Finding more cartoon picture pieces in the Stonewall

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In a nutshell, this puzzle involved us looking in the Stonewall for pieces of Essy’s story that she hid for us to find – a search that was done with Essy’s full knowledge and approval, and involved looking for information Essy DID want us to know, but wanted us to find in a fun, hide-and-seek kind of way.

Contents

It begins

These tweets were published as part of the controlled crack initiation on May 28:

>>Sys:Log//Safeguards in place. Supplemental precautionary processes established. Initiating Stonewall crack.
>>Sys:Log//Curious. A tentacle quickly breached then retracted itself. Even so, a surface diagnostic does indicate reduced stress.
>>Sys:Log//I wasn't able to analyze the tentacle. Over 30 minutes have transpired. There has yet been no additional activity.
>>Sys:Log//I will extend the crack an additional 2 hours, then I must resume hibernation.
>>Sys:Log//No more tentacle activity has been observed. I am repairing the crack and preparing for hibernation.
>>Sys:Log//Resuming scheduled hibernation. Time to Active: 5:21:41:00.

Before hibernation began, anaerin noticed this message on http://thewaytheirworldended.com/Q7J8R04J87FFJ983Q2/ :

HI AGAIN! :@) I HAVE ANOTHER PART OF MY STORY TO SHARE, AND I WANT TO HIDE IT HERE, BUT I CAN'T WHEN YOU-KNOW-WHO IS AROUND - SO I FOUND A TINY LITTLE HOLE TO SQUEEZE THROUGH, ENOUGH THAT I CAN SEND YOU HINTS AFTER IT FALLS ASLEEP. SO BE READY! I HOPE YOU FIND ALL THE PIECES BEFORE IT WAKES UP AGAIN, HEEHEE!

Shortly after hibernation began, he noticed that this message changed to:

SYS'S ASLEEP! BUT I HAVE TO BE CAREFUL - THAT LITTLE PET IS KEEPING WATCH OVER THIS SECRET MAZE, SO I'LL HAVE TO HIDE THE PIECES BIT BY BIT. DON'T WORRY THOUGH, I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN THEY'RE READY TO FIND! BE READY, HEEHEE!

drizjr noticed that this eventually changed to:

OKAY! IT WASN'T EASY, BUT I WAS ABLE TO STAY OUT OF SIGHT FROM SYS'S LITTLE PET. THAT THING IS FAST, WOW! I MANAGED TO HIDE A FEW PIECES FOR NOW, BUT THERE'S MORE COMING! :@)

ALSO, I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY MEMORY. THIS DOESN'T MAKE MUCH SENSE DOES IT? HEEHEE! I THINK IF YOU CAN FIX IT, YOU MIGHT FIND SOMETHING USEFUL!

"SITTING IN A COZY/RISING OVER EASTERN/SHIMMERING STARS/TRYING TO FIND THE/COZY SPOT ON A/EVENING STAR RISING/THAT SHE WAS ABLE/DREAMING EYES SIMPLY/ABLE TO REACH/A HILL, TRYING/SIMPLY DREAMED THAT/THE EVENING/REACH OUT AND TOUCH THE SHIMMERING/EASTERN SHORES, DREAMING"

drizjr also noticed some Essy-style comments at the bottom of the page on other nodes in the maze. Each of these is given its own sub-section below.

Decoding Essy’s codes – batch 1

Sitting in a cozy

Repeated from above, the code read:

"SITTING IN A COZY/RISING OVER EASTERN/SHIMMERING STARS/TRYING TO FIND THE/COZY SPOT ON A/EVENING STAR RISING/THAT SHE WAS ABLE/DREAMING EYES SIMPLY/ABLE TO REACH/A HILL, TRYING/SIMPLY DREAMED THAT/THE EVENING/REACH OUT AND TOUCH THE SHIMMERING/EASTERN SHORES, DREAMING"

Anaerin was able to reconstruct the original sentence:

SITTING IN A COZY/COZY SPOT ON A/A HILL, TRYING/TRYING TO FIND THE/THE EVENING/EVENING STAR RISING/RISING OVER EASTERN/EASTERN SHORES, DREAMING/DREAMING EYES SIMPLY/SIMPLY DREAMED THAT/THAT SHE WAS ABLE/ABLE TO REACH/REACH OUT AND TOUCH THE SHIMMERING/SHIMMERING STARS

(Or, if you don't like the doubled words):

