P&A Issue 28 Log
Catching up on posting these.
11:59 am
Starting late this time; slept in. Opening now...
12:02 pm
Seems straightforward enough.
12:02 pm
Hm. Puzzles are "attached" to things.
12:06 pm
Ooh, Nikoli. I know what I'm doing first.
12:09 pm
Okay, titles and objects copied down. Starting Hitori now...
12:15 pm
Hitori done. Sudoku now.
12:26 pm
Not winning any speed records today, but Sudoku done. On to Akari.
12:29 pm
Well, that was easy. Slitherlink next.
12:32 pm
That is a lot of 3s.
12:40 pm
Masyu now.
12:43 pm
WORST OFF. Okay.
12:44 pm
The objects all seem to go with specific costumes.
12:44 pm
Traditional ones, not the ones in the intro. But what goes with a hatchet?
12:46 pm
Is Dressed the Same just a Spot the Differences puzzle? I've stared for a few seconds, but not seen any yet.
12:49 pm
Flipping and overlaying, there's some differences that make letters.
12:52 pm
I see enough to make HOMAGE. Don't know if there's an ordering or not.
12:53 pm
Parental Guidance Suggested next. I think I got how this'll work on my first pass.
12:54 pm
They're all phrases that start with P and G, I think. Population growth, etc.
12:54 pm
And they all start with P or G, which probably gives which word to index into.
12:57 pm
WORD TH?RTE... Word thirteen?
12:57 pm
Yep. EN right after that. Going on...
12:58 pm
(POINT GUARD is the thirteenth phrase, but that may not be what's asked for.)
12:59 pm
IN INTRO!
12:59 pm
CINEMAX.
1:01 pm
The puzzle attached to the invitation may be the meta, though Masks looks more like one. Looking at Tricks now...
1:21 pm
Hm. For that last row, does "identifications" refer to cards, or ranks/suits?
1:25 pm
If the former, it's Brenda, Cherry, Daniel, in that order.
1:27 pm
Switching to Treats. Maybe they're connected?
1:31 pm
No theme to the words that I can see, and there's obvious unlisted words...
1:38 pm
Center is going to be candies missing letters.
1:39 pm
Answer probably ends in ATA.
1:42 pm
Probably PINATA? Going to keep going.
1:44 pm
Got to be it. Moving on.
1:46 pm
Bobbing for Apples.
1:46 pm
I see a FUJ of FUJI...
2:01 pm
Twelve varieties before resorting to resources. Not bad.
2:06 pm
I can safely say I would not have gotten HAUXAPFEL.
2:12 pm
TRANSLATE SOURCE CODE something?
2:21 pm
ORAMASMI? OMIMASRA?
2:26 pm
Bailing. Moving to Scream!.
2:27 pm
Clues are alphabetical by answer...
2:28 pm
Oh! They're one off from the ways the cryptograms are being said. INTER[S/J]ECT, [G/Y]ODEL...
2:35 pm
Decrypting them using those letter changes looks like it might work.
2:41 pm
Oh, duh, 13 of them. Key goes both ways.
2:43 pm
Four cryptograms translated - is this one of the verses of Tears for Fears's Shout?
2:58 pm
*squints* Oh, that's one's not blank after all.
2:58 pm
Definitely snippets of one particular part of Shout, leading up to the chorus.
3:01 pm
Is the answer just SHOUT?
3:01 pm
I'll assume for now it is.
3:02 pm
Looking at the meta for now. WORST OFF shares a lot of letters with WEREWOLF, and PINATA with PIRATE...
3:03 pm
And SHOUT with GHOST. Yeah, this has to be it.
3:04 pm
So I'll need to make a chain, starting with Tricks.
3:04 pm
ZOMBIE/HOMAGE is another.
3:09 pm
Okay, The Masks probably uses this somehow.
3:12 pm
Ignoring the A in front, that first set of blanks fits with PIRATE / PINATA...
3:14 pm
And F is WEREWOLF.
3:16 pm
X is FIREMAN/CINEMAX.
3:16 pm
There's always a changed answer letter that matches the label for the blanks.
3:22 pm
So you chain them, starting with the invitation puzzle and ending with Masks, and read off the letters that correspond to the label letters...
3:22 pm
I'm guessing the meta answer ends in ONLY.
3:24 pm
Who Are You next?
3:25 pm
Okay, these are descriptions of things two or more people did; I match with the givens and find the other person?
3:35 pm
Last initials so far give PINBA... I like this.
3:37 pm
PINBALL WIZARD for TOMMY for MUMMY. Hooray!
3:39 pm
Consecutive -GUI- in the meta answer.
3:40 pm
FOR GUISE ONLY?
3:41 pm
Going to keep going until I get evidence of any of the letters in FOR.
3:47 pm
Beware next. This might be difficult in Paint.
3:49 pm
Yay, Bob Harris shout-out!
4:17 pm
B IN APB = BULLETIN for SKELETON.
4:22 pm
Missed the MILL in Yarlington Mill, changing that phrase to TRANSLATE SOURCE CODE OR AMASS, which is COMPILE, for VAMPIRE, which should give me a letter I need for FOR. Checking...
4:24 pm
Yep. ??RGUI?EONL?. Submitting.
4:29 pm
Let's see if I can guess at some of the missing ones.
4:31 pm
COTTON (or CORDON, and probably others) works for COWBOY...
4:33 pm
Maybe PAID CASH for PRINCESS?
4:34 pm
STUDIED/STUDIES for SOLDIER...
4:35 pm
Best I can think of for FAIRY is MAURY.
4:36 pm
Going to finish off some of the ones I stopped short on.
5:04 pm
Treats and Who Are You fully done. Going to step away for a while, eat, maybe see if I can get the printer running.
