Clear Lakes 44 was a follow-up series to Marble Hornets, posted to the same YouTube and Twitter accounts and confirmed to exist in the same universe with minimal connection to the main story. It ran from February 14, 2015 through February 18, 2016, and was cancelled due to conflicts that led to the dissolution of THAC, which Troy Wagner then rebranded as FWAN.
The FWAN follow-up series, ECKVA, subtly integrates its two predecessors while going off in its own direction –still using the Marble Hornets Twitter but introducing a new Twitter and YouTube account. It has run from September 21, 2016 to the present.
Both series have more ARG elements than Marble Hornets and a similar atmosphere, so this site covers them as the series’ spiritual successors.
External Links: Clear Lakes 44 Playlist | Marble Hornets Twitter | Marblehornets.com | ECKVA YouTube | S. Hawkins Twitter | Eckva.net
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Table of Contents
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Preface – Clear Lakes 44
On February 14, 2015, the Marble Hornets account tweets:
44
Marblehornets.com displays like this:
After April 7, 2015, contacting “dscott3872@gmail.com” yields this reply:
Thank you for your email. I am currently out of the office until DD/MM/YYYY. I will be happy to respond to you once
.
there are footsteps
“marblehornets.com/therearefootsteps” yields “thewaterisdeep.gif”:
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{
On April 22, 2015, the “Cast & Crew” link updates with tabs on Alex Kralie, Brian Thomas, Sarah Reid, Tim Wright, Seth Wilson, and Jay Merrick. The Production Blog link has two entries, Blog #1 and Blog #2, which players discover by entering the password “rocky86” based on Alex’s bio. Blog #3, Blog #4 and Blog #5 would come later. Also, “marblehornets.com/welcome” leads to the words “please leave”, which link to the homepage.
D. Scott responds to player e-mails about the login information:
Please desist accessing this website as you are not listed as an authorized user. Your information has been forwarded on to
listen
there are footsteps
Later iterations of this last automated message replace the final line with the following:
i know where you are
“marblehornets.com/iknowwhereyouare” yields “ionodtdt.png” (anagram for “don’t do it”):
……………………………………..
……………………………………..
Blog #6 links to “marblehornets.com/donotanswer.html” via the period in “A. Kralie”, yielding the image “knockknockknock.gif”:
Viewing the page source reveals “44444444444_.wav”, an audio file that beeps 44 times.
- location_scout.wmv: An unlisted Marble Hornets video, linked on Blog #7. In it, the cameraman canvases several locations.
- Minutiae: Posted July 15, 2015. The locations include a gravel path between trees, a broken chain-link fence and creek in the woods, and a lake with a large and rusted winch. The description reads:
Some shots I got while location scouting for my upcoming film Marble Hornets.
We're Always With You
- do you hear footsteps?: An unlisted video on the Marble Hornets channel, found by solving a code on “marblehornets.com/werealwayswithyou” (page title “dyhf?”). Blue television static displays onscreen, and the audio is a corrupted missing person alert with four tones at the end.
- Minutiae: Posted July 15, 2015. The report states that “we interrupt this broadcast for a missing person alert. […] was reported missing at 8:36am […], has dark brown hair, […] eyes, is approximately 5 […] tall, and is of average build. Last seen […] area, wearing a gray plaid shirt and blue jeans. No possible abduction has been identified. If you have any information, please contact your nearest police department or call 1-800-[…]”. The Clear Lakes 44 logo, a human silhouette, and a moving figure appear in the static at different points.
- brian_test.wmv: An unlisted video on the Marble Hornets channel, linked on Blog #8. It displays “ERROR” in the top-left of the screen and a poem in the center.
- Minutiae: Posted July 31, 2015. The poem reads: “Listen down the hallway/when you’re all alone/there are quiet footsteps coming/today they’re in your home”. The description reads:
1
2
3
4
“marblehornets.com/lwtt” initially yields the following text:
__ SELECTED ARCHIVE IMAGES__
offline
please contact admin
On August 3, 2015, the Marble Hornets account tweets:
are you awake
The title of the YouTube channel changes to “Marble Hornets | Clear Lakes 44”, and both accounts have this avatar:
August 2015
- Clear Lakes 44 - Broadcast #1: “broadcast #1/CLEAR LAKES 44/WE’RE ALWAYS WITH YOU/RELIABLE/DEPENDABLE”
- After an animation featuring the Clear Lakes 44 logo, surveillance footage shows a body of water, the inside of a public building, an armchair, two people exiting a public building, and a man on a dark street.
