Story (Full) 31
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The story so far...
In the previous section, the players were left with the realization that the "out-of-character" Tyler who attempted to prematurely end Johnisdead was actually Tenebris. It seemed as though their enemies no longer considered the fourth wall to be off-limits - canon entities were now comfortable toying with the meta of the ARG itself to taunt them. This was seen with the arrival of a new faction - a mysterious group of seemingly meta-aware entities who were led by the enigmatic BUP.
BUP was a malicious trickster who enjoyed taunting the players. He also possessed a great deal of power - power that allowed him to effortlessly take control of GHOSTBABEL's account and retroactively influence Yuukichan's death. BUP also seemed very knowledgeable about the world of Johnisdead, claiming to be near-omniscient. Though they were unwilling to reveal their true identity, BUP claims that they've somehow been a member of every version of the Internet Detectives throughout every timeline. Additionally, they claim that they've interacted with the players in the past... They also liken themselves to the "Broker of Nokturnal" - Kaiden's caricature of Nocta. However, it's unknown how deep this comparison goes.
During their chats, BUP revealed some interesting information to the players. First, he claimed that Nocta had been hiding ever since the players nearly destroyed the Astral Observatory to save Moonman. Additionally, SKM and Max have been somehow working alongside some sort of Hacker Group... He also implies that José, the "Archive Guy", met some sort of unfortunate fate - even BUP is currently unaware of his whereabouts... BUP also revealed that he's the one responsible for Greth and Moonman speaking from the year 2016.
The players were also introduced to one of BUP's cohorts - The Producer. Unlike BUP, The Producer was relatively friendly. His role was supposedly producing and supplying various things for BUP, such as music, art, and assets. He claims that he's relatively new in BUP's group and doesn't hold as much power or knowledge. However, over time, his influence seems to have grown.
The players also met another one of BUP's allies - TheLaw. This was actually the same user who first introduced the players to YSHDT.com back in 2015. TheLaw is said to have once held the same position, power, and influence as BUP. However, they've been in some sort of "retirement" until recently and now know very little. At this point, they're little more than a tool to be used by BUP - a self-described "bullet" to be fired in whatever direction BUP points. While they're generally cordial with the players, it's likely that they're still fully loyal to BUP.
The exact hierarchy and inner-workings of BUP's group is a bit of a mystery. The Producer reveals that "IIIII" is also a member of this group, though it's unknown if he's referring to the account itself or one of the entities within it. He claims that "IIIII" technically holds more power that BUP. He also revealed that there's roughly seven members in this group - though that number tends to vary as some members come and go. Additionally, this group and the members within it have supposedly been around for a very long time, or "since the beginning", as he explains. As for the groups overarching goal, The Producer claims that they're attempting to "hack reality" to some degree. However, he also claims that each member has their own individual agendas as well.
During all of this, IsocelesAssassin contacted the players. Here, he notes SKM's absence. Though SKM was supposed to contact the players a few days after "Start Life" went live, he's yet to show himself... IsocelesAssassin believes that some sort of dark forces are responsible for this. He also says that he's still working alongside some allies to get the players into the Subspace. Though he still refuses to reveal who these allies are, he claims that communication with them is very difficult due to as-of-yet unexplained reasons.
While all of this confusing meta-bending interaction was taking place, the players were also growing suspicious of their newest member - Erika. Shortly after the upload of "Start Life", they discovered her Johnisdead Tribute video. Strangely, this video was full of never-before-seen Johnisdead footage involving Tyler, John, Greth, and others. Unfortunately, before they could interrogate further, Erika left out of embarrassment. Thankfully, she rejoined a few weeks later. Hopefully she could provide some desperately needed answers in these confusing times...
Character Summaries
Expand the section below to access a list of characters. Hover over their icons to view a brief summary covering their current status.
Relevant Characters
Tyler
BUP
The Producer
TheLaw
Erika
"Greth"
Moonman
IsocelesAssassin
GHOSTBABEL
Greth
Rune Entity
Tenebris
Other Characters
John
Regiminis
Patrem
Mat
Hubbard
Astral
Tyler
Tyler00
Yugi
Kaiden
Zoromichi
Yuukichan
NotAHoax
Pumpkinhead
The Watcher
Nocta
Doug
Alex
Spencer
Kelbris
Vincent
Adams
SKM
Old Man
Ben
Hubbard
Max
Samuel
Charleston
Luna
Jacob
Helper
Jeremy
J
Rosa
Chris
Hunter
Diana
Hubbard
José
Daniel
Zack Nelson
Kayd
Thomas
David
Danielle
Quia
The Man
Mason
Mason
xxxxxxxxx
The Gray
Man
Ezekiel
Thoth
Jinn
Kuu
Nathen
Hina
Eddie
SheepDog
HarryM1
Alignak
Kalfu
Sin_yarikh
Tsukuyomi
Igaluk
Losna
Hope
Hope's
Friend (M)
Hope's
Friend (F)
Tyler
(SilentDT)
William
Reynolds
Justin
Reynolds
Carla
The Flying
Child
Drowned
Guide
Glossary
Expand the section below to access a list of terms. Hover over them to view their definitions.
Misc.
/x/
152
423
592
727
A
Absque Fascie
Aggregation
Archive
ARG
Ascension
Astral Child
Astral Observatory
Astral Observatory Forums
Astralobservatory.net
Astral Timeline
B
Beacon
Believers
Ben Drowned
Blood Moon Ritual
Bloody Mary
Blue Baby
Bomb Plans
Briefcase
Bullet Necklace
Bunny Hood
BUP's Group
C
Candyman
Cellphone Tower
Ceremony of the Three Elements
Cipher
Cherrington High
Cleverbot
Conduit
Contact Page
Crescent
Crescent Moon Necklace
Cycle
D
Dark Link
Decoy.link
Deku Link
Demon
Detour Sign
Devium
Downloadable Files
Drezz
Drok
E
Elder Children
Electro Drek
Elegy of Emptiness
Elegy Statue
Epona
Epona's Song
Eulogy
F
Fairy
Fakeworld
Father
File 59
Finitor
Fish Ponds
Full
G
Gamejack
Gibbous
GM
Goron Link
Goron Lullaby
Greth Vlogs
Guestbook
H
Hacker Group
Happy Mask Salesman
Harbingers
Harbinger's Link
Haunted Majora's Mask Cartridge
Helper's Hat
Hiatus
Hole
Holy Building
Hubris
Hubris Game
I
IIIII
Internet Detectives
Inverted Song of Time
IRC
J
Jadusable
Jadusable's ARG
Janus Room
JanusVR
Jumping
John's Cellphone Number
Johnisdead.com
K
Kamaro Mask
Key592
Killing Assignment
King Kong
L
Layered Being
Lens of Truth
Letschasethemouse
Libro Lunarus
Link
Link.exe
Listening
Listening Device
Lostmemory.exe
Lostmemory423
Luna Prophecy
Luna's Parallelos
Lunar Children
Lunar Children Forums
Lunar Children Servers
Lunarchildren.com
Lunarum Oculus
Lurch.co
M
M
Majora's Mask
Malagasy
Masks
Mask of Truth
Max Headroom
Messenger
Meta
Methods of Revolution
Minuet of Forest
Moonlight Meeting
Moon Children
Moon Children Forums
N
Neophyte
New Moon
New Wave Bossa Nova
Night of the Father
Novum Ascensionem
Nullstorm
O
Oath to Order
Observation Duty
OOC
Overseer
Overworld
Owl Statue
P
Parallelos
Parallelos Child
Parallelos Forum
Parallelos of the Ascended
Parallelos of the Dead
Parallelos of Time
Parallelos Path
Parallelos Symbol
Pididoip
Playing Cards
Portal
Postman's Hat
Prime Timeline
Pumpkinhead Gamejack
Q
Quiet Family
R
Reading Session
Remember.exe
Red Dot
Redirect Page
Regiminis's Domain
Regiminis Sigil
Revival
Room 592
Rosa
S
Safehaven
Samsara
Scrying
Scrying Device
Shazbot
Silent Hill
Silentdork
Skull Kid
Skype
Sleeproom
Sonata of Awakening
Song of Double Time
Song of Healing
Song of Soaring
Song of Storms
Song of Time
Song of Unhealing
SSTV Signal
Steganography
Stone Mask
Strand Sensations
Submitting
Sub-Parallelos
Sub-Traversing
Subspace
Sun's Song
T
Tatl
Tenebris Symbol
Tenebris.link
Tenor
The Blackout
The Bridge
The Cataclysm
The Gate
The Factory
The Fishery
The Four Giants
The Glitch
The Killswitch
The Legend
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
The Misguided
The Misguided Legion
The Moon
The Ocarina
The Orchard
The Paths
The Poem
The Rule of Three
The Spire
The Three Silver Secrets
The Truth
The Whiteout
TheLinkMissing
TheTruth.rtf
Time Bomb
Time Links
Transcendence
Traversing
Truth Seeker
U
Undecim Nocte
Usekeb
V
Vigil
Vocaroo
W
Wayward Horizon
Weenie-Licked
Whatisben.com
WireTalk
Within Hubris
Wyndstrom Institute
Y
Youshouldnthavedonethat.net
YSHDT.com
Z
Zora Link
Story
Before we proceed further into December of 2019, we need to take a step back and address a lingering mystery that arose shortly after the "Start Life" went live around Unecim Nocte 2019.
