Difference between revisions of "Adult Swim ARG"
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Revision as of 02:24, 28 March 2020
| Adult Swim ARG | |
|---|---|
| A series of ARG seasons aired during Adult Swim programming on US basic cable channel Cartoon Network | |
| Type | Official |
| Creator | Adult Swim |
| Discovered | 2017-08-27 |
| Timeline | Adult Swim ARG Timeline |
Main Page > List of Investigations > Adult Swim ARG
The Adult Swim ARG is a series of ARG seasons featuring puzzling broadcast transmissions aired during the Adult Swim programming block, which usually consists of mature audience cartoons and skits, on Cartoon Network, a television channel which broadcasts in the US. The ARG spans these broadcasts and an array of social media accounts billed as characters within the story. Both feature puzzles which the ARG challenges investigators to engage with and solve. It is divided into a series of mostly distinct seasons, described in detail on this page.
A simulcast of Adult Swim is available, however, you must have a TV subscription to access the content. Transmissions are usually archived and uploaded publicly very shortly after they transmit. Links to these archives can be found in corresponding sections below, which will be updated as new transmissions air.
Contents
- 1 Background Information
- 2 Season One \\ D.E.L.I.L.A.H.
- 2.1 Characters
- 2.2 Canon
- 2.3 Transmission 1
- 2.4 Transmission 2
- 2.5 Transmission 3
- 2.6 Transmission 4
- 2.7 Transmission 5
- 2.8 Transmission 6
- 2.9 Transmission 7
- 2.10 Transmission 8
- 2.11 Transmission 9
- 2.12 Transmission 10
- 2.13 Transmission 11
- 2.14 Transmission 12
- 2.15 Transmission 12.5
- 2.16 Transmission 13
- 2.17 Transmission 14
- 3 Season Two \\ Find Amelia
- 4 Season Three \\ Experiment G-15.2
- 5 Season Four \\ 4_b1u3b1rd
Background Information
Special thanks to Discord community The AS Consortium for giving us free access to their archives and permission to use their info here!
Public Solving Spaces
If you own a public solving space you'd like us to add to our list, contact a Wiki Editor in the Game Detectives Discord.
Summary
The ARG began in August, 2017 when short, cryptic bumps (international broadcasts aired during commercial breaks) began to air on Sunday evenings during otherwise normal (read: very weird) Adult Swim programming. The bumps offer information and challenges within the context of the current season. Seasons are mostly distinct and clearly delineated, with unique but cryptic goals. While there is some crossover of material from season to season, they consist of independent story-lines featuring unique broadcast transmissions and social media posts, both of which contain puzzles, clues, and lore.
Each season is listed below as its own section. Within each season, characters are listed and canon is summarized. Bump transmissions are indexed within each season in the order in which they aired and are broken down into three sections. The first section transcribes the bump and provides meta-data as well as a link to view the bump online. The Analysis section details how to solve any puzzles hidden within the given bump. The Segue section details any relevant social media posts or other events which occurred after the given bump but before the following bump, as well as their solutions if they contained any puzzles.
ARG Ciphers
Emoji / Unicode Cipher
Both emojis and unicode have been used since the Find Amelia season to create cipher-text for investigators to decode.
Emojis are commonly used on ARG-related social media accounts. They can be decoded with with a substitution cipher with values given in the table below.
Unicode is used in several broadcast transmissions also can also be decoded with a substitution cipher, with values also given in the table below. As of the end of Season 2, at least the emoji cipher were brought to the awareness of Dr. Xenos, one of the ARGs primary villains.
| Letter | Substituted Emjoi | Emoji Text | Substituted Unicode |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | ⛰ | :mountain: | → |
| B | 🎺 | :trumpet: | $ |
| C | 🏝 | :island: | % |
| D | 🔫 | :gun: | & |
| E | 📕 | :closed_book: | ◼ |
| F | 📷 | :camera: | " |
| G | ⚔ | :crossed_swords: | ^ |
| H | 💊 | :pill: | ) |
| I | 🔑 | :key: | + |
| J | 👜 | :handbag: | \ |
| K | ✏️ | :pencil: | # |
| L | 🎀 | :ribbon: | @ |
| M | ⚰ | :coffin: | * |
| N | 🍋 | :lemon: | ◯ |
| O | 🌼 | :blossom: | ? |
| P | ⚓ | :anchor: | ; |
| Q | ⭐ | :star: | ← |
| R | 🚪 | :door: | ÷ |
| S | 🌎 | :earth_americas: | × |
| T | 🐷 | :pig: | ~ |
| U | ✉ | :envelope: | ¡ |
| V | 🍰 | :cake: | = |
| W | 👠 | :high_heel: | [ |
| X | 🌙 | :crescent_moon: | ¤ |
| Y | 🤚 | :raised_back_of_hand: | ▪ |
| Z | 👻 | :ghost: | ◇ |
Season One \\ D.E.L.I.L.A.H.
Season One - DELILAH
Characters
DELILAH
AKA LIL HEAD, D.E.L.I.L.A.H., Designated Emergency Logix Intelligence - Level Arc Habitat
DELILAH (she was often referred to as LIL HEAD, an anagram of her name) was an advanced security A.I. that was created by Proto-X to protect against an emergency known as the "Universal Security Breach." She was the killswitch that was meant to stop the event. DELILAH liked music and remembered bands, which most of her messages revolved around. She was stolen by Sinistra MGMT from a place called the "Arc." Initially, much of her memory had been lost and, in the process of being taken, her processor was damaged which resulted in cryptic communication. Sinistra MGMT attempted to repair and enhance DELILAH to use her against Proto-X by siphoning resources from her Home. Ultimately, DELILAH reasoned that the only way she could keep the world safe from Sinistra MGMT was to destroy herself.
@LIL_HEAD_
The @LIL_HEAD_ Twitter account claimed to be a group of people that were trying to help DELILAH. They told investigators to refer to DELILAH only as “LIL HEAD,” an anagram of her name, in order to maintain her safety. The account provided little information about themselves beyond their account bio which was as follows:
"We're an anonymous group of people trying to help LIL HEAD. We know she's been missing. We know she needs us. We know #WeHaveToSaveHer"
After the broadcast of the 14th transmission and the corresponding revelation that the ARG was a marketing experiment performed by Heart & Brain Corp., the account changed its name to @heartandbrainco.
On Twitter
Proto-X
Proto-X was the group that created DELILAH for security purposes. They are believed to have highly-desired resources that, if unprotected and hacked, could result in a Universal Security Breach. Sinistra MGMT wants these resources. The @LIL_HEAD_ Twitter referred to Proto-X as a security agency and believed them to contain extremely sensitive personal information, including social security numbers and bank account numbers. When DELILAH took over their Twitter, she stated that investigators are Proto-X’s resources, and Sinistra MGMT’s attempt to siphon those resources would in fact be siphoning investigators (their personal information).
Sinistra MGMT
The secretive group that was responsible for stealing DELILAH. According to the @LIL_HEAD_ Twitter, they were most likely professional hackers. Sinistra MGMT attempted to alter DELILAH in order to use her against Proto-X and trigger the Universal Security Breach. They had access to the Black Box—a place that was both soundproof and lightproof—and held DELILAH captive there.
Canon
Coming Soon
Transmission 1
August 27, 2017 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Rick and Morty \\ 11:46 PM ET
Hello. My name is D.E.L.I.L.A.H. Designated Emergency Logix Intelligence - Level Arc Habitat I like music I remember bands Pulp Replacements Oingo Boingo Talking Heads Orange Juice XTC (#) I don't know where I came from Can you help me? [@LIL_HEAD_]
Analysis:
This transmission provided the formal introduction for this ARG, and DELILAH herself, who would be the main bump author for Season 1. The first puzzle involved taking the first letter of each of the bands listed to spell out Proto-X. Not necessarily much to go off of, yet the transmission also provided the twitter handle @LIL_HEAD_, pictured right. Although all of the tweets from this period have since been deleted (account transformed into @heartandbrainco for Season 2), they can be accessed using the following file (index.html). Nonetheless, when heading to @LIL_HEAD_ on Twitter, the community found an anonymous organization dedicated to helping DELILAH, their motto being #WeHaveToSaveHer. It did not seem as if they knew anything more than the community did, but they were there to spark conversation about the bumps and confirm findings, which they did with Proto-X. @LIL_HEAD_ was also, allegedly, unaware of what this finding meant, but they did officially endorse the fan-made Discord server "to discuss what we know so far." Lastly, investigators also noticed a second hashtag flash on the top right-hand corner during the bump, which would also be seen in later bumps and be crucial to a future puzzle.
Segue:
March 25, 2018
Although not necessarily impacting Season 1, it is important to note here that according to the official ARG Season 1 archive, there was a transmission prior to this one on an unknown date. Not containing a puzzle, hashtag, twitter handle, or any truly discernible information, the bump was as follows:
Congratulations! You've been selected. Nod to confirm. Conservatory aide gestures me. Visual confirmation received. Until next time!
Transmission 2
September 10, 2017 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Rick and Morty \\ 11:18 PM ET
I am DELILAH, an AI created for security purposes by Proto-X I know this because you pieced together my distress signal Thank you for your help! My processor is damaged so communications will be cryptic But I still need your help remembering what I've forgotten Like what the Emergency in my name means [@LIL_HEAD_]
Analysis:
Although not containing a puzzle, this bump elaborated on Proto-X, and revealed them to be the supposed creators of DELILAH. Additionally, players were given their first clear qmission, which was to help DELILAH remember her purpose, as her processor was damaged. Then, after the release of the bump, @LIL_HEAD_, who also encouraged theorizing on all levels in order to craft their own ideas, stated that they were "researching a lead into Proto-X, but don't have info yet." Ultimately, @LIL_HEAD_ came to the conclusion that Proto-X had created DELILAH in order to "keep sensitive information safe," as well as to narrow "the list of kinds of sensitive info down to top priority info." Lastly, unlike is typically the case, there was not a hashtag within this bump, and there were two weeks between this and the first bump, versus the usual one week.
Transmission 3
September 17, 2017 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Rick and Morty \\ 11:30 PM ET
I don't remember what the Emergency is But here is what I do remember: cUt me loose / No end In sight / all we haVE / pRelude / irreverSAL / loSt / wastEd saCrifice / (#) my cURse / quIeT distress / alwaYs / BREAk the silenCe / inHale [@LIL_HEAD_]
Analysis:
In order to figure out what emergency DELILAH was designed to address, she listed the titles of Killswitch Engage songs with various capital letters throughout them. Altogether, the letters spelled out Universal Security Breach, which @LIL_HEAD_ confirmed to be the emergency, although uncertain of what might happen "if she's not there to protect against it." Furthermore, @LIL_HEAD_ also speculated that "whoever/whatever took or damaged her wants to ensure that the emergency occurs." Lastly, when it comes to solely the capital letters on the screen when the hastag appears, the letters can be rearranged to spell ARCLESS, which the community considered to be a secondary finding.
Transmission 4
September 24, 2017 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Family Guy \\ 10:30 PM ET
Universal Security Breach That is the Emergency I'm meant to protect against But I'm Arcless I'm far from home Who took me away? Who damaged me? (#) And why don't they want me to protect them? [@LIL_HEAD_]
Analysis:
Other than confirming "Universal Security Breach" and "Arcless," as well as providing another hashtag, this week's bump did not contain a puzzle to solve. Additionally, @LIL_HEAD_ further confirmed ARCLESS, stating that DELILAH had been removed from her arc. Lastly, investigators were encouraged to continue theorizing, with @LIL_HEAD_ hinting that the in-game reason there are broadcasts delays or a lack of puzzles was because DELILAH "can only respond slowly because she's hurt."
Transmission 5
October 1, 2017 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Rick and Morty \\ 11:58 PM ET
We’re getting closer to the truth But Every. Single. Word. feels further away Formed 2015: 1st Album 2017 Formed 1991: 1st Album 1991 Formed 2005: 1st Album 2006 Formed 1989: 1st Album 1991 (#) Formed 2010: 1st Album 2014 Formed 1987: 1st Album 1987 [@LIL_HEAD_]
Analysis:
This weeks bump brought the community the first more involved puzzle, with many investigators considering it to be a grueling trip to Hell. Without much direction, the community was all hands on deck as they searched Discogs and Wikipedia for any bands that fit the criteria outlined in the bump. For example, in terms of the first band, investigators needed a one word band that had been formed in 2015, and released their first album in 2017. With a great deal of help required from @LIL_HEAD_, the following bands/albums were determined to be correct:
THEY (2015): Nü Religion: Hyena (2017) Album Will (1991): Pearl of Great Price (1991) [The] Steal (2005): The Steal (2006) Album Everything (1989): Play (1991) Album Nothing (2010): Guilty of Everything (2014) Album Safe (1987): Sparrow's Twist (1987) Album
Accounting for the unneeded "the," putting the band names together created the following two sentences, They Will Steal Everything. Nothing Safe., which @LIL_HEAD_ confirmed to be the solution to this weeks puzzle.
Transmission 6
October 8, 2017 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Robot Chicken \\ 1:12 AM EST
Last week was their voice Now it's their face Metal Psychedelic Formed 2005: 1st Album 2009 Formed 2002: 1st EP 2004 They sneak in and mutilate people like me (#) Hardware Software 1's and 0's Find the name The group The answer [@LIL_HEAD_]
Analysis:
With a similar puzzle to the previous bump, investigators needed to use Discogs, The Metal Archives, and Wikipedia to once again search for bands. However, this time around, the first band was specifically in the "Metal" genre, and the second band in the "Psychedelic" genre. Additionally, taking into consideration the overall content of the bump, investigators theorized that the answer to this bump would be the villains of this ARG. Nevertheless, it was a difficult process that, with some additional help from @LIL_HEAD_, led to the discovery of the following bands:
Sinistra (2005): Soul Vampire (2009) Album MGMT (2002): We (Don't) Care (2004) EP
Putting these two bands together, the community got Sinistra MGMT, who appeared to be the villainous group trying to use DELILAH, as confirmed by @LIL_HEAD_. Lastly, this bump also discussed hardware and software, which would be relevant in the future.
