Story

Johnisdead is an ARG set in the universe of Ben Drowned. Spanning across seven different arcs and countless websites, it can be difficult to understand Johnisdead at first. While the Timelines contain the most comprehensive retelling of events, this article aims to explain the story of Johnisdead in a more easily understandable format.

Jadusable's ARG - Ben Drowned

Before diving into the story of Johnisdead, it's important that one has a basic understanding of Ben Drowned - an ARG created by Alex Hall. Many events and characters from Ben Drowned are referenced and built upon throughout Johnisdead, making it required reading before proceeding. Below is a brief summary of Ben Drowned. This summary contains only the basic information needed to understand Johnisdead. For a more comprehensive understanding of the story, a complete database of Ben Drowned is available at the Jadusable Wiki.

The Haunted Cartridge

In September of 2010, a college student named Alex came across an Old Man's yard sale. The Old Man was odd. His right eye was seemingly blinded and he owned several amateur inkblot paintings. When asked if he had any video games for sale, the Old Man gave Alex a tattered copy of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. As Alex walked away, he heard the Old Man yell "Goodbye, Ben!".

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is a popular entry in The Legend of Zelda game series. A basic understanding of it is required to understand Johnisdead:

In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, the player assumes control of the character Link, who has recently be thrust into Termina - a foreign land that is doomed to be crushed by the falling moon in three days. In order to stop the moon from falling, Link must use a variety of items and masks that grant him special powers. Some of these masks even transform him into different beings completely. One of Link's most powerful items is the Ocarina of Time, which can be used to play magical songs. These songs have a variety of uses, such as the Song of Storms which summons storms, or the Song of Time which sends Link back in time three days before the moon falls. Link's main goal is to awaken the Four Giants - four powerful beings who will stop the moon from falling. Once all Four Giants are summoned, Link has a showdown with Majora - a malevolent entity contained within a mask that has been using the body of a young child, the "Skull Kid", as a host body.

Alex encountering the Elegy Statue.

Alex returned to his college dorm and began playing the game. Something about the game was off, however. The game had a preexisting save file named BEN which would occasionally get referenced by NPC's, despite Alex playing on his own, separate file. It soon became clear that these odd "glitches" were actually sentient hauntings from an entity calling itself BEN. BEN would often manifest as the Elegy Statue - an uncanny effigy of Link that was usually summoned by playing the song the "Elegy of Emptiness" in-game. However, when Alex played the game, the Elegy Statue would summon itself without warning and follow Alex wherever he went.

Over time, the hauntings worsened. Alex began having nightmares involving cults and masks. One day, Alex decided to visit the Old Man with his friend Tyler. However, all they found was an empty house. Back in his dorm, Alex slowly went insane. BEN began manifesting on Alex's computer, having traveled through his recording equipment via wires and circuitry. BEN and Alex began speaking through Cleverbot. Through these chats, BEN revealed that he was a truly malicious spirit, torturing Alex for pure thrill and pleasure. Through some investigating, Alex discovered that the Majora's Mask cartridge was originally owned by a child named Ben before he drowned. Alex speculated that the spirit known as BEN was not the same entity as this child, and that BEN was simply using his name out of cruelty.

On September 15th, 2010, Alex's notes were uploaded by his roommate. These notes were titled "TheTruth.rtf". As players read through these notes, they began noticing inconsistencies. The fact that the file was the wrong type, the theory that Alex didn't have a roommate, and a secret message spelling out "LIE" called the authenticity of these notes into question. Many believed that BEN had tampered with "TheTruth.rtf" while inside Alex's computer. These fears were confirmed when players reached the end of the document, revealing this message from BEN:

BEN

"Lastly, thank you for taking the time to open this and open yourselves up to me by hearing my story, despite maybe not beliEving me. You didn't have to do that - really, you shouldn't have. Your support this entire time has kept me going and now I am finally free of this."

By downloading the file en masse, the players had inadvertently spread BEN all across the internet. He was now free to spread his hauntings to every corner of the world.

The Moon Children

The front page of Youshouldnthavedonethat.net.

Following the upload of "TheTruth.rtf", strange, garbled messages began appearing on the Jadusable YouTube channel. Players soon realized that these messages were actually ciphers - coded text that hide secret messages. One of these ciphers led players to Youshouldnthavedonethat.net - the home of a moon worshiping cult known as the Moon Children. The Moon Children believed in a moon goddess named Luna and were led by The Father. Other strange entities appeared on the site as well - a mysterious authoritative figure called Mr. D, an entity wearing a gas mask named Drowned, and a deceased Moon Child named Kelbris.

