This tug of war has led to brief, intense surges of unfounded conspiratorial backlash against a part of Anonymous that has become foreign to itself. Most common was the assumption that those members of Anonymous that involved themselves in the protests were new - drawn in by hype or stories of former exploits - and so could not possibly be representative of the true Anonymous. These claims ignored the impossibility of knowing anything for certain about another member of Anonymous, including his intentions or experience. Indeed, it takes a certain leap of faith to assume the majority of these traditionalists are even serious in the slightest, and not just more of the same Anonymous having fun by raising havoc in their own ranks.
The biggest question that weighed on the organization was not about who was doing what, where, when and so on, but what was going to happen. It signified a breaking point: Anonymous was either going to separate into distinct factions that were rapidly growing apart in goals and ideology, or its old nature - maybe its true nature - would reign in the radicals, and /b/ would return to the usual firestorm of unnerving ephemera.
Interest in further action against the Church of Scientology waned greatly after the first two protests when the real-world media omitted further protests from their coverage. Anonymous came back together by virtue of its common tether, and the fervor and enthusiasm about making the protests more than just another raid faded. 4chan's legendary apathy towards the real world triumphed. But perhaps subtler transformations had been wrought.
"Anonymous has smashed its name into history books," Bunker says. The protests continue, even if they aren't the center of attention they once were. And those that soldier on are still Anonymous - they haven't become anything radically different - but they remain a different breed. The paradox of Project Chanology couldn't persevere otherwise. Anonymous has expanded into a more flexible community, tolerant of each other in their own affectionately vicious way. Maybe Project Chanology was necessary for introspection, for Anonymous to see that 4chan, /b/ and the /b/tards themselves are more Serious Business than they thought.
Steven Croop has recently discovered a ninja poster taped to his door, which he guesses makes him a ninja. He is currently in search of metal cutting and welding equipment to make shurikens - please contact him if you have a spare pilot arc plasma torch or traditional forge he could borrow.