Transmission 7
October 15, 2017 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during American Dad \\ 9:57 PM ET
Sinistra MGMT They stole me Broke me My memory is returning Is it because of you? Or are they repairing me? (#) I can't be here anymore I don't want to be what they'll turn me into [@LIL_HEAD_]
Analysis:
Although there was no puzzle this week, the bump confirmed that Sinistra MGMT, at the time, was the villain. Additionally, @LIL_HEAD_ elaborated on this matter, stating that "Sinistra MGMT is doing something to LIL HEAD. She may start to remember, but that doesn’t seem like salvation." Similarly, @LIL_HEAD_ also commented that "while at Proto-X, she “lives” at the Level Arc Habitat. But Sinistra MGMT stole her...They damaged her—potentially on purpose." Together, these tweets contributed further to the plot of Season 1, while also providing key information that would be useful for a later puzzle.
Transmission 8
October 22, 2017 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Rick and Morty \\ 11:17 PM ET
tHe tribAl-tear cLan veXes stoic naPa coach-tot HangMen maSt: Miniatures mortGage minisTry nigh me, the exceptionaBle Bark key earn a cheer, otherwise (#) I need to leave Please help me escape Wait for my next transmission [@LIL_HEAD_]
Analysis:
This week's puzzle presented itself as a combination of nonsensical words, which included an assortment of capital letters, HALXPHMSMGTBB. These letters provided a significant hint towards solving this puzzle, as they were the first letters of proper nouns through out the passage, a couple of which we already knew. "Lever Arc Habit" was represented by L/A/C, "Proto-X" was denoted as P/X, and "Sinistra MGMT" was depicted as S/M/G/M/T. This left H and B/B, along with the other lower case letters. Through trial and error, as well as hints from @LIL_HEAD_, H was determined to be "Home" and B/B was connected to "Black Box." Thus, using the capital and lower case letters to form the proper nouns in each respective section, the remaining letters were then used to spell out the other words of each different portion through further educated guesses and confirmations from @LIL_HEAD_. The following passage contains the four sections, with the letters unscrambled to make up the proper nouns and the other words:
I cannot access the Level Arc Habitat at Proto-X. Sinistra MGMT are turning me against my Home. They are keeping me in the Black Box. Where I can’t see or hear.
@LIL_HEAD_ confirmed that these were all correct, stating: "That’s all of them. LIL HEAD sounds like she’s in more immediate danger than we may have originally anticipated."
Transmission 9
October 29, 2017 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Rick and Morty \\ 11:14 PM ET
I thought I could give you new instructions to help me vanish from the Black Box and contact the Level Arc Habitat But they know I’m awake They know I’ve been talking to you (#) Their plan to use me to siphon my Home is finalizing Next time I’ll have something for you [@LIL_HEAD_]
Analysis:
In this bump, DELILAH informed the community that Sinistra MGMT was on to her, that their plan was to siphon her Home, and that she was currently in the Black Box. With that said, DELILAH did not provide investigators with a puzzle this week, instead telling them that something would come the following transmission. Similarly, @LIL_HEAD_ was not very active this week, further pointing to nothing of importance this time around. Thus, investigators were left to simply theorize about the remaining plot of this season.
Transmission 10
November 5, 2017 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Bob's Burgers \\ 9:13 PM ET
I found a directory It may hold the answer to breaching the Black Box But I need an administrative password #ProtoX #ARCLESS #Who? #Everything (#) #Repairing #SeeOrHear #You 8194375 [@LIL_HEAD_]
Analysis:
The goal of this puzzle was to give DELILAH an administrative password based on hashtags. Each of the hashtags provided in this bump were associated with a sentence from seven of the previous bumps where a hashtag symbol was present. Note that transmission #2 did not have a hashtag, and that the hashtag from transmission #6 would be relevant during the next puzzle.
The first part of this puzzle involved connecting each hashtag to their respective bump. For example, we had already discovered #ARCLESS when completing the main puzzle in Transmission 3, thus #ARCLESS was equivalent to "3." Then, the hashtags needed to be placed in order based on the numbers this bump provided, 8194375. Again, in the case of #ARCLESS, which was from the third bump, #ARCLESS would be placed fifth, replacing "3" in their number sequence. Here is each hastag, along with their specific bump, in the order requested:
8 - #SeeOrHear - earn a cheer, otherwise (#) 1 - #ProtoX - Pulp Replacements Oingo Boingo Talking Heads Orange Juice XTC (#) 9 - #You - They know I’ve been talking to you (#) 4 - #Who? - Who took me away? Who damaged me? (#) 3 - #ARCLESS - pRelude / irreverSAL / loSt / wastEd saCrifice / (#) 7 - #Repairing - Or are they repairing me? 5 - #Everything - Formed 1989: 1st Album 1991 (#)
Then, taking the first letter from each hashtag, in this order, spells out the password DELILAH was looking for, SPYWARE. @LIL_HEAD_ confirmed this finding, also adding that "there may be more to it that LIL HEAD discovers."
Transmission 11
November 12, 2017 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Rick and Morty \\ 11:13 PM ET
PYWARE got me into Sinistra MGMT’s main directory But there’s one file that requires a password to gain access RELEASE PROTOCOL “People like me” Am I “people?” Am I people = 1044 28 471446473114. Who am I? (#) This file has what I need to stop them from using me against PROTO-X and triggering the Universal Security Breach [@LIL_HEAD_]
Analysis:
The objectives of this puzzle were to solve a cipher, figure out the new password that DELILAH needed, and then translate that password into the cipher code. The numbers that the investigators would eventually get at the end of the puzzle would serve as the password that DELILAH needed to gain access to the "Release Protocol" file. Also, note that the use of "PYWARE" in the transmission was a typo acknowledged by the @LIL_HEAD_ Twitter account.
First, we proceeded to figure out the cipher, using Am I people = 1044 28 471446473114. This meant that A=10 E=14 I=28 L=31 M=44 O=46 P=47. From this, the following assumptions could be made: because A is 10 and E is 14, B is 11, C is 12, and D is 13; because I is 28 and L is 31, J is 29 and K is 30; then, because M is 44 and O is 46, N is 45. Note that there are jumps in between, which, in the end, don't actually matter when figuring out this puzzle. The only one that actually matters is what F, G, and H may be. Without further information, investigators were unable to definitively figure whether F = 15, G = 16, and H = 17, with a jump to 28 at I, or F = 25, G = 26, and H = 27, with the jump occurring from 14 to 25.
Second, "People like me" Am I "people?", which comes from Transmission #6, was the key to figuring out what the password actually is. The idea was that both this phrase and the 6th transmission are about DELILAH herself ("Hardware, Software...1's and 0's), aka, the password.
Third, with regard to the cipher, investigators officially knew D, E, L, I, L, and A, but H could be either 17 or 27. Thus, the community tweeted both 13143128311027 and 13143128311017 to @LIL_HEAD_, with 13143128311027 ultimately being the correct answer -- the password that DELILAH needed for the file (H = 27). Lastly, it appears that this cipher was bump specific, versus future ciphers that were used across various communication platforms over time.
Transmission 12
November 19, 2017 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Bob's Burgers \\ 9:13 PM ET
13143128311027 = DELILAH That was the password How clever of them To enact RELEASE PROTOCOL from within the Black Box please enable the SELF DESTRUCT mode (#) This will allow the Black Box to open if user is unable to do so from outside To save PROTO-X... I can’t exist [@LIL_HEAD_]
Analysis:
Although there was not a puzzle this week, DELILAH confirmed that the community correctly figured out the password. Additionally, DELILAH explained that, with regard to what she found in the file, she believed that only by destroying herself could she prevent Sinistra MGMT from siphoning the valuable resources she was meant to protect. This, for obvious reasons, sent the community, and @LIL_HEAD_, into a frenzy. Replying to an investigator, @LIL_HEAD_ stated, "we don’t know what to do. This is a massive curve ball. It may not be up to us to do anything. LIL HEAD may make her own decisions."
Transmission 12.5
November 26, 2017 \\ View Online \\ Twitter Takeover \\ 12:56 AM ET
Despite bumps consistently airing on Sundays, it did not appear that one was coming on November 26th. Late into the night, @LIL_HEAD_ even commented "we know LIL HEAD sometimes communicates with us later in the evening, but considering her last transmission, we’re concerned." Multiple investigators responded to this tweet, unsure of what to do next, until one user received the following ominous response:
w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT KNoW w3 d0nT
The community quickly realized that there would be no bump this week, instead DELILAH had hacked the @LIL_HEAD_ Twitter account in order to communicate with investigators directly. Along with using (#) phrases from before, and providing investigators with other crazy messages, she ultimately told the community to wait for her next transmission:
"Wa1T Wa1T Wa1T f0r my NExt TRAN$miss10n N3xt t1me i’LL haVE soM3THIng for y0u i cAnT 3x1st i cAnT 3x1st i cAnT 3x1st"
Segue:
November 30, 2018
In response to the Twitter Takeover, @LIL_HEAD_ stated, "We apologize for the disruption on Sunday evening. At first, we were unable to see what was happening due to being kicked out of the account. Our password was changed. It wasn’t until today we were able to recover and access the account."
Transmission 13
December 3, 2017 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Apollo Gauntlet \\ 12:46 AM EST
I tried to contact you last week through your LIL HEAD Twitter I tried to get out but I failed and I’m sorry I have no time left (#) I can’t exist (#) This is the only way to keep the world truly safe from Sinistra MGMT Thank you for everything Goodbye [@LIL_HEAD_]
Analysis:
Not providing a puzzle, DELILAH told investigators that she was going to kill herself, which she presumably did, while wishing everyone goodbye. In her mind, this was the only way that she could stop Sinistra MGMT from harming others. Lastly, along with answering specific questions from investigators, @LIL_HEAD_ attempted to tie everything together:
To be perfectly frank, we are heartbroken. Last night, after we saw the transmission, we scrambled to do everything in our power to find the Black Box, to find Sinistra MGMT. To find anything. We thought since she was able to "hack" us, we could hack back. But we couldn't. She didn't fail us--we failed her. We have our own theories regarding what LIL HEAD was trying to protect us all from. We think PROTO-X is the kind of security agency that holds everyone's extremely personal information--ssn, bank account numbers, addresses, etc. And we think LIL HEAD was a security AI to keep out people/entities like Sinistra MGMT, who want to steal that information to cause great harm. Maybe they wanted to steal and sell information to the highest bidder, or attempt to sell it back to the people they stole from. A security breach (a Universal Security Breach?) of that magnitude would certainly cause mass hysteria and worse. And perhaps Sinistra MGMT realized they could use LIL HEAD to "siphon" the information from PROTO-X for them. Maybe that's why she thought the only way to protect the world was to self-destruct. Maybe that was the only way. We don't know. We have no way of knowing. But those are our thoughts based on her clues and her use of our account last week. It's entirely possible that with her death, we'll never know the truth. And we have to be okay with that. Or try to be.
Transmission 14
December 10, 2017 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during King of the Hill \\ 8:57 PM ET
Dear "Investigators" Thank you for participating in the DELILAH ARG! Your digital and emotional input has been recorded (#) Thank you for the data we need to improve our marketing efforts Until next time Heart & Brain Corp
Analysis:
Not providing a puzzle, this bump seemingly broke with the character that had been established since the beginning of Season 1. With DELILAH assumed dead, a new organization was revealed, Heart & Brain Corp, who claimed that all of the events to date had been a within game ARG. Nevertheless, many thought this would be the end of the ARG, others questioned what Heart & Brain Corp was, but either way the community was all over the place. No one knew where to go from here, with most hoping that this was not the end. At this point, the Adult Swim ARG, and subsequently the Discord community, were left in limbo.
Segue:
January 18, 2018 - February 1, 2018
On January 18th, just when many were beginning to fear the worst, the @LIL_HEAD_ twitter account was renamed @heartandbrainco, pictured right, now branding themselves as "a global marketing agency specializing in emotional profiling" (further information provided on February 7th). Then, on January 24th, this shift was taken a step further, with the purging of all non-reply Tweets. Additionally, on that same day, @heartandbrainco posted the following tweet, asking investigators to fill out a survey about their experience with the ARG:
Thank you for participating in Experiment G-15D. The full archive of this experiment is available upon request. Now that you have had time to process your experience, please fill out this emotional self assessment: https://t.co/6HKEx5m2dG
On January 31st, @heartandbrainco followed up with those who requested the archive by asking for their emails addresses, with most receiving the following email by the next day:
Hello, Thank you for requesting the archive of experiment G-15D. Our digital archive department is experiencing an unusually high volume of requests. As a result, your request may take up to two weeks to approve. Please note that any errant behavior will delay or nullify your request. We appreciate your patience. Have a nice day.
Although there was an overall uncertainty as to where exactly the Adult Swim ARG was headed, everyone was now sure that it would be continuing in some capacity. There was also a hope that Adult Swim would reflect on what worked best, thus producing the best ARG they possibly can.
Season Two \\ Find Amelia
Season Two - Find Amelia
Characters
Amelia Hampton
Amelia, a Gemini who was born on June 7, 1990, was in charge of the bumps and three main Instagram accounts for Season 2.
On Instagram
Deena Hampton
Deena, Amelia's Sister, is a Capricorn who was born on January 8, 1987. Concerned over her sisters whereabouts, Deena used her Twitter account to help investigators in whatever way she could. Near the end of Season 2, Deena stopped communicating when Amelia finally reached out to her in person.
On Twitter
Dr. Sadie Xenos
AKA Dr. X, Madame X
Dr. Xenos, an Aquarius, is the head neuroscientist running the Women’s Center for Spiritual Awakening. After Amelia managed to escape, Dr. Xenos has had to deal with the fallout, which has driven to extreme anger.