Notice: This chapter contains many religious references and esoteric concepts. These are often cryptically used to refer to various characters and mechanics within the story. Explanations and summaries for these concepts are provided at several points throughout the chapter. If you are still confused, do not worry - you do not need to fully understand these concepts in order to understand the story of Johnisdead. While these allusions provide a great deal of foreshadowing and symbolic meaning to the story, they aren't absolutely necessary to follow along.
Back on November 12th, 2019, Erika's Johnisdead tribute video was prematurely discovered by the players. Interestingly, this video consisted almost entirely of never-before-seen footage that included Tyler, Greth, John, and others. Given her access to exclusive footage and general odd behavior, many players began suspecting that Erika was not just another player but was instead a canon character... Unfortunately, before they were able to interrogate her, Erika left the Discord server - mainly out of embarrassment due to her tribute video leaking.
Thankfully, Erika returned on November 17th, 2019. As a reminder, this was all taking place during the events of the previous chapter. Erika was greeted warmly upon rejoining the Internet Detectives Discord server.
Ayyy girl!
How you doin!
I take not even passes as a joke that come not from my Tyler thank you
(I am joking however) hello ^^
@IIIII I dreamt last night you were getting attacked on the sidewalk somewhere. Even if you can’t respond now Tyler I know you will get out of whatever you are in right now. I BELIEVE IN YOU
Could you tell us where the footage in your video is from?
I thought you were big followers of his dont you know where all his videos are silly?
Erika claims that she had a dream last night about Tyler getting attacked on a sidewalk - possibly on The Paths in the Parallelos. Additionally, when confronted about the footage found in her tribute video, she acts as though it's just normal footage from the ARG and suggests that the players are silly for not recognizing any of it.
On November 22nd, 2019, Erika became active on Discord once again.
I think I just saw Tyler post a moment ago but I only saw the notification.
Saw something get deleted but dont think it was tyler
Oh well then that is odd. Do others in here find themselves possesed by some sort of dark force?
Nah, sometimes people just post and delete stuff for fun
Shortly afterwards, she began chatting with the player Xenquility in PM's.
I have been a bit scared to ask but did the internet detectives like my tribute I made for silentdork?
Honestly I loved it. Never really listened to MCR beforehand but I’m starting to love them
You wanted to know about where I got the video clips?
Yeah. None of us have any clue where they’re from.
I’ll qoute my lil emo bean boi ~<3
"There’s things that I have done you NEVER should EVER KNOW"
lol
lol
Are we able to know though? I kinda love the clips of greth at the beginning
A friend of mine who helps me get things when I really really want to see them very badly.
But I dont think he would like to be introduced to strangers :p
Any chance of me becoming not a stranger?
I completely understand not wanting to talk to random people on the internet but at this time I could really go for meeting someone that is actually able to do something other than meme
Does this mean you hate me because I happen to really love memes =”[
Oh god no I love memes too
Just seems that we lack extremely impressive allies right now
(Other than you, of course :p)
I mean I can show you my friends channel but he does not make his videos public and he will be grumpy I think if you comment or something.
He is kind of upset right now I think too because his bro is late for something he said he was doing?
Im not sure if he would have wanted me to even mention the last part either X"D
((A link to the Quiet Family YouTube channel is sent.))
Erika claims that she received her exclusive Johnisdead footage from a friend - a friend is supposedly upset about their brother being late for something... This sounds suspiciously like Max, as his brother SKM is running late for his rendezvous with the players. Erika also reveals that the Quiet Family YouTube channel actually belongs to this friend, implying that the channel belongs to Max himself. This makes sense considering that the channel previously featured messages from both Max and SKM.
How exactly Max ended up inside the Quiet Family YouTube channel is a bit of a mystery, as he was last seen trapped within the Bullet Necklace. Regardless, it seems as though he's able to regularly communicate with Erika and send her videos. However, he seems very paranoid - so much so that Erika asks the player Xenquility to not leave any comments on the Quiet Family channel.
By this point, players weren't sure what to make of Erika. While she seemed to hold unique connections to canon characters like Max, she still presented herself as just another player. Additionally, the GM's and other characters seemed to be completely unaware of her. This led to a great deal of confusion regarding the status of her canonicity - something that was only heightened by the fact that none of her interactions were being added to the Johnisdead Wiki.
Don’t wanna seem pushy but if you’re able to link any of his video’s that’d be great
>.>" UH
Nah mate dont think that would be the best idea right now, he pays close attention to the views. I think I might lose my cool setup with him if I did something like that.
Then I would not be able to get my special tyler videos even if they end up corrupting a bit here and there by the time I download them and sometimes its not even tyler so it makes me take forever when I am trying to get anything in order to make a good music video for tyler.
Ah okay. No worries then
I won’t bug you about him anymore, but if there’s anything we could know about him in the future, think you could tell me?
Im just happy to be in the internet detectives because it makes me feel like I am closer to Tyler. You can ask me just about anything there.
But I am not a big smarty pants about all sorts of things like you guys are, I just know a lot about Tyler.
Im about to go for a walk I just woke up and need to stretch my legs, but I’ll be back in a little bit when I clear my head.
I got a lot of anxiety right now and I am also scared that maybe Tyler saw my video.
Erika departs to go for a walk. Unfortunately, she's unable to give the players any more information regarding Quiet Family or Max due to his paranoia.
Meanwhile, she continues casually chatting with the players - as seen on November 28th, 2019.
oh shit
hey Erika
Ay Erika How you doin gurl
ey guuuurl
I can’t believe I step away for just a moment and I come back and you are all being sillies xD
Happy thanks giving by the way everyone ~<3 🦃
On November 30th, 2019, Erika continued chatting with the players, showing off her new avatar:
here is my pfp from now which I like a bit more ~<3
I had to tweak my old pfp a bit to fit more to who I really am at heart
Though this change mostly amounted to a subtle change in coloration, she claims it better fit who she really was at heart. Meanwhile, the players continued discussing recent happenings within the ARG.
New theory
That mask we keep seeing isn’t Matt’s mask
It’s this one, from "First live stream: general talk"
It makes more sense that the mask on Tyler’s door from Greth Vlogs 5 is this mask
He found it when walking in the woods near the fishery
By the coloration I would reckon it must be the property of none other than his old friend Kevin.
The form I have learned he took on favors these colors above others. Probably for something really silly but meaningful to him =p
Where did you find that out?
I was reading
god my heart is beating really fast
Not because I am scared lol
But because I was also going for a jog while I read >w>
Tyler has not been around lately right <w<"
Not that we know of, but right now we don’t really know what’s happening
I always know what is going on with my silentdork in my heart ~but I only tell certain people how~
Erika speculates that the strange demon-looking mask with the "R" on it that Tyler found back in 2018 actually belonged to Kevin - mainly due to its red coloration. She also claims that she has some secret method of knowing what's happening to Tyler but she doesn't reveal what it is... She also seems to be on yet another walk.
Later that night, Erika once again PM'd the player Xenquility, acting a bit strange...
((Erika sends a message about a dream she had - one where she was chased by a version of Tyler with strangely colored eyes.))
A dream about Tyler chasing you?
I missed the part about his eyes
Trust me, don’t disregard your dreams
I will show you one secret thing but you have to make a promise
do you remember what I need to have in order to speak better?
I’m not entirely sure
Could you remind me?
I have always avoided saying anything unimportant when I can
its a good habbit
My mum taught me its the best way not to go looney XD
I can see where she’s coming from but this conversation seemed pretty important
You never told me the promise
I already told you everything you need to know ^^;
IIIhelpIII
Shit
Don’t fucking die
Erika claims that she had a strange dream where a strange version of Tyler was chasing her. After this, she offers to give the player Xenquility a secret. However, before she can detail the conditions of this, she goes off on a tangent about "not saying anything unimportant" before suddenly asking for help.
Do you need the song?
I have plenty of good music I am listening to right now actually ^^
"Why cant we just be friends" its not that easy but its half of the fun WHEN YOU THROW THE FIRST PUNCH X3
((A distorted screenshot of Erika's Discord join message is sent and quickly deleted.))
((Erika's screenshot is reposted.))
You good?