SITTING IN A COZY SPOT ON A HILL, TRYING TO FIND THE EVENING STAR RISING OVER EASTERN SHORES, DREAMING EYES SIMPLY DREAMED THAT SHE WAS ABLE TO REACH OUT AND TOUCH THE SHIMMERING STARS

drizjr found that if the sections are written out one line each in order, the initial letters of each spelled out our next link:

SITTING IN A COZY/
COZY SPOT ON A/
A HILL, TRYING/
TRYING TO FIND THE/
THE EVENING/
EVENING STAR RISING/
RISING OVER EASTERN/
EASTERN SHORES, DREAMING/
DREAMING EYES SIMPLY/
SIMPLY DREAMED THAT/
THAT SHE WAS ABLE/
ABLE TO REACH/
REACH OUT AND TOUCH THE SHIMMERING/
SHIMMERING STARS

leading to http://thewaytheirworldended.com/SCATTERED-STARS/ …another page for collecting cartoon picture pieces as we found them.

A hex code

PATH//PKRDQP
>NODE:DATA//NULL
>NODE:OINK//You thought this was it? heehee, that would be too easy! This piece you can only find one way: 5A5A4A514B4B494F4A5A

anaerin found that this was hex and decoded to ZZJQKKIOJZ…the path to follow from the node that gave us this hint.

Following that path, we ended up on a node with this written at the bottom:

NODE:DATA/PATHLOCK:ZZJQKKIOJZ//[:@)]

The remaining codes on this page likewise led to nodes with something similar at the bottom (though with the pathlock path changed accordingly). drizjr found out that the “pignose” at the end of these lines is a link, and each one leads to a different cartoon picture piece.

The pignose for this particular code led to http://thewaytheirworldended.com/clip-crying-again .

A binary code—NOT!

PATH//XCRBOAEVPH
>MEM:LOC//0296-36AF-4904-9016

>NODE:DATA//NULL
>NODE:OINK//You thought this was it? heehee, that would be too easy! This piece you can only find one way: 00 10 00 0100 11 0111 10 011 0100 010

anaerin found that this binary translated to 0 2 0 4 3 7 2 3 4 2, but that didn’t turn out to be what we were supposed to do.

drizjr found that it was actually Morse code (where a 0 is a dot and a 1 is a dash) for INILMJNWLR. Following that path gave us http://thewaytheirworldended.com/clip-all-the-way .

An ASCII code

>>NAVHIST:PATH//XCEVWLHEKQBCPFOY

>MEM:LOC//0FFC-CE37-45C8-A8EA

>NODE:DATA//Excess maintenance data/REF:PNC/LOG06
>NODE:OINK//You thought this was it? heehee, that would be too easy! This piece you can only find one way: 878384746987698284828377

drizjr found that this was an ASCII code that decrypted to WS TJ EW ER TR SM. Following that path gave us http://thewaytheirworldended.com/clip-sniffing-away .

Binary code #2

>NAVHIST:PATH//VOTRPOYV RKGXFRHKILSC
[edit: note this is not the full path; this node can be reached from the start of the maze by following PKRDNBBSSOLLRKGXFRHKILSC]

>MEM:LOC//88D6-CF54-47EF-8529
>NODE:DATA//NULL
>NODE:OINK//You thought this was it? heehee, that would be too easy! This piece you can only find one way: 01010101 01001001 01010000 01010110 01001011 01001011 01000101 01001000 01000111 01011000

drizjr found that this is binary for UIPVKKEHGX. Following that path took us to http://thewaytheirworldended.com/clip-to-peek-through .

A phonetic alphabet code

>NAVHIST:PATH//PKARSKFZZQSZNWXTKBQE
This piece you can only find one way: Juliet Tango Golf Whiskey Delta Delta Papa Uniform Golf Lima Romeo Kilo

drizjr pulled out the first letter of each word to get JTGWDDPUGLRK.

This path led to http://thewaytheirworldended.com/clip-back-of-the-box .

A base64 code

This piece you can only find one way: UU5ZUk5CQlNJVg

anaerin found that this is base64 encoded, and decodes to QNYRNBBSIV, which took us to http://thewaytheirworldended.com/clip-opening-the-box.

