Players

"You know, I never tell any subjects this because they always refuse to believe they have anything less than free will, and yadda yadda yadda, but your case is a little bit of a special one. Your consciousness, believe it or not, is comprised of several hundred of those that participated in the original St. Louis incident. And I— that is, it— it's crazy. But, also no offense, we do have a bit of a death pool going on how quickly you'll try to leave the room and die. Past history has shown they don't really like doing what they're told, and it's like they don't really value human life, they just like to keep pushing, and pushing, and pushing. So, uhh, sorry to you, and uhh, but you know, if I were you, I would just stay and relax here."

—Abel, Methods of Revolution [Day 1]

Players are the driving force behind the events of the Ben Drowned ARG. At the game's height, the amount of players was indeterminable. On February 27, 2011, the first Within Hubris reached a total of 830 users online, and by the time it was taken down, it had over 3,500 members.

The players whose actions had impacts on the story, were mentioned by characters, or were exceptionally prominent in the community are listed. Ryukaki has been omitted, as he became a character shortly afterward.

Players tied to ARG events

Contact with Jadusable

• Inunah asked Jadusable a question soon after he posted the summary for day four.wmv. She remains the only known reader to have been directly responded to by Jadusable.

Video responders

• Freyadutenebres submitted the Inverted Song of Time on September 19, 2010. Her submission prompted a response from BEN, confirming that the players had the ability to submit songs in order to influence the story.
  • Another player, KittyKat2892, is credited in the description of Freya's video.

• MFGreth submitted the New Wave Bossa Nova on September 19, 2010. It was uploaded before the Inverted Song of Time, but accepted afterward. The next day, he submitted SAVING ALEX.MP4, in which a fairy is released in order to revive Alex. He is the only player to have multiple responses accepted.

• HigurashiMGOST played the Song of Healing on September 19, 2010, which was responsible for causing Rosa's disappearance. Their name may have been different at the time of their submission.

• moonman2522 submitted the Oath to Order on September 19, 2010, which caused an unknown entity to kill Alex, as shown in ....

• Miya submitted the second Song of Time, which was accepted on September 20, 2010. It caused the second reset, starting the Third Cycle. Alex commented the following on the video: "NO! It's too soon!" Her YouTube name was Ps360FacePunch at the time.

• Cerxi submitted the Sonata of Awakening on September 20, 2010. It caused Alex to disappear, effectively negating MFGreth's previous submission.

Contact with Ifrit and Rosa

• ZackVee is the most notable example of players who contacted Rosa prior to her disappearance. His emails to her are known for their frantic content.

• BGK5 managed to contact Rosa prior to her disappearance, but did not receive much in return.

Players mentioned

• Sephiriam was mentioned in Fate.txt, the 60th hidden file from youshouldnthavedonethat.net. The file reads, "It comes for us all Sephiriam." They were also mentioned by BEN via Jadusable's YouTube channel, specifically with the phrase, "Sephiriam has no significance, just the next lamb wandering blindly into its inevitable slaughter. This will hurt you, Sephiriam."

Received phone calls

• Players who received phone calls on October 6, 2010 include BGK4.

IRC contact with Ryukaki's group

• JarSqwuid initiated contact with Ryukaki's IRC group on October 6, 2010. She held two more conversations on her own in the following days.
• Xerot was present for the first conversation with Ryukaki's group.
• DarkScythe was present for the first conversation with Ryukaki's group.

Received newspaper letter

• GoeTeeks was one of 50 recipients of the Newspaper Letter.