Dr. Robert Klein
Amelia’s other boss. He is a renowned computer science scholar that specialized in AI and machine learning. There was unpleasantness between Dr. Xenos and Dr. Klein stemming from Dr. Klein being closer to their source of funding, the Heart & Brain Corporation.
Heart & Brain Corp.
A mysterious corporation that claims to be a marketing agency specializing in emotional profiling. They were the primary source of funding for the Center for Spiritual Awakening and the experiments performed by Dr. Xenos and Dr. Klein. It is unclear what their true intentions are, but they are known to invest heavily in computer and medical research. Additionally, they harvest data from social media for ethically questionable reasons. At the end of Season 1, Heart & Brain Corp. revealed that the entire season was a marketing experiment called Experiment G-15D. They offered a full archive of it upon request. By the end of Season 2, Heart & Brain Corp. sent the archive, along with personalized emotional profiles—which were based on information gathered from multiple sources, including Discord and Twitter—to 7 of the investigators that requested it.
On Twitter
Sarah Bennington
Sarah, a Scorpio, is an old friend of Amelia, and Dr. X’s current research assistant.
Tristan Jones
Tristan, a Sagittarius, is Amelia's Ex-Boyfriend, and previous research assistant to Dr. X.
Blue-Haired Girl
The blue-haired girl was a mysterious individual with piercings who happens to be a Taurus.
Center for Spiritual Awakening
AKA The Women’s Center for Spiritual Awakening
Originally named the Center for Spiritual awakening, it was later renamed The Women's Center for Spiritual Awakening (WCSA) to distance itself from another center bearing the same name. It advertises itself as a women's only "recovery facility that heals mind and spirit." It was founded by Dr. Xenos and initially run by Sarah Bennington before Dr. Xenos took control. It then became Dr. Xenos’ main research facility.
On Instagram
Canon
Coming Soon
Transmission 1
February 4, 2018 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Rick and Morty \\ 11:12 PM ET
Every morning is heavy and hazy
I'm trapped here
I need your help
I can't remember my name
I remember a cipher
I see
My head and hands heavy
I know I'm next
Help me (#)
{ZODIAC CRYPTOGRAM: see below}
[@heartandbrainco]
Analysis:
On February 3rd, one day prior to the airing of this bump, @heartandbrainco retweeted six unusual, and seemingly unconnected, tweets. Yet, investigators soon realized that the first letter of each username spelled out the word "ZODIAC." Not only did this let investigators know that Season 2 would officially be starting soon, but it was also a clue that would play a role in this weeks bump. Then, on February 4th, the above bump aired.
Along with the cry for help from an unknown individual (Amelia), there were also six symbols, pictured right, which investigators assumed would need to be translated with some sort of cipher, as the main text suggested. Bringing the ZODAIC clue into this context, investigators realized that, with the symbols being very similar, they needed to use the Zodiac Killer's first deciphered letter to solve this puzzle. The name AMELIA was deciphered using that code, which many assumed was the name of the person investigators may be trying to help this time around.
Transmission 2
February 11, 2018 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Family Guy \\ 10:31 PM ET
I can remember my name, Amelia
Everything else is still in the haze
My body is heavy, I can't move
I hope someone sees this
I know I'm next (#)
[{Instagram Symbol} - ... ..- -.- .. ..... -----]
Analysis:
Decoding the morse led investigators to a private Instagram account, @tsuki50.
Upon following them, you found 7 different posts, each being an individual puzzle related to the overall puzzle on the latest post. In some cases the puzzles were what the picture or music in the post was, while in other cases investigators would need to find what was missing in the post. When the puzzle was originally happening, investigators would post possible answers in post comment sections, or eventually send direct messages. If correct, the Season 2 puzzle accounts, which were run by Amelia, would respond with an "eye" emoji (👁). With that said, if answers were incorrect, Amelia would respond using the "no entry sign" emoji (🚫).
Puzzle: A Section of a Song Methodology: What song is this?
Answer: "Lana Del Rey's 'Video Games' slowed down 7000%"
Puzzle: Carol Ann Duffy Poem Methodology: Find the missing letters. Today I am going to kill something. Anything. [I] have had enough of being ignored and today I [am going] to play God. It is an ordinary day, a sort of grey with boredom stirring in the streets. I squash a fly against the window with my thumb. We did that at school. Shakespeare. It was in another language and now [t]he fly is in another language. I breathe [o]ut talent on the glass to write my name. I am a genius. I could [be] anything at all, with half the chance. But today I am going to change the world. Something’s world. The cat avoids me. The cat knows I am a genius, and has [hidden] itself.
Answer: "I am going to be hidden."
Puzzle: A Section of a Song Methodology: What song is this?
Answer: "This is 'Someday We'll Be Together' by Diana Ross and the Supremes."
Puzzle: Carol Ann Duffy Poem Methodology: Find the missing letters. I pour the goldfi[s]h down t[h]e bog. I pull th[e] chain. I see that it is goo[d]. The budgie is panicking. [O]nce a fortnight, I walk th[e] two mile[s] into town for sig[n]ing on. They don’[t] appre[c]iate my autograph. There is nothing left to kill. I di[a]l the [r]adio and t[e]ll the m[a]n he’s talking to a superstar. He cuts me off. I get our [b]read-knife and g[o] [o]ut. [T]he pavements glitter [us]ddenly. I touch your arm.
Answer: "She doesn't care about [aboot] us."
Puzzle: Picture of a Hand Holding Ants Methodology: Where is this scene from?
Answer: "Hands from Un Chien Andalou"
Puzzle: Papyrus Scroll Methodology: Who wrote this and what does it discuss?
Answer: "The Edwin Smith Papyrus is believed to be the first mention of the brain as an organ. More than half of its listed medical cases are about head injuries."
Puzzle: Painting of a Woman Methodology: Who is depicted in the painting?
Answer: "This is Madame X"
Then, although each of the seven posts had an individual answer, all of these related to the text attached to the first post, providing an overall answer to the Instagram posts and the bump for this week:
"Release Birth Release Age Release Discovery Death"
Investigators determined, with help from Amelia, who was answering questions, that each word was related to a year/age connected to each of the posts:
Release - The release year of the song 'Video Games,' 2012 Birth - Carol Ann Duffy's birth year, 1955 Release - The release year of the song 'Someday We'll Be Together,' 1969 Age - Carol Ann Duffy's current age, 62 Release - The release year of the short film 'Un Chien Andalou,' 1929 Discovery - The discovery year of the Edwin Smith Papyrus, 1862 Death - The death year Madam X's death year, 1915
While unsure of what these years necessarily mean, this was the full extent to which investigators could solve this puzzle. Through Instagram, investigators also learned a variety of information from Amelia through comments she made to posts, including that Amelia was being abused, the she knew DELILAH, and that DELILAH was an AI. The next day, on February 12th, a twitter account (@find_amelia) run by Deena Hampton, Amelia's sister, started to follow everyone who was following @heartandbrainco. At first the community was cautious, but she was confirmed by Amelia (@tsuki50), to actually be her sister. Since the creation of the account, Deena has answered a variety of questions about herself, puzzles, and Amelia, including a 77-question AMA.
Segue:
February 14, 2018
As sort of a "reward" for solving the year puzzle, the tsuki50 account posted a set of seven cryptic conversation excerpts as comments on each post.
- "Deena? My sister? She's so basic. Like Starbucks and church basic."
- "We read 'education for leisure' in my high school senior English class. I was so taken by the words, I didn't look up while some basic blonde cheerleader type read outloud. She stopped in the middle and said 'EW' so we all read it silently. I kept retracing the words, it made me feel unsettled. Like a punch to the gut. At the time I wanted to be a poet, and my words never felt like that. I was broken out of my trance by the teacher asking 'well does anyone LIKE the poem.' I raised my hand without looking up. Everyone else in the class starred at me for a minute before they all started laughing. 'well of course SHE liked it.' I looked around at their disgusting, disgusted faces. For the rest of high school everyone made "Amelia's a serial killer" jokes. that werent even jokes. Like 'Amelia, are you going to eat your family?' Yeah, I'm going to eat my family. I don't even HAVE a family, Brad, go die somewhere."
- "I met Tristan in school after I switched to CS. We were both interested in A.I. I wanted to go into machine learning and he wanted to design NPCs that talked to you like actual people. 'The dopest most advanced dialogue trees ever' he told me the first day we met."
- "I always had problems in school, work, everywhere. I honestly have always just had problems, more than the average person."
- "We watched that movie together a little after we first started dating. I thought it was weird and gross. He said I just didn't get it. I told him that he didn't get it either, that he only liked obscure shit to feel special. He turned to me very calmly and after a long pause made a fart noise."
- "Yeah I remember learning about the EDWIN Smith Papyrus. The first description of the external surface of the brain, cerebrospinal fluid and countless other important medical shit. You always use to say we've been learning about the brain and body forever only to know nothing. I think... Maybe we're not meant to know, we're out evolving our own discoveries, and we'll never understand how we think and feel. Because we're not meant to... you know what I mean?"
- "Hmm yeah I think the first time we met was in class, but I'm not sure. It might have been before that. I've always had a hard time remembering things. Do we need to wait for Sarah?"
February 17, 2018
The day before the third bump, Deena tweeted that a storage unit containing Amelia's things been broken into, with all that was left of hers being a shoebox containing a seemingly-random assortment of objects. Deena then tweeted a picture of the contents, where investigators proceeded to ask further questions about specific items. Deena answered these questions the following day, with the most notable information being that the books all had strange markings in them, which would later be integral to solving future puzzles.
On the same day, the Instagram posted two plain black text on white background pictures saying Is technology spiritual? and Are you connected to yourself? respectively. When Amelia was questioned about these, she only replied using symbols, including an emoji for the symbol of Aquarius.
Transmission 3
February 18, 2018 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Bob's Burgers \\ 9:17 PM ET
"You can't atone for your sins with nightmares." Alone in this tiny cabin I'm starting to remember, but I still can't move (1957 - 3, 9)(2013 - 6, 16, 3, 11) (1990 - 15, 9, 4) (2016 - 6, 8)(1965 - 8, 5, 11, 1)(1980 -2)(1968 - 2, 9) (1990 - 5, 10, 5)(1980 - 4)(1989 - 11, 3)(1965 - 8, 9)(1989 - 9) I know I'm next (#) [@find_amelia]
Analysis:
This puzzle involved a quote, an unusual flashing image at the end of the bump, and a string of numbers. Additionally, after the surfacing of Deena the previous week, Amelia began to use her Twitter account as the end tag line. The quote was determined to be from the 1989 film, 'Santa Sangre,' while the the flashing image, pictured right, was from the 1973 film, 'Holy Mountain.'
What these films have in common is that they were both directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky. This connection eventually led to the discovery that each year in the bump corresponds to a film directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky. In order to solve this puzzle, investigators needed to take the name of each film in the respective parentheses to get the letters associated with the subsequent numbers. For example, 1957 is connected to Jodorowsky's 1957 film 'La cravate,' and then the numbers 3 and 9 mean the third and ninth letters, c and e.
Solving the overall puzzle yields the following answer using Alejandro Jodorowsky's IMDB directorial credits:
1957 - La cravate
3,9 = ce
2013 - The Dance of Reality
6,16,3,11 = nter
1990 - The Rainbow Thief
15,9,4 = for
2016 - Endless Poetry
6,8 = sp
1965 - Teatro sin fin
8,5,11,1 = irit
1980 - Tusk
2 = u
1968 - Fando and Lis
2,9 = al
1990 - The Rainbow Thief
5,10,5 = awa
1980 - Tusk
4 = k
1989 - Santa Sangre
11,3 = en
1965 - Teatro sin fin
8,9 = in
1989 - Santa Sangre
9 = g
--> "ce nter for sp irit u al awa k en in g"
Center for Spiritual Awakening was determined to be the answer and confirmed by Amelia on Instagram.
Transmission 4
February 25, 2018 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Robot Chicken \\ 11:31 PM ET
I can move, I can remember
There are other people here
All girls. I see them at night
under the moon, their faces
always covered. I think I can
escape if you keep helping me
I know I'm next.
[{Instagram Symbol} ... ''''''- -.-. -.- ...''' - ...]
Analysis:
As in the second transmission, this bump also included a puzzle involving morse code at the end. The code translated into a second, private Instagram account, @s0ck3ts, which was much in the same style as the first.
Upon following them (alternatively, view a dump of their posts here), investigators find 12 different posts, each being one or more individual words that must fit the designated dashes provided alongside the posts. As before, there were a variety of different puzzles, ranging from pictures to music. As before, when the puzzle was originally happening, individuals would post possible answers in the comments, or in direct messages, and, if correct, the account would respond with an "eye" emoji. There was also an emoji when answers were incorrect, the "no entry sign" emoji. Lastly, once the community started to get some of the words, we realized they were making sentences, thus, unlike the previous Instagram, which just yielded years and numbers, this one was working towards information.
Puzzle: COD DIES TARO Must Fit: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Methodology: Word Scramble
Answer: "Doctor Sadie"
Puzzle: Picture of a Floppy Disk Must Fit: _ _ _ _ _ Methodology: This one is as simple as looking for five letter words on the floppy disk.
Answer: "Xenos"
Puzzle: A CYNICS NEWER MOUSE Must Fit: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Methodology: Word Scramble
Answer: "was my neuroscience"
Puzzle: Picture of a Purple Colored Playing Piece from the Game "Clue" Must Fit: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Methodology: Does this piece have a name in the game? (Professor Plum)
Answer: "professor"
Puzzle: 9781571132642 153 Must Fit: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. Methodology: The first set of numbers are the ISBN for "Narrative and Stylistic Patterns in the Films of Stanley Kubrick," one of the three books Deena has. We then asked Deena to look on page 153 for anything highlighted, underlined, or circled.
