Astral Arc

The Astral Arc is the sixth arc of Johnisdead. This arc began on October 22nd, 2018, and ended on June 5th, 2019. This arc saw the introduction of the Astral Observatory - a group of online paranormal enthusiasts with some unknown connection to the Lunar Children. Throughout this arc, players were required to navigate the Astral Observatory forums and interact with its various members while avoiding the suspicion of Nocta - the mysterious leader of the Astral Observatory.

October 22nd, 2018

• At an unknown time, players discovered that the front page of Johnisdead.com had updated. This page no longer had a title and contained an image of a red-tinted Tyler grinning titled "maj.jpg". This page also featured the audio "recruit.mp3". Hidden within this page's source code was the text "howdoesitwork" repeated 55 times.
• At an unknown time, players discovered that Johnisdead.com now featured a new favicon of a crudely-drawn smiley face.

October 23rd, 2018

• At 1:58 PM, players discovered that the front page of Johnisdead.com had updated. This page was now titled "construction" and once again featured the green, distorted image of Tyler titled "awaken.jpg". This page still contained the audio "recruit.mp3".
• At 2:19 PM, players discovered that Johnisdead.com would once again redirect players if they attempted to access a non-existent page. The pages player would be redirected to seemed to all be previously discovered canon sources such as the Silentdork YouTube channel and Doug's blog.

October 24th, 2018

• At 9:53 AM, the player Jos discovered a new page on Johnsidead.com - "https://johnisdead.com/home.html". This page was simply the previous version of the front page which featured the red-tinted image of Tyler.
• At 9:56 AM, the player Jos discovered that Johnisdead.com would sometimes redirect him to a new website when attempting to access a non-existent page - "https://astralobservatory.net/". This site appeared to be a blog themed around paranormal activity and conspiracies. Players noticed that some of the wording within the blog posts found on this page were distinctly cult-like.

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10/24/18 - Announcements - Astralobservatory.net

The Astral Observatory
July 28, 2018 - Thoughts
Welcome to the Astral Observatory.

This is a website dedicated to sharing news, opinions, and thoughts from an underground collective that believe in what some may call paranormal or supernatural. We believe in that modern society has pulled a warm blanket over our eyes, trying to lull us into a false reality in which the masses, now imperceptible to the greater machinations of the universe, are more malleable for cooperation.

We have been exposed to some of the truths that shattered that illusion, and now we seek more.

If you are interested in joining us on this journey, bookmark this webpage for further updates, and head on over to our forums for new community of people like us, and we believe, yourself.



Malicious Attack; Forums Offline
October 22, 2018 - News
Dearest believers,

I have some news you may find unfortunate. On Sunday morning, around 12am, this site was taken offline. I do not know how or why, but during that time our bandwidth was temporarily re-purposed for another website, ‘johnisdead.com’. While I’m not sure why this has happened, I can only conclude it was some form of malicious hack. Please stay patient while I work to get my previous posts on this website back up, and work to restore the forums to their former glory. For now the forums are locked.

We will get through this.

Summary

• The announcement welcoming users to the site was posted on July 28th, implying that the Astral Observatory has existed for several months.
• The members of the Astral Observatory believe that society has obscured various truths regarding the nature of the paranormal and reality itself. The author of these posts claims that the Astral Observatory has been exposed to information that has "shattered that illusion", and that now they want more.
• On October 22nd, an announcement was posted on Astral Observatory claiming that Johnisdead.com had stolen their bandwidth on October 21st. This explains why Johnisdead.com now redirects to Astralobservatory.net.
• It is revealed that the Astral Observatory has some forums that are temporarily offline.

• At an unknown time, players discovered that the front page of Astralobservatory.net contained a link to their forums - "https://astralobservatory.net/forum". Unfortunately, these forums were still offline.
• At 10:01 AM, the player Jos discovered that the Javascript code on Johnisdead.com that redirected players could now be read. The redirects were as follows:
Johnisdead.com - https://johnisdead.com
Silentdork YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/silentdork
Greth Vlogs YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB62RBGB5A5uRaLv-95fMrw
YSHDT.net - http://youshouldnthavedonethat.net/
Doug's Blog - http://letschasethemouse.blogspot.com/
Lostmemory423 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT-n6eNjB3rNoDYsKWuP-DA
"M" YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfjnw6rFLW3-NhEphVdPymw
Vincent Adams YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgrrgIhl-3DkhgKIHEkB4OQ
Johnisdead.com "home.html" Page - http://johnisdead.com/home.html
Astralobservatory.net - https://astralobservatory.net/

October 25th, 2018

• At 3:28 PM, the player Jos discovered that the generic "404" page on Johnisdead.com that users were sent to before being redirected was now titled "lost?". This page also contained a dark image of Tenebris and the elegy statue titled "ha.png" and hid the text "find your way" in its source code.

October 31st, 2018

• At 4:02 PM, players discovered that the front page of Astralobservatory.net now contained a new announcement titled "Good news and bad news.".

