3.12 Yearbook (Jiffy Pop) Puzzle, Closing the Loop

Order

3.09

Status

::MOCKUP::

Location Status

Reserved

GC Point of Contact

Erik & Melissa

Location Notes

Doctor When's laboratory

Type

Mandatory Puzzle

Plot Setup

The time portal will not allow travel until the time stream paradox is resolved. The players must figure out who sent them the mysterious instructions, and make sure they get sent from the right time.

Props

Each teams' original Jiffy Pop gadget; "presidents poster"

Plot Point to Convey

The team sent the mysterious message to themselves, from their own future.

Short Description

Re-construct the puzzle that was received earlier.

Detailed Description

Like the slogan for "Jiffy Pop" popcorn, this puzzle is supposed to be as fun to make as it is to solve. They've already solved it, now they make it. They are sent to the school Journalism room to insert their puzzle into the yearbook, assembled according to pattern established by a nearby poster of U.S. Presidents.

Puzzle Answer

Submission of correct configuration is approved by GC staffer

Puzzle Solution

The journalism office has a poster showing two grids:

1) 44 presidents (the 1st 40, plus the 4 slots for the presidents elected post-1986) in the "hourglass" configuration from the solution of the first Jiffy Pop puzzle.

2) Below this, another grid in a different shape with numbers 1-44.

Players take the pieces from the "hourglass" configuration and reassemble them into the lower "poem" configuration, by finding the piece associated with the George Washington place on the president grid and placing it in slot #1 on the lower grid, finding the piece associated with John Adams and placing it in slot #2, and so on.

When done, the "poem" grid has a row of four pieces, four rows of nine pieces each, and a final row of four pieces. The configuration also has a pattern with a blue X on alternating red and yellow columns.

The poem reads:

On the Unused Future

Trapped in loops in time unable to go right

Words in the newspaper will help them to unite

Change back and revise the show to its opposite

You're finally writing a new ending with happiness infinite

Replace what you create

Players must reassemble the poem with the pieces from the first Jiffy Pop puzzle, affix it to a piece of paper found in the journalism room, and place it in the bin of submissions for the yearbook - thereby ensuring that the poem will be printed in the yearbook, where Catherine can find it and cut it out and give it to the players in 2012, thus "closing the loop".

Manager

Eric L

Hints

- The process of reconstructing the poem starting from the "hourglass" shape should be fairly straightforward - assuming the players know the presidents! Of course, since they're in 1986, they can't do internet research...

- If players are having trouble figuring out the order of the presidents, there are a few tricks they can use:

1) They should know the first few presidents (Washington, Adams, Jefferson...) and the last several (44, 43, 42, 41, Reagan, Carter...). Then, they should be able to "get close" with many presidents, at least putting them in the right era.

2) Each piece must have the right orientation (triangle up or down). For instance, if players know that Harding and Coolidge come between Wilson and Hoover, but can't remember whether Harding or Coolidge comes first, the orientation should tell them.

3) They're constructing an actual poem, so they should try to make intelligible English lines of poetry.

4) They may notice that the colors seem to be forming a pattern - red and yellow stripes with a big blue X.

5) Finally, they can get help from other players - or, eventually, from the lab assistants.

Once they reconstruct the poem, it's possible that they may have forgotten what to do next, and expect the poem to give them some sort of clue. Although the poem is meant to reflect what the players are doing - helping When and Chronos unite, "revising the show", and writing a new, happy ending - it doesn't give any instructions.

Instead, players need to remember that their goal is to "close the loop" and create the message that Catherine will cut out and give to them in 2012 - and to do so, they need to put the completed poem in the yearbook submission bin.

(The last line of the poem - "replace what you create" - can be interpreted as an instruction: they players "create" the poem by assembling it, and then "replace" it in the submission bin. This is vague and cryptic, though, and is meant more as "potentially consistent" than as a necessary instruction.)

If players need to leave the journalism room and go back to consult with Tiresias, that's fine. For instance, Tiresias could remind them that they need to close the loop by sending themselves the message - and where did they get the message? From the yearbook, so they'd better figure out how to get it printed in the yearbook.

Response to Correct Answer

Lab assistant will verify that their submission is correct and give them a "I submitted to the yearbook" sticker. When they return to the gym, the archway will glow red (instead of flashing red), demonstrating that the time paradox has been resolved.

(The lab assistant should refuse to accept their submission if it's not correct, telling them that it's not "formatted correctly" or that their submission doesn't quite seem like "yearbook material" or something similar to guide them in the right direction.)

To Do

• Print large size poster of U.S. Presidents