Awakening

• Rytikula was credited for discovering the revamped methodsofrevolution.com.
• CircleHunter was granted an in-game character avatar as Tatl, appearing alongside Sarah throughout her journey within the haunted cartridge.
• Ryan Geever was granted an in-game character avatar as Kaepora Gaebora, first appearing in The Dying World.wmv.
• Alexi was granted an in-game mention as a character who previously fought and lost to Jadusable, first mentioned in The Showdown.wmv. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Zedregex was granted an in-game mention as a character who previously fought and lost to Jadusable, first mentioned in The Showdown.wmv. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Tiki was granted an in-game character avatar as Mayor Dotour, first appearing in The Final Hours.wmv. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Fayt was granted an in-game character avatar as Mutoh, first appearing in The Final Hours.wmv.
• Noko was granted an in-game character avatar as Captain Viscen, first appearing in The Final Hours.wmv.
• Sen was granted an in-game character avatar as the Fisherman, first appearing in The Final Hours.wmv.
• GoeTeeks was granted an in-game character avatar as the Part-Timer, first appearing in The Final Hours.wmv. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Vivi Ven was granted an in-game character avatar as a Gerudo from Ocarina of Time, first appearing in The Final Hours.wmv. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Ponk Kastle was granted an in-game character avatar as the Professor, first appearing in The Final Hours.wmv. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Shylenced was granted an in-game mention as a character who "went out for help" and has not returned, first mentioned in The Final Hours.wmv. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Neryssa was granted an in-game character avatar as Madame Aroma, first appearing in The Final Hours.wmv. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• The Space Child was granted an in-game character avatar as Judo, first appearing in The Final Hours.wmv. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• nfreak141 was granted an in-game character avatar as a Soldier, first appearing in The Final Hours.wmv. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Moonlit Plague was granted an in-game character avatar as a Soldier, first appearing in The Final Hours.wmv. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Doctor C. was granted an in-game character avatar as a Stalchild, first appearing in The Final Hours.wmv. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Killchrono was granted an in-game character as a Clock Town Villager, first appearing in The Epilogue.
• Hylian Juggalo was granted an in-game character as Japas, first appearing in The Epilogue. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Nikki was granted an in-game character as Lulu, first appearing in The Epilogue. She was also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Laches was granted an in-game character as Tijo, first appearing in The Epilogue.
• Hyde was granted an in-game character as a Zora, first appearing in The Epilogue. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Nevflinn was granted an in-game character as a Zora, first appearing in The Epilogue. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• YTSatrun was granted an in-game character as a Clock Town Villager, first appearing in The Epilogue.
• TheArisoner was granted an in-game character as a Clock Town Villager, first appearing in The Epilogue. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Abyss was granted an in-game character as a Goron, first appearing in The Epilogue. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Lan Wan was granted an in-game character as a Goron, first appearing in The Epilogue. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Tony Gil was granted an in-game character as a Goron, first appearing in The Epilogue. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• supermariozelda was granted an in-game character as a Goron, first appearing in The Epilogue.
• Matches was granted an in-game character as a Goron, first appearing in The Epilogue.
• Apricity was granted an in-game character as a Goron, first appearing in The Epilogue.
• Fizzin_Pop was granted an in-game character as a Goron, first appearing in The Epilogue. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• CrowsEye was granted an in-game character as a Goron, first appearing in The Epilogue.
• Joebotnik was granted an in-game mention as a character who texted King Kong, first appearing in KING KONG 2: The Return of the King. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• L V was granted an in-game character as one of the Gorman Brothers, first appearing in KING KONG 2: The Return of the King.
• Navi D was granted an in-game character as Keaton, first appearing in KING KONG 2: The Return of the King. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• LoudNerd was granted an in-game character as a Soldier, first appearing in KING KONG 2: The Return of the King.
• Drelb was granted an in-game character as Kafei, first appearing in KING KONG 2: The Return of the King.
• Kaisumisu was granted an in-game character as the Treasure Chest Shop Gal, first appearing in KING KONG 2: The Return of the King. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Etzaen was granted an in-game character as the Scarecrow, first appearing in KING KONG 2: The Return of the King.
• Mel was granted an in-game character as the Monkey, first appearing in KING KONG 2: The Return of the King. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Cynthia was granted an in-game character as Pamela, first appearing in KING KONG 2: The Return of the King. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• JPas was granted an in-game character as Sharp, first appearing in KING KONG 2: The Return of the King. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Jack Archer was granted an in-game character as the Bomb Shop Owner, first appearing in KING KONG 2: The Return of the King. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Acebats was granted an in-game character as the Man from Trading Post, first appearing in KING KONG 2: The Return of the King. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Blivy was granted an in-game character as Gabora, first appearing in KING KONG 2: The Return of the King. They were also listed as an active participant in the Eternity Assistance Program.
• Garfunkle was granted an in-game character as a Deku Scrub, first appearing in KING KONG 2: The Return of the King.
• The following players were noted as being the other active participants in the Eternity Assistance Program: RubyCosmos, ​Niele, ​Evan, ​​Koli, ​NexAdruin, Ryu, ​Alyssa Bee, Karlacade, ​Drew, Zog., ​Joel Bailey, RosePetrichor, Twitch Circuit, Syphyous, MaxOE23, pixelg, ​Thor,​ Logan,​ Ena, Kevin, ​Talima, Smilecat98, ​Arck, Asriel,​ Danny,​ Kio, Starry-Starlight, ​Lizard Leliel, B. O'Donnel, Kami,​ Jason B., Quin,​ Giljeam, Falcon, Loiathal, Biolizard,​ Rythen Eugea, Jay/Seer Zelda,​ Cmac, Jureiia, Jester Queen, Michael Andersen, Cabin5575, John Tieke,​ Omri Margalit, Jay, Austin Rogers, Brian A., Hippocriticalhaz, Jborhi Ari, Thomas, James, Hannah, Carnyzzle, Lego1upMushroom, JDW, ​Stefanie the Mewtwo, Berry, and Rin.

