YSHDT Arc

The YSHDT Arc is the first arc of Johnisdead. This arc began on January 22nd and ended on May 14th, 2015. It is highly recommended that one is knowledgeable on both the Haunted Majora's Mask Cartridge story written by Alex Hall and the video game The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask before reading through the timelines.

January 22nd, 2015

• At 7:12 PM, a user named thelaw joined the Within Hubris forums. They created a thread titled "Arg" where they mentioned a new website they discovered called "YSHDT.com". " (Link)

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1/22/15 - Chat with thelaw - Within Hubris

thelaw 7:12 PM: "I just read the arg a few days ago and decided to look up some things in case i could find something. I looked at all the sites"
thelaw 7:12 PM: "http://jadusable.wikia.com/wiki/Jadusable_Wiki"
thelaw 7:12 PM: "https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/207 ... T/main.htm"
thelaw 7:12 PM: "http://yshdt.com/"
thelaw 7:12 PM: "When is the arg coming back?"
Sengi 7:41 PM: "It'll resume when Half Life 2 Episode 3 releases... AKA THE FUCKING RAPTURE!!!!"
Mugen Kagemaru 7:42 PM: "As soon as Mr. Hall finishes and releases his movie, Methods Of Revolution, he has promised that he will immediately resume working on the ARG."
thelaw 7:55 PM: "oh ok"
thelaw 7:55 PM: "The site said soon so i thought he had a date"
Sengi 8:03 PM: ((Mugen Kagemaru's post is quoted))
Sengi 8:03 PM: "You're really naive, arent ya?"
Sengi 8:03 PM: "EDIT: HO, SHIT!! yshdt works!? Wonder if it's true then..."
GreyouTT 10:08 PM: "Whoa what the fuck? When the hell did that happen?"
Sengi 10:10 PM: "The 15th, apparently. I made a thread to discuss it kinda maybe sorta"
thelaw 1:03 AM: "You did not know?"

• At 8:03 PM, players began investigating YSHDT.com. The front page contained the following:
An image titled "soon.png" featuring the text "I'm still waiting. Let's play again soon." in a text box. (Link)
An audio file titled "Game over.wav" which was a music box version of the game over theme from the original "The Legend of Zelda" game playing backwards. (Link)
Source text (Text hidden within the page's HTML code) that read "The sky is falling, the people are crying. Where is your link now?"
Title text (The text that appears as the page's title in a browser's history and tab bar) that read "It's been too long."
• At 8:44 PM, the player Sengi created a thread for investigating YSHDT.com. (Link)
• At 8:48 PM, thelaw posted the following in the YSHST.com thread: "yes hello I am that new guy. So the ARG is coming back soon?"
• At 10:10 PM, the player Sengi discovered that YSHDT.com had only been registered on January 15th.
• At 10:19 PM, the player GreyouTT discovered that a hidden image of Link from "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" could be seen in "soon.jpg" if the image was brightened.

January 24th, 2015

• At 8:59 PM, the player GreyouTT submitted the "Oath to Order" hoping to summon a new link. (Link) (Submitting songs and items from "The Legend of Zelda" series to affect the ARG is a mechanic carried over from Jadusable's ARG that is commonly referred to as Ocarina powers.)
• At an unknown time, the text in "soon.jpg" changed, now reading "I survived." (Link)
• At an unknown time, the players band together and form a group called the "Internet Detectives". The Internet Detectives' main goal is to solve the ARG and they mainly chatted in a Skype group.
• At an unknown time, two new players, Tyler and Jacob, created a theme song for the Internet Detectives. (Link)

February 13th, 2015

• At an unknown time, YSHDT.com underwent several changes. The front page now featured a SWF file (A flash movie file) titled "dontstickaround.swf" featuring the "Oath to Order" being played followed by the "Skull Kid" laughing from Majora's Mask.
• Players discovered that once "dontstickaround.swf" finished playing, the page would redirect them to a new page: "http://yshdt.com/news". This page hid the text "What does he know?" in the source and "0" in the title. An image titled "1s.png" that featured a newspaper article about a sort of "spiritual discovery" written by someone named "Douglas P.". The only colored object on this image was a single red dot. (Link) The article read the following:

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2/13/15 - 1s.png - YSHDT.com

Cherrington High

New Spiritual Discovery!
By DOUGLAS P.

Left behind in a small town, one of the few scientifically-minded pastors is left to govern his own local chapter. In this small town, however, a seemingly large discover has been found. Now that I think about it, the father there didn't really want me to Know the specifics, only that it is the next stage ((Redacted)). Eternal happiness is well at hand, he claims, due to his amazing discovery about how ((Redacted)) data! ((Redacted)) of two worlds, ((Redacted)) will lead to the understanding of ((Redacted)) our new scientific world! Do read on, to see the future of ((Redacted)) knowledge as a whole!

Continued on page 8

• Players discovered that the capitalized letters found in "1s.png" spelled the word "LINKED", which led to the discovery of "http://yshdt.com/linked". This page's title read "Linked". An image titled "blue.jpg" featured a photo taken below the ocean's surface. (Link) The audio "eulb.wav" played on this page which was discovered to be an SSTV signal (A series of tones that can be translated to reveal a hidden image with special programs). The image hidden within the SSTV signal was of BEN (The ghostly spirit that possessed the Majora's Mask cartridge from Jadusable's ARG) along with the text "GAME OVER. CONTINUE? >YES. >NO." (Link)
• Players discovered a new page - "http://yshdt.com/warning". The title of this page read "Untitled Document", and source text was found that read "Curiosity killed that cat. That's what the mother said to the brat. But the cat didn't listen. And then lost it's vision. Because it couldn't find it's way home. Go home."
• At an unknown time, the page "/warning" was deleted, replaced with a generic 404 "error" page. However, this 404 page hid a SSTV signal titled "Soon.wav" which revealed the text "Find your way home. He needs you. But you cannot help him If you cannot help yourselves. 4 days." (Link)

January 22nd, 2015

• At 2:50 AM, the player Kidpichu discovered that text had been added to the page "/warning" that read "For more information, see /home."
• At 2:50 AM, the players discovered a new page - "http://yshdt.com/home". The title of this page read "Play Ball". This page featured the image "home.bmp" (Link). Also discovered on this page was an audio file named "brats.wav" which was the Internet Detectives theme song followed by someone whispering "no".