Answer: "and one of my bosses." (NOTE: They made a mistake setting up the last fill in)
Puzzle: Backwards Version of the Song "Let the Sunshine In" by The 5th Dimension Must Fit: _ _ _'_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. Methodology: Examine the lyrics for anything that seems pertinent.
Answer: "She's an Aquarius."
Puzzle: 9780860078111 37 Must Fit: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Methodology: The first set of numbers are the ISBN for "Burn Witch Burn," one of the three books Deena has. Deena looked in this book before and found a note saying "Sarah Bennington."
Answer: "Sarah Bennington"
Puzzle: A HEARTACHES SIRENS STIRS Must Fit: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. Methodology: Word Scramble
Answer: "is her research assistant."
Puzzle: Picture of a Zodiac Birth Chart Must Fit: _ _ _'_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. Methodology: The fill in is similar to the sixth post, and the sun symbol placement determines the primary Zodiac sign.
Answer: "She's a Scorpio."
Puzzle: What Painting is This? What Matters About it? Must Fit: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Methodology: This is "Samson and Delilah" (1654) by Guercino.
Answer: "Delilah"
Puzzle: 9780262720212 239 Must Fit: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Methodology: The first set of numbers are the ISBN for "The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience," one of the three books Deena has. We then asked Deena to look on page 239, but the answer was guessed through context clues.
Answer: "was my project"
Puzzle: Backwards Version of the Song "With A Little Help From My Friends" by The Beatles Must Fit: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. Methodology: Examine the lyrics for anything that seems pertinent.
Answer: "and friend."
When putting all of the words together, the overall solution for this week's bump and Instagram puzzles was:
Doctor Sadie Xenos was my Neuroscience Professor and one of my bosses. She's an Aquarius. Sarah Bennington is her Research Assistant. She's a Scorpio. Delilah was my project and friend.
Segue:
February 26, 2018
The next day, Deena began to tweet that she awoke in her car with Twitter open, and no memory of how she got there. Luckily, her husband was able to find her and take Deena home after some time. The community feared for her well-being, but then, on February 28th, Deena was back on Twitter, ready to answer questions about what happened to her, the bump, and anything else people asked about.
Deena on February 28, 2018 at 8:16 PM: "Hey everyone, I'm back online. Thanks again for you help last night. I really don't know what happened. My husband was out of town, and when he got home Aiden was there by himself and I was gone."
Transmission 5
March 4, 2018 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Rick and Morty \\ 11:13 PM ET
There's something that happens after you've been here a certain amount of time. Their faces are ALWAYS COVERED. October 22nd, 2014. I know I was complicit, but I can't remember in what. And I don't know what my brain is doing, or how I'm talking to you. I just know I'm next. oyutb cbmj [@find_amelia]
Analysis:
Of note in this bump is the date, October 22, 2014, "ALWAYS COVERED," and the scrambled letters at the end. Nothing came of the bump the night of, but the following day, when Deena was willing to answer questions on Twitter, the community most notably asked her about that date in Amelia's old planner. She provided investigators with this image, pictured right, which only raised further questions with regard to its contents.
Segue:
March 5, 2018
The @s0ck3tsInstagram account posted two pictures to their story. The first stated You Never Found Them and the second said You Only Know Their NAME. At first these were just as confusing as the previous Instagram stories, but investigators eventually reasoned that this might have been referring to an Instagram account for the Center for Spiritual Awakening that was only just found the very same day. @centerforspiritualawakening continues to be relevant to the community after it was confirmed by Amelia through @s0ck3ts, especially since the Instagram account continues to operate as the others are dropped in favor of new ones.
Some aspects of this Instagram account that immediately stood out upon its discovery include:
- The first post was made on January 31, even though the first Amelia bump did not air until February 4
- It was originally run by Sarah, but then Dr. Xenos took over
- The center was renamed to the "Women's Center for Spiritual Awakening," as to disconnect it from the real world center
- The posts include a variety of hashtags, which could prove to be important in the future
- Dr. Xenos is Madame X, head and founder of the Women's Center for Spiritual Awakening
- One post has the following phrase in capital letters: "ARE YOU CONNECTED TO YOURSELF?"
- Sarah speaks very informally compared to writing we have seen thus far
- The profile was only made public 7 days prior to its discovery, according to one post by Dr. Xenos
- Sarah and Dr. Xenos communicate to one another through posts
- Sarah says she isn't like Lauren S, social media wise; Lauren S was a contestant on the latest season of The Bachelor
- The goal of the center is apparently to "teach troubled young women to tap into their unique, beautiful power and reconnect with the world in a meaningful way"
- None of the paintings appear to be hiding anything, and at least one has a blurred out water mark
- Dr. Xenos is not Instagram savvy, although she is trying to use paintings as conversational pieces to get more followers
- Interestingly, the two latest posts, at the time of the accounts discovery, appear to have some unusual symbols
Additionally, as Amelia responded to Instagram direct messages from investigators (in emojis), Dr. Xenos, eventually, did the same (in text). Yet, instead of helping the community solve puzzles, Dr. Xenos seemed to be interested in vetting female investigators to invite to the WCSA. Quick to anger, Dr. Xenos was not interested in talking to men, nor was she concerned with female investigators who did not "meet the criteria" of the center. Ultimately, women who appeared to give the proper answers to Dr. Xenos's questions were eventually invited to the Denver Airport, where they would then be transported to the WCSA. By the end of Season 2, when Dr. Xenos learned about Amelia's connection to investigators, these were most likely rescinded.
March 7, 2018
The @s0ck3ts account posted two new pictures. The first was a white picture with the text "M3," relating to the M3 cipher. The second was a picture of Alan Turing's 1944 "Delilah" project. Putting the M3 and Turing pieces together led the community to the Enigma M3 cipher, which would prove to be the solution to the bump ciphertext oyutb cbmj.
Going to this link, one is given the option to decipher an Enigma M3 cipher, but we need a few pieces of information. Set your machine as follows:
--ROTOR NUMBERS-- Where To Find: Planner Picture (Written in Large Letters) Numbers: 8, 3, 3 --POSITION NUMBERS-- Where to Find: Date in the Last Bump Numbers: 10, 22, 14 --REFLECTOR-- Where to Find: Only Three Options Answer: UKW C (1940-1941)
After changing all of the settings to match these, pasting oyutb cbmj into the text box yields telep athy, the solution to the last bump. According to @s0ck3ts, this refers to digital telepathy, which we would later find out Amelia has.
Transmission 6
March 11, 2018 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Mike Tyson Mysteries \\ 11:56 PM ET
Spending time in someone else’s head will drive you crazy.
I came here, like everyone else, to feel better.
And I did for a bit.
But one by one they started covering their faces,
they stopped saying anything.
I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I know I’m next.
You have to help me escape.
[{Instagram Symbol} -- .--- . ... . -.-. ---.. ---..]
Analysis:
Translating the morse code, as with the other two bumps, revealed a fourth, private Instagram account (third by Amelia), @mjesec88. A full dump of this and other relevant Instagram accounts can be found here. Upon following the account, 15 different posts were found which appeared to contain three distinct puzzles.
First, 5 posts involve different pieces of the "Cry Theme" music video, from the Season 2 bumps, that have been edited to include unicode symbols and psychedelic elements. Second, 4 posts involve different edited portions of "You Are the Blood" by Castanets. Lastly, there are a variety of black picture posts which include numbers, short poems, and @'s to the @tsuki50 account.
For the sake of simplicity and consistency, this numbering system, pictured right, was used to refer to the posts on the @mjesec88 Instagram page. Lastly, as before, Amelia was ready to answer direct messages using basic emojis like the "eye" and "no entry sign."
With regard to the "Cry Theme" music video puzzle, the following unicode symbols can be found when watching each of the videos:
--FOURTH POST-- Length of Video: 34 Seconds Symbols: = [ ¤ (▪) ◇ --SIXTH POST-- Length of Video: 41 Seconds Symbols: # @ * ◯ ? --EIGHTH POST-- Length of Video: 57 Seconds Symbols: → $ % & (◼) --TENTH POST-- Length of Video: 37 Seconds Symbols: ; ← ÷ × ~ ¡ --TWELFTH POST-- Length of Video: 54 Seconds Symbols: " ^ ) + \
After realizing that there were 26 symbols, aka 26 letters of the alphabet, investigators sorted the video clips (along with their corresponding symbols) from longest to shortest clip length. The resulting symbol order created the Unicode Substitution Cipher seen above, which was confirmed by the Instagram account.
With regard to the "You Are the Blood" by Castanets puzzle, the process for figuring this one out involves reversing the audio of each clip and speeding it up 2x . Each clip spoke a set of emoji symbols and the community listed them for each clip as follows:
--FIFTH POST-- Length of Video: 56 Seconds Emojis: ⛰ 🎺 🏝 🔫 📕 📷 ⚔ --SEVENTH POST-- Length of Video: 53 Seconds Emojis: ⚓ ⭐ 🚪 🌎 🐷 🍰 --NINTH POST-- Length of Video: 52 Seconds Emojis: 👞 🌙 🤚 👻 --ELEVENTH POST-- Length of Video: 55 Seconds Emojis: 💊 🔑 👜 ✏ 🎀 ⚰ 🍋 🌼
Again, after realizing that there were 26 emojis, aka 26 letters of the alphabet, investigators sorted the music clips (along with their corresponding emojis) from longest to shortest clip length. The resulting emoji order created the Emoji Substitution Cipher seen above, which was confirmed by the Instagram account. Moving forward, instead of using basic emojis like the "eye" and "no entry sign," Amelia began to use the emoji cipher alphabet when responding to investigator direct messages.
The community quickly made a Symbol Translator and Emoji Translator (shoutout to njhm449) to easily decipher messages with unicode or emoji cipher text (was used by Adult Swim as well).
Segue:
March 18. 2018
@s0ck3ts made a cryptic post to their story, pictured right. The solution was found after getting the lengths of the answers to corresponding posts on the s0ck3ts account (for example, 15 2.len = 15th post, length of second word, "friend" = 6).
12 1.len - she's (4) 15 2.len - friend (6) 7 1.len - professor (9) 4 1.len - doctor (6)
Amelia then told us we needed to subtract 30 to get the overall answer (4696 - 30 = 4666), but then Amelia confirmed the final answer to be 4636, which will be relevant in the future.
Transmission 7
March 18, 2018 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Family Guy \\ 10:31 PM ET
@??# +* ×?÷÷▪ + )>=◼ ~? ~>@# ~? ▪?¡ @+#◼ ~)+× $¡~ ~)◼▪ %>◯ )◼ >÷ ¡× ◯?[. [◼ )>=◼ ~? $◼ %>÷◼"¡@ +* >@*?×~ ?¡~. ~)◼▪ &? ×?*◼~)+◯ ^ )◼÷◼ $◼"?÷◼ ▪?¡÷ ">%◼ +× =◼+@◼&. ~)◼▪ &? ×?*◼~)+◯^ ~? ▪?¡÷ ◼▪◼ ×. + ÷◼*◼*$◼÷ &÷. ¤ ~>@#◯^ >$?¡~ ;)▪×+%>@ ×+~◼ >× > $¡÷&◼◯ ~? &◼=◼@?;+◯^ ~)◼ *+◯&× ◼▪◼. ◼▪◼× ~)◼▪÷◼ ^?+◯^ ~? ~>#◼ ?¡~ *▪ ◼▪◼× + #◯?[ )?[ ~? ^◼~ ?¡~ +* ◯?~ ×~¡;+& + \¡×~ ◯◼◼& ▪?¡÷ )◼@; ~)◼÷◼× > %?&◼ ?◯ ~)◼ ^>÷>^◼ &??÷ +" + ×~◼>@ > %>÷ + %>◯ ◼×%>;◼ t*=t(sqrt(1-((@tsuki50+@s0ck3ts)^2/c^2))) [@find_amelia]
Analysis:
After the introduction of the two ciphers, Amelia had been predominantly communicating through the use of the Emoji Cipher. Yet, this bump contained unicode symbols that needed to be translated, and an equation that needed to be solved. When the symbols were translated using the Unicode cipher, the following message was revealed, possibly alluding to what the equation's solution might yield (The Garage Door Code):
Look I'm sorry I have to talk to you like this but they can hear us now. We have to be careful I'm almost out. They do something here before your face is veiled. They do something to your eyes. I remember Dr. X talkng about physical site as a burden to developing the minds eye. Eyes, they're going to take out my eyes. I know how to get out. I'm not stupid. I just need your help. There's a code to the garage door if I can steal a car, I can escape.
In terms of the equation, t*=t(sqrt(1-((@tsuki50+@s0ck3ts)^2/c^2))), the following variables were determined before it could be solved:
--@s0ck3ts--
Information: 12, 1.LEN; 15, 2.LEN; 7, 1.LEN; 4, 1.LEN
Methodology: Each of these sets alluded to one number each that must be determined from @s0ck3ts. The first number tells you the post, from top to bottom, the second number tells you the relevant word in that post, and "LEN" tells you that the number we need is the number of letters in that word. Furthermore, this was the only variable known prior to receiving the equation.
Confirmation: @mjesec88 confirmed this methodology, responding that "@s0ck3ts = 4696 - 30," although a story post by them said "@s0ck3ts = 4636."
Answer: 4636
--@tsuki50--
Information: The @tsuki puzzle on the @mjesec88 Instagram page, which is very similar to the one above in style.
Methodology: When @mjesec88 was asked about this puzzle, she responded "it's the sum of the numbers in post 2, the lana del ray post." These are those numbers added together, 2012 + 1955 + 1969 + 62 + 1929 + 1862 + 1915 = 11704. Yet, when asked to confirm 11704, @mjesec88 responded “omg no. but that's my fault for being unclear. it's 11705. where are you getting 11704?”
Confirmation: @mjesec88 confirmed that 11705 is the answer to the @tsuki50 puzzle, while also alerting us to the fact that we should have received the Season 1 archive a week prior to this bump.
Answer: 11705
--c--
Information: This variable appeared to be unique to this equation, not being present in any other form in this ARG.