- Minutiae: Posted August 3, 2015. The street in this video is the one from “ionodtdt.png”.
- More surveillance footage (now with musical accompaniment) shows an expansive birdcage in a park, doors in a public building, some geese just outside the woods, the inside of a house with beige walls, an old man in a rocking chair, and the distorted logo.
- Minutiae: Posted August 5, 2015. Based on its gazebo, the park with the birdcage was one previously shown in Marble Hornets.
- Surveillance footage from the room with beige walls shows a man with a cane watching images of birds on television (which plays music similar to that from the previous video). In a different scene with audio distortion, someone in a gray hoodie takes a can from a grocery store shelf.
- Minutiae: Posted August 8, 2015. The television shuts off on its own, prompting the man to fix it. The hooded figure’s face cannot be seen from the camera angle.
D. Scott responds to player e-mails about the “lwtt” PIN:
the requested image(s) cannot be found
error returned: missing pin number
NOTE: this is an autoresponse message
the PIN number you provided is not correct
if you have forgotten your PIN user defined hint is below
:prosody
-PIN numbers cannot be reset
thank you
archive images will be added shortly
Once players submit the PIN “6586” (number of syllables per line in the “footsteps” poem), “marblehornets.com/lwtt” displays the following:
SELECTED ARCHIVE IMAGES
- Footage taken from a window shows one man in the alley behind a brick building waiting for another man whose service is to haul away some of his boxes on a hand truck.
- Minutiae: Posted August 20, 2015. Moving outside of the lens’ blur reveals that the first man is Tim Wright of Marble Hornets.
September 2015
- Aerial footage shows, and at one point chases, the hooded figure (the Walker) running to a house. Once inside and opening the jar, the Walker faces the camera –revealing a face made of the blue static– and flees when the door opens with a flash of light.
- Minutiae: Posted September 3, 2015. The aerial camera pans to reveal that the Walker apparently passed through the brick wall.
- The man with the cane (the Birdwatcher) looks through his blinds and hears knocking at his front door. Right before he can open it, an armless shadowy figure with glowing eyes appears from behind and lunges at him.
- Minutiae: Posted September 17, 2015. The Birdwatcher only responds to the knocking the second time it happens, apparently unable to see anyone outside. The “donotanswer” page therefore seems to have referenced this event. Audio distortion accompanies the figure, which also appears to be made of static.
October 2015
- Clear Lakes 44 - Broadcast #7 –Birdwatcher: “I don’t know what it was. It was like a dream. Right… yeah, yeah, I was awake. I was doing the, um… I was doing what we talked about. Right. No, no, I’m not narcoleptic, I don’t… I definitely don’t have narcolepsy. That’s fine; I just need you to come over. I can’t come to you. I’m not… no, I need you to come here. I am not ready at all. I appreciate it… uh, hold on. Yeah, 8:30… 8:30 should be fine. Alright, okay, thanks.”
- The Birdwatcher wakes up in the chair by the blinds and hobbles to pick up his cane from the floor. He calls his doctor, pockets a bottle of pills, and then goes through a door. This prompts a heavily distorted sequence in which the camera, now from the Birdwatcher’s point of view, shows his trembling hands drop the cane onto the carpet that should belong to the room he just exited.
- Minutiae: Posted October 1, 2015. During the distorted sequence, the Birdwatcher’s hands display static similar to that of the Walker and the shadowy figure, and there is a flash of light. He manages to stand upright without the cane in this time, unlike before.
- Inside his home, a man examines a metal can with its top torn off. Assuming the camera’s point of view, the Walker runs at the man with both hands extended. Distortion occurs, and the man is nowhere to be seen in the room afterward –at which point the Walker exits through the door and the image goes black.
- Minutiae: Posted October 15, 2015. A hidden frame in the distortion shows a face.
November 2015
- Clear Lakes 44 - Broadcast #9 – Birdwatcher: “Look, this isn’t the first time this happened. I go into a room and my leg felt better. Fixed! I walk into a room of my house, I can’t see anything. I walk into a completely different place, I’m no longer in my house! Do you understand? I can see a giant… blinding light hit me in the face, and then I wake up somewhere else. And while I’m there, I can hear voices trying to reach out to me, I…”
- The Birdwatcher meets his doctor at his door. Their conversation inside reveals that the doctor has advised him to take up birdwatching, and thinks that the Birdwatcher is hallucinating the bouts of teleportation he describes. He prescribes sleeping pills that the Birdwatcher wants delivered to his home due to his continuing agoraphobia.