It's believed that Kelbris's death was not an accident, but actually a part of a Moon Child ritual known as Ascension. Ascension is a ritual suicide that results in the participant spiritually transcending and presumably gaining immense power. However, it seems that ascension actually just entraps the souls of the participants within electronic devices. Players began learning more about ascension and the cult's history through the site's moderators - Matt Hubris "Ifrit", Chris "Nekko", Spencer L. "Duskworld23", and Kevin F. "Insidiae". By searching around the site, players discovered Matt's email address, allowing them to speak with him directly.

Chris

"Unfortunately I'm not going to be a mod for much longer - my Ascencion date is coming up really soon :) :) He finally told me when it was going to be and it's..... TOMORROW!! haah it's all I can really think about now, my family can't understand why im so excited haha :D"

Kelbris's grotesque form on Youshouldnthavedonethat.net.

Matt revealed that Ben was once a member of the Moon Children, implying that his death was an ascension. This would explain how Ben's spirit got trapped within the Majora's Mask cartridge. Matt also explains that a valuable member of the Moon Children named Alex has recently gone missing, referring to him as their "greatest warrior". Whether or not this is the same Alex who owns the Jadusable YouTube channel is unknown.

After digging through Youshouldnthavedonethat.net, players discovered two things - a locked page called "The Truth", and an ominous countdown. As this countdown neared its end, Matt began hearing someone banging on his door. Just as the timer was about to hit zero, something happened. A YouTube channel by the name "TheLinkMissing" uploaded gameplay footage of "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" featuring Link playing the "Song of Time". By playing the "Song of Time", TheLinkMissing, who was later confirmed to be the missing Moon Child Alex, successfully caused time to turn back to three days prior.

This event revealed that players had the ability to submit songs and items from the Legend of Zelda series to effect the ARG. Submitting the "Song of Storms" would cause it to rain. Submitting the "Song of Time" would reset time. These "Ocarina Powers" would mainly effect the players' Link - the character within the story who is currently considered the players' collective avatar or protagonist. At this point, Alex was the players' Link.

Since time was set back three days, Youshouldnthavedonethat.net was also reset. The Moon Children moderators made the same posts and the same events played out. There was one major difference, however - Matt was missing. The players were unable to save Matt and the Song of Time was unable to bring him back. A post from Kelbris later appeared on the front page, reading as follows:

Kelbris

"I AM KNOCKING AT YOUR DOOR NEXT. LET ME IN. I WANT TO SPEAK."

This implies that it was Kelbris who confronted Matt. After this, players attempted to contact Matt once again through his email. However, it wasn't Matt who responded, but his sister - Rosa. Rosa shares a name with the character Alex spoke to in the Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines game. Unfortunately, a few miscalculated song submissions from the players resulted in Rosa disappearing as well. Things became more grim as an entity represented by Dark Link began hunting down Alex, presumably killing him. The players submitted the Song of Time before the second cycle came to a close, resetting the clock once again.

Youshouldnthavedonethat.net then experienced an update known as "The Glitch", resulting in cryptic text that read "You are waking up now" and "Pulling the plug". Players also discovered hidden files on the site. One of these files was from Matt, warning the players about BEN's manipulative tendencies.

Ryukaki and Hubris

The Within Hubris forums.

Matt's message ended with a warning - "KAYD HENDRICKS YOU ARE IN DANGER.". After a bit of digging, players discovered that Kayd Hendricks was the only player who was given the login information for "The Truth" by Rosa. Kayd began uploading videos to his YouTube channel Ryukaki where he detailed strange experiences at his new home. Over time, it was revealed that Kayd is actually living in Ben's former home. The Moon Children's base of operations was also revealed - a location known as "The Orchard". Kayd began receiving strange phone calls and was chased by a pack of dogs. It appeared he was experiencing hauntings similar to Alex's. In a final upload, Kayd gave the players the login information for "The Truth". Unfortunately, the password given was incomplete and the players were unable to uncover Youshouldnthavedonethat.net's final secret.

A new website was later discovered - a message board called "Within Hubris". These forums had accounts for nearly every canon character, including obscure ones like Tyler. Players also discovered a secret board on Within Hubris titled Wayward Horizon. Inside, Kelbris was guarding the souls of various ascended Moon Childre - Spencer and Chris. However, shortly after players accessed Wayward Horizon, they were locked out by Kelbris.