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10/31/18 - Announcement - Astralobservatory.net

Good news and bad news.
October 31, 2018 - Uncategorized
Hello everyone, I have both good news and bad news to report today, Oct. 31st. The good news is that soon, our forums will be up and running once again! The bad news is, most of the our previous posts have become corrupted. I was unable to salvage anything but the protected forum. Some users may need to find that they will need to re-register themselves, even. We will rebuild.

Summary

• It is revealed that any content on the previous incarnation of the Astral Observatory forums has been lost.
• The author mentions a "protected forum" that contains some archived posts. This implies that there is some degree of secrecy within the inner workings of the Astral Observatory.

• At 4:16 PM, players discovered that the Astral Observatory forums were now accessible. These forums contained a header that read "Seeking the truths that lie beyond the grand illusion" and a small image of the "Astral Observatory" location from Majora's Mask. The following characters were discovered on the forums:
nocta - The mysterious leader of the Astral Observatory.
Avatar: N/A
Signature: N/A
Rank: "Site Admin"
Groups: "Leader", "Truth Seekers"
Joined: "October 21st, 2018 at 11:44 AM"
Samuel_Charleston - A mysterious member of the Astral Observatory forums who had yet to make a post.
Avatar: N/A
Signature: N/A
Rank: N/A
Groups: "Truth Seekers"
Joined: "October 21st, 2018 at 11:12 PM"
moonman31 - A male forum-goer who often posts memes and "trolls" other users.
Avatar: An image of the McDonalds mascot "Mac Tonight".
Signature: N/A
Rank: N/A
Groups: "Believers"
Joined: "October 31st, 2018 at 12:59 PM"
yuukichan - A female forum-goer who enjoys anime and often posts messages containing Japanese emojis.
Avatar: An image of the character "Yuki Nagato" from the anime "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya".
Signature: An image of the character "Yuki Nagato" kissing an alien from the "Aliens" franchise.
Rank: N/A
Groups: "Believers"
Joined: "October 31st, 2018 at 12:59 PM"
NotAHoax_M12 - A male forum-goer who is a fervent believer of outlandish conspiracy theories.
Avatar: A photo of a crashed UFO.
Signature: N/A
Rank: N/A
Groups: "Believers"
Joined: "October 31st, 2018 at 1:57 PM"
• Players began searching through the Astral Observatory forums. The following is the structure of the various message boards and the threads contained within them:
Section - "Forum"
Board - "Welcome" - "Helpful topics for those new"
Sub-Board - "Help & FAQ" - "A board for asking questions that either nocta or another can answer; the board rules are also posted in here."
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7/28/18 - "Forum Rules" - nocta
nocta 12:00 PM: "These are the rules of the Observatory's forums by which you must abide. Do so and you will enjoy your stay here.
-No spam. All automated messages, advertisements, and links to competitor websites will be deleted immediately.

-Post in relevant sub-forums only. Messages posted in the wrong topic area will be removed and placed in the correct sub-forum by moderators.

-Respect other users. No flaming or abusing fellow forum members. Users who continue to post inflammatory, abusive comments will be deleted from the forum after two warnings are issued by moderators.

-Harassment. No threats or harassment of other users will be tolerated. Any instance of threatening or harassing behavior is grounds for deletion from the forums.

-No Pornography, please.

-Bandwidth. All signatures must be 500 x 500 pixels or smaller. Posts containing over-sized images and signatures will be removed.

-Illegal content. No re-posting of copyrighted materials or other illegal content is allowed. Any posts containing illegal content or copyrighted materials will be deleted.

-Do NOT try to break into the Truth!"
Summary
• Nocta forbids users from attempting to break into "The Truth" - the password-protected board on the forums that was mentioned previously.


Sub-Board - "Introductions" - "A board for asking questions that either nocta or another can answer; the board rules are also posted in here."
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10/31/18 - "We starting over?" - moonman31
moonman31 1:32 PM: "Y'all know me, still the same OG."
nocta 1:34 PM: "Welcome back moonman. Keep the trolling to a MINIMUM this time?"
moonman31 1:35 PM: "I promise nothing. (kidding)"
yuukichan 1:40 PM: "MOONIE!!!!"
NotAHoax_M12 2:06 PM: "Of course you'd be the first back besides Nocta and Samuel"
moonman31 2:06 PM: ((A gif from "The Simpsons" is posted))
Summary
• The user "moonman31" introduces himself on the newly created forums.
• The other users welcome Moonman back to the forums. Judging by their wording, Moonman has a history of trolling the others.
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10/31/18 - "AAAAH WE'RE BAAAACK" - yuukichan
yuukichan 1:41 PM: "Hello everyooooone~"
nocta 1:42 PM: "Hello again Yuuki"
yuukichan 1:43 PM: "Nocta! Pls fix my group status QwQ"
nocta 1:44 PM: "I'm working as fast as I can as everyone sees the message and re-registers... patience."
moonman31 1:50 PM: "Welcome back kiddo."
yuukichan 1:55 PM: "Where is grampa? He's registered but he hasn't posted yet... TTwTT"
Summary
• The user "yuukichan" introduces herself on the newly created forums.
• Yuukichan asks Nocta to fix her group status, referring to the "Believers" group.
• Yuukichan notes that "grampa" is registered but hasn't made a post yet. This is referring to "Samuel_Charleston" - a member who has not yet posted. He is also the only member aside from Nocta who is in the "Truth Seekers" group.
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10/31/18 - "Nice to be back." - NotAHoax_M12
NotAHoax_M12 2:01 PM: "Glad my favorite group of people are back online. Well, soon to be. What's up with the avatars? Uploads are broken."
nocta 2:01 PM: "I know, just use TinyPic for now. I will get it fixed."
NotAHoax_M12 2:05 PM: "I'm sure this is really frustrating. Take your time, Nocta."
Summary
• The user "NotAHoax_M12" introduces himself on the newly created forums.


