Moon Children (arc)

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This article is about the story arc. You may be looking for the cult.

The Moon Children Arc is the second arc of Ben Drowned. This arc contains two main parts, titled YSHDT and Hubris.

YSHDT (short for youshouldnthavedonethat) follows the discovery of a mysterious cult, who are revealed to sacrifice members to their deity in a ritual called ascension. Hubris follows a series of odd messages leading up to the introduction of a new forum containing many secrets.

It is preceded by the Haunted Cartridge Arc, and followed by the Awakening Arc.

The following is a summary of the Moon Children Arc, in chronological order of the events as they happened. Out-of-character events are in gold italics. All times are in EST. To see each page exactly as described, click the YSHDT.png icon for each update. Several links in this article no longer work due to websites being changed or shut down. Some of the pages have been saved via the Wayback Machine, and are linked instead; the links that do not work are kept here for archival purposes.

Contents

YSHDT

The First Cycle

September 17, 2010

  • Multiple coded messages were posted on Jadusable's Recent Activity log on YouTube. The ciphers and their translations are as follows:
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Jadusable YouTube Ciphers

Cipher #1: MBXIRMBLRH.PXTEENLDHGBZAMBPPXNTKTFTLDLHFXMBFXL.DXHNPABLIXKKX­RXLIXXEXWYHKWHGMWXK,FHMAXK,PAT

ZHHWENVD.

  • Solution: WE ALL WEAR A MASK, SOMETIMES. KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED - MOTHER, I WONDER WHAT IT IS YOU WHISPER FOR DUSK TONIGHT. GOOD LUCK.

Cipher #2: .DUJ

  • Solution: .NET

Cipher #3: YMNSP.

  • Solution: THINK.

Cipher #4: .JAP EO UKQN KJHU YHQA

  • .NET IS YOUR ONLY CLUE

Cipher #5: YKKG://NNN.JYFNVH.EVK/WFILDJ/RITYZMV/ZEUVO.GYG/K-3355.YKDC

  • The fifth code, once solved, led to an old tech support forum. Two aspects of the website stood out: The .net structure of the link and the phrase, "You shouldn't have done that," found in response to a question.
  • When combined, the hints led to a new website: youshouldnthavedonethat.net.
  • The website appeared to be the home of a cult called the Moon Children. It contained a simple layout with seven tabs: Home, Creed, About, Theories, Contact Us, The Truth, and Search.
    • The home page acted as a forum for various moderators of the cult, and the conversations present indicated that they were still in the process of setting up the website, whose primary use appeared to be for updates and communication. YSHDT.png
      • A moderator called Ifrit welcomed members to the site, and describes various technical changes over several posts.
      • Another mod, Nekko, described his excitement for his upcoming ascension.
      • Duskworld23 congratulated Nekko on his successful ascension, noting he was the youngest to ever ascend without incident. However, he warned not to make a user referred to as "Mr. D" upset.
      • The administrator, DROWNED, posted a message that seemed to be directed at visitors: "You shouldn't be reading this." When mousing over his avatar, it changed to a cropped image of the Elegy of Emptiness statue.
      • Several posts in the guestbook area seemed to be from regular members of the cult. Among these messages were a reference to a "blackout" and questions as to where Alex is, two users planning to execute a mass shooting, and requests to take a look at the broken Contact page.
        • This reference to Alex calls back to Jadusable's second video, in which the protagonist of the game is called Alex after a blackout.
    • Creed explained various ceremonial chants, and revealed that masks are a part of their rituals. YSHDT.png
    • About listed the four active moderators, including their likes and dislikes, as well as personal information. YSHDT.png
      • In the special thanks list, a user named Rosa was mentioned. This member's name is shared with the title character in Jadusable's first video, in which she cryptically predicts the future. Tags in this video made reference to the events currently taking place.
    • Theories contained apocalypse theories. The Moon Children's goal seemed to be to bring about the end of the world. YSHDT.png
      • Among the otherwise mundane theories was an original one involving a Moon Child named Kelbris. According to the lore on the page, Kelbris was the first Moon Child to have been spoken to by Luna herself. Kelbris was said to have been found electrocuted, but whether he was murdered or ascended was never determined.
    • Contact Us contained a form that, when filled out with the indicated information, would be sent to the moderators, who would then set up recruitment appointments. YSHDT.png
      • The Contact Us page turned out to not be broken as was implied before; however, by attaching names to the end of the URL, users began finding hidden contact pages for individual people.
        • Ben's page was the first to be found, which contained a countdown to "The Fourth Day," which was set to end sometime the next day. The music on this page was the reversed and sped-up Happy Mask Salesman theme from BEN.wmv. YSHDT.png
        • DROWNED's page was the next to be found. It contained an image of a large green man, along with the text, "Dead End. Go back." The title of the page was a cipher that read, "EQ WQWK... LZWQ LGGC... EQ WQWK..." This translates to, "MY EYES... THEY TOOK... MY EYES..." The image was titled Kelbris.jpg. YSHDT.png
    • The Truth was password-protected, and contained only a login screen. The source code for the page also contained the text, "It's what they DON'T want you to know." The login information was not received in time to see what this page contained. YSHDT.png
    • Search was simply a page that allowed you to search the website for contents, though it linked (possibly via the banner) to the Press Room page. YSHDT.png
      • The banner on this page's image properties contained the text, "Do you honestly think you can escape me?"
      • Hidden text on the Press Room page was found: "Like little lambs. The man is smiling." YSHDT.png
        • Clicking "Launch!" would lead to the Blastoff! page, which mostly contained lorem ipsum text. In the About Us section, the phrase "for the fold, number three" was repeated three times. YSHDT.png
  • Up to and beyond this point, references to The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask were being found.
    • The first was the most blatant: the cult was devoted to the moon. There were children residing within the moon in the game.
    • There was a small graphic of Majora's Mask on the site's favicon.
    • The banner images at the top of the different pages were references to areas in Majora's Mask: Swamp, Mountain, Sea, Canyon, City, and Moon.

September 18, 2010

  • Two hours before the countdown was set to end, users found Ifrit's contact page. The text read, "Should you know what question to ask, the gate to truth will be opened." His email, ifritmoon@gmail.com, was presented in hidden text. Users began emailing him, hoping for information. The following information was obtained. YSHDT.png
    • Ben was a member of the cult, and had ascended; however, his body was never found.
    • Rosa is Ifrit's sister.
    • Ifrit refers to Ben as his brother, though it's not clear whether it was meant literally.
    • Ifrit could not reach the contact pages found, and would receive a 404 error when attempting to.
    • Alex has been missing since the "blackout," as mentioned in the Guestbook.
    • Those asking him what Majora's Mask had to do with the situation were told, "Nothing, why?"
    • Ifrit's real name on the About page is listed as Rodney R., but the email lists it as Matt HUBRIS.
    • By attempting to reset his Gmail account's password, users found his security question: "The first person I killed to gain entrance to the Moon Children is..."
  • Several attempts to communicate with Ifrit are below:
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Ifrit Emails

Conversation #1 (user RedundancyKills)

  • User: How did Ben drown? (Note: the portion of one of Jadusable's Cleverbot conversations where BEN refers to "another who asks" was attached to this message)
  • Matt HUBRIS: Ben? You've heard from Ben? Where is he?
  • User:http://www.youtube.com/user/Jadusable
    As far as I can tell, he's everywhere.
  • Matt HUBRIS: No... we lost Ben during the blackout. We haven't heard from him.
  • User: If you aren't aware. You're next. I'm not sure what your group is planning, but you might want to consider some alternatives...
    http://www.youshouldnthavedonethat.net/index.php/contact/ben
  • Matt HUBRIS: that page redirects to a 404, are you sure you typed that in right?
  • User: I'm sure you're going through a lot of email messages, but I hope you understand that I feel something dramatic will happen in an hour or so. Do you know what is in The Truth section of your website?
  • Matt HUBRIS: Yes.
  • User: Could you perhaps let me know?
  • Matt HUBRIS: Your eyes... they aren't worthy to see it
  • User: Is this a treatable ailment?
  • Matt HUBRIS: Give them.