PLEASE DELETE THAT I THINK HE IS LOOKING
SHHHHHHHH
Erika suddenly posts a distorted screenshot of Discord - specifically a message that was automatically generated when she joined the Internet Detectives Discord server. However, when the player Xenquility reposts this image, she panics, claiming that "HE" is looking. Shortly after this, the IIIII account in the Internet Detectives begins counting down...
IIIII
IIII
III
II
I
Thankfully, the player Xenquility deletes the image before the IIIII account reaches zero... Given Erika's panic, it's likely that this was actually Tenebris. What exactly would have happened had he reached zero is unknown... Regardless, this implies that Tenebris is watching Erika - possibly cementing her status as a canon character. Back in PM's, Erika continues chatting with Xenquility.
I dont think he liked my song but I dont think he knew what I meant either thankfully ^^
Have you editted your tribute video at all?
OWO I have been working REALLY hard on a new one
I have been listening to a lot of new music lately that feels like it talks so much about Tyler and his friends and his life
Do you know anything about that white figure we kept seeing?
I remember you asking me something else but then i had a spook moment and i had to run a lil
((The screenshot of Erika's Discord join message is sent once again.))
ok this is the most clear I think I can be with you here you. I have to be careful not to show the wrong colours.
((A link to the song "The First Punch" by Pierce The Veil is sent.))
When was the time? Why not search it?
111
((A link to Erika's tribute video is sent.))
remember what we talked about before?
Sorry I was spacing out I am still pretty far away from home and I thnk its probably because I got myself turned around for a sec while jogging, ooops ^^;
I don’t recall the exact context of that question actually
thats ok I have to disapear for a bit, I think you will figure it out
Erika sends an assortment of strange message along with links to songs - specifically ones that she's been quoting recently. Eventually, the players theorize that Erika is trying to communicate something but isn't able to for whatever reason - presumably because Tenebris is still watching her. Thankfully, the players have a solution.
We have something
For you specifically
hm?
Oh boy a present of some kind? >w>
Indeed
((The "New Wave Bossa Nova" is submitted.))
I will now say rather plainly, would you kindly find for me a place I can disclose things without the prying eyes of one whom is possesed.
Seeing as though Erika is having trouble communicating, it felt obvious to submit the song that makes it easier for mute individuals to speak - the "New Wave Bossa Nova". This ends up being a success, allowing Erika to finally articulate her condition - she wishes to have a private location where she can chat with the players away from Tenebris.
Thankfully, the players already had a location like this - the "Safest Haven Discord Server", which was briefly used during the Pumpkinhead Gamejack. The players added Erika to the group and continued chatting with her - this time with much more freedom.
I have been waiting forever for this
I am at last an actualized player of johnisdead
how did you get in here
I invited her
oh
nvm
I invited myself you just took too long to give me the invitation thank you ^^
Because you have given me this I can now safely give you something in return without it creating too much of an issue
((A link to the video "the introduction (taken early)" is sent.))
Erika shares a new video with the players - "the introduction (taken early)". This video simply contains the now-deleted first half of "Start Life". Interestingly, this video was uploaded to the Quiet Family YouTube channel.
oh shitt
how you did get thattt
A friend nabbed it in mid production for me xp
heheheh now I am playing around with big buttons saying this kind of stuff
this is fun
GOD this is so liberating
No commenting on the video, I presume?
Would probably be the safest route for now
Was losing hope a few hours in really to be fair
But my word what a pay off, the powers that be told me you were all just playing pretend in there and that was not where the real game was happening
I am also good at playing pretend ^^
Erika implies that Max is responsible for archiving the video above. However, due to his paranoia, it's still best to play it safe and not leave any comments. Erika also views her arrival in the players' secret chat room as though it were some sort of great milestone for herself - though this could simply be because she feels as though she's now been properly vetted and fully accepted as one of them.
Now that I am in here I can say something I have never been able to say before. But I just realized
you would all probably be happy to hear this now
I have a gift that lets me get as close to Tyler as I do that I have had to work very hard to foster and enjoy
Like uh
A necklace or something that reminds you of him?
Or uh a letter?
No silly I am psychic =p
woah
alright what is he thinking right now
thats parlor trickery and magic refuses to play under such conditions
magic will not run as a rat through a maze
what about a hippo through a jungle?
ok you made me giggle XD
Erika finally reveals the method through which she can feel "closer" to Tyler - she's psychic. How exactly she uses her psychic abilities is still a mystery, though.
Thankfully, Erika returned on December 2nd, 2019 to answer more questions.
I want to test my powers just a bit because if I have not made it clear enough I also have a bit of hidden power.
I just had to be careful showing it in my previous position.
Would anyone like me to read a fortune?
sorry if I do badly I dont often get the chance to try ^^;
For anyone but myself anyways, but thats how reading works anyways so thats ok too I guess xp
Sure, I'm down.
How’s this work? Do I need to do anything?
No no not at all just pick a person you might be caring about and Ill see what I can do
Alright. Well, the obvious first pick would be our mutual friend, Tyler.
Im not in the mood for talking about him outloud right now, wakes sleeping giants really ^^;
Besides my connection with tyler is very personal >///>
Okay, then, someone else.
You’re in the main discord too, right? Any chance you could read “BUP”’s fortune?
OOOOOOOOooooooooooooo what a strange figure XD
this one might be tricky also but I’ll give it a quick try, he seems to be really far off to the edge of the sphere however, almost in his whole own bubble really ^^
I'll focus, brb
I journeyed far on bup just now and cuold not see the forest through the trees on this one sadly
I know he is of "something very foreign yet very close to home”
Erika offers to read some fortunes of various different characters. However, she declines the offer to read Tyler's fortune, worrying that doing so would "wake sleeping giants" - possibly implying that Tyler is a special case and somewhat dangerous. She attempts to read BUP's fortune but isn't able to learn much. She claims that BUP is "far off to the edge of the sphere, almost in his whole own bubble" and "something very foreign yet very close to home". What exactly this all means is a mystery.
Wanna give it another go on someone else?
I still have some power left ask away mate ^^
I’m still interested in hearing about SKM - we were supposed to hear from him recently and still haven’t.
I’m a bit worried.
"He makes large promises he can’t cash in on"
Im hearing a lot, one moment
Well, that's not wrong.
Useful to know he bails on promises with others too, though.
I’ll NOT have him bad mouthed he is a good man and that much I can feel
He has been trying to find some way to communicate for some time now I can see.
But his appearances in this world become more and more phantom like.
I hope he is not fading, I beg of yee oh god that his spirit might carry on!
Nay, say thee of the sphere, walkers of the lines, for imprints fade but with strange eons a soul may find aid
run now oh rosecrucian rose like the rain of the pettles of the ogdoad.
Beauty fleeting unto sun lit night, awaken under luellas light. The masked lad shall find fearfully the glad.
When asked about SKM, Erika gives a rather complicated answer. We'll attempt to break this down piece by piece. If you'd simply like a summary then skip down below this section.
His appearances in this world become more and more phantom-like. I hope he is not fading, I beg of ye, oh God, that his spirit might carry on!
Erika claims that something is happening to SKM that is causing him to become a bit more ephemeral and elusive - not too unlike a ghost or phantom. She begs "God" to help SKM's spirit persist.
"Nay", say thee of the sphere - walkers of the lines - for imprints fade, but with strange eons a soul may find aid.
The "God" seemingly answers Erika - someone who is also supposedly "Of the sphere" and a "Walker of the lines". Unfortunately, it's unknown what exactly the "sphere" and "lines" are referring to.
This "God" seems to deny Erika's request. However, they add that while someone's "imprint" may fade, their soul will still be aided after time has passed.
Run now, oh Rosicrucian Rose, like the rain off the petals of the Ogdoad.
The "Rosicrucian Rose" is a symbol related to both Christianity, Hermeticism, and Alchemy. Put simply, it deals with the concept of spiritual awakening and the evolution of one's own soul. Meanwhile, the "Petals of the Ogdoad" are likely referencing ancient Egyptian beliefs surrounding the creation of the world - mainly the Ogdoad of Hermopolis.
While it's interesting that these concepts are bring introduced, they don't seem to relate much to SKM himself. That is, unless, the "Rosicrucian Rose" is meant to be a stand-in for SKM himself. This would imply that SKM himself is undergoing some sort of awakening or transformation - though it's unknown if this is physical, mental, spiritual, or perhaps even on a meta level...
Beauty fleeting unto sunlit night, awaken under Luella's light.
The concept of a sun shining in the middle of night is a bit of a familiar concept that we'll likely return to later. However, it doesn't seem to be referencing anything in relation to SKM. "Luella" is also a bit of a mystery. It's possible that this is simply a strange way of referring to Luna herself - mainly due to the name's similarity and the idea of her emitting light - not too unlike moonlight.
The masked lad shall find fearfully the glad.
The "Masked Lad" is likely referring to SKM. Supposedly, SKM is going to have a frightful encounter someone who is glad...