11:59 am
Starting late this time; slept in. Opening now...
12:02 pm
Seems straightforward enough.
12:02 pm
Hm. Puzzles are "attached" to things.
12:06 pm
Ooh, Nikoli. I know what I'm doing first.
12:09 pm
Okay, titles and objects copied down. Starting Hitori now...
12:15 pm
Hitori done. Sudoku now.
12:26 pm
Not winning any speed records today, but Sudoku done. On to Akari.
12:29 pm
Well, that was easy. Slitherlink next.
12:32 pm
That is a lot of 3s.
12:40 pm
Masyu now.
12:43 pm
WORST OFF. Okay.
12:44 pm
The objects all seem to go with specific costumes.
12:44 pm
Traditional ones, not the ones in the intro. But what goes with a hatchet?
12:46 pm
Is Dressed the Same just a Spot the Differences puzzle? I've stared for a few seconds, but not seen any yet.
12:49 pm
Flipping and overlaying, there's some differences that make letters.
12:52 pm
I see enough to make HOMAGE. Don't know if there's an ordering or not.
12:53 pm
Parental Guidance Suggested next. I think I got how this'll work on my first pass.
12:54 pm
They're all phrases that start with P and G, I think. Population growth, etc.
12:54 pm
And they all start with P or G, which probably gives which word to index into.
12:57 pm
WORD TH?RTE... Word thirteen?
12:57 pm
Yep. EN right after that. Going on...
12:58 pm
(POINT GUARD is the thirteenth phrase, but that may not be what's asked for.)
12:59 pm
IN INTRO!
12:59 pm
CINEMAX.
1:01 pm
The puzzle attached to the invitation may be the meta, though Masks looks more like one. Looking at Tricks now...
1:21 pm
Hm. For that last row, does "identifications" refer to cards, or ranks/suits?
1:25 pm
If the former, it's Brenda, Cherry, Daniel, in that order.
1:27 pm
Switching to Treats. Maybe they're connected?
1:31 pm
No theme to the words that I can see, and there's obvious unlisted words...
1:38 pm
Center is going to be candies missing letters.
1:39 pm
Answer probably ends in ATA.
1:42 pm
Probably PINATA? Going to keep going.
1:44 pm
Got to be it. Moving on.
1:46 pm
Bobbing for Apples.
1:46 pm
I see a FUJ of FUJI...
2:01 pm
Twelve varieties before resorting to resources. Not bad.
2:06 pm
I can safely say I would not have gotten HAUXAPFEL.
2:12 pm
TRANSLATE SOURCE CODE something?
2:21 pm
ORAMASMI? OMIMASRA?
2:26 pm
Bailing. Moving to Scream!.
2:27 pm
Clues are alphabetical by answer...
2:28 pm
Oh! They're one off from the ways the cryptograms are being said. INTER[S/J]ECT, [G/Y]ODEL...
2:35 pm
Decrypting them using those letter changes looks like it might work.
2:41 pm
Oh, duh, 13 of them. Key goes both ways.
2:43 pm
Four cryptograms translated - is this one of the verses of Tears for Fears's Shout?
2:58 pm
*squints* Oh, that's one's not blank after all.
2:58 pm
Definitely snippets of one particular part of Shout, leading up to the chorus.
3:01 pm
Is the answer just SHOUT?
3:01 pm
I'll assume for now it is.
3:02 pm
Looking at the meta for now. WORST OFF shares a lot of letters with WEREWOLF, and PINATA with PIRATE...
3:03 pm
And SHOUT with GHOST. Yeah, this has to be it.
3:04 pm
So I'll need to make a chain, starting with Tricks.
3:04 pm
ZOMBIE/HOMAGE is another.
3:09 pm
Okay, The Masks probably uses this somehow.
3:12 pm
Ignoring the A in front, that first set of blanks fits with PIRATE / PINATA...
3:14 pm
And F is WEREWOLF.
3:16 pm
X is FIREMAN/CINEMAX.
3:16 pm
There's always a changed answer letter that matches the label for the blanks.
3:22 pm
So you chain them, starting with the invitation puzzle and ending with Masks, and read off the letters that correspond to the label letters...
3:22 pm
I'm guessing the meta answer ends in ONLY.
3:24 pm
Who Are You next?
3:25 pm
Okay, these are descriptions of things two or more people did; I match with the givens and find the other person?
3:35 pm
Last initials so far give PINBA... I like this.
3:37 pm
PINBALL WIZARD for TOMMY for MUMMY. Hooray!
3:39 pm
Consecutive -GUI- in the meta answer.
3:40 pm
FOR GUISE ONLY?
3:41 pm
Going to keep going until I get evidence of any of the letters in FOR.
3:47 pm
Beware next. This might be difficult in Paint.
3:49 pm
Yay, Bob Harris shout-out!
4:17 pm
B IN APB = BULLETIN for SKELETON.
4:22 pm
Missed the MILL in Yarlington Mill, changing that phrase to TRANSLATE SOURCE CODE OR AMASS, which is COMPILE, for VAMPIRE, which should give me a letter I need for FOR. Checking...
4:24 pm
Yep. ??RGUI?EONL?. Submitting.
4:29 pm
Let's see if I can guess at some of the missing ones.
4:31 pm
COTTON (or CORDON, and probably others) works for COWBOY...
4:33 pm
Maybe PAID CASH for PRINCESS?
4:34 pm
STUDIED/STUDIES for SOLDIER...
4:35 pm
Best I can think of for FAIRY is MAURY.
4:36 pm
Going to finish off some of the ones I stopped short on.
5:04 pm
Treats and Who Are You fully done. Going to step away for a while, eat, maybe see if I can get the printer running.