Conversation #2 (user RedundancyKills, via an alternate reply to "No... we lost Ben during the blackout.")

  • User: How are you doing? Is he missing? What blackout? When was this?
    I'm sorry if I seem insensitive, I'm sure you can understand the situation I'm in. Everything is so cryptic and bizarre on Jadusable's channel and on your website.
    What information do you have?
  • Matt HUBRIS: Jadusables channel?
    yes, Ben was my good friend. We're not sure, he might have ascended, but nothing was ever for sure
  • User: Who is Kelbris? (Note: several emails prior to this were sent, but this is the one he answered to)
  • Matt HUBRIS: hang on someone keeps knocking at my door

Conversation #3:

  • User: Who is Drowned?
  • Matt HUBRIS: a friend of mine

Conversation #4:

  • [unknown message from a player named Alex]
  • Matt HUBRIS: Alex? Is that you? Where have you been?

Conversation #5:

  • User: Who must we warn, and how?
  • Matt HUBRIS: What?

Conversation #6:

  • User: Where has Alex gone?
  • Matt HUBRIS: Alex disappeared during the blackout, haven't heard from him.
  • User: What is "The Truth" ?
  • Matt HUBRIS: It is the true nature of the world, of us, of the prophecy.
  • User: Does the prophecy have any relation to Luna?
  • Matt HUBRIS: Of course.
  • User: Can you explain this "prophecy" to me?
  • Matt HUBRIS: No
  • User: What happens during ascension?
  • Matt HUBRIS: Become one with Luna
  • User: Who gives you your specific ascension times?
  • Matt HUBRIS: luna
  • User: When is your ascension time?
  • Matt HUBRIS: when luna starts whispering to me

Conversation #7 (user BGK5):

  • User: Did you kill Rosa to gain entrance to the Moon Children...
  • Matt HUBRIS: Of course not. Rosa is my sister.

Conversation #8:

  • User: Hello.
    I'm very interested in learning more about the Moon Children. I stumbled upon your site a few days ago, and was reading to learn more, but the site alone has not quenched my desires. I need to know more, and since you seem to be my verbal counterpart, I decided to ask you.
    What is this group's goal? How do I get in? I've believed in Luna for a long time, but I didn't know you were out there. It's nice to find people with the same beliefs.
    Shiva
  • Matt HUBRIS: Where do you live? We could set up a meeting. We have members throughout the United States, although a few were called down to the midwest recently I think by now they should be heading back to their respective homes

Conversation #9:

  • User: This is my Mask... Do you like it? Should I wear it? (Note: attached was a photo of the user wearing Majora's Mask)
  • Matt HUBRIS: Why base your mask on a video game? It doesn't represent you
  • User: Why, it represents my love for the game
  • Matt HUBRIS: No, it represents unoriginality. It represents filth

Conversation #10:

  • User: I've heard that Ben drowned. Is that true?
  • Matt HUBRIS: I dont know, that may explain why we never found his body.

Conversation #11:

  • User: What happens when the timer runs out ?
  • Matt HUBRIS: What timer ?

Conversation #12:

  • User: What happened to Ben?
  • Matt HUBRIS: We think he ascended, we're not sure. He was a good friend of mine
  • User: What about Majora?
  • Matt HUBRIS: Who?
  • User: Majora's Mask. What does Majora's Mask have to do with Ben?
  • Matt HUBRIS: The Zelda game? Nothing... why?

Conversation #13:

  • User: What you have to lose? Say to me, how did you get in the Moon Children? Who did u kill, Ifrit?
  • Matt HUBRIS: I've been spammed with this question, you guys are not going to hack into my account. Forget it.
  • User: Well. I can give a try.
    Seriously, how did u get in? Don't say who, just say how.
  • Matt HUBRIS: Why would I tell you that?
  • User: Because you are my only hope. None of the orders can talk. U understand that right?
  • Matt HUBRIS: Yes and if you were chosen I'd tell you

Conversation #14:

  • User: Would I kill Ben?
  • Matt HUBRIS: Did you? It would lay my mind to rest knowing that my brother is gone instead of clinging to false hopes that he still may be alive.

Miscellaneous replies:

  • Matt HUBRIS: Ben was a good friend of mine. He went missing a while ago and we think that he's ascended.
  • Matt HUBRIS: Alex is our most powerful warrior
  • Matt HUBRIS: Wait, someone is at the door
  • Matt HUBRIS: Hang on, someone is knocking at my door
  • One hour before the countdown was set to end, DROWNED's post disappeared from the main page, and its music changed from the usual relaxing song to an even faster version of the Happy Mask Salesman's theme than before. The source code revealed that the song is called Matt's Final Hour.mp3. YSHDT.png
  • As the countdown neared its end, those still emailing Ifrit were answered with, "Hang on someone keeps knocking at my door." Ifrit failed to respond to any queries sent afterwards.
  • Jadusable's YouTube account posted an excerpt of lyrics from "Who's that Knockin'" by The Genies - "What's that calling, calling my name/Tossed a brick through my window pane/Boom boom boom, bang bang bang". This explicitly referenced the knocking on Ifrit's door.
  • At 9:00pm, a video response to free.wmv, called fj6rt, was posted by a YouTube account titled TheLinkMissing. The user's real name, according to their profile, was Alex. The video featured adult Link in Ocarina of Time playing the Song of Time in front of the moon.
    • fj6rt was the title of Ifrit's contact page while it was up. The title of the page changed to the URL for the video response soon afterward.
  • On /x/, Jadusable's tripcode posted the same message from three days prior: "Honesty is the best policy," and a link to TheTruth.rtf.
  • Soon afterward, youshouldnthavedonethat.net went down for maintenance. The site had been sent back in time.
  • Around 10:20, Jadusable's account posted two messages:
    • "What makes you think I have a Twitter? So desperate for answers... all it has done is thrown you off further from the course..."
    • "Do not mistake my kindness for sympathy. It was amusing watching you all run around aimlessly, but it is no fun if your mice are too stupid to get to the end of the maze."
    • These messages specifically refer to two unrelated Twitter accounts, @JadusableBen and @JadusableMatt, which had until this point been treated as potential leads. The former was deleted shortly after the first post was made.