Two years later in 2012, the Within Hubris forums were shut down. Although a few dedicated players managed to reconstructed them, all was quiet. That is, until the year 2015...

Arc 1 - YSHDT Arc

The YSHDT Arc is the first arc of Johnisdead, beginning on January 22nd of 2015. In Jadusable's ARG, the players were introduced to a malevolent spirit called BEN. BEN was somehow connected to a strange cult called the Moon Children that believed in a sacrificial practice known as ascension - a ritual that promised great spiritual power and freedom but actually resulted in the souls of the participants being trapped within electronic devices. The prolific members of this cult included their leader "The Father", the moderators Matt and Kevin, and a former ascended Moon Child named Kelbris. The players discovered that they can interact with the characters by submitting songs and items from the "Legend of Zelda" series. Near the end of the ARG, the message board "Within Hubris" is created, where our story continues.

Dawn of a New Day

On January 22nd, 2015, four years after the original Ben Drowned ARG was placed on hiatus, a user named thelaw joined the reconstructed Within Hubris forums. Thelaw shared a strange website he discovered with the players - YSHDT.com. This site contained an image of BEN. Its name, "YSHDT", was an acronym of "You shouldn't have done that". A few days later, the players banded together and formed a new Skype group called the Internet Detectives. Together, the Internet Detectives dove deeper into YSHDT.com and uncovered writings from someone named Douglas P - a high school student who had joined a cult and is now regretting his decision.

A hidden image on YSHDT.com featuring BEN.

The players were eventually led to Doug's blog Letschasethemouse where they began chatting with him through the comment section. Doug reveals that he had just recently been invited to join a "religious group" by his friend. Players quickly realized that Doug was actually speaking to them from the past - the year 2009, to be exact. This means that there was still a chance to save him. The players' attempts to convince Doug to leave the cult were fruitless. Doug already considered the cult his "true family" and believed they were his real friends. One player named Jacob managed to convince Doug to let him join the cult. Jacob was referred to Doug's friend Mason - a fellow cultist who handles new recruits. Over the next few weeks, Jacob was asked to record himself carrying out odd tasks as a part of his initiation.

At this point, not much was known about Doug's cult. While most players were assuming it was simply the return of the Moon Children, some things didn't match up. For example, instead of being based at an orchard, this new cult was housed in an old fishery in Florida. It was still too early to tell the exact nature of this cult.

New Friends and New Foes

Back on Within Hubris, a new character began speaking with the players - /Patrem\. Patrem spoke to the players in an authoritative manner, often with an air of superiority. It was soon revealed that Patrem was actually "The Father" of Doug's cult. Players also discovered that Patrem was no longer human - he was now a timeless entity became trapped within the body of another cultist named Vincent. However, Vincent himself was completely unaware of Patrem's existence, since the only time Patrem took full control of Vincent was when he fell asleep. Patrem spoke a few cryptic phrases before departing - "Three of you are not as you seem", and " o n urn d. Now he has ascended".

/Patrem\

"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."

The cult's base of operations - an old fishery in the Floridan woodlands.

The players soon met another mysterious entity - user named Drown who entered Internet Detectives Skype group. Though Drown's name implies he is connected to BEN, the two acted nothing alike. Drown asked the players for help and cowered before Patrem - completely different from the malicious entity known as BEN. A third entity later joined Within Hubris - Helper. Helper began assisting the players by delivering mail to them. His uncanny delivery abilities seemed to be powered by his hat, which was the Postman's Hat from Majora's Mask - though it is more commonly referred to as Helper's Hat by the players. Through Helper's abilities, the players accidentally stole Doug's mail. Shortly after this, Doug made a post on his blog where he mentioned that an important religious package was missing from his mail.

As time went on, Doug began displaying more worrying signs, scribbling prophecies from Kelbris and posting cryptic messages about Time Aggregation. Despite the players' warnings, Doug returned to the fishery. Following this, Doug made one final post on his blog - an update that simply read "Help".

Mason, Our New Link

Shortly after Doug's disappearance, a new author began posting on Letschasethemouse - Mason, Doug's friend from the cult. Mason, concerned for his friend's well-being, had become suspicious of the cult and began working alongside the players. Unsure of how to proceed, Mason decided to go directly to the fishery and ask about Doug. Seeing that this was a bad idea, the players summoned Helper and asked him to go to the fishery and help Doug. Helper then began jogging towards the fishery.

