism that shattered on the ground where he’d landed. Okay. It was just a kid. He’d talked to one, like, once. He even asked about work. That’s something he could talk about for hours.  He cleared his throat for the second time.  

“It’s, um, not a problem. Being up there wasn’t the most effective anyway,” he began. “Not only am I in charge of every streetlight in the city, I also repair catwalks, roofs, elevators, houses, clean up litter and on…” He stopped dead in his tracks. What day was it again? “…Weekends, I deliver mail for the coolest people in the city. It’s a lot but, someone has to do it. Might as well be me.” Smooth delivery for someone in his predicament.

Okay, so he embellished a lot. The most probable takeaway from it though, with how he stood there, frazzled and slouched over, bruise forming on his cheek, hands covered in healing acid burns and shaking like a water glass in an earthquake, was that he was either full of nonsense or insane, and should lay down sometime. 

He took his gaze away from the bright light of the Sun and back up towards the lamp, half cleaned, and then the rest of the street. Dark. And no longer his problem. He transitioned back to staring at Niko with finger guns. 

“So, uh, you got a name, kid?” 

[cateyedmessiah]

Niko’s mouth gaped, a little fang showing. “You must be really busy then!” He found it rather impressive that this singular person could do all of that work. Niko remembered having to do chores, sometimes, back home; nothing he had done was remotely as tedious as repairing everything within the bounds of a big city, though. “With all of those weird squares floating around and destroying everything, especially.” He thought back to when he’d been peering down allyways, occasionally catching a glimpse of the destructive mass. Niko never dared to get too close to it. It gave him a bad feeling.. God said that even they didn’t know what it was, and if they didn’t know he wasn’t sure who would. The child closed his eyes and smiled, “That’s really cool! Do you ever get a break?” It came as no suprise to him that the man looked as tired and worn as he did. He doubted that the man ever got much of one. Or, at least, not after the Sun was gone. ‘Maybe, once I return the sun, he’ll have less work to do..’

Absentmindedly swiping at the Sun with his sweater sleeve, Niko looked up and gave a nod to the asker of the question. “My name is Niko! How about you? What’s your name?” To lessen the tension he peered around some more, admiring the gentle glow of magenta that radiated throughout the city. It really was pretty. The imposing size nearly reminded him of home, in the giant wheat field.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

“The squares aren’t the worst thing ever,” The man scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. He didn’t sound too sure of himself… “In fact, most of the time they even leave on their own. And then it’s just a few screws until it’s back in order. Most of the time. Sometimes you gotta get creative or reroute things but it’s just, uh, the small stuff, usually.” The man looked like he had more to say on the subject, but stopped himself. 

His expression deadpanned. “To get like, real level with you, I haven’t slept in four days. But! I’m still going! Somehow.  And, on names? I.. um, don’t. Have. One? Right now? For… Reasons. And purposes.” He turned his gaze to the ground, then back to the child. It seemed he didn’t want the issue to be pressed. “A few people just call me ‘Mr. Lamplighter’ or ‘Plight’ though, which is good enough. Anyways, though, I know you’re headed towards the Tower and all but, if there’s any other place you needed to be in the meantime, I could, like, walk you or something. Show you around a bit. I’d love to hear about outside the city if you have any stories.” 

[cateyedmessiah]

The fact that this stranger didn’t actually have a name blew over the Niko’s head. He didn’t even think of asking about it since Mr. Lamplighter seemed so put off by it- and he didn’t find it odd, considering how many other things were going on in this world. ‘Goodness, four days?’ It was a bit concerning in the eyes of a child who had never experienced the toils of anything beyond the age of 10. ‘And he does all that work, too.. No wonder.’

“Mhm! The big robot when I first got here told me to go to the library to get more information on the Tower.” Niko paused for a moment. He hadn’t really taken the time to explore the city more since God ushered him to quicken his pace once he’d arrived. After some consideration, the messiah nodded with a smile, “But I’d really like to see more of this place!” He knew that God wouldn’t mind either. “..I also don’t know my way around.. At all. Even God gets me lost sometimes,” A giggle escaped him. Memories of the countless hours spent wandering around aimlessly in the Barrens sent more shivers down his spine than the cold. “Yup, I have lots of stories! Especially from the Glen.” Niko liked the Glen a lot. Particularly, he liked the friendly siblings he’d met there.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

“Good to know even God gets lost sometimes,” he laughed awkwardly. “It’s a bit of a maze in the city if you aren’t used to it. In fact, it looks like–Hold on–” 

The lamplighter sifted through his multitude of pockets digging around for something, and after a solid minute of rummaging, he finally found it. He unfurled what looked like a hand-drawn map of Refuge. It was riddled with enough holes, doodles, pencil marks, etc. to prove it was well-loved. He knelt down to Niko’s height and pointed to a spot on it. “The library is here,” he motioned across a canal and to the west a bit. “And we, currently, are here…ish. That’s, um, a ways. But I know a pretty great scenic route, if you’re interested.” He folded the map back up and passed it to the child, standing up. 

He picked up his hook and reached for the hanging phosphor jar before something else struck him. “Gonna. Need a minute, my sponge is still.” He pointed up at the lamp. “Y’know.” There he went, standing on the guardrail, then clambering up the post. At least he got the thoroughly crystallized, gross sponge from the streetlight without falling onto the sidewalk again. 

He muttered something else, and wrote down another thing in a notebook he kept in his chest pocket, but he otherwise looked ready to go somewhere.  

[cateyedmessiah]

Ignorant but receptive eyes scanned the map. He didn’t exactly know how to read maps fully, but he figured that Mr.Lamplighter knew. It was an adult thing, he supposed. ‘Like coffee! I bet he drinks lots of that, too,’ The child accepted the map into a free hand curiously, passing the Sun to his other, “..What exactly does 'sce’-yeah, that sounds fun!” He wouldn’t pester Mr.Lamplighter anymore than he already had. Niko assumed it was a good thing, based off of the surrounding words. Mama always told him to figure things out that way. A small thumb felt the paper. It was definitely touched up quite a bit, seeing as it was soft and light. Only his head moved as he watched the man return to his full height and make a realization. The amount of work that it took just to get up each lamp post amused Niko to an extent. 'Good thing he didn’t fall again,’

He curiously watched as Mr.Lamplighter muttered and pulled some sort of book out of yet another coat pocket. Not about to pry, the messiah took a last glance around before shifting nearer to the taller frame of the lamplighter, prepared to closely behind. No way was he getting lost again. In doing so, he also hoped that none of the squares would somehow separate them on the way. He’d seen what they had done to the robots.

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

The man tilted his head curiously at the child for a moment before starting on his way. He walked at a calm, leisurely pace, often checking over his shoulder to see that Niko was still in tow. He turned down one street and cut through an alleyway to get to another, until they were out of the labyrinth and walking alongside a glowing red canal.

“The city’s a pretty great place I’d say,” he began, walking as far around a sewer grate as he could without crossing the street. “There isn’t much crime to speak of, politics aren’t a big issue, it’s got some amazing sights. I really don’t think I could be comfortable living anywhere else. Though, that might just be familiarity talking, not reason.” He sighed. “Paying rent sucks, let alone food costs with things only being able to grow in greenhouses now, working hours are god awful, er.” He stopped mid-step, as if waiting for his mind to catch up with his walking pace. “Can I just like, say that in your presence? Is that rude? I mean, I guess if I don’t get smited in the next ten minutes or so it’s not a problem but, uh... Anyway.” He continued forward again. “Right now all the scientists and people vaguely related to the scientists, so, um, me, mostly, are in this weird state where everything’s dying real fast. People, our food sources, water sources, phosphor, the world. Y’know. Kind of everything. So everyone’s all up in a tizzy trying to fix it, but nobody can come up with any workable solutions. But then not only are they trying to save the world, they’re also trying to fix the current, pressing issues like squares, keeping the city lit up, making sure all the bots are in working order, trying to put up better.. Infa.. info.. Hm. Better ways of keeping in communication with people for emergencies. Which means sometimes triple the hours and no days off. The whole system right now is ran by one lady and she’s really cool, yeah, but she’s also terrifying.” 

A few people, bots, others, gathered around a drawbridge that was twisted into an unnatural position, like partly-folded construction paper. A loud buzz could be heard from within the crowd, all too familiar despite being out of sight. 

The lamplighter grabbed Niko’s sleeve and pulled them through another alleyway, headed around the ruckus. “...There’s... another bridge ahead, let’s just not pay attention to that one.” He sighed. 

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

Where's your most favorite place in the Refuge?

there’s this old billboard that got hung up on top of the towers (the apartments/offices not That Tower. god, we need a better name for them) and it’s the tallest point in the city. the billboard got taken down a long time ago but the framework for a new one is still there and, it’s a great place to sit and think about stuff where nobody can bother me. 

i’m pretty sure it’s like. kind of illegal to be up there? but nobody’s stopped me yet so  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

what's your favorite video game?

gonna level with you real quick here anon, i am, unconditionally, awful at video games. if you pass me a controller and i need to press more buttons than directional keys and interact at any point in the game, i will find a way to screw it up. a little bit because i don’t have time for playing anything, let alone enough to get skilled at it, but also it’s just. new tech. and technology is not my friend. 

however i like watching my friends play games a lot since they’re actually, like, good, and i’m a big fan of the Fetch Quest Simulator series. the 2nd one was the best and the pre sequel was okayish?? i’d love to try them out sometime but i. can’t aim. at all. i’m glad people decided friendly fire was a bad thing and. don’t. add it into things anymore. 

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

same hat!

same hat!! ?? 

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

You have a pancake related surprise waiting for you back at home. -Legendary Pancake Anon

one fear

[caffeinatedphosphor-blog]

I always hated it when doctors ask "what's this like compared to the worst pain you can imagine," because the worst pain I can imagine is pretty damn painful. So what's the worst pain you can imagine?

the idea of falling (or being catapulted?) off the top of a skyscraper and somehow living haunts me a lot, especially working on catwalks and stuff. it’s. good motivation to pay attention to what i’m doing up there. 

i mean realistically i’d be unconscious before i hit the ground but. still, bro. what if i wasn’t. that’s like. a lot of bones that would be outside of me where they. shouldn’t be.