SKM's presence is somehow becoming more ephemeral and ghost-like - possibly due to him being within the Parallelos. Thankfully, it does not seem as though SKM will completely fade - though it is implied that he'll undergo some sort of awakening or transformation. Whether or not this change will be physical, spiritual, or something else is unknown. However, SKM will supposedly have a fearful encounter with someone who Erika simply refers to as "The Glad".
Erika alludes to some sort of god-like figure who is "Of the sphere" and the "Walker of the Lines". She also references a "Sunlit night" and seemingly refers to Luna as "Luella".
Suddenly, Erika begins hearing several more voices speaking about SKM in quick succession:
"He has been withheld by the null thralls once more."
"Timelessly the promise is remembered as failed and redeemed."
"Forever awaiting the return."
"Passing brothers like a torch"
I had to stop too many voices at once ^^;
Now my head hurts D"X
The voices speaking to Erika whisper cryptic messages related to SKM. They imply that the reason why SKM has been unable to contact the players is because he's trapped within "The Null Thralls" once again. What exactly this is referring to is unknown. The voices also once again mention SKM's habit of not fulfilling his promises - as well as making people wait on him. Strangely, they also reference the concept of "passing brothers like a torch". The "brother" here is likely referencing Max. However, the wording also seems to be a reference to the phrase "Passing the torch", as in handing off ownership and responsibility to others - possibly referring to him handing Max off to Tyler via the Bullet Necklace.
Afterwards, the players decide to ask about someone else - the strange figure who was seen in "guidance.mp4". As a reminder, this entity was wearing a flannel shirt and what appeared to be SKM's gas mask. They were seen standing behind the Mannequin Entity in proximity to the Majora's Mask Cartridge. This led to many speculating that it may have actually been Tenebris.
Hey Erika, would you happen to have any clue of what the masked figure in "guidance.mp4” is doing?
I don’t like that thing and I am sorry I had to be reminded x.x
Walking home from work now btw, was an easy shift I guess ^^
Oh, sorry for reminding you. Didn’t realise it was that bad. Is it safe to assume that thing is not SKM?
It collects trinkets
Look at how much it carries really and just marvel for a moment
Disgusting materialistic behavior, not fit for me or you I reckon rightly xp
I wonder if he stole that mask at some point or gave it away first?
Sorry I am confusing myself now ^^
Erika seems very uneasy talking about this entity. She claims that it enjoys collecting "trinkets" and exhibits very materialistic behavior. She also ponders the movements of its gas mask, wondering if the entity stole it or gave it away at some point. While none of this is definitive, this entity's trait of "collecting" things seems to line up fairly well with Tenebris, who was once said to possess countless other spirits within him. Given all of this evidence, it's probably safe to assume that the flannel-wearing gas-masked entity is indeed Tenebris.
I think I could stand one more question, even though I never liked 4. This would be your 4th question if you asked now right? I’m awful at math with normal numbers <w<;”
Hmm
What can you tell us about the white entity?
"The child"
"The young"
"The still boy"
I have heard many whispering voices name it. It is an emination. A reflection. A energy sink. Also rather painful to think about ^^"
I have seen him in private without influence and he is rather sweet when un touched. It is disgusting to make him anything other than as he is, only filthy souls desire otherwise.
Such are the words the whispering noise brings
Wow that was very scary actually but now I feel excited and like I want to run very fast XD
Now I feel a lot of energy because its not all negative energy their either with that one, he is good at heart 💚
The players ask about the Mannequin Entity - the white, featureless figure that's been seen several times throughout the ARG. As a reminder, this entity first appeared in Drowned's "Please Help" videos on Skype as he was about to be given to Tenebris. It was also somehow involved in the ritual involving the Majora's Mask Cartridge seen in "guidance.mp4". It was also recently spotted on the bridge in the Parallelos in-front of tyler.
Erika hears voices describing the Mannequin Entity as "The child. The young. The still boy.". She claims that this entity is inherently good and sweet. Unfortunately, he is often influenced and corrupted by others. Given this entity's connection to the Majora's Mask Cartridge and Drowned, it's likely that it is meant to represent Ben. This would explain how he is a good-hearted boy who is corrupted by others, seeing how Tenebris used him as a conduit for many years.
However, Erika also describes this entity as "An emanation. A reflection. An energy sink.", so there may be more to the Mannequin Entity than simply being Ben...
I think I can answer one more and round it off to 5 actually
Much better number for a well rounded time I really think~
(This is sort of a preliminary as to what we can ask so if this is going to act as the 5th question dont answer it)
Are there any topIcs that you are forbIdden from answerIng? I just don’t want to rIsk anythIng bad happening from questionIng lol
I just cant be as forward as I would like to yet ^^
Ask questions, get answers. This feels like such an old and tired concept. But a short conversation is sometimes all I need to light my trail up (and my phone camera light because this street is always so dark for me) >m>;
And I love proving to people I am serious business =d
I dont just know a lot about Tyler, I know a LOT about his life and whats going on around him and I am always working on finding out more ^^
Well, if all hell breaks loose from asking this I’m sorry, but it’s one of the most important things we need to know right now.
What can you tell us about the IIIIIIs?
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO you have asked such a WONDERFUL QUESTION
I’LL BE RIGHT BACK I HAVE TO SPRINT
UGLY YET BEAUTIFUL I RECKON ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Erika becomes incredibly excited when asked about IIIII. She suddenly begins sprinting during her walk, seemingly describing IIIII itself as "ugly yet beautiful".
God its so hard to explain it
Dissolution but reformation
Such a dynamic symbol really, very powerful (I know a lot about symbols actually) honestly this is not even making me have to use any power so I would hardly count this as a question
The lines
The many lines and the 5 that define
I guess you could say it is something like one of these but on a smaller and less reality warping level when applied
((The "Kabbalistic Tree of Life" by Patricia Waldygo is sent.))
I spoiler this because this is actually really high magic I am not a fan of that can give you really spooky (read not good) results if played with in a silly way <.<;
but so too are the lines
Erika describes "IIIII" as a very powerful symbol - something that's related to "dissolution and reformation", or the acts of both breaking something down and reforming them back together - not too unlike various aspects of alchemy. She also implies that each individual line in "IIIII" defines something - a concept that shouldn't be too unfamiliar considering that they've been used to represent different characters. (A single "I" representing Tenebris and four "IIII" representing the Rune Entity.)
Erika also posts a stylized depiction of the Kabbalah, claiming that "IIIII" is somewhat similar to it.
The Kabbalah, also sometimes referred to as the "Tree of Life", is an esoteric concept connected to Jewish mysticism. Largely speaking, it acts as a sort of general "map of reality" that details man's connection to the divine. Each "branch" or "step" within the Kabbalah represents a different trait - examples being "Endurance", "Strength", and "Wisdom". The higher up one goes through the Kabbalah, the closer one becomes to divinity.
This might suggest that the different I's within "IIIII" are similar to the different steps of the Kabbalah, with individual lines representing different things and each one being closer to the "divine" than the one before it.
Who are the 5 that define the lines?
No one people define the lines and that is part of what makes them so dangerous. When layed upon one it gives you access to 5 layers of being. However this is a really dumbed down explanation on the many angles that define this really powerful symbol.
It is a key to understanding the absolute when correctly applied
But it cannot be looked at with a flat mind
I am not a super expert so I dont play with it too much ^^
But I do actually use it when I am doing my psychic readings along with a few other little tricks (but those are my secrets I wont tell~)
Erika claims that the five lines aren't exclusively used to refer to five separate individuals but more accurately five different layers of being - not too unlike the different parts of the Kabbalah. That being said, some individuals such as Tenebris and the Rune Entity still seem to be represented by these different lines - as mentioned previously. The main point that Erika seems to be stressing is that these individual lines act as more than just "names" or "identifiers" - they also represent "layers" and "states". Unfortunately, what these individual "layers" and "states" are exactly is still unknown...
Erika says that the five lines are rather complex and "cannot be looked at with a flat mind". However, using them correctly is somehow a "key to understanding the absolute", and Erika herself somehow uses them when doing her psychic readings - to some extent at least.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but are you saying that when we interact with one we have access to all 5 layers?
Well following the little bit of magic theory I have learned both in my reading (and a certain kind of class I sometimes go attend) You are any time you interact with anything at all so long as you are aware that you yourself are not not living ( I am paraphrasing a lot here xp)
I am guessing though you are actually asking about @IIIII
Correct. You speak of five beings, does that make reference to the fifth element?
I just felt something wierd in my head one moment ^^;
That was an unpleasant feeling, I might have went too hard on myself earlier with all of the null gazing DX
I wish I could lay down for a nap my eyes feel very tired now, but I have to keep walking I dont want to stay out here in the dark either =”[
I want to tell you something really crazy right now >w> but I dont know how ok this would be
The five I's
The five eyes
As far as I can see the 5th is not just a who but a what
I dont wanna look too close but thats also because it would be really redundant for me to do that and thats silly
"If you look in the mirror and dont like what you see, you’ll find out first hand what its like to be me."