Sub-Board - "General Discussion" - "Talk about anything not relevant to the other discussion forums here"
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10/31/18 - "A N I M E" - yuukichan
yuukichan 2:12 PM: "WE GOT TO A 1000 PAGES LAST TIME LET'S DO IT AGAIN! TALK ANIME HERE!! o(〃＾▽＾〃)o"
NotAHoax_M12 2:12 PM: "I remember a lot of double-posting, is what I remember."
Wolfcat 2:31 PM: "Where my Kemono Friends at."
yuukcihan 2:40 PM: ":o ! I LIKE THE NEW GUY" ((An edited gif from the anime "Kemono Friends" is sent))
Wolfcat 2:53 PM: "https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/244/430/a3d.gif"
yuukichan 4:20 PM: ((A fan created gif for the anime "Kemono Friends" is sent))
Summary
• The user Yuukichan creates a thread for casual anime discussion. It's implied that a similar thread existed before the Astral Observatory forums were purged that surpassed 1000 posts.

Updates

• Files:
Two gifs relating to the anime "Kemono Friends" are posted by Yuukichan:


• Section - "Theories & Discussion"
• Board - "Aliens & Visitors"
This board had no posts.
• Board - "Ghosts / Demonology"
This board had no posts.
• Board - "Political Conspiracy"
This board had no posts.
• Board - "Supernatural, Folklore & Etc"
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10/31/18 - "JohnIsDead.com" - moonman31
moonman31 1:46 PM: "So let's get down to brass and talk about it, and this seemed like the most appropriate section. How does someone redirect bandwidth from one website to another? I smell a conspiracy about this 'johnisdead.com' :ugeek:"
nocta 1:46 PM: "It was some asshole messing with us. I'd suggest letting it go."
yuukichan 1:52 PM: "I'm gonna fight them (ง •̀_•́)ง"
NotAHoax_M12 2:03 PM: "I'd be scared of whoever you try to fight, Yuuki."
Dense 4:34 PM: "|...by which a new vessel' may then be obtained. The flesh must be made weak. the mind must be made weary. the upon one who ye hath chosen shall descend lunar wisdom. Exalt him upon the hour of choosing and then through worldly works father thine children anew.|=ll"
Jos 4:47 PM: "Ok I join the fight to WHERE IS THE GUY *starts throwing punchs into the air*"
moonman31 7:15 PM: "Shut up Hoax"
Summary
• Moonman questions the logistics of Johnisdead.com redirecting bandwidth from Astralobservatory.net.
• Nocta urges the players to cease discussion of the topic.
• The player Dense posts the description of the video "J J S K K N V G H".


• Section - "Forum"
• Board - "The Truth" - "Only those chosen may enter here; the greatest truths that only the ready minds are capable of discussing are within here; to access you will need to belong to the 'Believers' usergroup or above"
This board was locked and required a password to enter. Only users who are trusted and added to the "Believers" group may receive the password.

• At an unknown time, the player Dense's post in the "Johnisdead.com" thread which contained the translated description of the video "J J S K K N V G H" was edited by Nocta. The contents from the post were completely removed and replaced with ".".
• At 5:16 PM, Nocta sent the user Dense a PM on the Astral Observatory forums which read "I would stop while you are ahead.".
• At 5:48 PM, the player Wolfcat discovered that a new announcement had been posted on the front page of Astralobservatory.net titled "New users".

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10/31/18 - Announcement - Astralobservatory.net

New users
October 31, 2018 - Uncategorized
As the forums come back online, and while our previous users find my previous post and continue to rejoin, there is something I would like to address: new users

We have always been a lightly secluded gathering of folk, but we have always embraced new users and brought them into the fold; there is, however, a small influx of users joining that are related to ‘johnisdead’.

I suppose I knew this would happen, and there’s only one way to address. Welcome them, teach them, and embrace them… with one eye open.

These users will be placed into the ‘Internet Detectives’ usergroup as they are identified (that name is what they already call themselves in other parts of the internet).

Keep lips sealed on certain subjects. Stay wary.

Change their minds.

Summary

• Nocta addresses the players joining the forums. He tells the other users to welcome the players, but to keep an eye on them and not reveal any secretive information.
• Nocta seems willing to indoctrinate the players rather than outright banning them.