Helper

Helper: "Do you have need of assistance, adventurer?"
Player: "We need to help Douglas, how can we?"
Helper: "I'm not particularly sure. Has he lost his mail?"

Helper's Hat surrounded by blood.

Mason later reached the fishery's outer perimeter. In at attempt to distract some guards, Mason blindly hurled a rock in their direction. Unfortunately, this rock ended up hitting Helper instead, killing him. Mason managed to retrieve Helper's magical hat before being chased away from the fishery. On his way back home, Mason came across a strange figure known as The Gray Man.

The Gray Man was not malicious. Instead, he simply wanted Helper's Hat. In exchange, he gave Mason a playing card - an Eight of Clubs. Not long after this, it was revealed that Helper's Hat not only gives Helper the ability to deliver mail on time, but also grants access to Helper's Within Hubris account and a strange YouTube channel simply titled M. Since Mason was in possession of Helper's Hat for a brief time, videos of him running home at night and coming across The Gray Man were uploaded to the channel:

The radio tower seen in the video "N".

Now that The Gray Man had Helper's Hat, videos of what he was up to began appearing instead. It seemed as though The Gray Man was travelling to a nearby radio tower for some unknown reason:

Back on Within Hubris, The Gray Man began chiding the players for constant in-fighting and drama. Not long after this, Helper began chatting with the players over Skype. Though his body may be physically "dead", Helper was still able to communicate with us, implying that he was a rather special entity. Helper asked the players recover his hat, meaning they would have to somehow get it back from The Gray Man. Later on, one player asked Patrem for a bedtime story. To everyone's surprise, Patrem obliged, reciting the following:

Patrem's Bedtime Story

"Yes child, sleep is a very important thing for your kind. So I shall tell you the tail of another who also has trouble sleeping. There once was a child who was quite curious, he was surrounded by children and yet, it was not enough for him. So he sought the company of others. Through trials and tribulations he found sanctuary in their communion, however he lost sight of the other children, his own name and even his self. But his new family loved him very much, so his father decided to give him a name. Vincent, and before he knew it he was a very responsible man. He was to oversee all of the children in his father’s home when his father was away. However one night, father saw that one of his children had become quite grand. This child was to come and see his father so that he might be told the secrets that only father may know. But two terrible children, who must not be spoken of, one flying, one simply screaming, had come and interfered. Luckily the grand child had still done what was needed on that night, but their father was displaced. He was hurt, that children would fuss in such a time of glory. But Vincent was a good boy, he gave his father refuge. But the event was much to bare, and Vincent had forgotten once again who his family truly was. This all kept Vincent awake, always awake, and his father can do no work, if Vincent is always awake and crying as though he is still simply another child. Now you must rest, for sleep is a very important thing for your kind. I may be able to go on without such a time wasting practice, but neither you nor Vincent can"

This story revealed that Vincent was once a prolific member of Patrem's cult. However, two unknown entities interrupted a special ceremony involving a "Grand Child". Somehow, this damaged Patrem and forced him into Vincent's body. This caused Vincent to lose his memories, which is why he no longer remembers anything about the cult.

Rosa standing in the rain.

Back on Doug's blog, Mason informed the players that he's going back to the fishery. He believed that the cultists there didn't realize he was the one who was snooping around previously, and that maybe if he asks nicely, they'd let him see Doug. The players submitted the New Wave Bossa Nova. This summoned Rosa, who Mason ran into on his way to the fishery. Rosa gave Mason some predictions meant for the players. She claimed that the players' "most powerful weapon" had been taken, and that they needed to reclaim it. Rosa also warned that the players' most trusted allies may deceive them and become enemies. After this, Rosa departed.

Mason made his way to the fishery. Moments later, he made a distressed post on Letschasethemouse, claiming that Doug was somehow different than before.

Mason

“SOMETHINGS WRONG. VERY VERY FUCKING WRONG. THEY LET ME SEE DOUG. DOUG ISNT DOUG. WHAT THE FUCK”

Shortly after this, Doug regained control of Letschasethemouse, acting as if nothing was wrong. Doug claimed that Mason was simply lying to the players.

Doug

"Hello, guys. It’s been a while. Mason’s off running with his tail between his legs. I need your help. He’s going to try to convince you I am the bad guy. I’m not. I’m just trying to escape. And I need your help. Mason is kinda getting in the way of it. He’s luring you guys away from me with his lies and wit. I didn’t even know he was capable of this. Everything is fine with me, they are keeping me captive and questioning me about you guys, but they haven’t done anything else. It’s been kind of harsh, but I guess they would be that way, huh? I’ve been told of your powers, and it makes sense, considering all the crazy stuff that’s happened to me while I was in contact with you guys. I need you to send Mason far away, and I need you guys to help me again. I’m sure you will have time to plan things out."