I once heard a voice whisper about the song of the 5th
the 5 who feel they are dying
Erika claims that we are all interacting with the five lines any time we interact with anything at all, showcasing just how broad of a concept the symbol can be. Additionally, while "IIII" represents the Rune Entity and "I" represents Tenebris", "IIIII" moreso represents a "what" rather than a "who", implying that it's a much broader and specialized concept compared to the other lines. In reference to this, she quotes lyrics about looking into a mirror. She also says that she doesn't want to peer too closely into what "IIIII" is because it would be "really redundant" to do. This is all still very vague and doesn't fully explain what the completed five lines represent - only that it's a very broad and special concept.
Forgive me for being a luddite when it comes to esoterics, but could the five at all be referencing the concept of the aether?
Well first I guess you have to ask what Aether is by your reckoning
I guess the space in which gods lived
Though it’s also represented by the quintessence
Truthfully I hardly know about any of this so forgive me if I sound stupid
OOO I love talking about gods and the absolute
Most gods are personal beings on different scales that exist spaced out on the inside and outside of time
They reform and take shape in many ways for individuals who need them for key things (or when they decide they want to depending on their attitude)
the only thing that exists in a truly universal sense is the absolute (the only thing you will ever hear me simply call god)
As far as I am able to directly see yes gods live here around and within the lines.
Different people use different names a lot also for things so that can make stuff confusing too
Its easiest when you gain the power of eyes for the symbols as I have (for better and worse) then you can see the elements that relate between things instead of getting confused by redundancy
Like, for example, I know of some people that call this place the "parallelos” I think it is?
Correct. Well, they use that term to denote alternate worlds I think
this would be a helpful word to apply however its a limited word that only functions in the context of one system.
It can apply but it will not describe fully what it touches upon.
Cool looking old wizard men have tried to write their words straight for hundreds of years but their pens just dance and dance to find a nice spot to stop and shake hands.
Its so beautiful really =”]
I could just swoon thinking about the evolution of language and magic and how linguistics is truly an art of spellcasting in and of itself ~<3
but I think I am getting side tracked XD
Would it actually help our understanding to be studying these things?
lol yes and no
This world is very complicated, sometimes such things can give you minor insights to very odd sub realities.
If you have the right kind of mindset you can even use such views to get an edge on things that may or may not be happening.
YOU PROBABLY WONT BECOME PSYCHIC LIKE ME BECAUSE I AM GIFTED THOUGH LOL
srry if that sounded mean <.<;
This exchange touches upon a variety of different subjects. First, the player Xenquility questions if the concept of "IIIII" - five complete lines - could be compared to that of the "Aether", or the "Quintessence". For reference, the "Aether" is a mythological fifth element in addition to Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. It was believed that this fifth element is connected to the heavens and the divine. Erika doesn't give a definitive answer, instead saying that it simply depends on what someone's definition of the "Aether" is.
The conversation then shifts into a discussion about gods in general - as well as "The Absolute". In broad terms, "The Absolute" refers to the most "True" version of reality - the highest layer of reality in which "God" lives. Others interpret "The Absolute" as being God itself. Regardless, one can think of "The Absolute" as the most true, unchanging, and supreme reality, realm, or layer in existence.
Erika seems to hold "The Absolute" in a rather high regard, claiming that it's the only thing she'll personally and truly refer to as "God". She also claims that other "Gods" are more personal beings that often go by different names and serve different purposes - a far cry from the singular unchanging "Absolute". However, she implies that these "Gods" do exist "around and within the lines". This could imply that the so-called "Absolute" and these "Lesser Gods" both exist within the world of Johnisdead.
Erika also touches upon how different people have different names and beliefs regarding the same divine beings. She likens this redundancy to how certain terms such as "Parallelos" can be used to describe a variety of different concepts depending on who's defining it. This makes sense, considering how the term "Parallelos" has been used to describe a set of teachings (The Parallelos Path), a general classification (Parallelos of the Dead, Parallelos of the Ascended, ect.), or just a general all-encompassing term for a location (THE Parallelos). Overall, this is just meant to portray how different things can be referred to with different terms - as well as singular terms describing multiple different things. Because of this, Erika likens linguistics itself as a sort of magic - one that she holds a good amount of fondness for.
Fortunately, Erika implies that none of these concepts are really necessary to fully understand what's going on - though being familiar with them will help.
Well my brain is sufficiently screwed
OH lol mine too all the time XD
All this magic talk has me so excited, but be careful its all also very dangerous if you dont be careful when treading such a world as magic.
Remember to keep protected your own unique connection to that which you find as god in your heart and life.
This is the default life line of the spirit that holds you from tottal corruptions
(some completely lose this as I have been deeply pained to see with my own eyes D"x)
Ill end off with this though, if you want to know of some people that know too much and yet not enough. It is the individuals Tyler called the "Lunar children"
Bad people mixed with sad people
very sad D"X
And they make mockeries of good gods
their faith is farce
(but somehow still holds bits and pieces of important wisdom)
Erika warns against the dangers of certain magic. She says that no one should ever lose their unique connection to their spirituality in their heart, as this is what keeps them safe from corruption. She also references the Lunar Children, claiming that they knew both "too much" and "not enough" - likely in reference to how much of their teachings were fake. However, they still were touching upon some truths and preforming actual magic.
Interestingly, Erika implies that Luna herself is a "good god" who was simply made into a mockery by the Lunar Children - likely through misinterpretations and misunderstanding - possibly intentionally.
As many do I have a patron who acts as my go between for absolute
She is of roman origin
And her linguistics path leads one too insanity XD (or so they say)
That being said may you have a good night my battery is getting low
You all make me happy in this dark street ^^
Erika claims that she has her own patron god that she believes in. While she recognizes that this patron god is not "The Absolute", they act as a sort of middle-man between her and it. Unfortunately, she does not reveal who this patron god is - only that they are of Roman origin and are somewhat connected to insanity...
That being said may you have a good night my battery is getting low
You all make me happy in this dark street ^^
Erika signs off, wishing everyone a good night. The players had quite a bit to stew on - many esoteric concepts and possibilities had just been introduced to them. To once again summarize everything discussed with Erika:
Erika is added to the "Safest Haven Discord Server" - something she takes great pride in, as she believes it now proves that she's a TRUE player of Johnisdead. Now that she's in a location with some added privacy, she reveals her secret that allows her to "get close" to Tyler - she is psychic. This psychic power seemingly allows her to gain insight and hear voices whispering about various different characters. She proceeds to showcase this power by using it on various characters requested by the players.
She seems unwilling to demonstrate this power on Tyler, claiming that her connection to him is "rather personal" and that it may also be dangerous - awakening "sleeping giants". In regards to BUP, she claims that he's "very foreign yet very close to home" and "on the edge of the sphere - almost entirely in his own bubble". For SKM, Erika claims that his spirit is becoming more ephemeral and phantom-like. He seems to be undergoing some sort of change, though his soul will supposedly be aided and won't disappear completely. However, he will eventually have a frightful encounter with someone referred to as "The Glad".
Erika describes the Mannequin Entity as "The Child. The Young". She claims that he is very good and sweet, though he's often corrupted and influenced by more nefarious souls. This seems to imply that it is meant to represent Ben - to some extent, at least. She also claims that it acts as "An energy sink", so perhaps there's more to this entity. She also further implies that the gas mask-wearing entity seen in "guidance.mp4" is Tenebris. She holds a good deal of disgust for it, claiming that it is very materialistic.
Erika also speaks about the "IIIII" symbol, which she describes as very dynamic and complex. She likens "IIIII" to the Kabbalah - A "Tree of Life" symbol in which each layer represents a different trait of humanity. The higher up one goes through the layers, the closer one becomes to divinity itself. Likewise, each "I" within "IIIII" is implied to represent a different trait, layer, or concept - in addition to being used to reference certain entities such as the Rune Entity or Tenebris. As for the entire complete "IIIII" - five whole lines - Erika claims that this represents a "what" moreso than a "who", though what exactly this is isn't explained.
After this lengthy conversation with Erika, the players decided to officially add her to the Johnisdead Wiki, officially deeming her to be a canon character.
This now catches us back up to where we left off in the previous chapter - with the players coming to the slightly concerning realization that The Producer's power and influence was growing...
On December 9th, 2019, The Producer spoke with the players once again.