- Minutiae: Posted November 5, 2015. The doctor first asks the Birdwatcher about an “investigation” of his which has gone over “5 to 6 months” without progress. When the doctor is about to ask if the voice was a specific person he knows, he responds “look, she’s not here”. Cameras from two different angles show the doctor outside, and once he enters there is a brief and distorted cut to some cameraman walking outside in the dark.
- The Walker, who shares the camera’s point of view yet again, watches the Birdwatcher retrieve a package of his medication from outside. He takes some of it and goes to sleep, and the Walker tries to attack him twice but is repelled somehow. The Birdwatcher then wakes up and swings his cane at the Walker.
- Minutiae: Posted November 19, 2015. The Birdwatcher recognizes the Walker, whose failure to attack him is signified by static onscreen.
December 2015
Marble Hornets tweets:
special announcement
did you think i was gone
- Clear Lakes 44 - Broadcast #11: “I know you’ve been watching/do you like watching suffering/do you like to watch people suffer/what is wrong with you/do you want to see more”
- These words are both displayed onscreen and spoken in a low, distorted voice. The video itself shows a masked figure (likely the sender of this message), the Birdwatcher dropping his cane in reverse, a new shot of the doctor waiting outside his door, and the water from “therearefootsteps”.
- Minutiae: Posted December 23, 2015. At the beginning, someone tunes a television to “44”. A hidden frame appears to show the masked figure again. The final scene of birds flying from a tree reads “rregsad”, an anagram for “regards”.
January 2016
- Clear Lakes 44 - Broadcast #12 – Birdwatcher: “are you awake”
- Static appears on the Birdwatcher’s television screen, waking him. It displays “are you awake”, and touching it causes another episode of overwhelming distortion. He falls to the floor and the Walker looms over him.
- Minutiae: Posted January 29, 2016. A hidden frame at the beginning also reads “are you awake”.
February 2016
- Clear Lakes 44 - Broadcast #13: “I was giving a call to check in on you because I haven’t really heard anything in a while. Things have been crazy over here lately, so I’m sorry I haven’t called until now. Listen, I got a new job offer that I’ve been thinking about taking. It’s a job at a TV station, nothing too exciting… not quite as cool as what you did, anyway. The station is actually pretty close to where you are now, so I could come visit from there if I take the job. Of course, it means I’ll have to pack up here and move and that’ll be a nightmare, for sure. I’ll let you know when I decide, though. They gave me a week or two to think about it. Anyway, like I said, I was just calling to check in. I’ve been hoping that you might have gotten through to the investigators… I know they’ve got to find something out soon. I… I know it’s such a cliché thing to say, but don’t give up hope on this. I know it seems like it’s been going on forever, just… hang in there, you know? Okay, um… I guess I should get going. Call me back as soon as you can, alright? Alright, bye.”
- Blue-tinted images of nature and radio towers accompany the audio of this woman’s phone call.
- Minutiae: Posted February 18, 2016. The description reads:
Ilisten
Preface – ECKVA
On September 21, 2016, Marble Hornets tweets:
i see with new eyes
“D. Scott” sends the following message to Clear Lakes 44 players:
Sensitive information removed
----archived item below this line----
Clear Lakes to Cease Operations After Buyout
-draft-
Clear Lakes Communications President Danielle Scott held a conference call today with all current station employees, informing them that April will be the final month that the company will be in operation. CLC, until this point completely independent, will be bought out by long time rival +++++///11v% Network. There has been no word yet on if the company will be rebranded or absorbed completely.
Speculations of a buyout have been circulating since last year, amid CLC’s ongoing financial issues and struggles to maintain decent ratings for its small number of stations. Scott was hired in August of last year to help breath [sic] new life into the station, but according to insiders, the rising costs of developing and acquiring new programming far exceeded the company’s modest fundraising.
“She was frankly asked to do the impossible” says long time sponsor {]{]{]{]{] “I think the writing was already on the wall, but Danielle still wanted to try. She’s always been very determined.”