February 16th, 2015

• At 3:44 AM, the player Jacob discovered a text file hidden within the image "home.bmp" with steganography (The process of hiding files within other files) named "warning.txt" that read “How can you play a game you haven’t even started?”.
• At 3:44 AM, the player Jacob discovered another hidden text file. The image "1s.png" hid the text file "oh.txt" in which someone named "Doug" expresses his regrets for joining a religion.

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2/16/15 - oh.txt - YSHDT.com

I wish I could go back.

The father is now who he seemed. He is not what he seemed.
He hurt us.
He hurt him.

I just want to go back.
Back in time.
Back before I betrayed my mother.
Before I joined this religion.

I'm scared mommy.

- Doug

• At 11:00 PM, the front page of YSHDT.com changed, now playing a SWF file titled "Game over.swf". This SWF file featured gameplay footage from Majora's Mask showing Deku Link being killed. When the game over screen appeared and the player was asked to continue, the cursor would highlight the "No" option. After this, the "Dawn of the Second Day", "Dawn of the Third Day", and "Dawn of the Final Day" transitions would appear before corrupting.
• Players discovered that staying on the front page of YSHDT.com long enough would redirect them to a new website - Letschasethemouse. (Link) This was a blog owned by a user named "DandP". DandP's posts can be read below:

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2/16/15 - Blog Posts (6) - Letschasethemouse

((First Post))
2/13/15 - Beginnings
"I just re-created my blog.
It sucks starting from scratch, but whatever. At least I get to start anew."


((Second Post))
2/13/15
"Today was fun. I spent most of my time inside today, reading articles on the internet.
I should join my high school newspaper, it'd be fun."


((Third Post))
2/15/15
"Work today was bad.
I have to tell you, it'd be a terrible fate to be relegated a job you know you suck at, when a better position is out there.
A better position for me."


((Fourth Post))
2/15/15
"This is odd. My friend told me of a club that he was hoping I'd join. He told me that they could let me live forever. And that we'd be changing things inside out soon.
I'm not too sure about this, but why not?"


((Fifth Post))
2/16/15 - Finding a Religion
"I've been invited to go visit their congregation out in the woods by my friend. We're going to head out in about an hour and a half. I'm excited, if not a little worried."


((Sixth Post))
2/16/15 - The Truth
"I'm going to try to figure out everything I can. This is huge. I swore an oath of secrecy, but I'm still just so amazed by everything they told me.
I'll have a long ways ahead of me, and a lot of work to do before I'm ready, though."

Summary

• DandP has been invited to join a secretive cult by a friend.
• DandP is interested in joining his high school's newspaper team, indicating that he could perhaps be the "Douglas P" who wrote the article about a "religious discovery" seen in "1s.png".

• Players began chatting with DandP through the comments of his latest post. Below are the conversations:

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2/16/15 - Chat with DandP - Letschasethemouse Comments

Jacob Anthony: "Hey, friend. Are you there?"
DandP: "Sorry, I've been having trouble with my computer recently. Anyways, who are you?"
Jacob Anthony: "I read what I believe to be you article?"
DandP: "Huh? I haven't written any articles."
Jacob Anthony: "I'm sorry, may I ask your name?"
DandP: "Douglas."
Jacob Anthony: "Douglas P?"
DandP: "..Yeah. I guess my name kinda gives that away."
Jacob Anthony: "http://i.imgur.com/kMohnwR.jpg Did you not write this article?"
DandP: "No...but that's my high school. I'm actually getting creeped out now. Are you guys from school?"
Jacob Anthony: "Yes we are. But it feels like we know whats going on. We know you are interested in this religious organisation but I don't think you should do it."
DandP: "Alright, that takes a load off my mind. I know it's a little odd to see a new religion start up, especially in this Christian nation of ours, but it will lead us all closer to god and happiness."
ADU: "Mind if i ask for the rest of that article? that is, if you are able to get it."
Jacob Anthony: "I understand what it sounds like but we've seen this happen before. This particular one isn't safe."
DandP: "I'm sorry, friend, but I haven't seen that article in the paper. I wasn't even aware we had color in our school newspaper."
Jacob Anthony: "if I may ask, what does the P in your name stand for?"
Jacob Anthony: "How could we go about joining?"
Jacob L.: "I am also interested."
DandP: "I will set you up with my friend. He will contact you through e-mail or blogspot."
ADU: "Mind if i get an email too? Email is **********@gmail.com"
DandP: "I don't think they would appreciate so many new members at once. I'm sorry."
Jacob Anthony: "My email is ***************@gmail.com if you were talking to me about setting me up. It would be much appreciated."
Jacob L.: "Mine is TheSunIsTheBestSolarBody@gmail.com"
DandP: "My friend will contact you in a day or two. I have to talk to him."
ADU: "Sweet, Thanks Dan"
Jacob Anthony: "I thank you much. I look forward to it."
DandP: "Not you, the sun. I see by your profile you don't live near me."
ADU: "It doesent say where i live"


steve plant: "do you have a name for this my friend? I'd like to join also.."
DandP: "I'm sorry, you probably don't live near me. But hopefully someday the group will spread far enough so that you may join, also."
steve plant: "I shall await eagerly for this day. Thank you, regardless. And now my wait begins.."
steve plant: "I am currently in the UK, if that matters any.."
DandP: "One day we will hopefully have congregations around the world."
DandP: ((This comment has been removed by the author))


Mugen Kagemaru: "Be careful. Things may not be as they seem and you may be wandering into a spider's web..."
ADU: "No."
DandP: "What?"
Mugen Kagemaru: "Form your own thoughts. Let none think for you. But most importantly, take nothing at face value. Remember the Assassins, their creed, and what that creed means."
Unknown: "Are you serious? The Assassins Creed?? Ignore this guy, he's just trolling"
DandP: "Good advice. I will ignore this guy from now on."