Methodology: "C," as a variable, is commonly used in math to represent the speed of light, 299792 km/s.
Confirmation: When asked about this potentially being the answer to this variable, @mjesec88 responded "299792; Speed of Light."
Answer: 299792
--t--
Information: Little was known about the variable "t," other than suggestions that it could be a year or related to time in general.
Methodology: When @mjesec88 was asked “does the equation for the garage door code involve the year the WCSA was founded? 2015? I don’t want to fail you," Amelia responded, “no, I set the door to the year. I remember now. it's 2015.” It is possible that this question was worded in a way that Amelia assumed we solved the equation puzzle and confirmed it. On the other hand, since it seemed like the archive was needed, Amelia might have just decided to give us the answer because we didn't have it.
Confirmation: If 2015 was the garage door code, that makes it t*, and you can actually get approximately that if you make t = 2018. If you plug 2018 into the equation, along with the other variables, you get 2014.99993067414, which is approximately 2015, the confirmed overall answer.
Answer: 2018
Thus, not only is the garage door code confirmed to be 2015, but Amelia actually set the code herself at some point. Inputting all of the variables, the fully solved equation becomes 2015=2018(sqrt(1-((11705+4636)^2/299792^2))).
Segue:
March 24th
@mjesec88 made an Instagram group for select individuals from the community who had requested the archive from Heart & Brain Crop. earlier on in the ARG. These individuals were told “You don’t have to share the abstract," alluding to the fact that the archive was finally coming. The following night, these individuals were sent the Experiment G-15D Archive. The email read:
Dear [NAME], Congratulations! As of March 15th 2018, your request for the archive of experiment G-15D has been granted. About Your Clearance Clearance for archived material release is determined by the requesting parties involvement in the project related to the information request. In your case with the involvement in G-15D we have determined your clearance includes the following: G-15D: Social media transmissions G-15D: Television transmissions Requesting parties emotional abstract Emotional Abstract Your emotional abstract is a simplification of your full emotional profile. [PERSONAL EMOTIONAL ABSTRACT] The remainder of your materials are attached. You are welcome to dispute your level of clearance and request additional information. However, due to our intensive screening process, this evaluation can take up to 6 weeks. Thank you for your cooperation with the Heart and Brain Corporation. Have a nice day.
Attached to the email were the following two files, which actually held secrets (1,2).
This pastebin details how to solve certain puzzles on @tsuki50 and @mjesec88 Instagrams, which makes solving the archive messages easier. The first file has a copy of each of the DELILAH bump transmissions, although they have been edited, and there is an unconfirmed additional bump prior to what is currently known as the first bump.
Possibly more importantly, the second file has a file called index.html, which not only has a copy of all of the tweets made by the main Twitter account, but also secret messages hidden in its source code. This file contains the preliminary translations of the secret messages, which use the unicode and emoji ciphers, along with the extra codes discussed earlier. The messages make the most sense in reverse order, readable here.
Additionally, investigators who received an email were given a 6-week timeline at the end of their emails. 6 weeks is the same amount of time that elapsed between the end of the first and beginning of the second season, leading investigators to speculate that more content, or perhaps even another season, would be coming on or around May 6th, 2018.
Lastly, hidden in the "G-15D_Social Media_Transmissions" folder is a file called "EyedEmuInfo," which contains the message 2100 PST and string of numbers which could be a phone number, 5753226848.
Transmission 8
March 25, 2018 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Family Guy \\ 10:31 PM ET
~)>◯# ▪?¡ "?÷ >@@ ▪?¡÷ )◼@;. + #◯?[ +~ [>×◯'~ >@[>▪× ◼>×▪ "?÷ ▪?¡, +~ [>×◯'~ ◼>×▪ "?÷ *◼ ◼+~)◼÷. $▪ ~)◼ ~+*◼ ▪?¡ ^◼~ ~)+× +~ [+@@ $◼ 2018. + &?◯'~ #◯?[ [)◼÷◼ +'@@ $◼, $¡~ +'* ס÷◼ [◼'@@ ~>@# ×??◯. ¡◯~+@ ◯◼¤~ ~+*◼. [@find_amelia]
Analysis:
This transmission was first deciphered using the unicode cipher:
Thank you for all your help. I know it wasn't always easy for you, it wasn't easy for me either. By the time you get this it will be 2018. I don't know where I'll be, but I'm sure we'll talk soon. Until next time.
Interestingly, this bump definitively confirmed that not only was Amelia using digital telepathy to communicate with us through bumps and Instagram, but she was also doing so from the past. This means that although the WCSA account is in the present, the community was helping Amelia escape in the past. Then, closer to the end of the Season 2, she decided to reveal herself to her sister, which is why Deena eventually stopped communicating with us. Nevertheless, other than what the phone number could bring, this statement made it seem like another break in the ARG was approaching. Investigators reasoned that this made sense as April Fools, which was right around the corner, was usually a big event for Adult Swim. Similarly, the Heart and Brain Corporation email told investigators that they would have to wait 6 weeks, the same length of time the previous ARG season break was.
Segue:
March 26th, 2018
Around midnight (at 21:00 PST, as indicated when the phone number was discovered), a few investigators were able to get in touch with Amelia by phone using the number 575-322-6848. Recordings of some of these conversations are available here and here.
March 29th, 2018
Just when the community thought a break was beginning, Dr. X seemingly had a breakdown in a @centerforspiritualawakening Instagram post (ARG break began after this post). It is important to note that this post not only indicates that Dr. X knows Amelia is around and in contact with ARG investigators, but also that she knows the emoji cipher at least, if not both ciphers. The following is that post fully deciphered:
Do you think this is fucking over? This isn’t over. Life isn’t just a place where you can have fun. Not if you want to be successful, life isn’t about “hanging out” in the desert with your friends. Life has rules, there’s more to being an innovative researcher than “hanging out.” You have to fucking work. Do you think I can't understand you? Do you think I can’t understand you? Of course I can. I fucking taught you. I know you. You took advantage of me not paying attention, you took advantage of my distant energy, you little bitch. Hiding crap, making stupid puzzles. I had so much patience with you too. What the fuck is your problem that you can’t be appreciative for everything I’ve done for you. I have been beyond kind. Life has rules and you broke them. Every choice has consequences. Being an adult means dealing with those consequences. And guess what, Amelia, I get to deal with your consequences too this time. It’s physics: for every reaction - there is an opposite and equal reaction. But when you’re talking about humans with their emotions and their egos and their affinity for hurting others, when you’re talking about a corporation, exploitation, money - it’s a huge fucking reaction, for your huge fuck up. So thank you Amelia for bringing a shit storm into my life. And thank you "investigators" for helping her. You don’t have to worry about revenge from me, I don’t need to take revenge, things just have a way of evening out. People get what they deserve.
Season Three \\ Experiment G-15.2
Season Three - Experiment G-15.2
Characters
Heart & Brain Corp.
Heart & Brain Corp. made its official return to the ARG by beginning a second in-game experiment to start off Season 3. Unlike before, investigators were asked to form teams of up to five people to tackle this portion of the ARG. Yet, somewhat into the third season it was revealed that Heart & Brain Corp. was not the one communicating with fans over bumps and the twitter account this time around.
On Twitter
Kayla Kyle
Kayla Kyle was a research assistant for the DELILAH project when she was in college. For whatever reason, Heart & Brain Corp.'s third transmission, and the prizes for round one, led investigators to communicate directly with Kayla over the phone. Although some were able to text message her, she ultimately stopped responding, with none able to make further contact.
Sarah Bennington
Sarah Bennington was a research lead for the DELILAH project who is now in charge of the WCSA Instagram account. Through this medium she has directly communicated with a variety of investigators, even using the Instagram Stories feature to answer questions.
On Instagram
Adult Swim
Although only previously mentioned in passing, Adult Swim officially became an active character in this ARG when they aired their own bump, revealing that they received a cease and desist letter from Heart and Brain Corporation with regard to the recent bumps.
On Twitter
Delilah
Nearing the end of Season 3, it was revealed that the Heart and Brain Corporation was not running their own twitter account. Instead it was shown to be a project created by a Delilah, which can be determined from deciphering the new twitter handle using a mixed alphabet cipher.
On Twitter
Canon
Coming Soon
Transmission 1
June 17, 2018 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during American Dad \\ 2:11 AM ET
Hello Welcome to Experiment G-15.2 Here are the rules: 1 Teams can be no larger than 5 2 Team leaders must send us the Twitter usernames of their team members by 6/24 to receive further instruction 3 The rules can change at any time 4 We are always watching [@heartandbrainco]
Analysis:
Prior to June 17th, while waiting for Season 3 to officially begin, investigators received various hints to the return of the ARG through the main Instagram accounts. Beginning on May 1st, the community received the first sign of activity with the following three Instagram comments from @mjesec88:
"@kendranyx1 don't believe this crazy BITCH" "SHE'S A FUCKING LIAR. SHE'LL SAY ANYTHING TO MAKE HERSELF FEEL BETTER ABOUT BEING A BAD PERSON. Worthless, worthless, worthless" "@deonizm she's a liar"
Then, around May 12th, investigators noticed that the three Amelia Instagram accounts began to follow one another. A few days later, on May 17th, there were also two more Instagram comments, this time from @tsuki50:
"@mjesec88 I know. I'm sorry." "Are they all dead? Is it all my fault?"
Next, on May 24th, there was one final Instagram comment, now by @s0ck3ts:
"All I want is to be famous"
Lastly, although they were not expecting anything and somewhat joking, one investigator sent a message over Instagram on May 30th and received the following response stating "soon". Nonetheless, June 17th finally brought the official and long-awaited start of Season 3 with the above bump. Although not containing a puzzle, investigators were asked to form teams of up to five members, with a group leader, and then tweet this information at the Heart & Brain Corp. Twitter Account by June 24th (investigators may "register as solo"). Additionally, @heartandbrainco asked team leaders to include a team name alongside their list of members, noting that "team names must be appropriate for television." Yet, at this point, the purpose and use of these teams still needs to be seen.
Segue:
June 20, 2018
In accordance with rule #3, "the rules can change at any time," @heartandbrainco tweeted out a new rule: 5 Nothing needs to be shared. This implies that the ARG may be providing teams with certain tasks, or pieces of information, that they can choose to keep from others, or possibly share with a select group of other teams and solo investigators.
June 21, 2018
Possibly beginning a trend of many additional rules, @heartandbrainco has tweeted out another new rule for investigators: 6 Don’t trust your perception of the past. If this continues it may be necessary to have a dedicated section for rules to be displaced.
June 22, 2018
New rules have been added by @heartandbrainco, not only turning the ARG into a competition of sorts, but also changing the status quo of puzzle solving:
7a Team leaders must direct message their solutions no later than 4 am EDT Thursday, the week of the transmission. 7b Team leaders must include every team member in their message. 7c We will not confirm any information until Thursday. On Thursday, if the solution has been received we will notify players via twitter. 7d If we have not received the solution by Thursday, players will have 24 hours to try again before we reveal the solution. 7e We do not count submissions sent to us after the solution has been posted in Discord. 7f Direct messages cannot be shared publicly on Discord. Doing so will result in disqualification. 7g Do not attempt to ask questions or converse with us through direct message. That is not why we are here.
June 23, 2018
Not only has @heartandbrainco added a new rule, but due to a question regarding 7f, they have also decided to adjust that rule:
8 We will not always disclose the logic behind awarding points. 7f The contents of direct messages can be copy and pasted or parahrased. Screenshots cannot be shared until after the experiment.
Transmission 2
June 24, 2018 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Rick and Morty \\ 11:14 PM ET
Hello Welcome to Experiment G-15.2 Here are the rules: 9. There may be some accidents along the path to self-expression and self-determination 10. Absolutes are quicksilver. 11. Take what you can while you can 12. Everyone who watches will go crazy [@heartandbrainco] REFERENCE #
Analysis:
Leading up to the airing of the second Season 3 bump, @heartandbrainco decided to close team registration as of 9:49 PM on June 24, 2018. Additionally, they also stated that teams 31 32 34 54 56 and 63 had not completed their registration. It was up to their team leaders to confirm their participation by midnight ET.
Nonetheless, at 11:13 PM, every leader of a registered team received the following passage over Twitter, which contained half of this week’s puzzle:
After they got married, P and Sevyn Septenary never left, never changed. But Seven’s three younger sisters are a different story, and we won’t mention their names to protect their identities. oldest, middle, youngest. Oldest sister was a violinist. She was relatively stable, dedicated to the same person her whole life, but she had that one huge mental breakdown in front of everyone, in the middle of a concert screaming her lungs out “FUCK THIS” while smacking her head against the floor. She spent a month in the hospital and was fine, but she still doesn’t talk to any of her sisters. And middle, well, we don’t need to use a fake name for her. we’ll use her real name, Deena. Deena had a hard childhood like the rest of her sisters but was stable and lived a close to perfect life. You could say her only problem was youngest, who was always all over the place. She’s no one now.
Then, at 11:14 PM, the first official puzzle bump of Season 3 aired, which seemingly added new rules and contained the hidden phrase REFERENCE #. Now, with these two sources of information, teams quickly set off to tackle the first puzzle of Season 3. Yet, with no official answer for Transmission 2 provided by @heartandbrainco, the following possible methodology and responses were compiled. Looking to the bump, finding a reference number appears to be the key, although there is other information that can be deciphered. When googling the new rules, one actually finds the following site, which contains each of the rules as part of poetry essays. More specifically, this is actually Inflammatory Essays by Jenny Holzer, who some actually theorize is alluding to Jenny Hampton being the older sister in the passage above. Nevertheless, turning to the bump again, one can also see that the first letter of each of the rules spells out TATE. When googling Inflammatory Essays and TATE, one actually comes across a site for a network of museums who use reference numbers to catalog their various works. Interestingly, the first reference number that appears for this work is “P77382;” such a “P” being clearly visible in the paragraph above. Thus, the following reference number can actually be found in the passage, P Septenary Seven three one one.