Players with community significance

Within Hubris ^I staff

• OsirisOmega was one of five original moderators on Within Hubris.
• Garrenn was one of five original moderators on Within Hubris, and designed the original banner.
• Sheik was one of five original moderators on Within Hubris.
• The Meek One was one of five original moderators on Within Hubris. She retained mod status after Within Hubris was recreated.
• Superstarstef was one of five original moderators on Within Hubris.
• Spanosa was promoted to moderator in mid-2011. On June 2, 2012, he was promoted to administrator. He retained admin status after Within Hubris was recreated.
• DeaconAYC was promoted to moderator in mid-2011.

Within Hubris ^II staff

• Kafeite recreated Within Hubris after its removal in 2012 alongside Dawn of a New Day, and was the head admin.
• Dawn of a New Day recreated Within Hubris after its removal in 2012 alongside Kafeite, and was the Theme Manager.
• Spirkiroid was a moderator on Within Hubris, promoted on June 29, 2016.
• CircleHunter was a moderator on Within Hubris, promoted on June 29, 2016.

Discord moderators

The following people served as moderators or admins on the Awakening and Within Hubris servers:

• Jd_dos, Princess Terra, Toast, Rosyfox, Peace Duh, Lucy, Dawn of a New Day, CircleHunter, Malarkey, Thor, LoveryKMoon, Toto, ForeveaLuna, Zedregex, Tikibuns, Shylenced, Doctor C., Ryan Geever, Smoshy, Shiina, and Azura.

Theorists

• Astartus is the most recognized theorist in the community, having developed the Already Dead and Elegy Vessel theories, among other activities.
• Spanosa developed Forced Ascension theory, arguably the most widely accepted in the community.
• TR1 developed the Masks and You theory, as well as an incredibly in-depth analysis on File 59.
• DeaconAYC developed the Tampering of the Chapters theory, and co-developed the Identity of the Second Entity and Identity of the Son in the Letters theories with PERSONAmc and PERSONAlaplace, respectively.
• Superstarstef developed Ascension 101.
• CrossLegion developed the About Kelbris theory.
• Harshad developed the Siphon theory.
• notJAD developed the Jad and the Moon Children theory.
• Zedregex developed several theories throughout the Awakening Arc.

