Forums » Epic Week 2021 » Cryptic Symbol (SOLVED)

This topic is for discussing clues and potential answers to the Cryptic Symbol in Epic Week 2021. Please stay on topic. Remember, these riddles are designed to be challenging and require a group of people brainstorming together; don't feel intimidated if you don't know the answer right away. Every little idea can help. Research is not cheating; it is expected!

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With a simple number=letter code this reads he struggles for normality

the hand makes me think of the gravity falls journals

The second code reads

A game they always play

YAY CRYPTIC SYMBOL!

I'm so very excited to take a stab at this one - the second code I just unlocked appears to be the code used for the Gravity Falls ciphers! When translated it reads: "A game they always play"

My thanks to the decoder here: http://themysteryofgravityfalls.com/

gravity falls had a d&d episode where they play "dungeons, dungeons, and more dungeons"

or it could refer to 'fight fighters' which is the arcade game that the 2D pixel character "rumble mcskirmish" comes out of

I'm trying to think of characters that would fit the clue "he struggles for normality", but the only person that really comes to mind is Ford during his youth. Were there any games that he used to play with his brother as a kid? I feel like I can almost recall something itching at the corner of my mind. I did just try both Fight Fighters and Dungeons, Dungeons, and more Dungeons! It's possible it refers to something in a game or 'a game' is more of a metaphorical statement (given that this appears to be a three part poem), we need that third clue.

He struggles for normality
A game they always play
Precedes a fall from grace

Awesome decoding.
As for games Ford and co. played, they played on the beach, I think there was something with the swings, and they had that ship they were doing. I wanna say thee was another one, maybe with insults, but I don't know if I'm mixing that up with something else. Anyway, it could be something less literal, for all I know. :o

Hmm, who else other than Stan had a "fall from grace"?

Well... All of them, at some point. Gideon, Dipper, Mabel, Pacifica, Robbie, the gnome guy... Soos, maybe? I mean, at some point, probably. Lol. I don't think Waddles ever did.
Bill, too, and technically also Old Man McGuckett. I really don't know what this would be about specifically, I haven't watched the whole show in almost a year.

Toby Determined also "Just wants to be a part of things" but I highly doubt he's important because I've found almost nothing about him that these clues would be talking about. Also, Bill Cipher could be who it's talking about when it says "a game they always play" because people always fall for it and make the deal with him. He "struggles for normality" by trying to be more natural to the dimension so he can better rule it, and he's tricked multiple people into "falling from grace." I doubt it's that obvious, however. And, "precedes a fall from grace" could also be talking about "pride goeth before a fall", so Pride would precede a fall from grace. The Northwests are very proud. what can we learn about them?

Maybe Blendin? He definitely had a fall from grace due to a tournament time travellers always play, and I guess, the time travellers struggle to make things normal by making sure no one messes with the timeline. If not him, maybe the game itself, Globnar?

Also to consider: Time Paradox Avoidance Enforcement Squadron, the time police, and time baby

If not that, I wanna know if this has any bearing at all, since it looks like a similar cipher:

No, the stuff in the research library is exclusively useful to symbols labeled as "Puzzles". This one is riddle/trivia. I AM hoping someone solves this scrap soon, but not related to this trivia!

Oh noted! Thank you!

Not sure if anyone's noticed, but the hand itself has 6 fingers.

Yeah! That's the iconic symbol for Gravity Falls and references the author, Ford Pines (who has six fingers on each hand). It's emblazoned on his journals.

This new clue is exciting! It clearly refers to the Hand Witch, whos cape is a reference to the outfit worn by The Master in "Manos: The Hands of Fate" (a really cheesy old horror movie). When crossed by Stan (who steals a watch from her), she put a curse on him and he wakes up the next morning without hands. Stan told this story "Hands Off" in the episode "Little Gift Shop of Horrors", but she is also mentioned in Journal 3 when Ford encountered her in the past. So now I'm just all kinds of thinking about hands!

He struggles for normality - Ford's hexadactylism?
A game they always play - The disembodied hands and hands in general play Rock, Paper, Scissors?
Precedes a fall from grace - Shaking hands with Bill? Stan asking for a high-six before getting tossed out on the street? This one throws me off a little bit, but now I'm feeling closer!