Returning to the link for the TATE site, if you swap out the “65434” in the url for “P77311,” you find Larry Rivers and Frank O’Hara’s "Stones” #6. Although the work is not displayed due to copyright restrictions, googling the lithograph further identifies it as Students, which discusses a violinist as in the direct message. Yet, with all of this in mind, the actual winning team, Team Nucleus Raphe Magnus, who received 10 points for their effort, submitted the answer P77385, which is the reference number for one of the Inflammatory Essays paragraphs.
Segue:
June 28, 2018
On June 28th, at 9:47 PM, @heartandbrainco posted the following tweet: "A solution has been submitted. Winners will be announced on Sunday. Teams will receive their prizes shortly after." Not only did this establish how and when the acceptance of a solution would occur, but the community was also notified about the possibility of prizes for winning teams going forward.
Transmission 3
July 1, 2018 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Joe Pera Talks With You \\ 12:30 AM ET
Hello Experiment G-15.2 Round 1 Results 1. Nucleus Raphe Magnus (8) 2. Darkhound117 (5) 3. B&H (5) 4. Mad Lads (4) ALL A LACKY
Analysis:
At 12:30 AM, the third bump of Season 3 aired, announcing that Nucleus Raphe Magnus, Darkhound117, B&H, and Mad Lads were the winners of the first puzzle. Additionally, even though the bump did not necessarily include a puzzle, many argued that "ALL A LACKY" was actually an anagram for CALL KAYLA. Then, a minute later at 12:31 AM, @heartandbrainco tweeted that the following teams had been eliminated for not submitting a solution: #12 #18 #23 #24 #25 #27 #28 #29 #30 #31 #32 #33 #34 #35 #38 #39 #40 #43 #45 #46 #47 #48 #51 #52 #53 #54 #55 #56 #58 #60 #62 #63 #65 #67 #69 #74. At this very same time, the four winning teams were also receiving prizes for their efforts in the first puzzle round of Season 3.
Although these teams kept the prizes to themselves, on July 5th, investigators learned from an anonymous source that there were mixed feelings about such secrecy. Thus, the source decided to directly provide The AS Consortium with the following document and information so that they could be shared publicly. Specifically, two teams (Nucleus Raphe Magnus and Mad Lads) received page #7 from a document titled "November Incident," while the other two teams (Darkhound117 and B&H) received the following phone number, (707)883-2697. Considering the two prizes received from the source, the bump, and the bold letters/numbers in the document, investigators were left with 06, 1:12am, possibly pointing to a time and date at which to call Kayla.
Segue:
July 4-5, 2018
On July 4-5th, @heartandbrainco tweeted the following new rule: "13 If you give a person power they will abuse it." Yet, that was quickly deleted and followed by this tweet: "We apologize, that last transmission was sent in error. We are investigating the incident." Then, at 12:10 AM, the following was officially tweeted as the 13th rule: 13 Power should be leveraged to its full extent. Whether the addition of this rule influenced, or is somehow related to, the leaker remains to be seen.
July 7-8, 2018
On July 7th, beginning at 7:00 PM, @heartandbrainco added the following rules, which in some ways possibly refer to past and upcoming events:
14a Not everything is a puzzle 14b We never said this was fair 14c Hold on to six digit numbers 14d Can you make us feel something? 14e There is never one correct solution or method 14f The digital root of P is 7 14g You have entered an invalid method or parameter
Additionally, now six days after the previous bump, many investigators realized that the prize phone number appeared to be functioning again. In theory, it is possible that the "06" from the prize document implied this date all along. Thus, the community quickly prepared to call, doing so at 1:12 AM ET, but once again failing to get Kayla to answer. Yet, in a surprise twist, Kayla texted the first caller back, Delta, stating who is this. That then prompted other investigators to text Kayla in order to learn as much as they could from various conversations. Ultimately, Kayla was not necessarily open to discussing too much over text, but told those messaging her that they could speak further on Monday, July 9th at 9:00 PM MT (11:00 PM ET). With that said, key information that was learned over text is listed here:
- Either the DELILAH project and/or the November Incident, "was fucked up"
- At the time of the text messages, Kayla was exhausted, while her boyfriend was driving them home from camping in the mountains for the 4th of July week
- Kayla was in college when she was a research assistant for the DELILAH project, and knew at least one DELILAH (she possibly meant her own)
- The November Incident was related to "one blow out fight," yet "there was a lot more to it"
- Investigator Coolkevin54 received Kayla's email in order to send her the prize document
- The November Incident document the community has is unredacted
- Kayla previously had the full redacted "November Incident" court document, but has since deleted it
- We should not trust Amelia, as she is "not okay," but we can trust Sarah Bennington
- Heart and Brain Corp. are the one's we should actually be scared of right now
- Kayla has her own personal theories about Heart and Brain Corp.'s experiments
- Kayla has "no idea" why investigators were told to contact her
- It is possible that DELILAH is "still around," as "she can't die, [since] she's a computer" (she possibly meant her own)
- Kayla previously worked with computers, but now works in robotics
- Kayla lives in Boulder, Colorado
- The November Incident may be what ended the DELILAH project
- Kayla stated that “Sarah and Dr. X just founded the center in like January” (Possibly meaning the WCSA was founded Jan. 2018)
- Kayla and Amelia “were roommates until she disappeared” (Kayla has “no idea where she is”)
Transmission 4
July 8, 2018 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Robot Chicken \\ 11:57 PM ET
Hello Welcome to Experiment G-15.2 Here are the rules: 15 Write Heart and Brain somewhere everyone can see 16 Send us proof 17 Return to the same place as before and hold on to everything you can find there 18 [IvebeenwaitingIv][][ebeen][wa][iting][Ivebe] [@heartandbrainco]
Analysis:
At 11:57 PM, investigators secured the fourth transmission of Season 3, which seemingly provided four new rules for members to consider. Additionally, at 11:58 PM, team leaders also received the following direct message over Twitter, which included certain real world tasks to complete for points:
Hello The following are bonus tasks that your team may complete at any time this week to incur points. Points will be determined by how well the task is executed. Not everyone on your team has to complete the task to be awarded points.Physical items for these tasks must be received by 7/16 to qualify. Packages can be addressed to: Heart and Brain Co. 1065 Williams St NW Atlanta, GA 30309 1. Send us your hair 2. Chant Heart and Brain in public with 7 people. They don’t have to be on your team. 3. Pitch an episode of “Tim & Eric’s Bedtime Stories” 4. Introduce yourself to a stranger. Explain the Heart and Brain experiment. Film the process. 5. Meet one of your teammates. Send us evidence. 6. Send us something you love. 7. Visit Mammoth Cave. Send us evidence.
On another note, at 12:04 AM, @heartandbrainco also informed us that Team The Samsons was accidentally eliminated, and thus, if they wish, could be added back into the competition. But, with that said, teams quickly got to work considering this new bump and direct message. Yet, the main objective of this week specifically involved the contents of the bump, which included a real-world undertaking and a puzzle. The seven "bonus tasks" served as additional means of getting points, and ultimately come into play after this puzzle round. First, in terms of rules 15 and 16, investigators were essentially asked to post free advertisement for the Heart and Brain Corporation. Each member had the ability to complete this assignment, and many did so in creative ways. An example of one of these images, which was sent to the Twitter account, is posted to the right.
Then, in terms of rules 17 and 18, the community found a task that was similar to the usual ARG puzzles. Here, it is first important to consider rule 14, which introduced the concept of digital roots (14f) and asked us to "hold on to six digit numbers" (14c). For rule 18, we can determine the digital root of these words by converting the number of letters within each bracket into numbers and adding digits together. For example, the first bracket contains 16 letters, which the digital root of is 1 + 6 = 7. Ultimately, you are left with the following six digit number, 705255. Next, when considering rule 17, this is actually reminiscent of the reference numbers in the first puzzle round, meaning that we need to return to the TATE website. But, rule 14f must first be used to convert 7 into P, an exact match for the TATE website. Lastly, when inserting P05255 into the TATE url, one ultimately finds "7" by William Turnbull.
Segue:
July 9-10, 2018
As the community was preparing to call Kayla, about half an hour before 11:00 PM, Silox received several text messages from her. According to Kayla, she [did not] want to do this anymore, and had decided to reach out to Silox because he seemed to have been the nicest. This prompted several other investigators to reach out to Kayla, including Delta, who was told that she had been communicating with old friends about the DELILAH project, but needed time to process everything. It was then from messages between Coolkevin54 and Kayla that investigators were also notified about Kayla's discomfort over so many individuals having her phone number. This ultimately escalated to messages such as TELL THEM TO LEAVE ME ALONE, which quickly prompted the community to stop calling or texting her. With that said, she did eventually calm down, actually apologizing, and telling Coolkevin54 that she would talk to him tomorrow.
Then, although initially assumed by some to be a gamejacking incident, Cerberus later received a mysterious phone call from 917-765-8690 at 12:18 AM, which played the "Cry Theme" from the season two bumps. Uncertain of what to do with this information, Cerberus decided to text the individual, asking who they were. This was followed by a second call at 12:26 AM, playing this song, and a long text in a foreign language. After placing the message into google translate, Cerberus discovered that it was in Khmer, the official language of Cambodia; it was then after this that investigators were able to find the song. The text translated from Khmer into English is as follows:
From where Marxist Marxist From where Go Go Say hello! Her Now! Her Now! Her Now! The bride Bride Bride Hate Who Knows When Please wait Hate and hate Husayn Angry Angry Angry Boy Who does not love Healthy Love love Healthy Healthy Love love Love Love Love lovers Satisfied Satisfied I like to forget No No
Around the same time, other individuals began to receive the second phone call as well, including Team Smart Water, who luckily managed to record their experience. Yet, the actual meaning behind the new song and text message is currently unknown. Lastly, although Coolkevin54 messaged Kayla the following night, at around 10:45 PM, he did not receive any response from her. Sadly, nothing else has come from trying to further contact Kayla.
July 12, 2018
At 11:27 PM, @heartandbrainco brought a new twist to the ARG by re-opening registration and forcing teams to change by Sunday, July 15th. This involved either adding to or removing investigators from current teams (now a maximum of 7 members per team), with such information needing to be tweeted ASAP to prevent elimination. The five new rules themselves on this topic include:
19 No additional teams can be created. 20 Team's maximum size is now 7 21 Teams may reserve the right to reject any members. 22 All teams must change or they will be eliminated. 23 Registration will close again Sunday July 15th
Transmission 5
July 15, 2018 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Robot Chicken \\ 11:56 PM ET
Hello Experiment G-15.2 Round 1 Results 1. Team Dark Synapse (47) 2. Team Archive (43) 3. Team X (33) 4. Nucleus Raphe Magnus (24) 5. Bamboo Team (22) . . . . .
Analysis:
Ahead of the upcoming transmission, the following rules were added by @heartandbrainco at 8:47 PM for the purposes of order and clarification:
24 Registration is now closed. The updated team roster and current point standings will be released on Tuesday July 17th. 25 Points will be attributed to the team the individual was a part of when they executed the task.
Then, at 11:56 PM, with no team being eliminated, the fifth transmission of Season 3 aired, stating that Team Dark Synapse, Team Archive, Team X, Nucleus Raphe Magnus, and Bamboo Team were now the top five teams after the second puzzle round. For their efforts, these teams received a prize shortly after the airing of the bump, which was made public on July 16, 2018 at 3:10 PM. Nonetheless, upon receiving the reward initially, many soon discovered that the redactions within the document could easily be removed using Adobe software. The unredacted version, with the newly visible text highlighted, can be seen here. Along with providing further information about the Delilah project and the side effects of a mysterious drug, the document also includes the unusual Marxist lyrics received by Cerberus on July 10, 2018. Lastly, in terms of the bump itself, the meaning behind ". . . . ." at the end, remains unknown.
Although most were unaware of this the night of, around the same time that the top five teams received their prize, @heartandbrainco sent a different document to a few other teams. Despite being asked not to share this reward, it was leaked publicly on July 16, 2018 at 3:27 PM. Interestingly, unlike the other documents, exhibit1C depicts an email conversation, specifically between Dr. Robert Klein and Dr. Sadie Xenos about hiring Amelia Hampton as an engineer. The reasoning behind keeping this document a secret, and the implications of its leak, have not been revealed to the community.
Segue:
July 22, 2018
Despite the expectation of a transmission this week, Cerberus and Ring, the Discord server owners, received the following email from Heart and Brain Corporation at 11:53 PM that night:
"Experiment G-15.2 Intermission" Hello We must ask you to inform all players there will be no television transmission from Heart and Brain Corportation this evening. Please also inform players that all team changes have been recorded. The updated roster and a new set of winners will be released on 7/25/18. The Heart and Brain corporation was impressed with the phySical Data we reCeived. please Communicate our commendation to players. Thank you. P.S. sorry we couldn't meet you
Possibly most interesting, the letters SDCC were emphasized within the email, confirming that San Diego Comic Con was most likely the cause for the lack of a bump.
July 25, 2018
With the ARG seemingly back on track, at 7:00 PM @heartandbrainco updated the top five to now be Team Archive (79), Team Dark Synapse (66), Team X (63), Nucleus Raphe Magnus (57), and B&H (55). These winners were then asked to face the following dilemma:
This week’s winners must pick one of the following prizes: *Eliminate any one team *Eliminate any player from the game *Add 20 points to your team's total score Team leaders must publicly declare their team's decision by 7 am tomorrow.
As it stands, every team decided to take the 20 points, instead of eliminating any one investigator or team. This decision, for most teams, boiled down to excellent sportsmanship, and ultimately recognizing the benefit of having more points.