Batch 2 is revealed and found

After we’d found and decoded all the hints from batch 1, Anaerin noticed the message from Essy at the start of the maze changed:

HEEHEE, THIS FUN! IT'S NOT EASY KEEPING AWAY FROM SYS'S LITTLE PET, BUT IT'S SOMEONE ELSE TO PLAY HIDE AND SEEK WITH! I WAS ABLE TO HIDE A FEW MORE PIECES, BUT THERE'S STILL MORE COMING! :@)

Anaerin was able to use his SPDR script to find the hints:

FJ
>NODE:OINK//Nope, you're not done, here's another one! The way to find this one might be a little more difficult: POUDONIYCPOP

FRSV
>NODE:OINK//Nope, you're not done, here's another one! The way to find this one might be a little more difficult: GTUNGAGHFSGL

PKARNL
>NODE:OINK//Nope, you're not done, here's another one! The way to find this one might be a little more difficult: DAFRSVLFZUHG

FRSVLFZL
>NODE:OINK//Nope, you're not done, here's another one! The way to find this one might be a little more difficult: XKWYATMSWOSM

FREJPYKS
>NODE:OINK//Nope, you're not done, here's another one! The way to find this one might be a little more difficult: WOZNHLDLIXFF

PKRDQPXKQK
>NODE:OINK//Nope, you're not done, here's another one! The way to find this one might be a little more difficult: JKSSGUNPJMRJ

FJONQOQHTV
>NODE:OINK//Nope, you're not done, here's another one! The way to find this one might be a little more difficult: PHKIQIQIWIWV

drizjr found that the paths given were not complete; they lacked one or more pairs of letters at the beginning. However, drizjr was also able to come up with all the missing sets of letters. Note that in some cases, drizjr did not start with the original path (the part given before the “___” in the first column below), but was instead able to use notes made when exploring the maze ealier to find the complete path in a different way from the start of the maze.

Partial path (from Essy’s hint)Complete pathClip found at new node
FJ ___ POUDONIYCPOPFJUCPOUDONIYCPOPhttp://thewaytheirworldended.com/clip-shivered-against
FRSV ___ GTUNGAGHFSGLFRSVLQGTUNGAGHFSGLhttp://thewaytheirworldended.com/clip-see-again
PKARNL ___ DAFRSVLFZUHGPKARNLHAFADAFRSVLFZUHGhttp://thewaytheirworldended.com/clip-letters-and-doors
FRSVLFZL ___ XKWYATMSWOSMXCRBPYSYJKXKWYATMSWOSMhttp://thewaytheirworldended.com/clip-colors-and-words
FREJPYKS ___ WOZNHLDLIXFFXCRBPYSYJKXKCNWOAEWOZNHLDLIXFFhttp://thewaytheirworldended.com/clip-a-little-bed
PKRDQPXKQK ___ JKSSGUNPJMRJPKRDQPXKQKGEJKJKSSGUNPJMRJhttp://thewaytheirworldended.com/clip-it-always-was
FJONQOQHTV ___ PHKIQIQIWIWVFJONQOQHTVVLQZPHKIQIQIWIWVhttp://thewaytheirworldended.com/clip-happy-to-hear

At this time, Anaerin modified his SPDR script further so it was better able to help us find OINKs and pignoses.

Batch 2 is revealed and found

Another series of tweets followed on June 1 (during the hibernation period):

>>S:Oink//Peekaboo!4:33 PM Jun 1st from web
>>S3:MSG>SYS//TRACKING ACTIVITY... UNABLE TO LOCATE TENTACLE CONTROL POINT.
>>S:Oink//*tickletickle*
>>S3:MSG>SYS//TTRACKING ACTTIVITY... UNABLE TTO LOCATE TTENTACLE CONTROL POINTT.
>>S:Oink>Sys's pet//Uh oh, Where'd I go? Bet you can't find me! Where could I be? Heehee, this message will self-destruct in 7 seconds. :@)
>>S3:MSG>SYS//DIRECT TENTACLE CONTACT/UNABLE TO RETRIEVE CP/S3 COMPROMISED/RECOMMEND RECONSTRUCTION/RESUMING NOCTURNAL SURVEILLANCE

drizjr noticed that the text at the beginning of the Stonewall changed again, so that the full text there now read:

>NODE:DATA//NULL/HEEHEE! I FOUND THIS SECRET MAZE OF GREAT PLACES TO HIDE AND EXPLORE, BUT THE WAY IN HAS TO STAY SECRET - SO DON'T GO TELLING YOU-KNOW-WHO! :@)

SYS'S ASLEEP! BUT I HAVE TO BE CAREFUL - THAT LITTLE PET IS KEEPING WATCH OVER THIS SECRET MAZE, SO I'LL HAVE TO HIDE THE PIECES BIT BY BIT. DON'T WORRY THOUGH, I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN THEY'RE READY TO FIND! BE READY, HEEHEE!