The Second Cycle

September 19, 2010

  • The Moon Children's site came back online. It appears in the early stages of production, as it had when users first found it. However, there was no sign of either Ifrit or DROWNED in the main page's posts. Ifrit's name did not appear on the About page. The song on the main page was changed from the original to a less relaxing one. YSHDT.png
    • Ifrit's Contact page had changed. Instead of the message from before, it displayed three Elegy statues and the text, "Expecting to find someone else?" The Skull Kid's laugh played in the background. YSHDT.png
    • Ifrit was likely killed before the time reset. This mirrored the in-game Majora's Mask mechanic that once a boss has been killed, they no longer exist once time resets.
    • Instead of Ifrit having posted first on the main page, he is replaced by another moderator named Insidiae, who takes the role of welcoming members in Ifrit's place.
    • As this was day one of the cycle, Nekko had not yet ascended.
  • As a result of several users falling for more false leads found in the guestbook and on other sites, BEN posted the following messages on Jadusable's channel: "FB THYYVOYR. LBH'YY FIPMIZI ERCSRI ALS GPEMQW XLIC'VI ANUJCNM CX CQRB, FXW'C HXD?"
    • This translated to, "SO GULLIBLE. YOU'LL BELIEVE ANYONE WHO CLAIMS THEY'RE RELATED TO THIS, WON'T YOU?"
    • These false leads included guestbook users "childoflight", "childoffire", "childofsound", "childofrenewal", "childofwind", "childofmana", "childofrapture", "childofdark", "childofhealing", "The Moon Child", "Not A Child", and "Selunair".
  • Users discovered Alex's contact page, which was hidden as a sub-page under Ifrit's. It displayed the text, "another who knows of them, chooses.... mask....sends aid.... fallen.... vehement.....diety.... he is alone against them." The last two thoughts are in hidden text. YSHDT.png
  • The Truth was changed; we had been sent far enough back in time that the page was no longer password protected. However, the text read, "Still in the progress of moving everything over, sorry for the delay. But it is imperative we find him and silence him before he can reveal our intentions. Also, I can't figure out how to make this private, we've got about two days or so before we open up this website to the world so I figure it'll be okay for now, not like anyone can stumble upon this, but can someone help out with that? - DW" YSHDT.png
  • As typos had been mentioned previously on the Creed page, it was investigated for clues. Several typos and seemingly-intentionally bolded letters were found, though these were found to be present originally.
  • The About page now required a login to view.
  • Wondering whether this would have the intended effect, a YouTube user called Freyadutenebres posted a video response to free.wmv, with a video of the Inverted Song of Time. This was accepted, and though it's unknown whether time was affected, it did trigger an effect:
    • BEN responded to the song with a ciphered and scrambled message on Jadusable's channel: "CSY'ZI FIKYHHMWGSZIVC XSHEC, FYX RK FIGSQIW E GYVR XS GEXGL SR. CSYFPIWWM'ZI FIKYR XS WXEPSRK YRXMVX XLMROMRK. CSY'ZI QE LSA P XLEXWI? I ER"
    • This translated to: "YOU'VE BEGUN TO START THINKING. YOU'VE BEGUN TO CATCH ON. YOU'VE MADE A DISCOVERY TODAY, BUT HOW LONG UNTIL THAT BLESSING BECOMES A CURSE?" The solution also contained an extra N.
    • This referred to our newly-discovered ability to play songs to trigger events.
  • Once the song ability was discovered, users began responding with other songs.
    • The New Wave Bossa Nova was played by MFGreth. Its in-game effect of granting those without a voice the ability to speak was intended to be reflected by allowing us to email Ifrit. However, though it worked, Rosa was the one who answered; she informed us that she knew the username and password to The Truth, but was only able to send it to one person before she stopped answering.
    • The Song of Healing was played by HigurashiMGOST, against the wishes of many other users. This song, which was accepted almost immediately after the New Wave Bossa Nova, caused Rosa to disappear.
      • This was confirmed by a post from Kelbris that appeared soon afterward on the main page. The username read "WHO DO YOU THINK THIS IS," and the post read, "I AM KNOCKING AT YOUR DOOR NEXT. LET ME IN. I WANT TO SPEAK." The post was made at 6:66pm. YSHDT.png
    • The Oath to Order was played by moonman2522. However, as the in-game requirement for this song to work is the four giants having been freed, we had not yet met the equivalent requirement for this song to have a positive effect. Instead, it is believed to have killed Alex.
  • Several attempts to communicate with Rosa are below:
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Rosa Emails

Conversation #1 (user ZackVee)

  • User: I was just curious if you had either a link to the old site or a summary of what happened before you guys switched to the new site? Me and a few friends had been following you guys and wondered what the whole story was.
  • User: Can you speak?
  • Matt HUBRIS: WHY DID YOU PLAY THAT
  • User: WE NEED TO KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS BEFORE WE REVERSE TIME. WHAT DO WE DO?!
  • Matt HUBRIS: THE BLACKOUT, SOMETHING HAPPENED IN THE BLACKOUT
  • User: MATT DON'T OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR, ROSA SAID.
  • User: MATT WHAT SONG DO WE NEED TO PLAY?!
  • Matt HUBRIS: -I- AM ROSA, WHO IS THIS? DO YOU KNOW WHERE MATT IS?
  • User: Rosa something is going on, what happened to alex, give me as much info as possible. We may be able to save matt somehow, all I can tell you is that this is Ben's fault.
  • User: Who is matt also, this is all so confusing. What is matt doing with these people?!
  • Matt HUBRIS: Bens been dead, I dont see how, i dont know what happened, after the blackout i dont know where matt is i dont know where alex is, why would we want to find him anyway??? ,please call someone i can hear it counting down outside my door
  • User: What happened leading up to the blackout, and why did it happen, what happened during it?! We can reverse this and fix everything if you can get me the info.
  • User: Rosa do NOT OPEN THAT DOOR.
  • User: ROSA I NEED THE PASSWORD AND USERNAME

Conversation #2 (user Ryukaki)

  • User: What happened in the blackout!
  • User: Talk to me, Matt!
  • User: Rosa?! That's you?!
  • Matt HUBRIS: Yes, who sist his
  • Matt HUBRIS: plase if you are nearby a phone please call the police
  • Matt HUBRIS: i can hear it outside my door
  • Matt HUBRIS: what is going on
  • User: Leave!
  • User: Get out now!
  • User: Rosa, where do you live?!
  • User: I will call the police!
  • Matt HUBRIS: OREGON
  • Matt HUBRIS: ITS OUTSIDE MY DOOR
  • User: They're coming for you, you need to get out!
  • Matt HUBRIS: I CANT GO ANYWHERE
  • User: ROSE
  • User: WHAT IS THE USERNAME AND PASSWORD
  • User: QUICKLY
  • User: WE CAN SAVE THE OTHERS
  • User: Rosa, please!
  • User: Hurry! There's still time!
  • Matt HUBRIS: MattHubris423/thelensoftruth (Note: these were censored in screenshots shared by Ryukaki)
  • User: IF you can escape, do so! I will not waste this chanse!
  • Matt HUBRIS: please
  • Matt HUBRIS: call the fucking police
  • Matt HUBRIS: ...
  • Matt HUBRIS: it stoped
  • User: Give me your address!
  • User: ... It's leaving?
  • User: .. Rosa? Are you still there?
  • User: Please tell me you're safe!
  • User: Rosa! Please! THe login isn't working!
  • User: Fuck fuck fuck

The Third Cycle

September 20, 2010

  • After Rosa stopped answering emails, having told one user that she had not been able to contact Ifrit, something happened during the blackout, and that someone was counting down outside her door, the user panicked. After discussing the matter with others, a user named Miya uploaded the Song of Time. This was accepted, and time was once again reset.
  • After the time reset, tags on Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines - Rosa were changed to "YOU, DIDN'T, SAVE, HER," and several other videos were given the tags, "Rosa, Trapped." The tags confirm that Rosa had been doomed, possibly due to the delay in playing the Song of Time.
  • Shortly afterward, Alex's YouTube channel uploaded a video titled ... The video showed Link being defeated in battle by Dark Link; this is believed to be caused by the Oath to Order.
    • MFGreth quickly responded to this with a video of Link using a fairy, hoping to save Alex.
    • Alex's channel responded with continue, which showed the Game Over screen, and the Yes option being selected. MFGreth's response was successful.
    • Another user, Cerxi, played the Sonata of Awakening. It is unknown what this video's intention was, but it caused Alex to disappear.
    • Shortly afterward, Jadusable's channel uploaded huntyoudown.wmv. It showed Dark Link, partially transparent, walking through and out of the Temple of Time, Navi entering view as he exits. What this video symbolized is unknown; it was removed from the channel soon afterward, but re-uploaded by MFGreth.
  • At 5:30am, only a few hours into Day One of a new cycle, the ARG ended indefinitely. Alex Hall, the author, claimed that financial difficulties were preventing him from continuing. huntyoudown.wmv was subsequently removed from Jadusable's channel. YSHDT.png
  • Shortly after putting the ARG on hiatus, Alex Hall conducted a Q&A on /x/. It answered many questions that users had about certain mechanics and story points. He was reluctant to answer many plot-related questions, as he hoped to utilize them later.
  • At 9:30pm, TheTruth.rtf was posted on /x/ once again. However, it now included an image of the Happy Mask Salesman titled The Father.jpg.

September 21, 2010

  • Alex announced that, due to donations from some generous people, he may be able to continue the story in the near future. YSHDT.png

The Glitch

October 4, 2010

  • Around 9:00pm, recently-planted clues were discovered in the source code for certain pages of youshouldnthavedonethat.net.
    • Chapters: the text "http://" was discovered. YSHDT.png
    • The Truth: the text "WHAT" was discovered. YSHDT.png
    • FAQ: the text "IS" was discovered. YSHDT.png
    • Donations: the text "not so fast" was discovered. YSHDT.png
    • ARG Timeline: the text ".com" was discovered. YSHDT.png
    • Many users assumed that the final word was "Ben," as the domain http://whatisben.com had recently been created. However, the page had not been publicly released.