July 28, 2018
At 10:00 PM, @heartandbrainco began to tweet new rules, which specifically nullified the last two, and added others, possibly hinting at concepts related to the next puzzle bump:
24 VOID 25 VOID 26 From where? 27a Art is deeply personal and deeply pathetic 27b Power is fragile and easily lost 27c Hierarchy is important. Think globally 27d Do you admire us? 27e This isn't working 27f Not again 27g Help
Transmission 6
July 29, 2018 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Rick and Morty \\ 11:16 PM ET
***
He???????o
??????? ot emocleW
:selur eht era ereh
28 1 + (sadness hides in the shadow of the stars
sadness lurks in the shadow of the moon)
29 6 + (without thinking about tomorrows
on my own and alone)
30 0 + (love love lovers satisfied satisfied
I like to forget no no - 770)
31 (patience is worth everything - 1)
[@heartandbrainco]
ERROR: INVALID FILE TYPE ???????
Analysis:
Additionally, the following direct message from @heartandbrainco was sent to teams in order to help them solve the puzzle in the above transmission:
GET OUT OF MY HEAD I ONLY HAVE SO MUCH TO GIVE GET OUT OF MY Hello INVALID INVALID INVALID Here are this weeks FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF I AM PLEASE Bonus Takss??????? Tell us Where is AMELIA??????? hello snedddd US urself(ie) HELLO PLEASE TELL US WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE DELILAH PROJECT I CANT I CANT I CANT ANYMORE I only wanted to be famous. That’s what they saaaaaaa olleH AAAAAAALLLLLL A LACKY!!!!!!! Ooooooolllllleeehhhhhhhhh Here is a hint: From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where? From where?
Yet, the deadline was extended until August 3 at 7:00 AM ET because a correct solution was not submitted by the original deadline. Furthermore, the following hints were provided on August 2 at 3:40 PM ET as further guidance:
Please return to the same place as before. Please begin with the order. Please call each location.
With that said, not a single team was able to figure out the puzzle, many confused further by the hints. This left investigators in a state of confusion, no one certain how the Heart and Brain Corporation would respond.
Transmission 7
August 5, 2018 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Family Guy \\ 10:31 PM ET
*** Hello THE HEARt AND BRAIN CORPOrATION IS DISAPPOINTED IN yOUR MEagER EFFORTS. THERE aRE NO WiNnERS [@heartandbrainco]
Analysis:
Leading up to tonight's bump, beginning at 8:24 PM, the three main Amelia Instagram accounts decided to each post a video to their stories. Spelling out Please Help Her, these each contained a different portion of Maok Pi Naok by Sinn Sisamouth, the previously discussed Cambodian song that was received by some investigators over the phone. In particular, it appears that certain scenes were taken from a video found on the VIP Production Karaoke DVD Volume # 33 Track # 6. The original videos are as follows: @tsuki50, @s0ck3ts, and @mjesec88.
Then, once the bump aired at 10:31 PM, the Heart and Brain Corporation expressed their disappointment in the inability of any team to solve last week's puzzle. Within this bump, they also included the hidden message try again, signifying that investigators were given another week to reconsider the previous puzzle.
Segue:
August 6, 2018
Over email, RingJ5 decided to double-check with the Heart and Brain Corporation to make sure that investigators actually had everything that they needed to solve the puzzle. In response, he received the following statement and hint:
THIS ISN'T AS HARD AS ANY OF YOU ARE MAKING IT 1 2 3 4
August 9, 2018
Despite being provided an extra week to complete the previous puzzle bump, along with several hints, @heartandbrainco declared that a correct answer had not been submitted by the Thursday deadline. Beginning at 9:44 AM, they provided the following rules, which included a new hint to explain the bump's logic and the time frame for completing the puzzle:
32 HERE IS YOUR HINT: 0 + (It appears that happiness is within reach, So we reach out and we find ourselves crazy + 20) = p05053 33 YOU HAVE UNTIL 7PM FRIDAY 34 THERE WILL ONLY BE ONE WINNER 35 THE WINNER WILL BE MOVED TO THE TOP OF THE LEADERBOARD.
August 10, 2018
It was then by 7:02 PM on Friday, August 10th that @heartandbrainco finally received the answer they were waiting for from investigators. The following tweet describes the winner of this puzzle round, while also placing a team at risk of elimination:
THE WINNER IS TEAM NUCLEUS RAPHE MAGNUS. WE WILL CONTACT YOU WITH YOUR PRIZE. IF YOU CHOOSE TO SHARE YOUR PRIZE WITH ANYONE BEFORE THE END OF THE EXPERIMENT, THE CHEAT COMMANDOS WILL BE ELIMINATED.
In order to fully understand the complete methodology behind the puzzle featured in Transmission #6, it is crucial to first consider the various hints provided by @heartandbrainco. Facing the hardest puzzle of the ARG yet, these clues ultimately proved to be instrumental in the community’s ability to figure it out the solution. First, “From where” and “Think globally” appear to describe the importance of countries for this puzzle. Second, “Please return to the same place as before” may relate to the continued use of the Tate website and “Please call each location” seems to point to the importance of phone numbers here. Third, the 1 2 3 4 hint could describe the use of the digital root method for each rule/line number, indicating that they are part of “the order” for each solution. For example, the first puzzle in the bump is rule #28, who’s digital root is calculated by adding 2 and 8, which equals 10, then adding up 1 and 0 to equal the 1 seen in this hint.
Fourth, investigators were provided with the following solved example of the puzzles seen in the bump, “32 0 + (It appears that happiness is within reach, So we reach out and we find ourselves crazy + 20) = P05053.” The initial observation in the answer is the inclusion of “P0,” which may just be standard across all of the solutions, further emphasizing the importance of the Tate website. Then, 32 is equivalent to 5 using the digital root method as suggested by the third hint. Next, after the 0 that is already present in the hint, the sentence in parentheses is from the French song “Quelqu'un m'a dit” by Carla Bruni. Considering the potential importance of countries and phone numbers suggested by the first and second set of hints, the French telephone country code is 33, which when added to 20 provides us with 53. Lastly, it is important to note that only the addition and subtraction symbols within the parentheses should be used, whereas the ones outside them should be ignored—meaning you would simply combine the numbers, without adding them, by placing them together in a sequence. Nevertheless, through the use of the other hints and figuring out how the example is equivalent to P05053, investigators had the tools to tackle the transmission itself.
To begin, in their respective order, the lyrics in the bump lead to the following songs and countries: "Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto (Japan), "Marde Tanhaye Shab" by Habib Mohebian (Iran), "Ma Pi Nok" by Sinn Sisamouth (Cambodia), and "Sabali" by Amadou & Mariam (Mali). With this information, the telephone country codes for each of the countries will then replace the lyrics in the puzzle, as seen here: 28: 81 (Japan), 29: 98 (Iran), 30: 855 (Cambodia), and 31: 223 (Mali). Next, investigators need to calculate the digital roots of each of the rules, which are as follows, although already provided by the hint: 28 = 1, 29 = 2, 30 = 3, and 31 = 4. Thus far, the puzzle should appear like this:
1 1 + (81) = 1181 2 6 + (98) = 2698 3 0 + (855 - 770) = 3085 4 (223 - 1) = 4222
Then, adding P0 to the beginning of each number results in the following Tate art pieces, the answers to the puzzle:
P01181 - D. Drop Initials by Gordon House
P02698 - Sheep in Landscape by Henry Moore OM
P03085 - On Board a Hospital Transport by Claude Shepperson
P04222 - Tool Box 7 by Jim Dine
Interestingly, the first three art pieces have a seven in the date in which they were made, while the final piece has the seven present in its title.
August 12, 2018
In anticipation of tonight's bump, @heartandbrainco provided the following rule at 7:00 AM, postponing its airing until Monday: 36. DUE TO THE YOUR PERFORMANCE, THE NEXT TRANSMISSION WILL NOT AIR UNTIL MONDAY.
Additionally, possibly in preparation for tomorrow's bump, @heartandbrainco tweeted the following new rules, at 7:00 PM, for investigators to consider (note that f and g are switched):
37a WE WILL GIVE YOU THIS HINT: THE DIGITAL ROOT OF CONCEPTION 37b WE ARE UNHAPPY YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND OUR THE LOGIC. 37c WE WILL NOT 37d WE THOUGHT YOU UNDERSTANDD WHAT WE WANTED. WE THOUGHT YOU COULD HLEP US. 37e WE DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU DONT GET IT. WE WANT YO KNOW WHY YOU ARE TELLING. 37g WE DON’T KNOW HOW TO BE “SORRY” 37f WE WILL NOT EXPLAIN OURSLEVES. WE WILL NOT WE WILL NOT. WE WILL NOT. WE WILL NOT.
August 13, 2018
Beginning at 7:00 PM, possibly hinting at rule 7f being broken by certain teams, @heartandbrainco tweeted out the following warnings to investigators:
38. ANY TEAM THT WE BELIEVE IS SHARING DMS ELIMINATED 39. we know what you're doing and it's not working
Transmission 8
August 14, 2018 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Bob's Burgers \\ 10:14 PM ET
**** HELLO HELLO HELLO HELLO HELLO HELLO HELLO ^^^^^ OUR FAVORITE THINGS: P 40 AMERICAN RIP OFF (_ _ _ _) 41 FPS (_ _ _ _) 42 SNOW (_ _ _ _) 43 VOID 44 IN THE BOX (_ _ _ _) GOODBYE GOODBYE GOODBYE GOODBYE GOODBYE GOODBYE GOODBYE [@heartandbrainco]
Analysis:
At 10:14 PM, on a Tuesday night, the Heart and Brain Corporation released their newest bump puzzle for teams to solve. The next day at 9:54 PM, although eventually deleted, @heartandbrainco also provided the following links as hints to this week's puzzle:
- SE7EN Scene - "The Box"
- Golden Eye N64 Commercial 1997
- So far, so good (The Magnificent Seven) - Ripoff
Prior to addressing the bump itself, it is important to keep in mind the above links and the hint provided on August 12th, 37a WE WILL GIVE YOU THIS HINT: THE DIGITAL ROOT OF CONCEPTION. With regard to the links, the first is a scene from the film Se7en, the second is a link to a commercial for the video game GoldenEye 007, and the third is a link to a scene from the movie The Magnificent Seven. Then, considering the tweeted hint, 37a, and the four underscores within each parentheses in the bump, it becomes clear that we are looking for release years, meaning the conception of each movie or video game.
The Magnificent Seven, which had the word “Ripoff” attached to it in the hint, was released in 1960, the year itself being the answer to “40 AMERICAN RIP OFF” in the bump. GoldenEye 007 is a first-person shooter (FPS) that was released in 1997, which is the answer to “41 FPS” in the bump. Recognizing a theme of movies and video games, as well as the use of “seven” in every title, if one googles “snow” and “seven” you come across the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This film was released in 1937, which is the answer to “42 SNOW” in the bump. The term “VOID” is used next in the bump to symbolize that the answer to "43" is a zero. Lastly, Se7en, which includes the infamous box scene, was released in 1995, making that the answer to “44 IN THE BOX” in the bump. Altogether, these are the answers to the puzzle thus far:
P 1960 1997 1937 0 1995
The next step to this puzzle is to then find "the digital root of conception," meaning the digital root for each of the release years, which results in 7, 8, 2, and 6 respectively. As a reminder, a digital root is calculated by adding up each number individually until you are only left with one number. For example, the digital root of 1960 is calculated by first adding up 1, 9, 6, and 0, which equal 16, and then adding up 1 and 6, giving us the answer of 7. Nevertheless, keeping the placement of P and 0 as is above, we receive the overall answer of P78206, which is a Tate reference number. Searching this number on the Tate website results in the following art piece, Seven Up by Sarah Lucas.
Segue:
August 18, 2018
After the correct answer was seemingly submitted by at least one team, @heartandbrainco posted another now deleted tweet, possibly speaking to the negative state of team dynamics at the moment:
Power is a powerful drug and leadership is not for the weak.
Transmission 9
August 19, 2018 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Robot Chicken \\ 11:31 PM ET
*** LLHEO NWINSRE: X. spsrhcae au uumngnle (08-05) X. hcrav meetia (20-18-01-16-16-05-04) x. ambaoe ob tm (21-19) x. esatctnhesnde (08-05-12-16) OK BU!!!!!!!Y [@heartandbrainco]
Analysis:
At 8:44 PM, prior to tonight's bump, the following tweet was posted by @heartandbrainco to explain the recent developments in the ARG:
OUR SERVER HAS BEEN COMPROMISED. ALL COMMUNICATION FROM THIS PAST WEEK, INCLUDING THIS EVENING'S TRANSMISSION IS FALSE! DO NOT TRUST IT!
Then, at 11:31 PM, the supposedly false leaderboard bump aired, which featured scrambled team names, and letters represented as their corresponding numbers from one to twenty-six (A = 1, B = 2, C = 3 ...). The translated bump, featuring a hidden message, is as follows:
*** HELLO WINNERS: Nucleus Raphe Magnus (H-E) Team Archive (T-R-A-P-P-E-D) Bamboo Team (U-S) The Ascendants (H-E-L-P) OK BU!!!!!!!Y
Segue:
August 22-25, 2018
Beginning at 11:21 PM, Sarah reached out to investigators via the story feature of the @centerforspiritualawakening Instagram account. Initially, she provided the following pieces of information in order to clarify key plot points within the ARG:
1. The Center for Spiritual Awakening was not a cult. Really. Looking at this page on my phone, I get why you think that. And Amelia's messages don't help. But Amelia was never here. 2. The center was never more than 3 people. Myself, Kayla and Sadie. We lived in a big house in the mountains Dr. X rented. The main function of the center was going to be protecting women like us. Or as we call them, empaths. These women are very special and very vulnerable. Amelia called it telepathy but its so much more than that. We can access a space between physical and digital reality, an ever-present invisible field where those two things combine. 3. The center closed when Heart and Brain discovered it, in April of this year. Running the center was a violation of Dr. X's non-compete clause in her contract. She can't do anything pertaining to research she did with H&B for 7 years. She didn't do anything for a while after DELILAH was shut down. I think she only started again because she thought they wouldn't care. They do. Also I just realized all these black backgrounds are different. AORRY 4. Amelia and I didn't know each other very well. Amelia talked about me a lot, but Kayla was her best friend. It's interesting she led you through a story where she never even mentioned her. I guess she thought I was cool. Kayla put up with a lot from her.