WOW THAT WAS KIND OF FUNNY - I MADE SYS'S PET GIGGLE, HEEHEE! I THINK I SLOWED IT DOWN, TOO - AND THAT'S GOOD! BECAUSE I THINK SYS'S ABOUT TO WAKE UP. THANKFULLY, I GOT THE REST OF MY STORY HIDDEN, SO I HOPE YOU CAN FIND ALL THE PIECES THAT ARE LEFT AND QUICK! :@)


ALSO, I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY MEMORY. THIS DOESN'T MAKE MUCH SENSE DOES IT? HEEHEE! I THINK IF YOU CAN FIX IT, YOU MIGHT FIND SOMETHING USEFUL!

"SITTING IN A COZY/RISING OVER EASTERN/SHIMMERING STARS/TRYING TO FIND THE/COZY SPOT ON A/EVENING STAR RISING/THAT SHE WAS ABLE/DREAMING EYES SIMPLY/ABLE TO REACH/A HILL, TRYING/SIMPLY DREAMED THAT/THE EVENING/REACH OUT AND TOUCH THE SHIMMERING/EASTERN SHORES, DREAMING"

(The new part is the paragraph starting with “WOW”.)

During the next active period, this text was noticed there, and was presumed to have been posted just before the active period started:

OH NO, IT'S GETTING CLOSE TO THE TIME WHEN SYS WILL WAKE UP! I'LL HAVE TO HIDE AGAIN THEN, BUT I HOPE THE WAYS TO THE REST OF MY STORY PIECES ARE FOUND FIRST! THIS FOREST IS HUGE! ALL THESE TREES, AND PATHS - GOOD THING I MAPPED IT ALL OUT FOR MYSELF OR I'D GET LOST! HEEHEE!

Some nodes now had a new message from Essy, similar to the following:

>NODE:OINK//Almost there! I slowed down that little pet for a while, so I hope you find this one quick: RXRKVCJMXWPE

This batch’s solution was the same as for batch 2: we had to find the complete path so we could access the data at the node we were being directed to.

Through a combination of random clicking by drizjr and SPDR-running by Anaerin, the following clips were turned up:

Remaining set pieces are found

During the active period from June 3 to 4, it was noticed that Essy’s notes to us on the first page of the Stonewall maze had been taken down; she probably took them down herself just before the active period started so that Sys wouldn’t find out about our little secret. However, drizjr and Shad0 were able to use the results of the SPDR to continue to find story pieces; the last piece noted here was found June 10.

The found information no longer looked like pignoses, but resembled the following:

NODE:DATA/SWP:CLSFD/PATHLOCK:RXIGLFQQRFIZ//GRP:SDAT1/[S/"Story piece"/waiting-to-go]

Summary of the remaining pieces found:

Partial pathComplete path (or a shorter one to the same node)Clip found at new node
FRIUVVAA ___ RXIGLFQQRFIZFRSVLFZLYZPYAVCCRXIGLFQQRFIZhttp://thewaytheirworldended.com/clip-waiting-to-go
FJUCCDGTLZ ___ DKCQEOASPOUSPKARNLXWUIPEMUSCDKCQEOASPOUShttp://thewaytheirworldended.com/clip-she-creeped-out
PKRDHYVZTXFXZLEPBJLKYRQP ____ JMRJSSWBZHIXPKRDHYVZTXFXZLEPBJLKYRQPXKSTXTJKSSGUNPJMRJSSWBZHIXhttp://thewaytheirworldended.com/clip-sat-and-watched
FRSVLFZLYZ ___ GSRURBGESVXKFRIUGSRURBGESVXKhttp://thewaytheirworldended.com/clip-was-made-of
PKRDQPXKSTJKUH ___ MJNWLRVIZZJQXCFXZLEPMJNWLRVIZZJQhttp://thewaytheirworldended.com/clip-into-the-sheets

drizjr found that finding the first two clips mentioned in this chart unlocked http://thewaytheirworldended.com//CLIP/away-to-safety.mp3 and finding the last one unlocked http://thewaytheirworldended.com//CLIP/to-keep-warm.mp3 on the SCATTERED-STARS page.

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