All affiliate stations, of which there are nine, will be going off the air at the end of April as well. So far, all attempts to reach out for comment from the individual stations or CLC itself have remained unanswered.-----
The Marble Hornets Twitter changes its name to “+++++///11v%” and its avatar to this:
On September 26, 2016, +++++///11v% tweets:
will you go as far as i have
“D. Scott” responds to player e-mails about Danielle Scott’s location:
outthere
Later iterations of this message add the line:
the edges
“D. Scott” responds to player e-mails asking for a name and address:
*error message:
does not deserve
Later iterations of this message read:
*error message returned:
not authorized
“D. Scott” sends the following message to players:
Thannkk you
your request has been received. Your ticket number is 531122142.
-----
Additional notes: You do not want to do this
—-
thankyou for contacti%%%%%-
-
—
=your ticket is in the queue and will be addressed as soon as possible
In alphanumeric code, the ticket number corresponds to “ECKVADB”.
On October 1, 2016, +++++///11v% tweets:
-i believe none-
-all curious will regret-
“D. Scott” sends the following message to players:
Thank you for contacting database services.
We require additional information to properly process your reqezt** [sic]
….
…..
Tellme
what makesyou scared
Insincere answers receive the response:
*error returned:
truth required
Sincere answers receive the response:
/////database entry has been logged/////
thank you
Your support ticket will be resolved soon
-eckva.network
The website “eckva.net” initially displayed as a blank page, save for the words “-domain seized- -archive offline-”.
“D. Scott” responds to player e-mails about when the “database” will be up:
-current estimated wait time: [error: support center offline]
-current support representatives: 0
-average ticket wait time: >999 hours
On October 6, 2016, “eckva.net” displays the following:
-retrieving datebase history .
.
--updating database entries
.
.
--[sorted: most recent]---large bodies of water
---heights
---numbers
---everyone i love will hurt me
---no answers
---not understanding
---drowning
---unknown
---what happens after i die
---cancer
---disappointing people
---i'm not good enough
---unacceptance
---static
---darkness
---not existing
---losing the people i care about
---footsteps in the dark
---the color white
---the paranormal
---spiders
---you
---people will be happy when i'm gone
---death
---the ark
---tight places
!truncated
!database timeout
--closing connection...
“D. Scott” responds to player e-mails asking what they know about the ark:
muchmore
“D. Scott” responds to player e-mails asking what they will reveal about the ark:
stayinside
watchtv
“D. Scott” responds to player e-mails about the website:
important
work
“D. Scott” sends the following message to players:
/////resolved/////
Your support ticket is now closed. Thank you for using the ECKVA Network database support service.
Attached to this email is your support ticket history and ticket number, should you need to reopen the ticket at a later date.
Each player only received one image from this response. The images’ titles spelled “ALIS” in binary altogether, directing them to “eckva.net/alis”:
Local Clear Lakes Affiliate Reacts to Buyout
Clear Lakes 88, a local affiliate station for Clear Lakes Communications, was supposedly never informed about ongoing buyout negotiations, according to a source from station management
The source, who has requested to remain anonymous, says that the buyout announced three days ago was “…a complete surprise to me.” although they were “well aware of CLC’s financial challenges.”
“I wish I could have been given a heads up of some sort”, the source later said, “We recently had a new hire that uprooted their family to come here. Had I’ve known that this buyout was in the works, I never would have approved it.”
Clear Lakes 88 was the youngest station affiliate, and has been in operation since 1999. So far, it is the only one of the nine affiliates that has given a comment on the issue. An official statement has yet to be released.
On October 8, 2016, +++++///11v% tweets:
almost time tolisten
closely.
important work
On October 10, 2016, +++++///11v% tweets:
see
what's
important
Counting the syllables of the new poem directs players to “eckva.net/7777”:
Spiders and Numbers and cancer and disappointment and hurt and Heights and happiness and You and unknown and Unacceptance and water and and and and and and You and Color and cancer and good and Drowning and static and good and unacceptance and unacceptance and you and Ark and happiness
Players discover the new “ECKVA” channel’s URL based on elaborate decoding of this message.
October 2016
+++++///11v% tweets:
out there
listening
- ECKVA1: “NOTES: -NONE-”
- A blue screen reading “ECKVA” displays a pixelated message alongside electronic tones: “SO MANY NEW THINGS coming to your television set/stay inside/see what’s important”.
- Minutiae: Posted October 13, 2016. The line about “NOTES” comes at the end, in a different font than the ECKVA broadcast uses.