Oceanstuck: "huh. seems like youre turning a new leaf. ive been needing something like that for a while, so can i have in?"
DandP: "As I told another person, I don't think you live close enough to me to be able to join. But someday hopefully you'll be able to join also."
Oceanstuck: "are you sure? where _do_ you live anyway? is it near some cherrington high place?"
DandP: "This is kinda scary. Are you guys from the government?"
Oceanstuck: "as funny as itd be to say yes just to see your reaction, no. i just really want to know about this new faith youve found and if i can join"
Oceanstuck: "so tell me, what makes you think i live too far away to join"
DandP: "I just said I didn't think. That was before I knew you were from my school."


X3KidPichu: "sounds interesting. Besides location is there any prerequisite to joining? I'd like to prepare if this ever becomes widespread."
DandP: "You must be of age, have an open mind, and have a great affinity for space. Namely, the moon."
X3KidPichu: "Alright thank you so much. I'm even more excited to join now."

Summary

• DandP confirms that he is Douglas P - the same person who wrote the newspaper article.
• Doug claims that he has not written any articles and is not on the school newspaper team, which implies that we are speaking to Doug in the past.
• The player Jacob asks if he can join the cult. Doug says his friend will be contacting Jacob soon to begin the recruitment process.
• Doug claims that Jacob is the only player who lives close enough to be eligible to join the cult. This implies that the cult is based in Florida, since that's where Jacob lives.
• Doug says the cult has something to do with the moon, indicating it has some connection to the "Moon Children".

February 17th, 2015

• At 1:00 AM, Doug made a new post titled "Deja Vu" talking about the cult's base of operations - an old fishery in the woods:

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2/17/15 - Blog Post - Letschasethemouse

"I just had a serious case of Deja Vu. The building they took me too looked so familiar. I could have sworn it used to be the old fishery. I'll grab some pictures later. Maybe you guys know what I'm talking about."

• At 1:01 AM, Doug made a new post titled "Fishery" providing two images of the cult's compound: (Link) (Link) Players began chatting with Doug through the comments of his latest post. Below are the conversations:

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2/17/15 - Chat with DandP - Letschasethemouse Comments

Mugen Kagemaru: "Huh... Looks familiar...
"Unknown: "Sounds fishy http://animeyume.com/blog_images/funny_fansubs/funny_fansub14.jpg"
DandP: "That sounds like it would hurt. Don't bass have teeth?"
Unknown: "Maybe?"
Mugen Kagemaru: "Actually, yes they do."


Wolfcat22: "It looks pretty fishy to me, man. Be safe."
DandP: "Yeah, that's why I tried to hide away while taking the pictures. They probably wouldn't like me sharing them, but it's just so interesting..."


Jacob Anthony: "Nice looking place. Dilapidated in the beautiful way."
DandP: "It will be your new home away from home, soon enough, friend."
Jacob Anthony: "How do you mean? Do you live there?"
Jacob Anthony: "Stay safe, man. I saw in another comment you had to hide to take the pictures. Dont do anything that could get you hurt"


DandP: "I'm going to head off to sleep for tonight guys. I'll try to pry more information later."
Jacob Anthony: "Don't do anything dangerous. Goodnight, guy"

Summary

• Doug says he had to hide while taking these pictures, implying the cult is dangerous.
• Doug says he will attempt to pry for more information.

February 18th, 2015

• At 7:07 PM, the player ADULT_LINK submitted the "New Wave Bossa Nova" in an attempt to contact someone. (Link)
• At 9:29 PM, the player Eve discovered a new page on YSHDT.com - "http://yshdt.com/help". The title of this page read "Untitled Document" and simply contained the text "No.".

February 19th, 2015

• At 12:10 AM, a user named "/Patrem\" joined Within Hubris. The word "Patrem" is Latin for "Father", and their status read "Vocatique" - a Latin term that means "called" or "summoned". This imples that the "New Wave Bossa Nova" summoned Patrem. Their avatar depicted a strange, distorted, purple entity. (Link) Patrem began speaking with players in the thread they created for YSHDT.com discussion. (Link) The covnversation went as follows:

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2/19/15 - Chat with Patrem - Within Hubris