October 5, 2010

  • Users noticed that the phrase, "Probably not" contained within Alex Hall's out-of-character update had become struck through. Additionally, the music had changed from Lost In My Thoughts to Destroyed Vioiln Beat Dark Rap Instrumental. YSHDT.png

October 6, 2010

  • Between 6:00 and 7:30am, youshouldnthavedonethat.net experienced several strange changes, known collectively as The Glitch.
    • The site icon changed to an image of a small child in a gas mask, titled HKBBDIN.jpg.
    • On the front page, a picture of a gas mask appeared; when further investigated, the image was revealed to have two file names: StoleMy.jpg and Eyes.jpg. Hidden in the last part of a cipher below this image were three files: FSZTKU.txt, TheLie.txt, and TheTruth.txt. The cipher required multiple shifts and unscrambling to solve. YSHDT.png
      • Cipher: UJQ XGJXDIYEXYGXGJZAE. UJQXKXDIYEKYOJZAE. UZAE. SGK JQ SOO ITSYGJQNJAJMNR
      • FSZTKU.txt: You didn't think I was done with you. Did you? You are done playing when I say you are done playing.
      • TheLie.txt: This is just a dream.
      • TheTruth.txt: Wake up. You have to wake up.
    • Above the gas mask, "It's not real" was typed nine times in hidden text.
    • Odd, unintelligible whispering could be heard on the main page and The Truth. YSHDT.png
    • On The Truth and FAQ, the header was changed to "This Will Hurt You." The FAQ page contained Kelbris.jpg. YSHDT.png
    • Over time, three messages appeared on the front page:
      • You are waking up now. 13 minutes. YSHDT.png
      • You are waking up now. 5 minutes. YSHDT.png
      • Pulling the plug. YSHDT.png
  • Those keeping watch over the site alerted others quickly. The URLs for the three files hidden within the cipher hinted toward the existence of more files, which readers were quick to find. In all, the numbers 1 to 63 could be substituted in the place of the numbers at the end of the URL, each corresponding to a different file. Several were password-protected, and the 31st file was missing entirely.
  • Soon afterward, the site reverted to its state on September 21 and the guestbook was cleared. The music for the main page had changed back to Lost In My Thoughts; the users have "woken up." YSHDT.png
  • Shortly after the reset, the music changed back to Destroyed Vioiln Beat Dark Rap Instrumental, and the text "Probably not" had been struck through again; this time, it was underlined as well. YSHDT.png
  • The main page underwent another quick change. For a brief time, the banner was replaced with several Elegy statues and all text except for the title and guestbook disappeared, as well as the music. Minutes later, the changes were reverted. YSHDT.png
  • On Jadusable's YouTube channel, a new post containing free.wmv and a scrambled message was published. When rearranged, the message led here, to a seemingly-unrelated forum about prisons. The letter in the archive, dated April 23, 2003, contained the story of a death-row prisoner. However, a more subtle message was received by readers: get in contact with each other and organize in order to prepare for the coming events. Shortly afterward, the post was removed from the channel.
  • New text was discovered on the Chapter 5 page, reading, "I hope you had more patience than he did." It was removed soon afterward. YSHDT.png
  • A message of unknown origin began its circulation via several ARG-related sites. Much of the information in this message is no longer relevant and many pages linked no longer exist, but it served to alert many players to the events of the day.:
Expand
The Call to Arms
  • Jadusable's YouTube posted the following message to its Recent Activity, along with his first video.
    • "=====plase if you are nearby a phone please call the police i can hear it outside my door====="
  • By this time, every password-protected file's password had been solved, except for the 59th, titled mhftt.txt.
    • As many rushed to figure out the password to this file, the main page updated with a brief message at the top, stating, "The answer is right in front of you. THINK." This message was removed within five minutes. YSHDT.png
    • Shortly afterward, the password was found by a user called Lunchbox. The user began mentioning the Lens of Truth, which turned out to be close to the password, thelensoftruth.
    • The newly-unlocked file read:
Collapse
mhftt.txt

If you're reading this then you've found the secret message. This is the last one i can send out. I am not dead. its sitting right in front of you. You are meant to survive this, you can't give him what he wants. I don't know how to tell you this, but there is no more link now, he was the last thing that stood between you and IT as some kind of conduit. that conduit is severed now. there is notConsider this the REALhing that is separating you from him, he will try to get to you, It will try to break you, but you have to remain strong, you cannot it. It is sadistic. It will try and give you guys a fighting chance like it's given everyone else. it wants you to try and resist to try and be fooled into thinking that you have any semblence of free will. do not buy it. do not believe it. It is always watching, and it will lead you iTruth.txtnto oblivion if you let it. do not be fooled, if something is too good to be true - be wary. you must use this overconfidence and systematic prediction against it. how? I do not know. that is something that i could not figure out before the end. even now, its allowing me to reach you, through this message.

Your first instinct may be to assume that this message has been tampered with, but then you may not really understand who It really is. It wants to play, it wants a challenge. It has led you thWhat are you talking about?is far for a reason, but now you will be given the means to fight back. I say let Its arrogance be its undoing.

There are strength in numbers. you no doubt have others who will help collaborate with you. there are those who have left behind clues subtle enough for It to not realize their significance. they may help you if you can find them. combine your brains together, starting with the recent "glitch", compile every bit of evidence you have and share it amongst yourselves, and you may gain the upperhand yet.

Do not ever let It use you. It thinks It is in control, yet despite all the omnipotence in the world, there is nothing more dangerous than the illusion of compliance.


- Ifrit,


EBOAKBBYCKWWXQGMEQNOK,RKZVOKCIVOWYJJMBKA


AQOT XUDTHYSAI OEK QHU YD TQDWUH.

  • The final line of the document was decoded almost immediately. It read, "KAYD HENDRICKS YOU ARE IN DANGER." Upon searching, a DeviantArt account owned by a Kayd Hendricks was found, under the name Ryukaki.
  • The first cipher in mhftt.txt was left unsolved due to the difficulty, leading some to believe it's unsolvable.
    • This cipher currently remains unsolved.
    • It was briefly thought to have been solved when, around 1:00am on August 16, 2018, CircleHunter appeared to decode it as, "I SEE YOU THREE LIVE, CAN MY DEAR ROSA PLEASE LIVE."
    • Despite confirmation from Alex Hall that this is indeed the solution, future events would cause doubt as to whether this cipher is truly solved; as a result, it is up to the reader to determine whether they accept this solution.
  • Users tracked down Ryukaki's YouTube channel and began watching it for activity.

Ryukaki

MM Tatl Artwork.png
Ambiguous canon warning
:
This article or section contains information that may not be canon.


Any entries involving Ryukaki from this point forward have been rendered by the Jadusable Wiki as "ambiguously canon". Readers may choose whether they accept or deny the validity of these entries, though they are not officially recognized as canon.


