JackOZero

## Information

JackOZero (formerly known as "Alpha 1.1.1. Deluxe Archives") is a bait and switch ARG made by Liminal. The original concept was shared between both ShimmeringStars and Liminal, with the finalized, composed story being only told to Dotty and Lylythii. The ARG was created to get traction from how bad it was in order to be able to tell its story to a bigger group of people. The story followed ideas taken from existentialist concepts, and was going to tell its Story via videos and diary entries.

## Uploads and Overview

The first upload, titled "Discovery" was published on Feb 4, 2023. The description reads:

"I found this, interesting version on my brothers old laptop. This seems to have no real changes, and im unable to find this anywhere online either? I dont know man. It took me a while to transfer the .jar between my PC and his, it seems like his laptop is riddled with malware."

Around an hour after, AndrewIdot would post about it in the Minecraft Webseries Discord. From this original post, the channel would begin uploading videos referencing Dotty.

The second upload, titled "Extension" was published the next day at Feb 5, 2023. The videos description would read:

"So uhm, i found more crafting recipes? Pretty interesting i guess, i cant find anything else about it since im not good at programming and cant look at the code I dont understand whats up with the textures though, they dont fit at all. My brother wasnt a programming wiz anyway or a mojang employee so i have no clue if he made this or not. Ill attempt to provide more later, for now this is all i have"

The video would showcase new textures and new crafting recipes. Primarily of what seemed to be a new type of window and a barrel.

The third upload, uploaded on the same day as the previous, titled "Ocean" would feature the player in a boat. However it the top left text has changed into an "Unlicensed copy" text that could be seen in the beta versions. In the midway point of the video, a random cave sound would be heard, which causes the player to jump and break the boat. The screen becomes darker as a result of this noise. The description entails:

"This is right after the previous video. I was waiting for day time to show a new block i was able to craft with iron in the middle surrounded by cobblestone, but i got mauled by a horde of spiders. Not to mention during my mining session, the games render distance was locked to Tiny. So, i decided to check out a massive ocean i found, and uh. That was a pussy reaction but my screen seemed to change contrast for some reason?"

Due to an error with scheduling, the fourth video was uploaded **the same day** as the previous ones. This features an update of sorts, telling us that the person behind the channel wont be able to upload for a while due to school blocking their path. This one features multiple codes, with what seems to be a blurry, pixel eye flashing at the end.

The codes in the video are "SBhcmUgeW91IGV2ZW4gYm90aGVyaW5nIHRvIHNlYXJjaCBhbnltb3JlPy4K", translating to "y are you even bothering to search anymore?.", the code is half of another code present at the beginning. This being "aXZlIGFscmVhZHkgYmVlbiBhdCB0aGUgc2NlbmUsIHdoe", both connected would form the sentence "ive already been at the scene, why are you even bothering to search anymore?."

The code at the end is "IRSW233UNF3GC5DJN5XCA43IN52WYZDOOQQGK6DJON2C4===", this translates to "Demotivation shouldnt exist.". This video was created before the story shifted to what it is.

On Feb 11, 2023, the next video was uploaded, prompetly titled "Comeback", this video introduces the two main characters in the series, and was made after the shift in story, there is no description, this video once more features codes. Mainly being ceaser ciphers.

"Flztf jpsk, jvuapubl vu fvby "zlhyjo". Zvvu, fvbdpss tlla aol Zlywlua" (7 shift): "Yes my cild, continue on your "search". Soon, you will meet the Serpent"

"mvssvd aol zlywlua" (7 shift): "follow the serpent."

"JYGO SJJ, OMPP XLIWIVTIRX HSRX JSPPSAMX." (4 shift): "FUCK OFF, KILL THE SERPENT DONT FOLLOW IT."

These codes show an opposing force. The first two being the serpent and the third being the Overseer, both of these characters are relevant in the Webseries story.

The final uploaded video, titled "????????????????" was uploaded the next day on Feb 12, 2023. This video has the description of:

"Ok im fucking confused, im dropping the act. I was preparing an arg video but i found this weird ass block that had weird effects upon seeing it applied to the game. Afterwards it put on this extension to the video?????? I dont fucking know bro im scared... Who is the Serpent? who is the person who did this???". This shows that the person running the channel doesnt know whats going on, and he admits that this was originally an ARG.

In the video, after cutting down a tree, the player finds a purple block, that eventually becomes an ethereal nightscape. The screen seems to repeat twice, one which is delayed, and the other, main screen is what you mainly focus on. As this block is rightclicked, a weird breathing sound is heard. The player enters a loading world screen that bugs more and more, as a black screen appears. A VHS tape can be heard being inserted, the text shown reads "You followed the serpent. No, im not talking about you on that screen. I will try to help him." as the text fades, a vietnamese mandela flower is seen fading in, glitching and distorting as the sounds of static become louder and louder.

## The Story

The story is about a person who is making an ARG, being faced with two weird beings, who dont like each other at all. Eventually, the player stumbles onto a block in his world, that when rightclicked teleports him to his own mind. In the story, this placed is called "Psi".

Psi is described as the players mind, an escape from reality, such as the ARG that hes making, everything he created in the Psi universe and the ARG have been simple methods of escapism from his own real world, Minecraft is simply used as a way to represent this. His mind is similar to that of the real world, just much more limited due to creativity, the grass is purple and mushrooms are the ultimate life form in his own mind, with the cows being slightly infected. Armor cannot be equipped, showing that even in his own imagination he is vulnerable to anything. In here are found the two characters mentioned before, The Serpent and the Overseer. The serpent represents themselves as "Reality" in the world, the Overseer has no alias that they use to represent themselves.

The Serpent, who ill now be calling "Reality" is introduced first, warning the player about a man hooded in black who roams the endless expanse, telling him that he shouldnt be tricked by him and should run away at all costs. The second person introduced is of course, the Overseer, described as the man hooded in black by the Serpent. Before the player can run, the overseer freezes him and sends them to a limited, dark void where they can talk without Reality hearing them. The overseer describes Reality as a deceiver, and explains to the player that they live in his mind, and will try to constantly trick the player into believing whatever they say. Eventually, the limited expanse breaks itself, and transports the player back into his mind.

Afterwards, the player would mainly play like normal, though both Reality and the Overseer would stalk him throughout. Eventually, the player would be interrupted by both of them, who would ask him to pick a side, the video would glitch once more with 2, delayed POVS. At this point 2 videos show up, though, both are the same. Both videos would show the player picking reality, and then reality casting the overseer to a foreign dimension.

The video after would show the overseer in said foreign dimension, a white void, filled with questions about reality and infinity, a method proven to drive people insane. The serpent is trying to make the last reasonable part of the players brain go insane, that way they can hold all of the power. The serpent actually lives inside this players brain, he cannot exist without this specific world existing, all of this would be an attempt to still exist in this realm, and not be casted to a foreign place just like all previous thoughts once were. The video would show a link to a website called "JackOZeros diary" in which diary entries must be uncovered to find out more about who JackOZero is (who ive been calling the player this entire time). And to uncover the true ending, the one that was buried by the serpent, the one where you pick the path of the Overseer and once more integrate with reality.

### The end

The ARG would officially end as an unfinished webseries on the 26th of Febuary, 2023 as the creator was revealed under a different ARG account called "I N T E R S T I C E", which is linked up to Alpha 1.0.9 Reimagined with screensharing of both the Psi jar and the original, a111deluxe jar.

A111 Deluxe: https://www.mediafire.com/file/oxo3m0ng18pfmmr/a111deluxe.jar/file

Psi :https://www.mediafire.com/file/9fk6uyg3bfi09jf/psi.jar/file