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Ben Drowned (originally published as Haunted Majora's Mask Cartridge) is a three-part multimedia alternate reality game (ARG) web serial and web series created by Alexander D.

Originating as a creepypasta based on the 2000 action-adventure game The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask and published by Hall from 2010 to 2020 with a hiatus in-between, the series is known for creating many of the current common tropes and themes of creepypasta and for subverting themes from The Legend of Zelda series. Serving as Hall's first project, the first arc of the series, Haunted Cartridge, was released in 2010. It follows college sophomore Jadusable, who, after acquiring a haunted Nintendo 64 video game cartridge of Majora's Mask, is plagued over the course of a single week by the presence of a seemingly omniscient artificial intelligence entity called BEN. The second arc, titled Moon Children and set from late 2010 to early 2011, follows the public emergence of a mysterious cult known as The Moon Children, who worshipped the Moon by way of human sacrifice, or in their words, ascension. The third arc, titled Awakening, began in March 2020, following new and returning characters who have become involved in multiple events of the current year.

Ben Drowned was first published as an online serial and web series with chapters released daily between September 7 and September 15, 2010, on 4chan's /x/ board. The second arc of Ben Drowned began when a user successfully decoded a hidden cipher on Hall's YouTube account and readers gained access to a website that led to the Moon Children arc. The third Ben Drowned arc, titled Awakening, began publication on March 17, 2020, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, with updates being provided every three days before settling into a weekly update schedule. In October 2017, Hall expressed interest in developing a third arc, also revealing he had anonymously created a second "popular" creepypasta series unrelated to Ben Drowned.

Ben Drowned is set in a fictional, alternate universe closely following that of Earth prior to the emergence of a cult known as the Moon Children who worshiped the Moon, known to them as Luna.

Jadusable, after hearing from the neighbor as to what happened in the house that the old man lived in, concludes that the cartridge is possessed by the spirit of its previous owner, a 12-year-old boy named Ben who had drowned almost eight years prior.

Awakening is the third and final arc in Ben Drowned, beginning in March 2020 with the reactivation of Jadusable’s YouTube channel and ending on October 31, 2020.

The final part of Awakening returns to the original storytelling format of Ben Drowned, with the key difference that the audience is now able to work together to choose the protagonist's actions in the story.

Liam Conlon of Vice, comparing Ben Drowned to both Majora's Mask and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, referred to it as "a shining example of how Zelda fans have always been in lockstep with Nintendo's own experimentation with horror. a well-told story", as well as praising its unique take on the found footage genre. But BEN Drowned brought a level of realism to its story that had yet to be accomplished in other attempts.", additionally citing how it was stated as the primary inspiration for later popular works such as Petscop by Tony Domenico, and concluding that of creepypasta, " highly likely BEN Drowned will remain the best of its kind."

In 2025, Hall announced a narrative series, Dead Save, which the BBC covered as part of its retrospective on Ben Drowned. The upcoming series explores alternate versions of classic video games and continues Hall’s distinctive blend of game modding, urban legend crafting, and immersive storytelling he began in Ben Drowned.

Quick Facts

• It follows college sophomore Jadusable, who, after acquiring a haunted Nintendo 64 video game cartridge of Majora's Mask, is plagued over the course of a single week by the presence of a seemingly omniscient artificial intelligence entity called BEN.
• Ben Drowned was first published as an online serial and web series with chapters released daily between September 7 and September 15, 2010, on 4chan's /x/ board.
• Serving as Hall's first project, the first arc of the series, Haunted Cartridge, was released in 2010.
• The second arc, titled Moon Children and set from late 2010 to early 2011, follows the public emergence of a mysterious cult known as The Moon Children, who worshipped the Moon by way of human sacrifice, or in their words, ascension.
• Awakening is the third and final arc in Ben Drowned, beginning in March 2020 with the reactivation of Jadusable’s YouTube channel and ending on October 31, 2020.

Source material: Wikipedia - "Ben Drowned". Adapted and summarized for DiscoverScroll. Original contributors are credited through the linked Wikipedia article. Read original on Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes were made from the original.