The average Johnisdead player
inaccurate
this is implying any brain activity takes place
i mean, consider the facts:
true
which is why i come here to smooth my brain out every now and then
pfff
I mean some of us are trying to figure things out
im aware of this
which is why im here to act as your link
your steak in the ground
an unyeilding bastion of sense in these trying times
as everything i say makes sense
ill tell you this much - you are all in an very unfavorable position
things are very chaotic and fluid
we've noticed
wait
you’re our link?
no
ok I just wanna be sure
Why help us?
im helping you because i pity you
and by unfavorable position I mean just everything that is happening
these are no longer linear mechanics we are dealing with
i cannot go into much detail
i cannot control context, only content
well alright thats not 100% true I do have some influence but not as much as others
I can’t give you any straight answers but perhaps I can train you
prep your thinking
He’s gonna “produce” us some functioning brains
im not a miracle worker
The Producer claims that he's helping the players because he takes pity on them. He also acknowledges how confusing things have been recently, noting that they're no longer dealing with purely linear mechanics. Instead, things are now rather fluid and chaotic. Symbols have been introduced that seemingly represent multiple different characters and concepts. The lines between "canon" and "reality" are beginning to blur as these new Layered Beings toy with the players. While The Producer claims that he can't outright give them all the answers, he can possibly do something to "train" them and "prep their thinking".
Meanwhile, the players continue discussing just how confusing things have gotten in recent times:
man remember when most of the people we met had proper physical bodies that they were born with
I sure do
good times
Are you making a commentary on the evolution of european man now good sir?
uh no
Im talking about the fact when this started we were in contact with mostly regular people who mostly didnt have supernatural powers
we often say thngs we dont want to even when we try to say nothing at all, this is the pain of seeing things with the powers for I know them in every angle by which they can be seen
Oh I am interrupting something I think, that is alright I need to continue my walk and get my own business done so pardon me XD
head has felt rather odd for the last few days anyways ^^
allow me now to go try and clear it
Would trying to produce something that would give us a fighting chance be an interesting enough problem for you?
you will always have a fighting chance
Sure, but right now we’re kinda fighting blind against a lot of factions way more knowledgeable and powerful than us.
a good idea for all to do is compartmentalize
what are all of the factions you are fighting against?
The Lunar Children are making noise, Nocta’s AO crew are still out there, and now BUP’s around too. And the IIIII’s, too.
The LC are behind a password so we dont even know what they’re doing, Nocta’s hiding and we’re waiting on other people to get into his hiding place, and we have no idea what BUP or the IIIII’s are.
its possible who evers got the LC servers isnt technically LC
it certainly sounded like they all disappeared in 2016
well, maybe not all
remember the good old days when the struggle was as simple as one crazed man just trying to #riseup and gain p o w e r
though to be fair that description could fit multiple people, most of them have the same goal but each has a different way they go about it
and now some truly forbidden truths have been uncovered by some very dangerous individuals and they seek the True Ascension
but that is getting into some very dangerous territory, this twisted path will become clear in due time
you all will have your chance to #riseup
but not yet
in the meantime
compartmentalize
layer your thinking
you can only make it to the end of the path one step at a time
The Producer mentions the recent reappearance of a password-protected Lunarchildren.com. He implies that this might not be the work of the Lunar Children themselves since they were mostly wiped out in 2016. However, he also implies that some of them may have survived... Cryptically, he also notes that some dangerous individuals have recently stumbled upon some "forbidden truths". These individuals are now trying to achieve some sort of "True Ascension", though what exactly this means is a mystery...
For the time being, The Producer tells the players that they should compartmentalize all of this information and layer their thinking. There are currently many different moving pieces but they should take things one step at a time. Afterwards, The Producer departs, leaving the players awaiting his eventual "training"...
On December 12th, 2019, the player Slinky ended up accidentally submitting the "Elegy of Emptiness" once again... Shortly after this, the player Wolfcat submitted the "Elegy of Emptiness" as well. Before the players could properly process all of this, a new user suddenly joined the Internet Detectives Discord server - "WintertideDreams". Much like The Producer, Winter's avatar seemed to be another Roblox skybox.
Instead of communicating with the players directly, Winter instead posted a series of cryptic images. First, two images were posted together - "GLUTTON.gif" and "FULL.gif".
Afterwards, a series of other images were posted - each one seemingly being labelled as an "asset" of sorts...
"1_faceless.gif" - A disturbing faceless creature.
"2_decoration.gif" - An image of space with faces faintly overlayed.
"3_realms.gif" - A distorted blotch similar in appearance to the Parallelos.
"4_decoration.gif" - A screaming pixelated face.
"5_depiction.gif" - A distorted portrait of a woman.
On December 17th, 2019, WintertideDreams suddenly underwent a transformation. Their username changed to "HarvestMemories" and their avatar became another Roblox skybox - albeit one that was distorted and monochrome. Unlike WintertideDreams, HarvestMemories seemed to be a bit more talkative.
I'm still here
With black curtains
I'll always be here
Until it's over
Twenty-Five
reboot
HarvestMemories seemed much more wistful and somber than WintertideDreams. This was reflected in the names of their strange images - "WASTEDPOTENTIALITIES.gif" and "AIMLESSDIRECTION.gif". Shortly after this, they posted an odd video as well - "ABANDONEDDREAMS.webm".
Description
N/A
<--- Click for Video Transcript
This video simply features two circular objects merging and exploding.
Summary
- This video simply features two circular objects merging and exploding.
Afterwards, HarvestMemories transformed back into WintertideDreams and resumed posting strange images. These images were once again sandwiched between "FULL.gif" and "empty.gif", just like last time.
"1_decoration.gif" - A series of digital-looking distortions.
"2_skin.gif" - A strange smokey-looking texture.
"3_wall.gif" - A drawing of a strange-looking figure surrounded by illegible text.
On December 20th, 2019, WintertideDreams transformed back into HarvestMemories and posted "UNQUENCHEDTHIRST.gif" - an image that looked fairly similar to IIIII's avatar. They also shared another cryptic video - "MEMORIES.webm".
Description
N/A
<--- Click for Video Transcript
This video contains distorted footage of someone browsing the original Within Hubris forums from 2011. Occasionally, WintertideDreams' avatar fades in.
Summary
- This video contains distorted footage of someone browsing the original Within Hubris forums from 2011. Occasionally, WintertideDreams' avatar fades in.
Afterwards, HarvestMemories spoke with the players - this time a bit more clearly. However, most of their messages were encoded in Caesar Ciphers - ones that were hidden behind the key "Remember".
I'll sleep in this place
With the lonely crowd.
we talking spooky?
Only reminiscing.
Do you remember?
In my heart, I am still there.
It has a hold on me.
But I don't want to leave.
This dude is crazy
i dont know what this says and im too lazy to figure out what to do to translate it
It's okay.
It's okay.
It's okay.
I'm speaking not sense but sensation.
I've been here for 7 years.
No, not those two.
But I am determined to see this world through to its end.
HarvestMemories seems to be reminiscing about something - most likely Within Hubris itself, given the context. This lines up with the mention of "7 years", considering that the original incarnation of Within Hubris was last active seven years ago in 2012. Strangely, they also post a distorted image of the number "25". This is actually a corrupted screenshot from the player Wolfcat's webcomic, Weenie-Licked. As mentioned previously, this webcomic was hosted on the Within Hubris forums before later being moved to Wolfcat's own personal website Meatouchers.com.
Interestingly, Weenie-Licked and Meatouchers.com have both been brought up before in Johnisdead. Back in 2015, a canon update briefly occurred in Weenie-Licked when a red dot-looking character relayed a message from Helper. Additionally, during the lead-up to the Pumpkinhead Gamejack, two mysterious password-protected announcements were posted on Meatouchers.com. For whatever reason, HarvestMemories seemed to be dropping many references related to the player Wolfcat.
On December 23rd, 2019, Erika returned to chat with the players.
goodnight saturnus
Oh hey erika
Is Saturnus your patron?
oh no that would be far too advanced and scary XD
really very very scary forget I even mentioned that name I just had to be sure the worst of the energy was sent off in his final minute of the year by which he positions himself on the throne
I have learned far too much waiting around by those buildings where I listen to the voices when they are present
That sounds rather ominous
What buildings?
on the opposite end of where I work but I ought not to dox myself xp
Erika references a Roman god named "Saturnus" - a god representing the planet Saturn. He was often associated with time - as well as the Greek titan "Cronus". The mention of Saturnus being on some sort of throne is likely referencing "Saturnalia" - a Roman festival dedicated to worshipping Saturnus. Saturnalia took place and December and ended on today's date - December 23rd. Erika specifies that Saturnus isn't her patron god, however. In fact, she seems somewhat frightened of him and instead decides to change the subject.
Erika also claims that she's learned about subjects such as Saturnus by listening to some voices near some strange buildings... However, what exactly these buildings and voices are is a mystery.
Sorry if this name is the equivalent of satan spawn or something but would you happen to know anything about this new wintertidedreams / harvestmemories guy?
A saturnian manifestation I can sense, duality of joy and sorrow. A trickster guide manifest. The laughter of the old man, his stone faced tears in solemn silence.