  • Further searching through Ryukaki's DeviantArt led to a role playing website, where initial contact was made via its IRC client. The following is a transcript of the first IRC conversation between players (JarSqwuid, Xerot, DarkScythe) and Ryukaki's group. Messages with no relevance have been removed:
Expand
First IRC contact with Ryukaki

October 7, 2010

  • Sometime in the early morning, the following conversation took place between JarSqwuid and Ryukaki in his group's IRC chat:
Expand
Second IRC contact with Ryukaki
  • Many users who submitted their phone numbers on the original Moon Children site's Contact page began reporting phone calls coming from a blocked number. Two different outcomes were reported:
    • A voicemail consisting of the Elegy of Emptiness, followed by an unintelligible murmur, the existence of which is confirmed.
    • A voicemail consisting of a short period of silence followed by the reversed Song of Healing, which faded into Destroyed Vioiln Beat Dark Rap Instrumental, the existence of which is unconfirmed.
  • At 4:00pm, Jadusable's YouTube channel made two posts:
    • "No group knows anything more than anyone else. There is no private information, only different theories. You are all equals. Sephiriam has no significance, just the next lamb wandering blindly into its inevitable slaughter. This will hurt you, Sephiriam."
    • "You are now stripped of this resource as punishment for your arrogance, and yet by eliminating that website, this is the most charitable act I will ever do. Do not think that there is any place that is beyond my reach."
    • The second post coincided with reports of the We All Are Link LiveJournal being stripped of its content by a then-unknown party. BEN appeared to be taking credit for it.
  • Ryukaki uploaded four videos over the course of the day:
    • Sounds.wmv, in which he searched his house for the source of odd noises that he had been hearing. Interestingly, at 3:33 in the video, two glowing lights can be seen on camera, though he claimed to have not seen them while filming.
    • Music.wmv, in which he films a call that he repeatedly received, much like other users received.
    • The Orchard.wmv, in which he claimed to have possibly captured footage of whatever is stalking him, though such an entity is never seen on-screen. Interestingly, he mispronounced "elegy" as "eulogy."
    • Orchard2.wmv, a follow-up to the previous one, in which he claimed that his phone was stolen.
  • Sometime later that day, Ryukaki sent the following email to Quia:
    • Subject: thelensoftruth
      "Spread the word -- Youtube, IRC, everywhere. I've seen it. I think I got it on video. Do not trust any source other than me or the website.
      I don't have time to explain. I'll be in touch."

October 8, 2010

  • An exact copy of the contact page for Ben containing Fourth Day timer was discovered. It appeared to be a remnant of the original, only existing for archival purposes. YSHDT.png
  • Sometime later that day, Ryukaki sent the following email to Quia:
    • Subject: finalhours
      "He's found me. He has my scent, or something, I don't know. I guess I never really knew?

      I have answers. For everyone. They're being prepared. I've got everything ready. It wont be what they want, but it should be enough to fight whatever this thing is.

      Tell them I'm sorry I couldn't help more.

      Please, spread the word. Everywhere. Tell everyone. The website is the key. Everything else is a lie. You must tell them to see clearly past the deception, to look away from the false prophets.

      If they let themselves be led down the wrong path by anyone, everything is lost.

      It's too late for me. Make my work count."

October 9, 2010

  • Ryukaki's activity began with the upload of a new video to his channel, titled theconnection.wmv. It contained Kayd conversing with a friend named Thomas, and a cipher that led to his MediaFire. Users kept an eye on the account afterwards, and the following files were received.
    • quickly.txt was the first to appear.
    • must.txt was the second, along with three empty folders named "connections."
    • secret.txt was the third, along with one empty folder named "connections."
    • reveal.txt was the fourth, along with one empty folder named "connections."
    • Last.txt was the fifth and final, and there were no folders to accompany it.
  • Transcribed together, the files read as follows:
Collapse
Ryukaki MediaFire .txt files

This is the first.

These messages will not last long. I have set up a failsafe so that you all will get this information before Ben can tamper with it, and it will be quickly removed so that he cannot infect it. I hope you are all watching this account.

By now, I'm either long gone, or it's caught up to me. Either way, these uploads will be my last messages to you.

Wait for them.

Now that I realize what he kept saying.. that it was in front of us the whole time, I am surprised that nobody got it but me.

All of the clues were there.. haha.. a few of you even came really close.

I told you all that if things got really bad-- that I would contact everyone I could and give them what I have. Now that it can no longer protect me, I will be doing just that.

These files going up here, they're on a timer. The timer is taking them down, too. Everything will be automated, so don't worry. Despite not knowing you did, I have a feeling you all provided me protection in my more harrowing hours. Maybe it's just wishful thinking.

I can't tell you how I'll be letting it out. If Ben doesn't know, when it goes, he'll have less time to try and stop it. Just keep an eye out. I hope this reaches at least one of you, and you will spread the word.

I know there will be skepticism, I know there will be a lot of mistrust among all of you. Ben has done an amazing job at keeping you fighting over just who and what is real.

That's not going to stop.

But also know that his lies will only reach so far. He wants you all to keep playing. He wants you in the game, but only just enough that he can keep mocking you.

The file that led you to me, it contained a larger secret than you knew.

mhftt

All of the answers are right there. Think.

By now you might have noticed a pattern. I wont tell you if that pattern is useful or not. Just keep watching. Today you will get all the answers I have.

That's only the first part of things, though.

There's more to it. You have all been following this as though it were a game.

Ben, he was a part of that game, so he sees things in hues that reflect it, but it's real now. It's beyond a game.

I know it is natural for everyone to want to look deeper. To make connections where they don't exist.

The Truth has always been right there. Like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, the answers were given to you.

Few things have been recurring, but if you look, if you really look, they're there. The salvation comes in noticing what has emerged in the pattern.

There will be something more than these notes, soon. Again, I will not tell you when, just keep watching.

If you can get to it before him, it will contain all of the parts of the puzzle, but it will be up to you to put them together before he does.

Byg gzy'o jznkio omi vih.

These are my last words.

If after the file following this is recieved, you still haven't figured things out.. then I guess I've failed you all. I hope Ben does not get to things before you do, but know that over the past few days, I have not only trained you to know what the answers are, but I've spelled them out for you as well. I don't think you'll hear from me again. Thank you all. Goodbye, and goodluck.

-- Kayd.


...?

  • Shortly after Last.txt was uploaded, Ryukaki uploaded lastwords.wmv. Consisting of assorted images and footage with reversed audio, it was his final video before his disappearance. The following is the reversed audio, when corrected.
    • "Something about a boy dying here some time ago. It's meaningless to me, but peoples' superstitions make for great house prices. April 23rd, just moved into the new place. It's decent; a little small for me."
  • Soon afterward, the login username from the video, mhftt, was tested with various passwords. However, the emails with Rosa he shared on /x/ implied that the username was matthubris423. To further complicate matters, neither name was listed on the members list. Only one existed: admin.
  • Some time later that day, JarSqwuid made one last contact via IRC, this time with Quia. The following is a transcript of that conversation:
Expand
Final IRC contact with Quia

October 10, 2010

  • At approximately 9:00pm, the guestbook was cleared. About five minutes later, the page was cleared entirely, and ads appeared on the bottom of the pages.
  • At 9:20pm, the main page received a new layout and the music was replaced with Hard Epic Instrumental. Alex Hall announced the conclusion of the second arc of the story, and announced information regarding the third, particularly the interactive game. YSHDT.png
    • Hidden text at the bottom read, "You might want to compare notes with each other, you seem to have missed a very important detail. It would be in your best interest to get that sorted out before the game releases. Good luck."
    • The detail it referred to was assumed to be either the unsolved cipher in File 59 or the inability to log into the website. However, it was possible that something else was missed entirely, as implied by Ryukaki calling it "obvious."
Ambiguously canon information ends here.

Hubris

Waiting Game

November 8, 2010

  • The text on the main page was replaced with the word "updating." YSHDT.png
  • After some time, it was replaced with the long-awaited YSHDT Q&A that had been promised. YSHDT.png

November 9, 2010

  • Jadusable's YouTube channel posted a new video, titled 2. The video contains only text reading, "No one came," and the sound of underwater struggling.
    • The video was 43 seconds long. When combined with the title, it becomes a reference to 423.

Pyrrhic Prophecy

January 1, 2011

  • Most of the website became password-protected for a short time. Alex Hall posted an update afterward, admitting the holiday release date was unrealistic. He also stated that there would be a sort of build-up prior to the release of the game, claiming that it would be out before April. The Q&A was still present, but the guestbook was cleared and the music was removed. YSHDT.png
  • The source code for the FAQ page was changed to "This could come in hand later" instead of "IS," breaking the "http:// WHAT IS Not so fast .com" pattern. In addition, there was a hidden line of text that read, "If you are looking for a clue, this isn't it." YSHDT.png
  • The description of the Timeline page was removed. YSHDT.png

January 4, 2011

  • Hidden text was found on the Timeline page, reading, "- Pyrrhic prophecy is hinted at"
    • Note: "Pyrrhic" means something that obtains victory, but with disastrous losses.
    • This message was added on January 1 when the description of the page was removed, having only been noticed three days later.