/Patrem\ 12:10 AM: "I heard my children crying."
Sengi 12:24 AM: "And who might you be?"
/Patrem\ 12:33 AM: "Three of you are not as you seem."
Sengi 12:37 AM: "This one's for the record... History is written by the victors"
/Patrem\ 12:58 AM: "I am calling. I am called."
Sengi 1:02 AM: "That translates to "I am calling. I am called" or so we believe... What calls you and what is your purpose?"
/Patrem\ 1:30 AM: "I came to the fishery, and the fools trapped me inside him. Vincent, return to your slumber now. There is no home for you brats."
Oceanstuck 1:36 AM: "why were you at the fishery? who is this vincent? who trapped you in who? is this meant to be taken literally?"
/Patrem\ 1:55 AM: ((A disturbing sound file is posted.))
/Patrem\ 1:55 AM: "He also enjoyed music. o n urn d. Now he has ascended.
/Patrem\ 2:14 AM: "What shall you know? In this time I am always awake."
Eve 2:20 AM: "Where is page 8?"
Oceanstuck 8:21 AM: "whos vincent, what are you, who are you in, and can we be assured of a certain friend's safety?"
/Patrem\ 2:33 AM: ";.n_kL?3xN+Ilk;Et8H@GnP/=+IZ79+IQ.<+@.,oEOD5=G*7ZFIK&q,+I_e?@:nh-K\:f6L= :W3FUr9/I?O%>G124+E79(uGJkWs+IQ*:K]VYFJI__;Et,;G@:^UrF5]GJ:17eAK@oC6@;?y"
/Patrem\ 2:33 AM: "yEt5E;F5Ng4E86=0K&\B7ErU$pEt80'ErU$pEt80'ErU$pEt80'ErU$pEt8."
Jacob 3:21 AM: "Is there an easier version of that answer?"
ADULT_LINK 3:23 AM: ((The Lens of Truth is submitted and used on Patrem's cipher))
/Patrem\ 3:36 AM: "You have damned that boy and I am far beyond caring for his petty scribblings, I am far beyond him now. Vincent however is someone you already knowknewknowknewknowknewknowknewknow"
Mugen Kagemaru 3:43 AM: "Is Vincent's last name Shaw?"
/Patrem\ 4:06 AM: "Not Shaw; I lielaylayed in another; I am the one who honored her first."
Mugen Kagemaru 4:35 AM: "Could the veil be lifted by a maelstrom?"
/Patrem\ 4:39 AM: "http://yshdt.com/help"
Mugen Kagemaru 4:49 AM: "Is there anything else to be found, or should we cut our losses and start over?"
/Patrem\ 4:53 AM: "Your tricks are but the humorous wrigglings of an insect. What day do you think it is child? Where has your emit gone?"
Mugen Kagemaru 4:55 AM: "But next question, what is the name of your host?"
/Patrem\ 5:22 AM: ((A disturbing sound file is posted.)
/Patrem\ 5:26 AM: "Make your final request, I grow tired of your games and your foolish ways."
Mugen Kagemaru 5:38 AM: "How do we contact Vincent if necessary? Furthermore, Douglas' newspaper article mentioned a pastor. Who is this pastor?"
/Patrem\ 5:48 AM: ((A discolored image of the fishery is posted.)) (Link)
/Patrem\ 6:09 AM: "Some children have drowned, others will burn. I am through giving you my pity. Go back child, go back, and try to wet the ashes; Say hello to your composer for me. I already have been."

Summary

• Patrem hints that three players are not what they seem.
• Patrem implies that he is "The Father" (The mysterious leader of the Moon Children from Jadusable's ARG) and is the one who honored Luna first.
• Patrem claims that he was "trapped inside" someone named Vincent at the fishery, implying he is a ghostly spirit of sorts using someone named Vincent as a vessel. He also claims the players already know Vincent.
• Patrem posts the mysterious messge " o n urn d. Now he has ascended."
• Patrem tells the players to try and "wet the ashes", claiming that "Some children have drowned, others will burn."

• At 12:59 AM, Patrem posted "Sｉncｅ I am in the ｍｉdｓｔ oｆ mｙ tｒaｖｅlｓ．.. Ｉ mｕｓt biｄ you fａｒeweｌl. Ｗｈenｅvｅr ｔhere iｓ a meｅtｉｎg， ａ pａｒｔinｇ iｓ sｕre tｏ foｌlow．" in the Within Hubris chatroom. This is a quote from the "Happy Mask Salesman" from Majora's Mask, further connecting Patrem with "The Father". (In Jadusabe's ARG, The Father was often represented with the Happy Mask Salesman character.)
• At 1:14 AM, Doug made a new post on his blog. His friend is unhappy with him approving Jacob without his permission.

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2/19/15 - Blog Post - Letschasethemouse

"I'm a little worried.
After telling my friend of the new recruit, he had a plethora of questions. He doesn't seem too happy about this. He hasn't talked to me all day today."

• At 2:30 AM, Doug replied to a player's comment asking him why his friend would be upset over this. Doug replied "I have no idea why. I'll try to figure this out as I go."
• At 11:19 PM, the player Mugen Kagemaru submitted the "Song of Storms" in response to Patrem's "wet the ashes" phrase.

February 20th, 2015

• At 12:33 AM, Doug made a new post on his blog. He claims that the cult told him to stay away for a while. He also says it started raining outside, implying the "Song of Storms" has taken effect.

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2/20/15 - Blog Post - Letschasethemouse

They said I had to stay away for a while.
That I'd be given more time to sort things out.

I don't know what this all means. Right after they told me this, it started pouring outside.
Is this a sign of things to come?

• At 12:42 AM, Doug replied to a player's comment warning him about the cult's secrecy. Doug replied "They're only secretive to outsiders, just like any religion. They're my friends and family. I won't turn my backs on them."
• At 12:50 AM, Doug made a post that simply read "It's raining too hard." along with a picture of a flooding room. (Link)
• At 1:01 AM, Doug replied to a player's comment warning them to leave their room. Doug replied "Sure, I'll go outside. Where the streets are worse than my house."
• At 1:07 AM, the player ADULT_LINK submitted the "Song of Storms" to stop the rain.
• At 1:09 AM, Doug made a new post on his blog. He claims that the rain suddenly ended and says he might go visit the fishery.

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2/20/15 - Blog Post - Letschasethemouse

This is quite odd.

It seems like the rain stopped, even though it was supposed to go on until the next day.
Everything is still flooded, though. I hope the place of meeting is alright...

I might head out there now.

• At 1:17 AM, Doug made a new post on his blog. He reconfirms that he is heading to the fishery.

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2/20/15 - Blog Post - Letschasethemouse

I'm going to head out to the meeting place guys.

Hopefully it's not as flooded as I'm worrying about.
I'll post more tomorrow.

• At 1:18 AM, a user named "31071157 356670" began chatting in the players' Skype group. Their username was a cipher that translated to "drown", though some users referred to them as "numbers guy". Drown is apparently being chaased by Patrem and appear to have ties with "Ben".