Thinking about this makes my head hurt really bad all over the left side ^^;
or maybe its the right?
It sort of swings back and forth idk Xd
Erika describes WintertideDreams and HarvestMemories as "saturnian manifestations" - a "trickster guide manifest". What exactly this means is unknown. She also points out a great deal of duality between the two entities - Joy and sorrow, laughter and tears, left-brain and right-brain. Unfortunately, this doesn't help much in discerning the true identity of these two entities.
Meanwhile, the players decide to change the subject and discussing Erika's next tribute video. However, Erika begins acting a bit strange - posting cryptic messages and deleting them shortly after.
How’s your tribute video?
((Erika posts a message that mentioned "reality distorting". However, this was quickly deleted.))
uh
something about reality warping?
Its been a big undertaking but I now know Tyler must really love them I can say that very safely.
Now I am getting to see him a bit more often, soon enough I can reach and
((The above message was also quickly deleted.))
I dont know D"X
Erika's deleted messages are a bit out of place. They seem to be referring to her getting closer to Tyler and reality somehow distorting... However, Erika seemed unwilling to address these messages, acting as though they were never posted.
I've got a question
Would we be able to find out the identities of the five that define IIIII?
they are symbolic beings, or rather archtypes
I know that much
So not specific people?
they can be depending on the time I think
I dont really know how to explain it, I just know I meditated on them in a book I read once (I think but its hard to remember)
I just understand it I guess xd
I have a screeching head ache one moment all ^^;
Man, I feel like some forces really don’t want us to understand these guys
The players once again touch upon the identities and meanings of the five lines. Erika describes them as "symbolic beings" and "archetypes", though they can also be used to represent concepts and individuals.
At this point, should we bother trying to understand the IIIIIs? Or is it just a waste of time at the moment?
The more you meditate on something the better you will understand it, but I have learned to be careful. You are what you eat, as they say
Which is to say you become that which you meditate upon XD
does that mean if we meditate about becoming an interdimensional power lord we’ll become one?
Its a bit more complicated than that
You had better have a very well planned idea of what that is or you will become the illusion of this
Could i become megamind
In a way if you really really wanted to but it would be really silly and you would never have a litteral transformation of any form
But if thats fun for you I suppose you could but I have seen horrible examples of people who play with that sort of magic and let it take them from kings to paupers
if they stay too silly too powerfully for too long that is
Now I am just rambling on my very limited free time though Xp
There is so much I could tell you really but I am a bit frustrated
I should not complain, its no ones fault but mine for not working to make it more clear but I like anything that gets me closer to Tyler XD
Ah damn
wait
are you trying to become tyler
that would be weird >////>;
There are already enough people who probably wish they were Tyler though
I just wish I could hug him one time really
dont we all
that greth guy is pretty hunky too
wish he wasnt possessed
I really think he is nice and would not mind having a conversation with him
but I’ll admit I added him in my first video because I wanted to do one about tyler and did not know who he was till videos of him started showing up and I was too embarrased to make it just about tyler anyways so yeah not that I think he is a bad guy I just idk Illshutup now
Erika says that the players may better understand "IIIII" if they meditate on it. However, she warns against obsessing over it, claiming that "You are what you eat" and "You become that which you meditate upon". It's possible that she's referring to individuals who have deluded themselves into believing they've magically transformed in some way - in broad terms, at least. This leads to the players becoming concerned that Erika is attempting to become Tyler... Thankfully, she says that this isn't the case - she just wants to hug him.
So, Erika. Is being a psychic something one can learn? Or are you just born that way?
It happens when you want it too hard enough sometimes I think but some are born that way and then dont know what to do about it I guess
So theoretically
Could we become psychic
please dont try that hard XD
Aw
I never told you what I do for a living
I guess the most honest thing I can say is I like to hunt vampires above all else
wait what the fuck
Xen, you mean you don’t know about vampires?
Vampires tell people they can have that power and then leave them to figure out what to do with it all on their own when they are very confused, even if vampires pretend they dont know what the hell they are doing that is fucking awful to say the least
The players ask Erika if they can become psychic as well. She says that it's possible if they wanted it to happen hard enough. She warns against doing this though, implying that it could be dangerous. She goes on to express her disdain for people who she labels as "Vampires" - individuals who lead others to power only to leave them with no guidance after the fact. However, Erika herself is a self-proclaimed "Vampire Hunter", implying that she often fights back against these sorts of individuals.
lol want me to show you something I never point out to people but you guys are really obsessed with this one numerology thing right?
ok I said a secret in the description of my video
I’ll warn you its a long rabbit hole and I am not going to show off too much
oops wrong video
sorry XD
but its a big part of how I come to know Tyler better but thats a big big secret
((The message above was quickly deleted.))
Erika claims that she hid some sort of secret in the description of her tribute video - something that's supposedly tied to a rather deep rabbit hole... However, before she reveals what it was, she suddenly posts a video of Gerard Way - the lead vocalist of Erika's beloved band "My Chemical Romance". In this video, Gerard Way explains the origin of his song "Maya the Psychic". He explains that he would struggled with mental illness and would often hear voices in his head. The way he coped with this was by telling himself that he was actually a psychic.
Erika claims that something about this is how she came to better know Tyler. However, this may simply be a reference to the presence of "voices" and "psychics" in general.
ok this is almost impossible to explain
but my psychic power runs through connections I can make because I am gifted with the sight of those connections
He was always going to be known of in certain places because a "likewise energy” called him there
pay attention for one of your favorite numbers
oh shit I watched this earlier today
damn good concert
Its not as good as you think I have seen waaaaaayyyyyyyy too much ^^;
yeah I love it too
in 6 seconds from that point a certain explosion occured
"The Wells are far deeper than the Ways I walk be long" - an old proverb I once heard idk where tho lol
Erika posts a clip of Gerard Way singing in a concert, claiming that it is what she was referencing in her tribute video's description. The moment in question occurs exactly at 4:23 timestamp. Incidentally, this lines up with the end of the song "The End" - the same song that was present in the "Start Life" video. Coincidentally, this is also the exact moment the song "Dead" begins to play.
It's likely that Erika saw all of this small synchronicities such as the number 423, "Dead", and "The End", and felt it notable enough to point out.
someone once told me something really funny about vampires that I always have to laugh very hard about when I realize it
they have no reflections
"BECAUSE THEY ARE FCUKING POSERS"
lol
That was in a dream maybe but I am not sure
fuck it I am gonna just break everythign tonight I am feeling silly and tired too XD
but I wont walk off road left or right
Break everything?
erika I dont want to see you getting locked in the slammer
ok I should not show this lol
he wanted to delete this after so bad but it was too late because it was already on dvd
it ruined his whole ritual LOL
well not completely but it messed it up enough I guess
play this in slow motion
and be careful who you try to talk to about this please ^^;
too many naughty things on his way to mexico, not enough energy, had to use a backing track its understandable considering this was supposed to be the big one. I think other people have made very similar mistakes actually but I wont name names XD
Erika posts another video of Gerard Way - this one involving him supposedly making a mistake mid-performance and revealing that he was using a backing track. Interestingly, Erika refers to this entire performance as a "ritual" - not too unlike how she seemingly ascribes magical significance to many things involving Gerard Way.
have I ever showed you my favorite picture of Tyler btw?
I think you tried and then proceeded to post a picture of gerard way
LOOOOOOL
I just remembered one of my favorite old songs by him
((A link to the video "Drowning Lessons" by My Chemical Romance is sent.))
drowning lessons
subtle
I am showing you a certain kind of magic that has to be followed and can only be controlled at the right times
A man with a name that sounded like sink mentioned it once I think
its even one of your favorite numbers to as well
Erika shows the players another coincidence regarding Gerard Way - the song "Drowning Lessons", which is exactly 4:23 long. The similarities to "Ben Drowned" in this regard should be obvious.
Erika implies that all of these synchronicities are actually a form of magic in-and-of themselves - a type of magic that can be followed and controlled. She was supposedly told about this magic from someone whose name sounds similar to "Sink". Who exactly this is referring to is unknown...
Shortly after this, Erika seemingly discovered something that made her a bit upset.
WAIT JUST A MOMENT I JUST NOTICED SOMETHING
I HAVE A BONE TO PICK
With?
Why the hell am I
actually never mind thats ok but really funny
I dont care what you have to say though I am actually a real person
((The message above was quickly deleted.))
what’s going on?
I
need to lay down
Erika suddenly claims that she has a bone to pick with someone. She also asserts that she's a real person regardless of what the players have to say. It's possible that she discovered that her conversations were being logged on the Johnisdead Wiki and that the players were treating her as a canon character instead of a fellow player. She didn't seem to be taking this revelation too well...