January 5, 2011

  • "-Pyrrhic prophecy is hinted at" was removed from the Timeline page. YSHDT.png

January 14, 2011

  • Due to the amount of spam and abuse taking place in the guestbook, which in turn caused the site to load slowly or crash, Alex Hall removed the guestbook entirely. YSHDT.png

January 20, 2011

  • Alex Hall posted an announcement on his YouTube channel:
    • Update: The game is coming along smoothly, we actually may end up getting a release date early next month, but I'm not going to come out and confirm anything yet until it's certain. Rest assured there will be announcement plenty of time ahead of its release.

Not Yet Time

February 1, 2011

  • Alex Hall updated the main page announcement, in which he claimed there was a hitch with Unity concerning one of the levels, but they were working on getting around it and that it would not stop production. Notably, he posted the following:
    • "Making the final phase of this story has been the most intensive project I've ever taken on and it's all starting to come to fruition in these next few weeks. The next update will be featuring some screenshots of the game and introducing the build-up event and this will probably be the last 'out of character' update you guys get."
    • The guestbook was brought back as well. YSHDT.png

February 10, 2011

  • Four new password-protected files, numbered 64 through 67, were discovered.

February 11, 2011

  • It was discovered that the contact page for Alex had been cleared entirely; this happened around the time the files were discovered, but was only noticed at this time. YSHDT.png

February 12, 2011

  • The main page updated fairly quickly several times with very brief messages that were quickly removed. The messages read:
Collapse
Consecutive February 12 updates

First update, 11:38pm:

  • February 12, 2011

    You're beginning to slowly go insane. YSHDT.png

Second update, 11:39pm:

  • February 12, 2011

    You're beginning to slowly go insane. You begin to slowly lose your grip on reality. YSHDT.png

Third update, 11:43pm:

  • February 12, 2011

    You begin to slowly lose your grip on reality. YSHDT.png

Fourth update, 11:49pm:

  • February 12, 2011

    Not time yet Not yet time. Too soon. So YSHDT.png

February 13, 2011

  • The Majora's Mask icon for the website disappeared and was replaced with the host website's default image of a 3x3 grid. Looking into the source code showed that the icon was not intended to be replaced by anything; instead, the option of having a custom icon was removed.

February 14, 2011

  • At 11:08am, the site went down for unknown reasons. It was up again by 1:22pm.

February 15, 2011

  • Sheik contacted Alex Hall regarding activity on Ryukaki's YouTube channel and posted this to the Drowned forums. The screenshots no longer exist, but Alex confirmed that any future activity from the channel is non-canon.
  • Kayd Hendricks later posted the following on Ryukaki's channel: "I want to stress that nothing I say is to be taken as subliminal or as a further part of the ARG. My part is done. But I'd like to answer questions for the people who have followed me and to clear the air about anything I may or may not have done on purpose or on accident. Thank you all for all of the support you've given."

February 16, 2011

  • Around 8:00pm, users noticed trouble connecting to the site. The cause is unknown.
  • At around 10:00pm, Alex Hall posted an announcement on YouTube:
    • "I'll be having a public Q&A with you guys at 11:00pm EST tonight (roughly an hour form now), feel free to stop by at http://jadusable.chatango.com/. I'll be under the screen name JadusableH."
  • A short time later, he updated again:
  • The Q&A took place for just over an hour

Wayward Horizon

February 17, 2011

  • Around 3:06am, Alex Hall posted an update to Jadusable's YouTube channel, reading, "Looking for three responsible individuals to act as forum moderators. Send me a brief resume at jadusable@youshouldnthavedonethat.net if you think you would be interested."
  • Around 11:00am, a countdown appeared on the main page of youshouldnthavedonethat.net. The timer counted down to an event referred to as "Another Step," and was set to end at 7:00pm. When hovered over with the cursor, the counter read, "18 Feb 2011 is when you unite." YSHDT.png
  • Alex Hall posted another update on his YouTube channel requesting Skype names for moderator applicants, hoping to secure a meeting that night.
  • Guestbook entries from the 10th to 16th disappeared.
  • As the counter ended, the site went down.
  • Jadusable's channel posted three updates containing pieces of the following binary code:
    • 01101000 01110100 01110100 01110000 00111010 00101111 00101111 01111010 00110001 00110101 00101110 01101001 01101110 01110110 01101001 01110011 01101001 01101111 01101110 01100110 01110010 01100101 01100101 00101110 01100011 01101111 01101101 00101111 01010111 01101001 01110100 01101000 01101001 01101110 01011111 01001000 01110101 01100010 01110010 01101001 01110011 00101111
    • The message was an encoded URL for a forum: http://z15.invisionfree.com/Within_Hubris/
  • YSHDT's continuous server problems prevented many users from accessing the site.
  • Two of the binary codes on Jadusable's channel were removed, followed by the third shortly afterward.
  • Jadusable's YouTube channel posted another update:
    • "http://z15.invisionfree.com/Within_Hubris The final piece of the puzzle is sliding into place, when the bastion is completed you will have everything you need."
    • Bastion means "a group that defends principle" or "a stronghold into which people could go for shelter during a battle." Bastion refers to this forum, based on this forum post:
      • "This is our last haven, our last bastion of defense. And yet it houses our greatest minds, and our strongest warriors."
  • Soon after the forum was discovered, two forum groups appeared for around twenty seconds before disappearing.
    • Forum group "HELP ME" with subforum "PLEASE GOD HELP ME" appeared first.
    • Forum group "MY EYES" with subforum "THEY TOOK" appeared around ten minutes later.
  • In the list of members, several of the first thirteen members are listed as "Tenor", with others labeled as "Admin". These accounts belong to Jadusable, Hubris, Ryukaki, Alex, Nekko, Duskworld23, Drowned, BEN, Rosa, Insidiae, Tyler, Kelbris, and Guide.

February 18, 2011

  • A new, permanent forum group called "Wayward Horizon" was added to Within Hubris, which was unable to be seen without logging in. It contained one subforum called "???," which was password-protected.
    • When first noticed, there was only one topic there, created by Hubris.
    • Minutes later, the subforum was empty.
    • Then, one topic appeared, created by Guide.
    • Another topic was created by Nekko.
    • Then another topic, this time by Duskworld23.
    • The fourth and latest topic was created by a new user, ???.
    • When trying to enter the subforum, users encountered a login page.
      • The password screen read, "Please do not attempt to enter a password unless you are authorised. Failed attempts are logged and you may have your posting rights removed upon repetitive failure." However, it was soon discovered that this was not true, and failed attempts are simply logged.
  • It was confirmed by one of the moderators that they have nothing to do with the strange happenings on the site and that no one group has more knowledge than any other. They are only there as custodians, keeping the place clear of problems and keeping order. In another topic they admitted to having no connections to Guide, the site's main admin, and were unaware of the password to Wayward Horizon.
    • Also confirmed were the forum groups "Announcements," "Story," and "Community" being out of character. Any activity outside of those groups were solely controlled by Guide.

February 19, 2011

  • The following binary code appeared on Rosa's user profile in the location field:
    • 10011101 10011110 10001100 10001011 10010110 10010000 10010001 10010000
    • When inverted, it became 01100010 01100001 01110011 01110100 01101001 01101111 01101110 01101111, which translates to "bastiono".
  • Around 6:24PM EST, YSHDT.net was updated with the following: YSHDT.png
    • February 17, 2011

      The time has come to unite.