Content creators

• PwerlvlAmy is among the first to create a prominent series of videos using BEN as a character, the first of which began on September 17, 2010, just two days after TheTruth.rtf was released.
• Blueshift Productions created the most well-received live-action series, spanning five arcs with a total of 22 episodes.
• 423 Ohm is a music group consisting of several members of the Resistance, and has released four BEN parody songs, spoofing songs from the Beatles, Kid Cudi (more accurately, a prior parody by Alex Hall of a Kid Cudi song), Rick Astley, and Jonathan Coulton.
• Onslaught Six is an independent industrial metal artist who produced Termina, a concept album based on themes from the Haunted Majora's Mask ARG.
• Aqua was responsible for the creation of the Empire of Within Hubris, a long-running forum game that inspired many community memes and works.
• Wolfcat took inspiration from the Empire and produced several works based on it, including Weenie Licked, a post-apocalyptic webcomic in the style of MS Paint Adventures that depicts the Empire after a mysterious, cataclysmic event. His comics can be found here.
• SKM developed two games, Remember.exe and lostmemory.exe, which are infamous for their harmless but terrifying functions, including adding text files to the device running it, deleting files within its folder, and uninstalling itself at random.
• Tyler, Fancypigg, and Gizemo are a trio of GMs for Johnisdead, an alternate-universe continuation and pseudo-prequel to the original Ben Drowned ARG. The first arc of JID was ran by The Man, later revealed to be Dawn of a New Day.

Groups

At the beginning of the Moon Children Arc, players began forming groups. Several of them still exist in some form, but most others are either no longer active or have merged with other groups. Some formed with less ARG-oriented purposes, but are still listed.

Pre-Creation of Within Hubris

• We All Are Link was created on September 19, 2010 and was the first group to form. Some people outside the group began to believe that WAAL was receiving special treatment during the game, which was amplified due to File 60’s mention of a major WAAL player. The resulting conflict escalated and resulted in an unknown member hacking WAAL’s LiveJournal.
  • Notable members of WAAL include redundancykills, yoursoulismine1, Sephiriam, and AviaRayne.

• What's Your Mask was created on September 19, 2010 shortly after WAAL’s inception. This group housed several members that were responsible for the community’s bigger theories.
  • Notable members of WYM include Astartus, Loiathal, Shou, and CrossLegion.

• You Shouldn't Have Done That was created on October 5, 2010. After two days, it merged with What's Your Mask.

• Bomber Gang Kids was created on October 7, 2010 from the semi-official ARG Facebook page. Several members used a numbering system for their usernames, and most added BGK before them. This group is one of the longest-lasting.
  • Notable members of BGK include BGK5, Kafeite (BGK3), BGK Beeb, and BGK Prism.

• United Allies was created on October 7, 2010, and consisted largely of a splinter from WAAL. It lasted only for a short time, with most prominent members rejoining WAAL's successor, Knights of Theet.
  • UA contained a sub-group called TheOrganization1, which existed to mess with WAAL.
  • Notable members of UA include Uratnik, Pyroclasticman, and Kitty.
• xphiles was created on October 10, 2010 and was short lived. What happened to the members is unknown, but they most likely joined neighboring forums.
• BENDeFENders was created in October 2010 by unknown players. The forum no longer exists.

• The Resistance is the second incarnation of What’s Your Mask, named so after a splinter of members from the Bomber Gang Kids joined. With the name change, users began adding PERSONA to their usernames. This group was responsible for forming 423 Ohm, a musical project headed by Astartus, which altered the lyrics to and covered classic songs such as The Beatles’ “Let It Be.”
  • Notable members of the Resistance include Loiathal, Astartus, MC, and Sheik.

• Knights of Theet (formerly Kights of Jad), or simply Theet, was created on October 19, 2010 from the remainder of WAAL after some of its members left to form United Allies. Members of the Resistance joined after their group's activity faltered. This group is one of the longest-lasting.
  • Theet contains a sub-group called The Dalsons, named so after vdalson.
  • Notable members of Theet include shadshaddo, Spirkiroid, Ifrit Jenkins, and vdalson.

