Who are The Gatekeepers?

## Gatekeeper 5

Our first exposure to Gatekeepers in Tension was Gatekeeper 5.  Gatekeeper 5 put together newsletters and letters on social media, made announcements, and was generally there to steer and guide us.  His tone was occasionally stern/menacing, but for the most part he was professionally ominous.

He signed all his newsletters.

Gatekeeper 5 urged us to spread the word of the OOA.

Eventually, in April 2016, Gatekeeper 5 announced that he was going to be moving on, and that Gatekeeper Four would be replacing him.  Here’s how he described it:

“I can take you no further so I now must receive my ultimate Reward. The ending of my Journey is merely another stepping stone upon y3ours. She shall guide you now for Gatekeeper 4 has awoken, freshly renewed from the beating of your raw and curious hearts.  Glory Be.”

(The full resignation post can be found here:  http://thetensionexperience.com/forums/topic/elevation/)

There was much curiosity as to whether “awaking” was a metaphor or a reality…if GK4 had literally awoken from a long slumber, etc.

I believe that it was shortly after this that Overseer’s profile picture changed to a 5.  It was never explicitly stated, but many understood this to mean that Gatekeeper 5 was now the Overseer.

## Gatekeeper Four

Gatekeeper Four arrived with a bang.  She had a love of capital letters and exclamation points, and she frequently yelled at us.  She was…volatile.

Under her reign, newsletters looked a bit different:

Overseer was active at the same time as Gatekeeper Four.  During this time, someone asked Overseer what his function was; he replied, “I am here to make sure She doesn’t burn down the house.”  Sometimes, when GK4 would seem to go off the rails, Overseer would be the calm one.

At one point, Four posed as MrOhio/Tom Donavan, a folksy Southern man who seemed frequently bewildered, and used that to infiltrate private chats.  When her ruse was revealed, many loved her all the more for fooling us so well.

While Four was something of a nut, she became a fan favorite because she supported the community, urging us to stick together.

Nevertheless, plenty of people didn’t like what Four was putting Addison through.  Addison was getting headaches from being “helmeted,” presumably under Four’s orders.  She seemed to be coming apart at the seams. It was during this time that Benny/Mark, Addison’s ex, showed up on the forums freaking out and asking for help in rescuing her.  Four shot back, “SHE IS CHOSEN and she is TRUE.” For those of us who wanted to help Addison escape, Four’s intense belief in Addison’s OOA role was a red flag.

One day, Four Periscoped a dead drop of her final newsletter, which also served as her resignation letter of sorts.

“I am done… but, I am not complete… We will meet again.

III now enters the stage… watch this one – even I think he is strange.

I take my bow for now…”

And with that, Gatekeeper 4 and Addison went on the run.

(Note: In retrospect it’s fascinating reading the full newsletter, which seems to include OSDM annotations.  Such as, “…there is no room at the table for those who cannot close.”)

## Gatekeeper III

Gatekeeper III at first appeared to be a genial, gentle baby.  He spoke in short sentences.

“thank you”

“you guys seem nice”

We were all pretty welcoming.

And, completely blase, announced he needed a nap with the words “tired now goodnight”.

(The thread can be found here and is worth a read: http://www.thetensionexperience.com/forums/topic/iii/)

It soon became clear that III took human life very, very lightly.  He killed several more characters, such as Sam Bickerson and Aleister Gordon, all while slowly developing a bit more, speaking in longer sentences, almost evolving.

Meanwhile it was apparent that Four and Addison were getting ready to stage a coup.  For one thing, Four left a dead drop letter for III announcing her intention to end him and his fuckups.

They also left a dead drop in Sacramento for Morgan, with the hidden message “4-3=2”.  And we saw a Periscope of Four and Addison preparing a special poison pill.

We took that to mean that Four was going to assassinate III to make way for Addison to become Gatekeeper 2.  Some of us were down with that.  Some of us were not.  The forums were divided.

There was also concern that Four was mistreating Addison.  Four snapped and spoke sharply to her in Periscopes, while she cringed.  Russell and Morgan were getting anguished phone calls from Addison, suggesting that she felt utterly tortured.  III and Four were, in short, both villains.

Eventually, Gatekeeper III arranged a meeting with Kim, a member of the Brotherhood of Seraph, who wanted to take down the OOA.  Many hoped she would use this meeting to assassinate III, allowing GK4 and GK2 to take over.

Kim instead left the pill unused, and chose to form an alliance with III to take the OOA down from the inside.

Frustrated, Four and Addison arranged a meeting with Kim and III.  It was supposed to be a meeting to discuss a compromise, I believe.  But III never showed.  And Addison, who seemed small, shrinking, cringing in front of Four…finally snapped.  She slit Four’s throat, shouting, “I AM IN CONTROL!”

Over a month later, Buz got a chance to meet III.  In that now-infamous meeting, Buz strangled III to death.

## Gatekeeper 2

Addison/Gatekeeper 2 was a controversial leader.  Some – especially Four-adherents – considered her to be a murderer.  Some wanted to rescue her, believing she was brainwashed.  Some thought she was empowered by killing Four and embraced her leadership.

The release of her diary only deepened the divide.

(Interestingly, Buz posted a rather haunting post about being freaked out and frightened after the killing of III, feeling that there was blood on his hands.  This was the only post Gatekeeper 2 favorited.)

## Gatekeeper One and beyond

At the event now referred to as “The One Event,” Gatekeeper 2 gathered us together and announced the arrival of Gatekeeper One.  We, the community, were One.

She seemed strong and sure of herself at that event, until Russell showed her a childhood toy that he believed would break the brainwashing and remind her who she was.  Instead, she seemed to freak out and collapse, and men in suits eagerly pounced and rushed her away.  A few days later, a dead drop photograph tauntingly thanked us for returning her to the OSDM.

A subsequent Periscope (shortly before Ascension opened) showed Addison being carried into another room, a bloody handprint on her dress.  She did NOT appear to be in control.

For the rest of the run of Ascension, people tried various trigger words and efforts to break the brainwashing Addison seemed to be under, to various effects.  But nothing seemed to stick until Michelle officially released her at THE END, allowing her to remember her TRUE self…Sabrina.

(Note: After her role as Overseer was established in Ascension, the Overseer/masterlock account on the Tension forums changed from the “5” icon to an icon indicating Addison/Sabrina.)

- From @daela