FC: Erin Kellyman, Crystal Clarke, Madison Bailey
(please note this character must be portrayed by black fc or biracial fc of black descent)
She’s always had a good heart. It is usually the first thing people notice about her - her compassion and her kindness shining out of her, bathing everyone in her warmth. It’s a cold, harsh world, but looking at her, you’d almost forget that. Her childhood wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t unremarkable. Her mother died when she was a child, leaving a gaggle of younger siblings to take care of. Her father was one of the city’s lamplighters, out all night and asleep all day, leaving little time for bringing up children, and so it fell on her, as the eldest of the brood, to pull her weight and keep the family united. For most little girls, it would have been a daunting task, but she was always the responsible type, only too happy to help with anything asked of her with a smile upon her face.
When her father was injured in an accident, no longer able to traverse the streets and carry out the job he had done for all of his life, she didn’t bat an eye before picking up his lamplighter stick, taking to the pavement herself and becoming the main breadwinner of the family. Until he was better, she would do the job for him. It was only supposed to be a temporary solution, but weeks turned into months, months into years, and it became clear her father would never be the same again. Still, her spirits remained undampened - on the outside, at least. It may not have been the life she dreamed of for herself, but she knows she’s luckier than most to have work at all. She’s found she doesn’t mind the city at night. When the streets are empty, it feels like hers, like she is queen of her own realm, and who could ever ask for more than that?
She’s never felt unsafe in London, not even in the East End. As kind as she is, she’s certainly not soft. She’d be lying if she said that the recent murders hadn’t chilled her to the bone, though. It’s all too close to home, and she cannot help but worry for those she knows. On her rounds, she studies every face she comes across, worry clutching her heart that the next she hears of them, they’ll be the latest victim of another shocking crime. She’s been working longer and harder over the last few months, doing all she can to keep the streetlamps alight. The fewer shadows there are for evil to lurk in, the less chance there will be of another name becoming a headline.
She brings light to the city, but they want to see it plunged into darkness. For that, they hate her, fixating on her as though her enemy. They know she feels their presence. Their eyes gleam yellow in the dark, hidden behind the fog created by her wretched gas lamps, and they sneer as she climbs her ladder to illuminate the streets that were once theirs to roam as they pleased. They take great pleasure in snuffing out the light, waiting until she is back on cobbled streets before doing so and suppressing a laugh as she glances up in alarm. They desire nothing more than to be rid of her, and as they bide their time, gathering enough strength to finally put The Lamplighter out of commission for good, they plot ever more creative ways of ridding themselves of her.
THE GRAVE DIGGER: Like her, he’s one of the city’s ghosts, coming out when the sky grows dark. She’s far too used to her own company, and it makes a nice change to bump into somebody new. Over time, they’ve built a sort of friendship, despite making an unlikely pair. She knows he worries for her, despite her cheerful assurances that she can take care of herself. If she thought a little harder, she might wonder why there is always fresh dirt under his fingernails, or where his new-found wealth came from, but she’s always been loyal to those she considers a friend. For now, she is blinded by her liking for him, and eager to get to know him better.
THE JOURNALIST: Since the rash of murders that have taken place in Whitechapel, the journalist has been popping up all over the place. She admires their determination in cracking the case, but The Lamplighter can’t help but feel like they’re looking in the wrong places. The Journalist has been asking her a lot of questions about what she may have seen during her shifts, but so far, The Lamplighter has had little to report. She’s never quite met anybody like her before, and that intrigues them. Now, when she’s working, she keeps her eyes peeled for any sort of clue, hoping to be able to give the other woman something she can use, and perhaps make her into a friend.
THE UNDERTAKER: She knows most see them as a macabre, and certainly, they would have to be to willingly spend so much time on the business of death. The very thought of it sends a shiver down her spine, however, her experiences of them have been nothing but positive. They may be a little on the odd side, but whenever she walks past their establishment, on the many nights they’re still awake late into the night, they always come out to share words of greeting, even offering her food and drink on occasion. It’s more than most do, and she can’t help but wonder if perhaps they are lonelier than they let on.
THE PHOTOGRAPHER: Despite her willingness to see the good in everyone she meets, she isn’t blind to the fact that most people are forced to look out for themselves. In her own life, it made her tough, but not unkind. Unlike her, it seems he has not yet learned that lesson. He’s a little too trusting, too open, and she’s seen him being taken advantage of at the market one too many times. She’s taken him under her wing, trying to teach him about the people he is so desperately trying to document, but it seems like his own upbringing is too far removed for him to truly get it. Still, she finds him funny, and his work is utterly fascinating, so as long as he’s hanging around, he’s got an ally in her.
THE LAMPLIGHTER IS OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS