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2/20/15 - Chat with Drown - Skype (Internet Detectives)

drown 1:19 AM: "Found you"​​​​​
​​drown 1:20 AM: "Just like me"
drown 1:24 AM: "Got away from him"
drown 1:25 AM: "Got away from patrem"
Eve 1:26 AM: "Are you Vincent?"
drown 1:26 AM: "No"
drown 1:26 AM: "Couldn’t save him"
drown 1:27 AM: "Doug"
drown 1:27 AM: "Like me"
drown 1:28 AM: "I"
drown 1:29 AM: ((Drown enters a call with the players))
drown 1:29 AM: ((The "Song of Unhealing" (A reversed version of the "Song of Healing" from Majora's Mask commonly associated with Ben) plays))
drown 1:29 AM: ((Audio of someone drowning plays))
drown 1:30 AM: ((Drown leaves the call))
drown 1:33 AM: "Who"
drown 1:33 AM: "You already know"

• At 1:33 AM, the players John and ADULT_LINK discovered the front page of YSHDT.com had update. The page now featured a swf file titled "swf.swf" which played the "Inverted Song of Time" before cutting to the perspective of someone standing in the fishery looking out a window while breathing heavily. The video then cut to the word "No" before ending. The page's title now read "..." and "/vincent" was found in the page's source.
• At 1:33 AM, the player John discovered a new page on YSHDT.com - "http://yshdt.com/vincent". This page's title read "1" and "He may be given more time to live yet." was found in the source. This page also featured four images: "Doug.jpg" - a photo of Link transforming into "Deku Link" with blood on it (Link) "2.png" - a photo of Link transforming into "Goron Link" with an "X" drawn on it (Link) "3.png" - a photo of Link transforming into "Zora Link" with a question mark written on it (Link) and "him.bmp" - a photo of Patrem. (Link) The audio on this page, "time.wav", was a continuous drum beat. Players also discovered that clicking on "Doug.jpg" would link them to Doug's blog and clicking on "him.bmp" would link them to Patrem's Within Hubris profile.
• At 1:47 AM, Patrem posted "I can see you boy." on Within Hubris.
• At 1:47 AM, drown became active on Skype once again, seemingly being pursued by Patrem.

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2/20/15 - Chat with Drown - Skype (Internet Detectives)

Text goes here.
drown 1:47 AM: "Im scared"
drown 1:53 AM: ((Drown enters a call with the players))
drown 1:54 AM: ((Audio from "jadusable.wmv" (One of the videos from Jadusable's ARG) plays. The audio seems to be from 3:49 to 4:19 in the original video))
drown 1:56 AM: ((The "Song of Unhealing" plays))
drown 1:59 AM: "He's coming."
drown 1:59 AM: ((The "Happy Mask Salesman" can be hear laughing))
drown 2:00 AM: "He's here."
drown 2:00 AM: ((Audio from "jadusable.wmv" plays. The audio seems to be from 4:21 to 4:58 in the original video))
drown 2:01 AM: "He's smiling."
drown 2:01 AM: ((Drown leaves the call and the Skype group))

• At 2:28 AM, the player Jacob receives an email from someone named "Mason". Mason is the friend Doug mentioned who handles new recruits who wish to join the cult. Jacob is tasked with doing a series of tests in order to prove he is worthy of joining the cult, the first of which is reciting the cult's official chant.

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2/20/15 - Chat with Mason - Email

Hello. This is Doug’s friend, Mason. He’s allowed me to use his E-Mail to contact you, so that you don’t believe it is spam. Since we’re thinking that we’re going to have an opening in the future, we would gladly accept you into our group. But first, you must pass a short series of tests to make sure you would be loyal to our cause. The first, is the official chant for recruits into our order. Please make a video, or record you reading this: I spit on my mother’s womb for it is filth, Luna shall cradle me with her glory. I strike down my father for he is weak, our Father shall grant me his might. I shall know that this family is sacred, a meta tribe of masters. I will heed the cry, of the children in the night, for I am as they are. I am, have been, and will be as a god. Though we may be of flesh we shall transcend, into the night, our mothers arms and know the euphoria of flying. The glory of ascension

• At 3:13 AM, the player ADULT_LINK submits "Epona's Song" hoping to save Drown.
• At 3:27 AM, Patrem became active on Within Hubris. He began chatting with the players in the ARG thread:

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2/20/15 - Chat with Patrem - Within Hubris

/Patrem\ 3:27 AM: "Now that I have stabilized myself in this plane I can take a moment to explain. You think yourselves detectives, and yet you fail time and time again at the most simple of tasks. That child only seeks to mislead you. I have been watching you, you frightened sniveling children. You lack patience and you lack courage. Why should I even begin to help you when you can’t even stay on the path laid plain before you?"
ADULT_LINK 3:42 AM: "Which child?"
/Patrem\ 3:48 AM: "Fool, the one who had you all cowering in fear. Mortals are all the same, cowering idiots. If not for our mutual needs I would waste no time with you ignorant children."
Mugen Kagemaru 3:58 AM: "A name, smartass. Give their name. You might think yourself clever, but assuming we know who you speak of when we don't doesn't get us anywhere."
Mugen Kagemaru 3:58 AM: "Patrem: "Mortals are all the same, cowering idiots.""
Mugen Kagemaru 3:58 AM: "True of them as that might be, it doesn't help if you make assumptions."
Mugen Kagemaru 3:58 AM: "Patrem: "If not for our mutual needs I would waste no time with you ignorant children.""
Mugen Kagemaru: 3:58 AM: "Nor would we give even you the time of day if we didn't have anything else to work with. Show some gratitude and take our limits into account."
/Patrem\ 4:34 AM: ((A disturbing audio file is posted. This file contains the "Song of Unhealing" along with a voice repeating the name "Ben"))

Summary

• Patrem claims that he has now "stabilized himself" in our realm, implying that "Epona's Song" is allowing him to speak more clearly now.
• Patrem insults the players for repeatedly failing.
• Patrem reveals that "Drown" is "Ben" and they wish to mislead the players.