• Heroes of Time was a group that met exclusively in the Canthandlethetruth Tinychat. It is unknown when it was created, but it was often joined by members of Theet.

• System of a Dream was a group that formed from the users on the Jadusable Chatango. It is unknown when it was created due to the loss of its forum. Its existence is only traceable through its last remaining member, Spirkiroid.

• The Fourth Day was formed on December 9, 2010, but the details of its origin are scarce. After the ARG was put on hiatus, its focus shifted from the game to general interests. It is no longer an active part of this community.

Post-Creation of Within Hubris

• Internet Batman Brigade was formed on May 15, 2011 from members of Within Hubris as a supplemental forum. Most of its activity was simultaneously presented there as well. It was abandoned when Within Hubris was taken down.
  • Notable members of the IBB include Spanosa, Ariesus, TR1, and Aqua.

• Lonely Singles Club was formed in 2011 from a Within Hubris thread, originally as a way to talk to others about life and its hardships. It is one of the longest-lasting, behind Theet.
  • Notable members of the LSC include Dawn of a New Day, Lady Alzers, ridesthenarwhal, and Wolfcat.

• Other, smaller groups included The Grey Lens, Goron Bros, and Baroque Works.

Post-Death of Within Hubris

• Internet Detectives was formed on January 22, 2015 with a particular focus on JohnIsDead, a fan ARG. Since then, it has grown to include members from all remaining groups.
  • Notable members of the ID include ID Tyler, ADULT_LINK, Oceanstuck, and WickedLady2195.
• Taskmasters was formed in July 2016 with focus on the return of YSHDT. It is a combination of the ID, BGK, Theet, newcomers, and returning players from the past.
  • Notable members of Taskmasters include MFGreth, Aaver, Oreo, and GoldenIchor.
• Awakening (formerly BroGaming) was formed in June 2019 by Alex Hall as a community hub for his Twitch streams and podcast. In March 2020, it became the de facto central hub for activity related to the Awakening Arc and the ARG's continuation.

Community Resources

Italicized items are no longer active. Bold items no longer exist.

Sites and forums

• youshouldnthavedonethat.net (Post-Moon Children)
• Within Hubris
• Within Hubris (Newbris)
• Within Hubris (Tribris)
• Jadusable's Haunted Majora's Mask Cartridge (File: BEN) Facebook
• We All Are Link LiveJournal
• The Wolf's Den (WAAL Forum)
• What's Your Mask LiveJournal
• What's Your Mask Archive
• What's Your Mask YouTube
• What's Your Mask Twitter
• Drowned (What's Your Mask/The Resistance Forum)
• You Shouldn't Have Done That
• The Clocktown Observatory
• Bomber Gang Kids LiveJournal
• Bomber Gang Kids Twitter
• Bomber Gang Kids YouTube
• United Allies
• xphiles
• BENDeFENders
• Kights of Jad
• The Dalson Estate
• The Dalsons LiveJournal
• Heroes of Time LiveJournal
• System of a Dream
• The Fourth Day
• Internet Batman Brigade
• Internet Detectives Tumblr

Chats

• Dalson Chat Portal (2, 3, 4) / WYM Chat Portal
• Jadusable Chatango (2, 3, 4, 5)
• What's Your Mask Chatango (Rules)
• Resistance Funchat! Chatango
• The Clocktown Observatory Chatango
• Heroes of Time Tinychat (2)
• #jadusable IRC
• #xphiles IRC
• whatisthetruth Tinychat
• Kights of Jad Chatango
• Knights of Theet Chatango
• The Dalsons Chatango
• System of a Dream Chatango
• LSC Chatango (2)
• Empire of Within Hubris Chatango
• WHRoleplay Chatango
• Baroque Works Headquarters Chatango
• Internet Batman Brigade Chatango
• Within Hubris (Newbris) Chatango