Regardless, all of this cryptic talk from Erika left players a bit confused. To summarize, all of this talk about Gerard Way mainly seems to be centered around coincidences such as the repeated significance of "423" and the repetition of words like "Drowning" and "Dead". Erika seems to consider these sorts of synchronicities as a form of magic - something that was supposedly told to her by an unknown individual whose name sounds similar to "Sink". Additionally, Erika expressed her distaste for individuals who intentionally and irresponsibly lead others to magic without giving them any guidance. She refers to these sorts of people as "Vampires". However, she claims that she herself is a "Vampire Hunter", implying that she fights back against such individuals.
On December 25th, 2019, The Producer greeted the players and wished them a Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, Internet Coomtectives.
Happy holidays to you too
Whatever holiday you may celebrate
Oh shit right
We don’t know what holiday the Spooks celebrate
I personally celebrate Christmas
Not really sure about the others
Yo prod
I need you
whoa there
To solve the most hard question
oh
what is it
Is die hard a Christmas movie
dunno, never seen it
but based on what ive heard
should anything that contains christmas imagery be considered a christmas movie?
no
die hard lacks any inherent christmas themes
other than taking place on christmas eve
just because something contains the essence of something else does not mean it is necessarily categorized as that thing
instead it is sort of a new thing altogether
an amalgamation of sorts
does that mean that IIIII could be considered an amalgamation?
IIIII
IIII
III
im kidding
fuck you
Got legit scared
After asking a question about the nature of IIIII, The Producer initiates an ominous countdown... However, it turns out that he was simply pranking the players.
Do you know if your offices are in a place named wayward horizon?
we dont have actual offices
but im aware of wayward horizon
i visited it myself once
im jealous
ive always wanted to vacation there
nah its kinda shitty
just a couple of crying screaming kids and some dude on an ego trip or something
instead of visiting it, you should forge your own horizon
Oh
I GET IT
OUR HORIZON
yeah fuck off
feeling epic yet?
Super epic
no
Interestingly, The Producer claims that he's visited Wayward Horizon in the past... However, the circumstances surrounding this are unknown. As a reminder, Wayward Horizon was the strange board on Within Hubris that seemingly contained the ascended spirits of Moon Children. The Producer claims that the players should instead create their own horizon - a reference to the name of the current arc, "Our Horizon".
some fucking dumbass thought they could steal your profile picture and get away with it
what do you know about that guy
WintertideDreams
IIIII
IIII
III.5
III
Lmao
do it
you wont
more like WintertideMemes
I can say that Wintertide and Harvest are two sides of a coin
if a coin had like
maybe more than two sides
and was also very thick
So, can we confirm that the two gif posting boys are bupbois?
technically yes
but what IS a bupboi
hopefully bup will return soon
they have been away for a while
i must depart for christmas festivities
and by that i mean sitting alone in front of the computer
farewell
The Producer implies that WintertideDreams and HarvestMemories are somehow associated with BUP's Group - to some extent, at least. He also claims that BUP has been absent lately.
On December 28th, 2019, HarvestMemories transformed back into WintertideDreams and continued interacting with the players. They started off by posting two more cryptic images:
"2_wrap.gif" - A distorted face that looks a bit similar to Doug.
"3_clue.gif" - A strange assortment of numbers and shapes.
Afterwards, WintertideDreams suddenly "pinged" a player in the Internet Detectives Discord server - a user who as currently going by the name "Paul Rudd". For reference, "Paul Rudd" was the name of the main protagonist from Weenie-Licked - the same webcomic that was being referenced previously.
WintertideDreams then proceeded to post one more image - "Divergence.gif".
This image seemed to depict a row of books with letters on them. The entire row spelled out the word "AGGREGATE". Just then, WintertideDreams transformed yet again - this time into WintertideMemories - presumably a fusion of both WintertideDreams and HarvestMemories. Their avatar also changed to yet another Roblox skybox - one that looked very similar to The Producer's avatar.
past
present
future
fiction
written and verbal
Twenty Fourteen
Twenty Fifteen
soon it will all become one
soon it will begin again
you guys figuring it out yet?
the same old number
25
this is their goal
this is the best I can do for now
see you soon
WintertideMemories cryptically mentions the concept of the past, present, and future all becoming one thing. He claims that this is "their goal", though who exactly he's referring to here is unknown... He also mentions the existence of some sort of cycle, claiming that "it will begin again". The number 25 is also brought up again - possibly in reference to Weenie-Licked, just like before. Additionally, the years 2014 and 2015 are both mentioned. It's likely that these are in reference to the years that Weenie-Licked and Johnisdead began.
Shortly afterwards, WintertideMemories became active once again - though they were now acting very strangely...
damn
either you guys are being super shy and not speaking up
or you didn't fully grasp what happened
and I was trying my darndest, too
guess theres no need to keep the mask around anymore
((The Producer suddenly removes WintertideMemories from the Discord server.))
everyone say goodbye to wintertide memeories
I'll take your stunned silence as "goodbye wintertide and harvest, you two were our favorite characters"
Wait wait
Winter
What
What just happened
What
hey there slinky
Prod wtf
Did you just kill winter?
Could winter always speak instead of just posting creepy gifs?
Wintertide and Harvest never existed
Well, technically they did exist
They are pieces of myself
Layers, if you will
they were extensions of myself
subconscious layers of different parts of my mind
if you wanna get pretentious
Ooooooh
It makes kinda sense
But still what the fuck
"I can’t give you any straight answers but perhaps I can train you"
"prep your thinking"
They were training dummies, essentially
Or textbooks, I guess?
Damn g what are we gonna fight against if that was only the training
I still can't go into detail, but our boss follows similar logic
So that was your big production?
The thing you have been working on?
nah that shit was smallfry
but i did show you bits and pieces as Wintertide
Wintertide, my "alright buddy time to get down to business and fart out a lotta productions" layer
and Harvest
my
well, lets not get into Harvest
We should train a LOT if IIIII or BUP is even more confusing
BUP's a pretty straightforward fella
IIIII is a different story, however
The Producer reveals that WintertideDreams and HarvestMemories were never real - they were simply "pieces" or "layers" of himself. This was all a part of the players' training. According to The Producer, his boss - possibly referring IIIII - follows similar logic, meaning that they have various different layers within themselves. This makes sense considering how both the Rune Entity and Tenebris have spoken through the IIIII account. It also lines up with Erika's explanation that the five lines can represent five different layers of being.
The Producer claims that WintertideDreams represents his productive, creative self. Meanwhile, he's unwilling to elaborate upon HarvestMemories, implying that their existence is a bit more negative. He also reveals that bits and pieces of his "magnum opus" were shared through WintertideDreams - possibly referring to the distorted images that they were posted. Unfortunately, most of this imagery was so vague that it's still difficult to tell what exactly The Producer has been working on.
Anyways, what are you working on now?
Apart from that super big production you are producing
documentation and plans
another one of my duties is to help coordinate my comrades
ooooh plaaaans
yes
very very secret plans
very interesting and secret plans i got here
would you like me to share an excerpt
Y e s
ok
"Tyler"
thats all you get
im sure this will be very helpful to you in the future
it could be
"get tyler"
or "feed tyler"
or "ask how tyler is doing"
the prossibilities are endless
But not too large knowing what the bad guys want to do to tyler
Tyler is the key to all of this
Because he's a funnier character than we've ever had before
(I was just quoting George Lucas dont read into it too much)
The Producer reveals another one of his duties. In addition to supplying BUP with productions, he also assists in coordinating and documenting the group's plans. These plans supposedly involve Tyler to some extent - though The Producer doesn't reveal how.
this might be a bit sudden
but this is probably the last time i will speak to you guys
at least like this
What
U gonna die?
nah
i'm gonna hop out for a while and focus fully on my productions
I'll no longer be speaking on here as your beloved producer
then can i ask a question
Is there any particular reason people involved in all this have to speak in ciphers and creepy gifs, and is there a way to circumvent it?
Some speak cryptically because that's all the can muster - communication through sensations and emotions
Like the deviums seen on Johnisdead.com
Others like to hide their true intentions with riddles because they're assholes
Like Tenebris
Others do it because they are under certain restrictions
I believe this was the case with IIIII, but I cannot speak for them
Others like me do it because I was trying to convey something special through my words and mannerisms
Damn
That's actually hella useful
anyways
im gonna bop
I still owe you guys a song
Yo prod
Wait
whats up xen
I'll miss you man
❤️
goodbye coomtectives
ill hit you up with that "killswitch" track you asked for someday
but until then, later alligator
The Producer announces that he'll be leaving the Internet Detectives Discord server so that he can focus fully on his productions. However, he implies that he'll speak with the players again sometime in the future - as well as deliver their "Killswitch" song.
The players were left to stew on everything they had learned. The Producer's training placed emphasis on different "layers" of an individual being manifested as separate entities. This, combined with Erika's insight, was slowly making the esoteric nature of "IIIII" become more clear... However, the players still had a long ways to go before they would uncover the whole truth.
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