+++++///11v% tweets:
spin it around
click click click click click
lucky
“Eckva.net/7777” on October 19, 2016:
Clear Lakes Communications Involved in Lawsuit
Clear Lakes Communications, in its final month of operations, has been named in a lawsuit alleging a hostile work environment and unlawful business practices.
Fred Mendez, representing ex-CLC employee Jeremy Whalen, said “My client has made it known that Clear Lakes Communications knowingly allowed its affiliate station Clear Lakes 44 to engage in unlawful behavior against its employees. I cannot go into further details at this time, but we believe we have a very strong case.”
At press time, no court date has been set.
Players discover that +++++///11v% on Twitter now follows user SHawkins1926 (name “SH”):
S. Hawkins tweets:
Using twitter to keep track of things
- ECKVA2: “NOTES: WHEN WAS THIS?”
- On a blue screen, and over stock footage of someone doing calculations, two people shaking hands, and a doctor holding up a bottle of pills: “ECKVA IS HIRING/Our career fair is taking place next/COMPETITIVE PAY/CHALLENGING WORK/HEALTH BENEFITS/APPLY NOW”… with a new “careers” URL for the ECKVA site.
- Minutiae: Posted October 27, 2016. A hidden frame shows a cartoon face and the message “DO WHAT’S IMPORTANT”.
“Eckva.net/careers” has the page title “are you ready to do what’s important”:
careers
@
eckva.net
S. Hawkins tweets:
I never saw that employment ad. It looks very old.
S. Hawkins tweets:
A lot of people are mentioning me. I probably don't know much more than they do.
November 2016
AECKyleW on Twitter writes:
Do you work for ECKVA?
S. Hawkins responds:
No
S. Hawkins tweets:
A lot of people are asking me this, but the only relation I have to ECKVA Network is that I had a job interview with them several years ago.
I was applying for a lot of jobs back then, so I don't remember anything specific about my application. I wish I did.
JLawJaeger on Twitter writes:
But you acknowledge that their website at the moment is questionable as hell? Right?
S. Hawkins responds:
of course
kittykaaatXD on Twitter writes:
do you know anything about the login on http://eckva.net/database/452?
S. Hawkins responds:
No. I've been trying to figure it out too.
S. Hawkins tweets:
I've tried everything I can think of to gain access to http://eckva.net/database/452
I haven't submitted an application from http://eckva.net/careers either. Seems like a bad idea to give info to a stranger like that.
Come to think of it, my information was probably stored in a file somewhere before eckva shut down. It's possibly still out there somewhere.
Got something weird in the mail today.
No return address on the envelope. This card is all that was in it. "580412" is stamped on the back.
JLawJaeger on Twitter writes:
might be some kind d of serial number. You sure it's even important? Maybe they're just sending out stuff to old applicants.
S. Hawkins responds:
They probably had my address on file at some point but they're not around anymore, as far as I know.
AECKyleW on Twitter writes:
Then what's the deal with http://ECKVA.net and the YouTube Channel?
S. Hawkins responds:
That's what I want to figure out.
S. Hawkins tweets:
Tried to make something with the binary on the front but it just came out to gibberish. I think there might be something else there?
DeadBledDeity on Twitter writes:
something else like what?
S. Hawkins responds:
I mean with the numbers on the front. The placement of the ones and zeros might mean something. It may not be binary at all.
Players discover “eckva.net/database/95727” based on the number of ones per line in the card:
Hello eckva_admin
This is an automated message
generated when a new
password for your access
account is generated.If you did not initiate this
change, please contact IT
Support immediately.
Players glean “eckva.net/database/121111021110220110021020130030” from the number of ones in each column, and entering “eckva_admin” as a username and “580412” as a password yields this page entitled “item image”:
S. Hawkins tweets:
I got the card after I and several others discovered http://eckva.net/database/95727, so I'm assuming there's something more to it.
ShitpostDoge on Twitter writes:
do you think you could contact IT support??
S. Hawkins responds:
Tried several email addresses, none work.
ShitpostDoge on Twitter writes:
@SHawkins1926 someone got into one of the websites of eckva
http://eckva.net/database/121111021110220110021020130030
user:eckva_admin
pass:580412
S. Hawkins responds:
Thanks for letting me know, I felt like I was being driven insane by that card.
S. Hawkins tweets:
Just got this email:
actual_lea on Twitter writes:
Several others have gotten similar emails. Why do you think D Scott is sending this rather than the careers@eckva email?