• At 7:03 AM, the player Jacob uploaded the video "official chant for recruits" to his YouTube channel. This video simply features Jacob reading the chant as requested by Mason. (Link)
• At 3:30 PM, Doug made a new post on his blog titled "Watched". He says he visited the fishery which strangely wasn't flooded at all. He also claims he thought someone was watching him through a window. (Similar to "swf.swf")

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2/20/15 - Blog Post - Letschasethemouse

I went to the meeting place. It was, oddly, not as bad as I'd imagined it'd be.
It's closer to the water level, but there wasn't any flooding.

However, the entire time I was there, I felt odd. For a second, I could have sworn I saw a figure in the window watching my every move, but that's probably just my paranoia.

• At 3:55 PM, a user named "The Man" joined the Skype group. He claims that he is the GM (Gamemaster - the person currently running the ARG). He also says that "Drown" was simply a distraction and not to take everyone and everything at face value. Since this was the GM speaking OoC (Out of Character -- Non-canon), it has no bearing on the story.

February 21st, 2015

• At 2:46 AM, The Man joined the Skype group once again. The Man chides the players for not spreading his message from the previous night across the various Skype groups involved with the ARG. He also confirms that he is indeed the GM by stating that Doug's next blog post will contain the phrase "the sun is shining brightly". Since this was the GM speaking OoC, it has no bearing on the story.
• At 2:55 AM, Doug replied to a player's comment warning him to be careful. "I don't need to be careful around my family, and as such I don't need to be careful around my own home. But thanks for being worried about me. The sun is shining brightly, so it will dry up this rain." This contained the phrase The Man claimed it was, confirming his status as GM.
• At 9:10 PM, the player Seeker submitted the video "StoneMask.arg" - a video of Majora's Mask featuring Link taking off the "Deku Mask" and applying the "Stone Mask". (A mask that turns Link invisible to others) This was done in an attempt to hide Doug from whatever was watching him at the fishery.

February 22nd, 2015

• At 12:28 AM, Doug made a new post on his blog titled "Excommed". He claims that everyone has been ignoring him, indicating that the Stone Mask was successful. However, Doug is becoming very depressed due to its effects.

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2/22/15 - Blog Post - Letschasethemouse

All day, my friends and fellow family ignored my calls. They didn't speak to me, even when I asked them questions right in front of their face.

I'm confused.

• At 12:45 AM, the player Jacob received another email from Mason. After having read the official chant in his previous video, he is now expected to pass three more trials, the first of which will test his courage:

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2/22/15 - Chat with Mason - Email

We have discussed things, and have decided to allow you to join through three more trials. The first of which will test your courage. We ask that you spend as long as possible recording yourself staring into a camera, thinking of your deepest fears. Through your facial expression and eye movements, we will be able to see how courageous you are.

• At an unknown time, Doug makes mention of wanting to "know the truth" in a comment. Unfortunately, this comment was not archived and currently cannot be viewed on Doug's blog.
• At 1:39 AM, the player Dawn submitted a video simply titled "video" - a video of Majora's Mask featuring Link removing the Stone Mask and equipping the "Mask of Truth". This was done in response to Doug claiming he wanted to know "the truth".
• At 2:06 AM, Doug made a new post on his blog titled "TRUTH". This post contained a cipher that translated to "AGGREGATING LINKS…TIME LINKS AGGREGATED. WHAT?". Doug appeared to be in some sort of time-related trance. Players began chatting with him in the comments:

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2/22/15 - Chat with Doug - Letschasethemouse Comments

Player: ((Asks why Doug is acting so strangely))
DandP: "DO NOT WASTE MY TIME, FOR IT IS LIMITED."
Player: ((Asks what time links are))
DandP: "YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO BE HANDED INFORMATION. YOU MUST TAKE IT."
Eve: ((Asks if they are speaking to "The Father"))
DandP: "I AM NOT THE ONE YOU THINK." (This was originally posted as a caesar cipher)
DandP: "SHIFT YOURSELF" (This was a hint to solving the previous cipher as the player Eve had a number in her username which was the required number of times needed to shift the caesar cipher)
Player: ((Asks if they are speaking to Doug))
DandP: "I WAS ONCE HE."
Player: ((Asks who summoned Doug))
DandP: "THEY"
DandP: "THEY"
DandP: "T H E Y"
DandP: "/them."
Mugen Kagemaru: ((Insults Doug and calls them a "paternal fledgling"))
DandP: "YOUR CHANCE FOR INFORMATION HAS COME TO AN END. FOR YOUR INSOLENCE, YOU SHALL BE SILENCED THROUGH THIS MEDIUM."

• At 2:35 AM, the player Kidpichu discovered a new page on YSHDT.com - "http://yshdt.com/them". The title of this page read "These". Two images were found on this page - "table.jpg", a simple texture of a table that acted as the page's background (Link) and "getthenotes.png", which was four photos of different players participating in the ARG (Link) The audio "wet.wav" played on this page, which was a recording of a rainstorm. In the page's source, a snippet of a Wikipedia article about electrocution was found. (The former Moon Children named Kelbris was said to have been electrocuted in the Haunted Majora's Mask Cartridge story)

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2/22/15 - Page Source Text - YSHDT.com

EXECUTION BY ELECTROCUTION USUALLY PERFORMED USING AN ELECTRIC CHAIR IS AN EXECUTION METHOD ORIGINATING IN THE UNITED STATES IN WHICH THE CONDEMNED PERSON IS STRAPPED TO A SPECIALLY BUILT WOODEN CHAIR AND ELECTROCUTED THROUGH ELECTRODES PLACED ON THE HEAD AND LEG THIS EXECUTION METHOD WAS CREATED BY EMPLOYEES OF THOMAS EDISON DURING THE WAR OF CURRENTS.

• At 3:35 AM, Doug made a new post on his blog. Players began speaking to him through the comment section:

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2/22/15 - Chat with Doug - Letschasethemouse

((Post))
I woke up with a start just a little ago. My friend texted me, and told me he was sorry for dismissing me.

I'm starting to feel a little better.


((Comments))
Dovid M: "I just wanted to make sure your feeling all right. It must have been hard having everyone ignore you for no reason. do you have any idea what you were doing in your last post? It looks kind of like gibberish."
DandP: "My last post was about everyone ignoring me. What do you mean?"
Dovid M: "You can't see what I'm talking about? Do you see a post called "The Truth" Underneath this?"
DandP: "...Like I told you, the last post I see is the one about everyone ignoring me. What are you going on about?"
Dovid M: "Sorry, there must be something wrong with my computer... it gets like that sometimes"
DandP: "I know what that feels like."


Oceanstuck: "glad to know that got sorted out. hey weird question, who is this friend and whats he like anyway?"
DandP: "I'm not sure he would like me sharing his information online."
Oceanstuck: "oh i dont need any particular personal information, just a general idea of what kind of guy he is and /maybe/ a first name...probably not the last part"
DandP: "That's....really odd. Why do you want me to tell you this?"
Oceanstuck: "just curious"


Kat Sociopath: "ah! glad your ok and your feeling betters!!! :)"
Wyatt Hunt: "Hey, glad to see you're okay! I also have a question. Have you heard from Jacob lately?"
DandP: "No, I haven't. Last I heard, he was still going through the initiation process. For some reason, his is taking longer than usual. This only usually happens for important members."
DandP: "I'm going to head off for tonight. I feel oddly tired. I want to study my notes for a little while before going to sleep, at least."
Kat Sociopath: "Ok! good night! sleeepppp tight!!!"

Summary

• Doug says that Mason has apologized to him.
• Doug is unable to see the "TRUTH" post and does not have any recollection of it.
• Doug claims that the player Jacob is still going through the initiation process and that it is taking longer that usual, which he says only happens for important individuals.

• At 5:04 AM, the player Mugen Kagemaru submitted the video "PostmanSearch.arg" - a video of Majora's Mask featuring Link equipping the "Postman's Hat" and searching through a mailbox. This was an attempt by the players to retreive the notes mentioned in the title of the image "getthenotes.png".
• At 5:44 PM, the player Eve sent Patrem a PM (Private Message) on Within Hubris asking if he is the first to ascend. (A ritual practiced by the Moon Children which involved the participant being sacrificially killed in the hopes of attaining higher spiritual power)
• At 9:57 PM, Patrem replied to Eve's question with "I predate the forerunner."
• At 10:52 PM, a user named Helper joined Within Hubris and posted an image of someone's mail. This indicates that using the Postman's Hat literally stole Doug's mail instead of his notes. The mail contained dates with the year "2009", confirming that we are speaking to Doug in the past - 2009 specifically. The players were speaking to Doug from six years in the future. (The current year at the time was 2015) The mail also revealed two classes that Doug is taking - Networking Fundamentals and English IV. (Link)
• At 10:56 PM, Doug made a new post on his blog titled "What a day..." about his missing mail. Players began speaking with him in the comment section:

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2/22/15 - Chat with Doug - Letschasethemouse

((Post))
Today was nothing but trouble.

Constantly through the halls, I heard people faintly whispering, and I couldn't tell who it was or why they were doing it. Probably mocking me.

At least my family wasn't so mean today. It was productive. After I went home, however, I was expecting a package in the mail. As it turns out, the mail never came. I hope I get it tomorrow. It's special to me.


((Comments))
Oceanstuck: "sucks to hear that you didnt get that package. i know id be pretty upset if something i was waiting for didnt show up. trust me, im expecting a game this week. whatever those whispers were saying, dont let it bring you down. youre a cool guy, i like you. if someone tries to bring you down, dont let them, ok?"
DandP: "Okay, thank you."


Wolfcat22: "The weather's been shit lately, maybe it will get there soon? Sucks hard when that kind of stuff gets delayed. What was it? My stuff is just usually useless video game merch."
DandP: "It was something religious. I can't really tell you specifically what it was."
steve plant: "Mail delivery services can be a pain. I hope you get it soon friend. You say it was religious yes? would the new recruit be expecting such mail too?"


Wyatt Hunt: "Hey, do you have a networking class?"
DandP: "Yeah, I do. Today was actually the first day."
DandP: "Sorry, I meant last friday. Wouldn't make much sense today."
Wyatt Hunt: "Alright, if it's networking fundamentals, I was wondering if I could borrow the notes. I misplaced mine."
DandP: "Sure, I'll grab a picture really quick."
DandP: "Hey, I posted the notes. Sorry about the drawings on the side. I like to doodle whatever comes to mind."

Summary

• Doug's package was lost in the mail.
• Doug's package was something special to him that was religious in nature.
• Doug confirms that he is in a Networking class and will share his notes later.

February 23rd, 2015

• At 12:26 AM, Doug made a new post on his blog. This post was simply a photo of his Networking notes. (Link) One of the terms written in the notes was "Link Aggregation", which is similar to the "TIME LINKS AGGREGATED" phrase spoken by Doug in the "TRUTH" post. A cipher was also handwritten on the paper which translated to "Man will be betrayed by its minions and I will be brought down from the sky, consuming everything." This is a portion of Kelbris's prophecy. (A prophecy from Jadusable's ARG archived on the Moon Children website that was said to have originally been whispered to Kelbris by the Goddess Luna) - Some brief interactions also took place in the comment section of this post:

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2/23/15 - Chat with Doug - Letschasethemouse Comments

Wyatt Hunt: "Thank you for the notes, it really saved me some trouble!"
DandP: "Sure thing. Maybe we can meet up sometime?"
Wyatt Hunt: "That sounds pretty cool, but I'm never free. I'll let you know when I have some free time."