      Almost.
    • Interestingly, the post referred to the 17th when the counter referred to the 18th.
  • YSHDT.net's title changed to "Within Hubris.
  • The binary code on Rosa's profile changed to:
    • 100111011001111010001100100010111001011010010000100100011001000010011001
    • Inverted, it translated to "bastionof". Soon afterward, the connection to Guide's welcome post was made and the full phrase, "bastionofdefense", was successfully used to enter Wayward Horizon.
  • In Wayward Horizon, the posts made by Nekko, Duskworld23, and ??? were present. Several hours later, a fifth topic by Kelbris appeared. The posts read:
WELCOME TO THE WAYWAR01011001110000101, ????//

Guide
Guide avatar.png
Helping Hand
Group: Admin
Member No.: 13
Joined: 17-February 11

Posted: Feb 18 2011, 12:17 PM

0101100101101111011101010010011101110010011001010010000001101110011011110111010000100000011100110111
0101011100000111000001101111011100110110010101100100001000000111010001101111001000000110001001100101
001000000110100001100101011100100110010100101110

010001110110010101110100001011100000110100001010000011010000101001001111011101010111010000101110

Note: This translates to:

  • You're not supposed to be here.Get.

    Out.


THE FIRST

Nekko
Tenor
Group: Tenor
Member No.: 5
Joined: 17-February 11

Posted: Feb 18 2011, 12:42 PM

0111011101101000011000010111010001101001011100110011111100100000011101110110100001100101011100100110
0101011101000110100001101001011100110011111100100000011010000110010101101100011100000010000001101101
0110010100100000011100000110110001100101011000010111001101100101001011000010000001101001001001110110
1101001000000111001101101111001000000111001101100011011000010111001001100101011001000010111000100000
0111011101101000011001010111001001100101001000000110100101110011001000000110010101110110011001010111
0010011110010110111101101110011001010011111100100000011010010010011101101101001000000111001101101111
0010000001101100011011110110111001100101011011000111100100101110001011100010111000100000011011010110
1111011011010110110101111001001000000110100101101101001000000111001101101111001000000111001101101111
0111001001110010011110010010111000100000011010010010000001110000011100100110111101101101011010010111
0011011001010010000001101001001001110110110001101100001000000110001001100101001000000110000100100000
0110001001100101011101000111010001100101011100100010000001110011011011110110111000101100001000000110
1001001000000111000001110010011011110110110101101001011100110110010100100000011010010010011101101100
0110110000100000011000100110010100100000011101000110100001100101001000000110110001101001011101000111
0100011011000110010100100000011000100110111101111001001000000111100101101111011101010010011101110110
0110010100100000011000010110110001110111011000010111100101110011001000000111011101100001011011100111
0100011001010110010000101100001000000110100100100000011011010110100101110011011100110010000001111001
0110111101110101001000000110100100100111011011010010000001110011011011110010000001110011011000110110
0001011100100110010101100100001011100010111000101110001000000110110101101111011011010110110101111001
0010000001101010011101010111001101110100001000000111000001101100011001010110000101110011011001010010
0000011101110110000101101011011001010010000001101101011001010010000001110101011100000010111000100000
0010000001110000011011000110010101100001011100110110010100100000010100000100110001000101010000010101
0011010001010010000001001101010011110100110101001101010110010010000001010111010010000100010101010010
010001010010000001000001010100100100010100100000010110010100111101010101

Note: This translates to:

  • whatis? wherethis? help me please, i'm so scared. where is everyone? i'm so lonely... mommy im so sorry. i promise i'll be a better son, i promise i'll be the little boy you've always wanted, i miss you i'm so scared... mommy just please wake me up. please PLEASE MOMMY WHERE ARE YOU


THE FOURTH

Duskworld23
Tenor
Group: Tenor
Member No.: 6
Joined: 17-February 11

Posted: Feb 18 2011, 12:49 PM

0100100100100000011000110110000101101110001001110111010000100000011100110111010001100001011011100110
0100001000000110100101110100001011100010000001001001001000000110001101100001011011100010011101110100
0010000001100101011101100110010101101110001000000110100001100001011101100110010100100000011000010010
0000011011010110111101101101011001010110111001110100001000000110111001001101000110111100100000011101
0001101000011010010110111001101011001011100010000001001001001000000111011101100001011011100111010000
1000000111010001101111001000000110101101101001011011000110110000100000011011010111100101110011011001
0101101100011001100010110000100000011000100111010101110100001000000100100100100000011001000110111101
1011100010011101110100001000000110101101101110011011110111011100100000011010000110111101110111001011
1000100000010010010010000001101000011000010111011001100101001000000111010001011210111100100000011001
1001101001011011100110010000100000011000010010000001110111011000010111100100101110001000000100001001
1001010110011001101111011100100110010100100000010010010010000001101100011011110111001101100101001000
0001101101011110010111001101100101011011000110011000101110

Note: This translates to:

  • I can't stand it. I can't even have a momentI can't stand it. I can't even have a moment no think. I want to kill myself, but I don't know how. Have to find a way, before I lose myself.


THE SEVENTH

???
???
Group: Tenor
Member No.: 530
Joined: 17-February 11

Posted: Feb 18 2011, 1:00 PM

0100100100100000011000110110000101101110001000000110001001100101011000110110111101101101011001010010
0000010001110110111101100100001011100000110100001010000011010000101001001001001000000110001101100001
0110111000100000011000100110010101100011011011110110110101100101001000000110010101110110011001010111
001001111001011101000110100001101001011011100110011100101110

Note: This translates to:

  • I can become God. I can become everything.


...

Kelbris
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Group: Catalyst
Member No.: 12
Joined: 17-February 11

Posted: Feb 18 2011, 6:20 PM
GET OUT

  • Soon after the password was used, it was reset and everyone was logged out of the forum.
  • The new password for Wayward Horizon changed to "youshouldntbehere". Nothing in the forum has changed.

February 20, 2011

  • At around 10:35pm, the copyright information on YSHDT.net changed to © 2011 Within Hubris.
  • YSHDT.net went down again, this time permanently.
  • The password "youshouldntbehere" stopped working for Wayward Horizon.
  • The URL for youshouldnthavedonethat.net began redirecting to Within Hubris, effectively retiring the site.

February 21, 2011

  • Jadusable's YouTube channel added another channel, HubrisOST, to its friends list. This new channel was used for uploading songs from the ARG.
  • At 8:13pm, Alex Hall announced @WithinHubris, the official Within Hubris Updates Twitter account on Jadusable's YouTube channel.
  • The first tweet from the @WithinHubris account, posted at 7:01pm, read, "Twitter created. Stay tuned for the "Hubris Reveal" trailer later this week."
  • Some time later, Guide posted the entirety of the Haunted Cartridge Arc on Within Hubris.
  • Soon afterward, Guide posted this topic, which reiterated the update from the YouTube channel.

Hubris Reveal

February 25, 2011

  • At 6:09pm, @WithinHubris tweeted, "'Hubris Reveal' trailer debuts on Jadusable's Youtube channel on Sunday, February 27th at 6pm EST."
  • Around ten minutes later, the same message was posted on Jadusable's YouTube channel.

February 26, 2011

  • Several members of Within Hubris received an envelope in the mail. Contained within were a newspaper clipping and a letter.
    • The newspaper contained two notable articles. The first details a murder-suicide that took the lives of the Lawman family, and the second is a submission by "M.H.", heavily redacted in order to read differently from the original author's intent.
    • The letter contained a cryptic and threatening message from an unknown party.
    • The recipients of the letter were soon afterward revealed to be the top fifty donators to the PayPal link on YSHDT.net.
  • Hidden periods were discovered in several of Guide's posts in the "The Haunted Cartridge - The Complete Story" topic. The significance is unknown.
  • At 5:51pm, a timer was discovered on Within Hubris. It counted down to an hour before the release time given by @WithinHubris for the Hubris Reveal; it contained the ominous phrase, "They have to warn you."
  • Guide posted "A Comprehensive Guide to the Story" as promised. It served to help direct attention to the essential story points. In addition, it also stated that you do not have to understand the other arcs in order to enjoy the Hubris Arc.