S. Hawkins responds:
The careers address shouldn't work anymore. They might be auto-forwarded to dscott but someone had to initially set that up.
S. Hawkins tweets:
Things have been quiet lately. I'm trying to figure out what the behind schedule children's show is.
No new emails from dscott yet either
+++++///11v% responds:
See what's important. Do what's important. We have what you're looking for.
S. Hawkins responds:
What do you mean?
PrometheusDarko on Twitter writes:
Do you/did you know an Alice?
S. Hawkins responds:
Don't remember anyone by that name, no.
December 2016
S. Hawkins tweets:
The same person has been calling my work phone and hanging up the past several days. That hasn't really happened in the past.
It might be a completely unrelated thing, but I wanted to make note of it.
jxsminee__ on Twitter writes:
Did they say anything before they hung up? Did you hear anything? Voices? Background noise?
S. Hawkins responds:
Nope, just an immediate disconnect
AECKyleW on Twitter writes:
What's the number?
S. Hawkins responds:
I'm not going to share it publicly
tobyrogers95 on Twitter writes:
may I ask what you look like? If you don't want to share that's ok I was just wondering-
S. Hawkins responds:
It'd likely be a bad idea to share
S. Hawkins tweets:
just got this email
I already have a job and never submitted an application.
“Eckva.net/7777” on December 7, 2016 displays this image with a length and width of 7777px:
January 2017
- ECKVA3: “NOTES: ECKVA NETWORK WAS SUPPOSEDLY DEVELOPING A CHILDREN’S SHOW AT SOME POINT, BUT ITS NAME WAS NEVER REVEALED. COULD IT HAVE BEEN “ALIS PASTRY”? THIS VERSION SEEMS WAY TOO CRUDE. “WHY NOT START YOUR NEW LIFE TODAY” ALSO SOUNDS VERY FAMILIAR TO ME BUT I CAN’T FIGURE OUT WHY.”
- After a screen displaying the word “TEST” repeatedly, the ECKVA broadcast cuts to a notebook page labeled ““alis pastry”/test #452/copyright ECKVA network/dept: children’s progr”. A rather low-quality cartoon plays afterward, and the final black screen reads “why not start your new life today”.
- Minutiae: Posted January 4, 2017. Hidden frames of the cartoon include a new face appearing and character (presumably “Alis”) growing tree limbs for arms and cracking apart with inverted colors. The corrupted audio speaks: “Stay inside. Stay inside. They see us watching.”
S. Hawkins tweets:
something very upsetting
marrymeyoufool on Twitter writes:
are you okay?
S. Hawkins tweets:
no
- ECKVA4: “NOTES: I INTERVIEWED FOR A JOB WITH ECKVA A LONG TIME AGO, BACK WHEN IT WAS STILL OPERATING. I WAS TAKING PREAXIN AROUND THAT TIME TOO.”
- An ECKVA broadcast cuts to a drug commercial with stock footage of a couple on a beach: “Life needs your full attention. There’s no reason to give it any less. But sometimes things happen that are out of our control. That’s why there’s Preaxin. […] taking Preaxin, don’t drive or operate heavy machinery. Common side effects include nausea, headache, fatigue, next-day drowsiness, and dizziness. Sleepwalking, -eating, and -driving can also occur. Abnormal behaviors such as being more outgoing or aggressive than normal, confusion, agitation, and hallucinations may occur. If you experience any of these behaviors, contact your doctor immediately. So get back to the things that matter, and ask your doctor for information about Preaxin. Preaxin: why not start your new life today?”
- Minutiae: Posted January 19, 2017. One hidden frame shows a cartoon face in the animated logo at the beginning and another shows cartoon eyes, which cuts to a black screen reading “WE’LL BE RIGHT BACK”. The commercial’s explanation of the drug’s purpose has clearly been cut.
“Eckva.net/preaxin” has the page title “alis” and reads in black text on a black background:
removed
February 2017
- ECKVA5: “NOTES: THE INTERNET CONNECTION AT THE HOUSE WAS INTERRUPTED BEFORE THE BROADCAST COMPLETED. THIS CAUSED THE AUDIO UPLOAD TO ME TO BE VERY SHORT. I HAVE TO DRIVE OUT THERE TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED.”