Oceanstuck: "is that magnetos helmet?"
DandP: "Magneto's helmet?"
Oceanstuck: ((Image of Magneto's helmet was linked here))
Oceanstuck: "*whistles casually* http://s13.zetaboards.com/WithinHubris/single/?p=8085755&t=7339903"

February 24th, 2015

• At 6:41 PM, The Man joined the Skype group and chatted with the players. This was a fairly casual conversation where the GM revealed that he has a "co-author", implying there are multiple GM's running the ARG. The Man also states that the ARG will be placed under a hiatus for the time being. Since this was the GM speaking OoC, it has no bearing on the story.

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2/24/15 - Chat with The Man - Skype (Internet Detectives)

The Man 6:41 PM: "Hello."
The Man 6:42 PM: "I'm coming in to regretfully inform all of you that the next update might take a little longer than one or two days."
The Man 6:43 PM: "I'll try to make the next update a big one, with more lore information. "
The Man 6:44 PM: "Don't take that to mean it will be big though. Sadly, the reason for the delay is because me and my "co-author", I guess you could call him, are having trouble working some things out."
The Man 6:44 PM: "Patrem will most likely still be active during this time."
ARGdov: ((ARGdov speculates that The Man is likely pm'ing a co-author.))
The Man 6:45 PM: "Yes, he keeps me up-to-date on the crazy stuff you guys are up to. I figure you guys would know that much already, though."
ARGdov: ((ARGdov expresses fear that the co-author witnessed some silly roleplaying that took place in the Skype group))
The Man 6:46 PM: "He hasn't told me anything recently. So don't worry."
ARGdov: ((ARGdov mentions that another player referred to him by his real name))
The Man 6:48 PM: "Don't worry. I won't talk about anything pertaining to the ARG here. Other than stuff that is specifically OOC."
ARGdov: ((ARGdov apologizes for being impatient regarding ARG updates))
The Man 6:48 PM: "I do not forgive you."
Eve: ((Eve laughs at ARGdov))
The Man 6:48 PM: "Nor you."
The Man 6:49 PM: "Anyways. I have a few minutes. If any of you have any questions that do not pertain to the future, past, or current ARG, or anything having to do with anything interesting at all, feel free to ask me."
Oceanstuck: ((Oceanstuck asks The Man if he likes Mudkips (A type of Pokemon)))
The Man 6:51 PM: "I've never owned an Axolotl. However, I have seen one at the local pet store. They are quite lovely."
Kidpichu: ((Kidpichu asks The Man if he likes Pichus (Another type of Pokemon)))
The Man 6:51 PM: "I do not like yellow rats."
Kidpichu: ((Kidpichu says they are surprised that rats come in yellow))
The Man 6:52 PM: "If you paint them that way."
Kidpichu: ((Kidpichu says they feel awkward))
The Man 6:54 PM: "I am watching you."
ARGdov: ((ARGdov asks The Man what his "favopite" farm animal is))
The Man 6:55 PM: "I do not have a favoprite farm animal. I do, however, have a favorite one. And it is the majestic cow."
Player: ((Players ask The Man for his opinion on horses))
The Man 6:55 PM: "I wish to consume them."
Kidpichu: ((Kidpichu asks The Man if he killed "Bambi's mom" (A reference to the Disney movie "Bambi")))
The Man 6:56 PM: "No. I killed Mufasa, however."
The Man 6:57 PM: "He had a better mane than I."
Oceanstuck: ((Oceanstuck expresses disdain with their internet connection))
The Man 6:57 PM: "I feel your pain."
Wolfcat: ((Wolfcat asks who The Man is))
The Man 6:59 PM: "I am not."
ARGdov: ((ARGdov asks if "The Man" is "The Woman"))
The Man 6:59 PM: "Yes."
Eve: ((Eve says they hope whatever issues holding up the ARG get resolved))
The Man 7:00 PM: "Thank you."
ARGdov: ((ARGdov says that someone should document this conversation))
The Man 7:01 PM: "Apparently out of character information doesn't count."
Oceanstuck: ((Oceanstuck comments about the size of the upcoming "The Legend of Zelda" title for the Wii U, claiming that it could be the size of Kanto (A region from the Pokemon series)))
The Man 7:06 PM: "Kanto the island?"
The Man 7:25 PM: "Is this a creative server?"
ADULT_LINK: ((ADULT_LINK asks The Man if he can create a page on YSHDT.com - "http://yshdt.com/sandroll))
The Man 7:25 PM: "Yes. No. Did you guys relay the message?"
The Man 7:26 PM: "I would appreciate if you did that to the membes who were not here."
ADULT_LINK: ((ADULT_LINK asks The Man if he had a "break" last week))
The Man 7:27 PM: "Break?"
ADULT_LINK: ((ADULT_LINK says they thought The Man might bave been in school))
The Man 7:27 PM: "I am in college."
ADULT_LINK: ((ADULT_LINK asks The Man if he's going to make a movie))
The Man 7:28 PM: "No, it is because I'm having trouble working things out with my co-author currently. I'm hoping to have a lot of lore information to offer people."
ADULT_LINK: ((ADULT_LINK speaks more about a "movie"))
The Man 7:28 PM: "I don't understand."
ADULT_LINK: ((ADULT_LINK explains that he was making a joke about Alex Hall (Alex Hall proceeded to move onto a crowded movie idea called "Methods of Revolution" after placing his ARG on hiatus)))
ADULT_LINK: ((ADULT_LINK asks The Man to troll the player Mugen Kagemaru more))
Wolfcat: ((Wolfcat makes a remark about how Mugen Kagemaru has been ignored by several ARG characters))
The Man 7:32 PM: "I haven't specifically chosen anyone to target."
Player: ((Players begin speaking about strange things the player Mugen Kagemaru had done recently))
The Man 7:34 PM: "Do not fret. I already know what he posted. ;)"