Doug vs. Mason

Fanart of the "Doug vs. Mason" saga.

The players had to choose either Doug or Mason to be their new Link. Believing they would have more opportunities to stop Doug if he were their Link, the players chose Doug. Shortly after this, a message from Doug was discovered on YSHDT.com, declaring Mason his enemy. Back on Within Hubris, Patrem answered some of the players' questions. When asked about Rosa, Patrem called her a "blind whore", claiming that she and Matt started off on the "wrong path" and never attempted to correct themselves. It seemed as though Patrem resented Matt and Rosa for some unknown reason. When asked what to expect in the future, Patrem replied with the following:

Patrem's Prediction

"There will be a coming time in which a portal shall be opened. This place was forged by the one they call saint, and is governed by the one I call grand. Named a petty insult directed at the terrible fate of one child and the loss of another. Through here you may encounter many things both of your kind, and from times before man. He will seek the burned one, without his puppet he is only half of his potential. He will seek the link of that time, for it is through his death that he believes he will truly become a god. He is a grand fool, but he is one of my special children. However, this is not of the task at hand. Worry now for what lies before you. Now I must go, a ceremony shall soon be at hand, blood must be spilled when mother calls for it. My children eagerly await in the holy building."

Patrem claimed that a portal would soon open created by someone called Saint and controlled by the previously mentioned Grand Child. The Grand Child would then seek someone referred to as the Burned One to gain more power and attempt to kill the players' link, becoming a god. Patrem then said that a sacrifice would soon take place. Fearing that Mason's life was in danger, the players submitted a combination of several songs and masks. It wasn't until several days later they received a response. Helper informed the players that Mason had somehow become trapped within a storm drain. Sure enough, the front page of YSHDT.com had changed, now featuring a photo of a storm drain with a strange device sitting next to it.

Helper

"Mason is stuck inside a storm drain. It seems like an odd place to hang around. Or… drown in."

Doug's insane rage upon discovering the bomb plans.

Among the other strange images discovered on YSHDT.com were some schematics for some sort of Time Bomb. One player, ARGdov, sent this image to Doug on Letschasethemouse. Upon seeing this, Doug went insane, repeatedly asking "WHERE DID YOU GET THAT" and informing the players that their Link had been severed. The players had now lost contact with their Doug, who had become outwardly malicious towards them. With nowhere else to turn, players began searching through YSHDT.com once again.

Players discovered images of radio towers and messages reading "device incoming". This seemed to imply that someone would soon be contacting the players. A few days later, Mason contacted the players over Skype. However, this Mason was different. This Mason spoke as if he were a struggling DOS machine while and was currently in the year 2015 - the same year as the players. Mason claimed to have survived being trapped in a storm drain and asked the players for the bomb plans. Fearing that Mason might attempt to blow himself up in a suicide attack against Doug, the players refused to do so - accidentally ending all contact with him in the process.

With no Link to guide, no characters to speak to, and no way of progressing, the first arc of Johnisdead came to a close. The GM, who the players had simply referred to as The Man at that point, was revealed to be a regular member of the Within Hubris community - Dawn of a New Day. Dawn explained that everything so far was simply the first arc in a much bigger ARG ran by a different set of GMs.

Dawn of a New Day

"My ARG was actually just an introduction to a bigger one. Another group has been crafting a story for you all. And hopefully a bigger group than this."

The players still had a chance to redeem themselves. The real story was just beginning.

Arc 2 - Dead Arc

The Dead Arc is the second arc of Johnisdead, beginning on May 14th, 2015. In the previous arc, players were introduced to Doug and Mason - two high school students involved in a mysterious cult. The cult eventually kidnaps Doug, presumably ascending him in some way. This causes Mason to turn against the cult, siding with the players. Unfortunately, the players are unable to save either Doug or Mason, bringing the arc to a close. Meanwhile, strange entities began speaking to the players on the Within Hubris forums. These entities include a friendly deliveryman named Helper, an enigmatic figure known as The Gray Man, a fearful spirit named "Drown", and Patrem - the leader of the cult Doug and Mason were involved in. With Doug and Mason nowhere to be found, activity continued on the Within Hubris forums...