- The broadcast first shows a flickering shot of a window with two faces projected over it. Both have blank eyes and smiles, and there is music. This cuts to a black screen of “PROGRAM INTERRUPTION/IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOLLOWS”, in which a corrupted voice plays after an Emergency Alert System sound: “Normal ECKVA service has been interrupted to bring you an important service announcement. There will be a knock at the door. Do not open it. Stay inside for a day and watch TV. This is very important. This is very important. Keep looking at me. Keep looking at me. Keep- keep-”
- Minutiae: Posted February 15, 2017. Before the cut, there is a hidden frame that reads “PREPARE”.
S. Hawkins tweets:
Working all weekend. Going to the house as soon as I can.
March 2017
S. Hawkins tweets:
planning on going to the house tomorrow
Every time I come here it seems something new is broken.
Finished checking and everything else seems to be as I left it.
Getting video on my phone while I'm here in case I find anything unexpected.
DeadBledDeity on Twitter writes:
are you going to upload tonight?
S. Hawkins responds:
Doubt it. Have to drive home and I have work tomorrow.
- ECKVA6: “NOTES: WAS IT WAITING ON ME?”
- As text commentary over handheld footage explains, S. Hawkins inherited a worn-down house years ago and now uses it to monitor broadcast signals from the apparently-defunct ECKVA network, receiving the recordings of them at home to upload as videos. The lost connection from the last video occurred due to faulty wiring, which Hawkins fixes on film. The next broadcast shows more error codes, and then another creepy smiling face with the text “are you sorry for leaving”.
- Minutiae: Posted March 9, 2017. The error codes read “/////refreshing receiver list/////”, “1 receiver of null online”, “!exception occured in system”, and “-running “brightest light””.
jates513 on Twitter writes:
it looks like someone tampered with those wires. No way that screw could just come undone on its own.
S. Hawkins responds:
That's been in the back of my head for a while
AECKyleW on Twitter writes:
How'd you get the house? Also, be safe. The person waiting could be the person who called you.
S. Hawkins responds:
I drove
April 2017
- ECKVA7: “NOTES: I HAVE NO MORE DOUBTS. THIS IS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT ME.”
- A cartoon called “ep 99.002 “alis goes to TV”” shows Alis in front of a TV playing “51 “alis goes to doctor””. In that clip, a still image of a real doctor with the recurring creepy smile informs Alis via onscreen text: “diagnosis/does not see what’s important/house call dispatched”.
- Minutiae: Posted April 7, 2017. There is a hidden frame of a screaming face with repeated words “INPUT ERROR”.
May 2017
S. Hawkins tweets:
I've been getting a phone call at work from an unknown number since last week. Always at 4:52pm right before I leave.
Never hear anything on the other end when I answer it. But it never disconnects. Kept listening for over 5 minutes once before hanging up.
SuttenPlant on Twitter writes:
is it the same number that was calling you at work before?
S. Hawkins responds:
Not sure, the number just says "unknown".
pirateguy7 on Twitter writes:
have you tried saying anything into the phone? I mean, other than hello
S. Hawkins responds:
Yes, no response
- ECKVA8: “NOTES: THE AUTO UPLOAD WAS CUT OFF BEFORE THE BROADCAST COULD END AGAIN. I HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE HOUSE AND FIX IT.”
- The broadcast shows “LIVE FEED” of a highway at night, blue screens reading “CURRENT CONDITIONS/74°F” and “CURRENT TIME/04:52”, a black screen entitled “ADVERTISEMENT” in red, and an image of Alis attached to a cartoon human’s head with branching limbs (overlaid on the live-action image of electronics).
- Minutiae: Posted May 7, 2017. The “ADVERTISEMENT” screen reads, in white text: “Drug testing trials underway in your area/*PAID FOR PARTICIPATION*/For more information/PLEASE CALL”. The number is cut off by swirling corrupted text.
GamePlay_FAIL on Twitter writes:
So it's an obvious correlation between 4:52 and those phone calls you've been getting, but does the weather point towards a specific day?
S. Hawkins responds:
It rained yesterday and Friday
Alkin_ARG on Twitter writes:
Have they called you every day? Or just yesterday and Friday?
S. Hawkins responds:
Several days in a row
June 2017
+++++///11v% tweets:
[] [] [] [] []
- ECKVA9: “NOTES: WHOEVER BROKE INTO THE HOUSE HAS A DEFINITE CONNECTION TO ECKVA. THEY MAY EVEN BE THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BROADCASTS.”