February 27, 2011

  • Jadusable's YouTube channel posted three updates:
    • what are you doing?
    • STOP THIS
    • /i
  • Just before 6:00pm, h b i s r ea l, a corrupted version of the Hubris Reveal, was uploaded to the channel.
    • The binary code in the video translated to, "isn't clear yet".
    • At 5:59pm, @WithinHubris tweeted, "H b i s r ea l uploaded instead?"
  • The updates on Jadusable's channel began to disappear and reappear continuously. Something appeared to be struggling for control of the account.
  • Guide's post from February 21 was edited. Hidden text was added below the main message, reading, "not the real not the real not the real not the real not the real".

March 1, 2011

  • At 1:13pm, Guide posted an update asking for an additional programmer and artist for the game.

April 23, 2011

  • At 3:31am, @WithinHubris tweeted, "There'll be an update on 4/23, look for it around 6pm est." At 5:23pm, it was followed by, "I would also like to clarify that around 6pm est does not mean *exactly* at 6pm est :P It all depends on when my conference call finishes."
  • Around 6:00pm, Guide posted an update on Within Hubris confirming May 10 as the release date for the Hubris trailer, as well as some additional information regarding the game.

May 10, 2011

  • Guide posted an update on Within Hubris, explaining that the trailer has been delayed until further notice, as the person who shot the footage failed to return Alex's calls.

Early to Mid-2011

  • Sometime between February 28 and June 8, youshouldnthavedonethat.net stopped redirecting users to Within Hubris. In its place, a notice that it was no longer in use (provided by GoDaddy.com) was present.
  • Alex Hall assured players that, "Youshouldnthavedonethat.net will be returning, albeit in a different form."

June 8, 2011

  • A Within Hubris user called MajinMew discovered a member of the Tenor group not previously listed, named Usekeb.
    • Usekeb joined on April 22, the day before 4/23, their last known date of activity.
    • The account made one unseen post since joining, as was the case with several other Tenors.

June 10, 2011

  • Within Hubris user MessedUpPro messaged Alex Hall via Facebook regarding the trailer and received the reply, "I'm working with him now again finally after all this time, so we should be able to put out something in the next week or so, but I dont want to give a definitive date yet incase it falls through again." When asked how he was doing, he replied, "Hectic, haha, to say the least. As much as I want the game to take precidence over everything else I'm doing, its hard to juggle all this stuff at once, but hopefully we're getting close to the light at the end of the tunnel."

June 22, 2011

  • At 5:26am, @WithinHubris announced Alex Hall's new official Twitter account, @AlexanderDHall.
  • Later, Alex Hall held a Q&A in the Knights of Theet Chatango.

The Hiatus

Gamejacking Accusations

July 15, 2011

Jadusable's new avatar
  • At 8:43pm, Alex Hall announced that the ARG has been paused indefinitely.
    • Presumably around this time, Jadusable's channel's avatar was changed to a frame from free.wmv.
  • Shortly afterward, Kayd Hendricks began a Q&A, under the handle APseudonym, about his part in the ARG. This interview was controversial in that he claimed that most of his interaction with Alex was ignored, leaving him to handle the story on his own.

July 17, 2011

  • In response to users calling him out for ignoring Kayd, Alex posted a declaration that he had no intention for Kayd's story to happen and that he had essentially gamejacked, but was left to continue because he thought Kayd meant well. He also said that he had originally intended to keep Kayd's story canon, but the bitter aftermath of the interview changed his mind.
    • In the same thread, Kayd fired back at Alex by saying that, had he known he was gamejacking, he would never have continued, but after being called out due to the File 59 cipher and the swarms of players begging for information, he did what he thought was necessary. Subsequent contact from Alex showed that he enjoyed the videos, so Kayd felt as if he did everything correctly.

October 26, 2011

  • Files archived by We All Are Link during YSHDT.net's lifespan were released to the public. Some of these files allegedly revealed never-before-seen interactions with Jadusable's YouTube channel, but no new information was gathered.
    • The files no longer exist due to the Within Hubris takedown. The contents of this thread are currently unknown.

Hubris Alpha and Methods of Revolution

March 27, 2012

  • Users discovered that youshouldnthavedonethat.net has been placed for sale. After contact from worried players, Alex Hall stated that he had no plans to use or re-purchase the site, and to disregard anything that happens there.

March 29, 2012

Main article: Attack on Kong
  • The Attack on Kong saga begins.

Mid-April, 2012

  • Sometime between April 1 and April 23, the videos 2 and h b i s r ea l were entirely removed from Jadusable's channel. Around this time, the channel's avatar was changed to the original pre-BEN avatar.
    • The videos have since been re-uploaded here and here.

April 23, 2012

  • Around 6:00pm, in response to the iconic 4/23 date, Alex Hall posted an update for the future of his projects; while he had no new information on the continuation of the ARG due to his time spent working on Methods of Revolution, he gave the players a gift: the Hubris Alpha, a very basic version of the first area of the planned game.
    • The game is a stripped version of the house seen in h b i s r ea l. It provides no new ARG information, but was a nice gesture nonetheless.

April 24, 2012

  • In order to generate hype for the announcement of Alex Hall's newest project, "Methods of Revolution", a countdown to 12:00pm EST on April 26 appeared just under the banner on Within Hubris. In addition, the banner itself was changed; it now featured the text, "Revolution Begins 4/26/12" and a line of white silhouettes overlapping one another as they walk.

April 26, 2012

  • At 12:00pm, Alex Hall uploaded the official Methods of Revolution announcement video. Soon afterward, the timer was removed from the forum and the banner returned to normal.
    • Sometime between the appearance and removal of the timer, two other banners were featured alongside the aforementioned one. Poorly-composed and taking inspiration from the Wikipedia "personal appeal" banners, they appeared as follows:
      • The first featured a photo of Alex Hall and the text, "Please read: A personal appeal from a creepypasta writer."
      • The second featured a crop of the Elegy statue and the text, "Please read: A personal appeal from Haunted Entity BEN."
    • Only the second of these banners remains, with the first still lost.

Final Days

June 2, 2012

  • Alex Hall announced that Spanosa, a moderator, has been promoted to admin in order to help keep the forum orderly while Alex works on his film. He was given permission to make any necessary changes. Alex also clarified that any spoiling content that admins could see were now saved and had been removed from the site until he felt ready to continue the ARG.

August 9, 2012

  • Prior to this date, a Q&A thread for the more prominent members of the forum was posted. One member was asked "who [they] would kill on the forums and why," as a joke. Playing along, the user posted a list of players with silly reasons for why they would kill them.
    • Many users took offense to this question, which prompted an argument. Subsequently, a report was filed to the police regarding "death threats" having been posted.
    • InvisionFree removed Within Hubris from its servers soon afterward. Panicked players began contacting Alex Hall hoping he could bring it back, but he announced that it was impossible, as well as that no back-ups were available. Within Hubris, and most of its content, was lost forever.

August 10, 2012

  • Around 1:00am, a new version of Within Hubris was created by Kafeite, with help from other members. The new version, created using several archived threads, had no ties to the ARG canon, but housed several topics that were able to be recovered from the original site. This new site was given the nickname "Newbris" to differentiate it from the original, now nicknamed "Oldbris".
    • Alex Hall, despite having been invited, was never known to have registered an account on Newbris.
    • Over time, Newbris evolved from a recreation of the original to a general interest forum.

Finding Your Method

April 23, 2019

  • Around 12:00pm, Alex Hall uploaded an introduction video to his new podcast series The Digital Fireside, a sort of prologue to Methods of Revolution. While otherwise unrelated, it contained the following tags:
    • The Digital Fireside, Digital Fireside, Methods of Revolution, Ben Drowned, Alex Hall, Why are you reading this, Technology, career, social, education, internet, social media, talking, philosophy, games

June 19, 2019

  • At 7:05pm, Alex Hall created a Discord server for his Twitch channel, BroGaming. It also served as a place to discuss his other projects, including Ben Drowned and The Digital Fireside.

March 16, 2020

  • Sometime late at night, the BroGaming Twitch channel streamed the creation of several cryptic messages. These events are not currently considered a part of the story, as this stream's contents would later be uploaded to YouTube as a completed video.

Timeline

Preceded by

Haunted Cartridge Arc

Current Arc

Moon Children Arc

Followed by

Awakening Arc