- S. Hawkins finds an envelope stuffed in the electrical socket from before. It contains a note reading “DATABASE 452 ACTIVE/YOU listennow” and a pill. Hawkins’ onscreen notes state that the pill looks just like Preaxin, and that the username “you” and password “listennow542” opens “Eckva.net/database/452@”. The next broadcast is an animation of the face from that webpage (“arklistener”), plus more error codes. A screen with a pixelated stick figure and house reads “HOUSECALL COMPLETE” (each letter made of smaller versions of itself) and “why not start your new life today”.
- Minutiae: Posted June 9, 2017. Hawkins follows a thumping sound but finds nothing. The error codes read “!MONITORING ACTIVE/Checking system for updates/System up to date/Checking receiver point/ONLINE/-running “brightest_light””.
“Eckva.net/database/452”:
YamiYamiYamYam on Twitter writes:
Was your laptop stolen
S. Hawkins on Twitter responds:
No I moved it to the adjacent room last time
July 2017
- ECKVA10: “NOTES: THE PILL I FOUND IN AN ENVELOPE AT THE HOUSE HAS GOT TO BE PREAXIN. I GOT RID OF IT.”
- A cartoon called “alis learns to listen” first shows a board with a face and legs, and then Alis passing a television displaying the “HOUSECALL COMPLETE” image. Then it shows the “arklistener” face and Alis with a different face. After a black screen (“reset”), it plays a Preaxin commercial with stock footage of a woman at a microscope and a man showing a woman a model brain: “-Covered by most insurance-/-Low dosage works for many-/-80% report feeling better within days/-----dont you want to see-----”. In between onscreen notes, S. Hawkins throws the pill into a dumpster on film.
- Minutiae: Posted July 14, 2017. There is a hidden frame of the television spewing a dark substance.
August 2017
S. Hawkins tweets:
Thinking about getting a security system installed at the house.
“eckva.net/database/1452319” displays the following form with submission tabs for “Name” and “Email”:
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ShadesOfNier on Twitter writes:
so…. This showed up on the website… http://eckva.net/database/1452319/…
S. Hawkins responds:
Looks like something leftover from the site when it was properly operational. I'm reluctant to put my info into it.
“D. Scott” sends the following message to players that submitted information:
ECKVA To Partner With L.A. Based Studio
[revision 4a]
For immediate release:
ECKVA Network is excited to announce its partnership with Los Angeles based studio Two Quarter Media. This partnership solidifies ECKVA Network’s current production schedule for its first animated children’s program Alice’s Bakery. After administrative items have been finalized, production is slated to begin early next month.
“We are simply over the moon to be involved with TQM, and feel it is the start of a very positive relationship”, said network programming manager [][][][][].
Lead animator Liz Steiner is also “Immensely ready” to get to work with her team.
“We’re looking forward to showing ECKVA what we can do over the next few months and beyond. This is something we’ve been working towards for a long time.” Steiner said.
A premiere date has not yet been set for Alice’s Bakery.
+++++///11v% tweets:
a very
specialepisode
- ECKVA11: “NOTES: THE HOUSE IN THE BEGINNING OF THIS IS DEFINITELY BASED ON THE ONE I INHERITED. I’M GOING BACK THERE TO SET UP SOME KIND OF SECURITY SYSTEM SO NO ONE BREAKS IN AGAIN. THEN I’M STAYING AWAY.”
- The animation starts with the pixelated house and eventually cuts to an animated one in a segment called “QUIETBUG COMES HOME”, which shows said bug approaching a person. A segment called “PREVIOUSLY” then shows Alis reacting strangely to a television and exiting behind a door when the “arklistener” appears outside a window. More error codes appear under its face as before.
- Minutiae: Posted August 27, 2017. Hidden frames include “hiding”, the recurring smile, and another face. The error codes read “!MONITORING ACTIVE/…/receiver point ONLINE/…/…/!FAULT DETECTED/…/…/…/!response required/respond with accept?/--”
September 2017
- ECKVA12: “NOTES:”
- S. Hawkins returns to the house, only to find that its front door falls down. The keyboard of the laptop used to monitor ECKVA broadcasts has been detached from its screen. Hawkins follows a knocking sound to any empty room, turning around to find a figure seemingly made of flashing static. Its face, which has a toothy grin and glowing eyes, then takes up the rest of the screen.
- Minutiae: Posted September 23, 2017. Hawkins’ other monitoring equipment is nowhere to be seen, and the outlet has been unscrewed again.