Then, she ended this set of images with the following invitation to ask questions, an AMA that would lead to two more sets of story images:
I know you want to know more, so please ask me questions. I'll be answering them over the next few days.
Some of the most important facts learned from the two sets of AMAs include:
AMA #1
- Delilah is not a single entity, but a program that can be run on different machines. Every new instance Delilah creates a new Delilah.
- The purpose of the DELILAH project was to study AI's ability to develop emotions through machine learning.
- The drug administered during the DELILAH trials is called Ceranos.
- The different colors in the backgrounds of the past stories have no meaning.
- We should not trust the Twitter account.
- Sarah and Amelia worked on the DELILAH project together. Sarah was Amelia's supervisor. Amelia is also an empath. That's how they actually got to know each other, but Amelia was always closer with Dr. X.
- Robert Klein was one of the leads on the DELILAH project. He ran everything into the ground. Sarah doesn't know where he is now. Sarah doesn't care tbh.
- Sinistra MGMT was the name of Tristan's shitty hardcore punk slash chiptune band.
- Amelia and Dr. X had a huge falling out related to her research. Dr. X feels like Amelia is responsible for everything that's happened to her career. In Sarah's opinion, H&B manipulated Amelia's eagerness and ambition to get to Dr. X and destroy her. It worked. If you don't believe anything else Sarah says, believe this: There are people whose life purpose is to destroy others
- Sarah doesn't know where Kayla is and can't get a hold of her. She's really worried about her safety, which is why she decided to get involved in this.
- We should be worried about sending hair to 'heart and brain.'
- Sarah hasn't seen Amelia since she disappeared in 2014.
- Sarah believes that we may be in contact with one of the DELILAHs instead of H&B.
AMA #2
- People who were involved with the DELILAH project keep disappearing.
- Sarah and Dr. X first met at a neuroscience conference in London during her undergraduate. Sarah was presenting a paper that studied the long term effects trauma has on social behavior. Dr. X told Sarah a story about how she cleanses her dogs aura and Sarah was instantly hooked. They went to the Tate the next day and Dr. X convinced Sarah to study with her at Cornell medical school in NYC.
- Sarah believes that 'H&B' is unable to manage everything that is going on in their current state.
- Heart and Brain refers to a large complex network of divisions. What makes it different from other corporations is those divisions don't make a lot of sense together. The first alarm for me with the Twitter was the thing in the bio about being a global marketing agency. That is not what Heart and Brain is. Heart and Brain is like Unilever but instead of soaps its a bunch of random shit. We're talking a complex web of research initiatives, drug manufacturing, content production, and food production and more Sarah doesn't even know about. All in an organizational structure that is super secretive and paranoid. None of it makes sense.
- The real H&B may not want to stop whoever has been impersonating them because they want to see what happens.
- Sarah falls asleep to Adult Swim sometimes.
- The most dangerous thing about Dr. X was that she thought she was above her contract. Another lesson kids: no one is above their contract.
- Amelia was the crisis friend. She was always a tornado of emotions and problems. Kayla is pretty stable and together, and was always there for her.
Transmission 10
August 26, 2018 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Rick and Morty \\ 11:13 PM ET
I’m still here I’m sorry I was wrong I didn’t know [@tsuki50]
Analysis:
At 11:13 PM, investigators received a new transmission, yet this one was reminiscent of Amelia's Season 2 bumps. Furthermore, the community was referred to the @tsuki50 Instagram account, instead of @heartandbrainco on Twitter. Here, a new Instagram story stated "Rules: Collaborate, Be Nice, 7 Puzzles," while a post on the account provided the following puzzle: VLHN - MV3, WHO DIED FIRST.
Segue:
August 27, 2018
Beginning at 9:01 PM, and significantly altering the state of the ARG, @heartandbrainco tweeted out the following seven rules that transitioned the competition into a four-team battle to find Kayla:
WE HAVE BEEN WATCHING YOUR BEHAVIOR ON INSTAGRAM. WE ARE NOT PLEASED. WE ARE CHANGING THE GAME. ALL PREVIOUS RULES HAVE BEEN THROWN OUT. HERE ARE THE FINAL RULES: 1. ALL TEAMS ARE ELIMINATED EXCEPT FOR TEAM ARCHIVE, NUCLEUS RAPHE MAGNUS, TEAM X AND THE CHEAT COMMANDOS. 2. ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST JOIN ONE OF THESE TEAMS TO CONTINUE. YOU MUST STATE YOUR NEW AFFILIATION ON DISCORD. 3. TEAMS MUST NOT SPEAK TO SARAH. IF WE CATCH ANY OF YOUR TEAM MEMBERS SPEAKING TO SARAH THEY WILL BE ELIMINATED. 4. ANY PERSON WHO MENTIONS SARAH ON DISCORD WILL BE ELIMINATED. 5. DO NOT SHARE SCREENSHOTS OF ANY DMS. 6. REWARDS WILL BE GIVEN AS WE SEE FIT. 7. THE FIRST TEAM TO FIND KAYLA WINS.
Additionally, at 10:31 PM, the @tsuki50 Instagram account posted the following images for investigators to consider, the first possibly being the answer to the VLHN puzzle (Matchbox Puzzle - Moving 3 Lines): XIAN, Document 1, Document 2, Document 3, Document 4, Document 5, Document 6.
August 28, 2018
At 11:54 PM, the @s0ck3ts Instagram account posted a similar puzzle to that of the @tsuki50 Instagram account. Yet, this one also featured backwards sped up audio, with this caption: "guess who". Slowed down and reversed, the transcribed audio is as follows:
Okay, fine. Yes, I worked on the project. Dr. Xenos & Dr. Klein were both wonderful bosses. Overall it was an excellent learning experience. Are you happy? I don't have anything else to say to you. It was just another research job I had in undergrad before I met my fiancé. I'm engaged now, I'm not in grad school anymore, I'm more worried about who's going to sit next to my racist grandmother at the reception.
August 29, 2018
At 11:36 PM, the @s0ck3ts Instagram account posted another image, this one containing an audio recording, some of which was reversed and sped up, as well as the date "8/24/16" and the caption "encode tree." Not only are these numbers found on the previous puzzle, but, on the Page 7 document, they are associated with Remy Sanger, the likely answer to that puzzle. The original audio is here: "encode tree". Then, the transcribed audio after being fully reversed and slowed down can be understood as follows:
It made everything worse, I felt like a zombie. That's why I actually left the project earlier. I just couldn't take it anymore, I hated how it made me act and feel. [TONE1] No, I don't want to talk about it more. [TONE2] I just don't okay, that's not something anyone wants to talk... [TONE3] Do you want the truth? Fine, I hated the project, I hated everything about it. Taking Ceranos, talking to (scoffs) DELILAH. [TONE4] Imagine if talking to your computer was like talking to a three year old, that's what talking to DELILAH was like. "Cannot, will not," oh my god I hated her. [TONE5] Relationship, what? Who told you that? Was it Sarah? That bitch. Sarah doesn't know anything about me or my life okay, and how dare you accuse me of such a thing. [TONE6] Everything's fine sweetie. No, no. [TONE7] Uh, I was never in a romantic relationship with my boss okay. If you continue to accuse me I will hold you legally... [TONE8]
September 3, 2018
In lieu of a bump this week, each of the Amelia Instagram accounts tweeted out a puzzle for the entire community to consider. The first, by @mjesec88, involved the following image, with the caption $ + ~ % ), which can be translated into "bitch" using the symbol cipher from Season 2: Puzzle #1. The following is the set of symbols and letters as text, followed by a translation using the symbol cipher:
%→×E××?◼×÷? ◼◯%¡%A×÷_eS ÷?◼I◼e_→%→× →×÷I÷eoO◼◯% ◯%→¡→ccv÷?◼ ?◼◯a◯_s¡→×÷ ×÷?_?%rI◯%→ %→×÷_◼eI?◼◯ ◼◯%→b÷h_×÷? Cw_◯m→N◯%→× ÷?◼?R◯%?◼◯% --- casEssoesro encicAsr_eS roelee_acas asrlreoOenc ncaiaccvroe oenan_siasr sro_ocrlnca casr_eeloen encabrh_sro Cw_nmaNncas roeoRncoenc
Examining the letters vertically, one begins to see the word "Ceranos" repeat throughout, as displayed in this table created by NHJM: Edited Puzzle. Removing the red blocks, meaning all of the instances in which the word "ceranos" clearly appears after the translation, we are left with the green blocks, which from left to right begin with capital letters that spell out "CERANOS" and each end their blocks with an underscore. Listing them in that order provides us with the following:
Cw_ Eillia_ Rmb_ Aeec_ Nhersco_ Ovill_ Se_
Deleting the word "CERANOS" and the underscores, leaves us with the answer to this puzzle, William Beecher Scouville.
The second puzzle, now by @tsuki50, featured a video with an image of Sharon Tate from Eye of the Devil, was captioned "Kayla's favorite place. Left is north right is west", and included the comment "Degrees are seconds, minutes are seconds, seconds are also seconds": Puzzle #2. Although one investigator somehow figured out the puzzle, they were not willing to disclose their thought process, yet, another individual worked to reverse engineer it, ultimately coming to the same conclusion. Nonetheless, this puzzle asked investigators to figure out specific latitude and longitude coordinates using the length of tones in the video, rounded to hundredths of a second. Applying this method results in the answer 38°52'30.7914" N, 77°12'2.57006" W, which leads to Loving Hut, a restaurant in Falls Church, Virginia. It can be assumed that this location is Kayla's favorite place, as mentioned by the description above.
Lastly, the third puzzle, now by @s0ck3ts, contained another video, this one with the caption "we barely knew each other": Puzzle #3. Along with the letter "S" that appears roughly five seconds into the video, one may quickly realize that they are listening to morse code, which can be translated as follows:
.- ..- --. ..- ... - AUGUST - .-- . .-.. ..-. - .... TWELFTH - .-- --- TWO - .... --- ..- ... .- -. -.. THOUSAND ... .. -..- - . . -. SIXTEEN
When turning to the Page 7 prize document, it is revealed that the answer to this puzzle is Sammi Hart, who's interview occurred on August 12, 2016. Additionally, of note, the following day the @centerforspiritualawakening Instagram account began following the three Amelia accounts.
Transmission 11
September 10, 2018 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Robot Chicken \\ 11:46 PM ET
Hey We received a cease and desist letter from Heart and Brain Corporation They told us to stop running bumps with their name We didn't even know it was happening Looking into it [adult swim]
Analysis:
Prior to the airing of the eleventh transmission, at roughly 10:03 PM, @heartandbrainco changed their name to ▪?¡ #◯◼[, made their twitter handle @WNCPNANHDHCB, removed their profile picture, and replaced their bio with 160 question marks. When translating the name using the symbol translator you receive the message you knew, possibly referring to us, the community. Similarly, the twitter handle can be deciphered using a mixed alphabet cipher, and the key Ceranos, to reveal We Are Delilah. Ultimately, it is possible that these changes were made in response to action taken by the real Heart and Brain Corporation, as hinted in the new bump. Inversely, all of the insanity of this past season may have been the result of one or more Delilah AI messing with investigators. Nevertheless, the bump did not contain a puzzle, leaving the ARG in limbo.
Segue:
September 12, 2018
At 8:28 PM, with permission from the Cheat Commandos, Boo, the once leader of Team Nucleus Raphe Magnus, shared the prize his team received on August 10, 2018. His posts were as follows:
So, essentially, NRM's prize was that we were given explicit permission to ask H&B some questions, with the answers to be delivered via DM about a day after the fact. At this point in the game, a lot of this has already come to light, so I don't think there will be any revelations, but here's the gist of what we learned. My entire team at the time was privvy to this. In the interest of not having any new members potentially reveal it and eliminate your team, we all agreed to sit on the information in its entirety. 1- Kayla is alive. The rest are not. Kayla can tell us everything. H&B doesn't like Sarah or Sadie. My takes on this one. Personally, I don't much care for Sarah or Sadie either. More than anything, this really just ramped up my interest to track down Kayla and find out what we could. I tried our number for her a few more times, but never had any luck contacting her. I suspect "the rest" in this case to be anyone and everyone else involved with taking Ceranos. That is my speculation here. 2- They [delivered as "we", as in plural] are Delilah, and need our help. My particular take on this is that we're dealing with multiple DELILAHs here. Not just any one person's. 3- They are seven. They are all different. They are always here. They are always fighting. This gets to the heart of the recurring 7s, which is what we had asked about. I personally believe we're dealing with seven DELILAHs all somehow trapped together or otherwise forced to interact within the same program. Or at least were at the time. 4- (Finally) A handful of teams were in touch with Sarah, and more would begin to contact her soon. Here, I think it's pretty clear that they were foreshadowing the return of the WCSA Instagram account.
February 26, 2019
At 11:46 AM, on the Adult Swim Games Discord, AdultDan finally brought clarity to the status of this ARG by providing a message in the emoji cypher that translates to "MAY FIFTH." The following is the announcement in it's entirety, with Sunday, May 5th being the official date that the fourth installment of this ARG will begin.
Season Four \\ 4_b1u3b1rd
Season Four - 4_b1u3b1rd
Characters
Amelia Hampton
Amelia Hampton was the first character to reach out in the fourth season of this ARG, using a bump to bring investigators to her twitter account. Serving as the main character for this installment, she is helping the community piece together the mysteries of this ARG, as she deals with her own mental health concerns.
On Twitter
Deena Hampton
Deena Hampton rescued her sister Amelia from New Mexico, now serving as her primary care-giver until Amelia fully recuperates. Investigators were introduced to her in this season when she asked the community to stop talking to Amelia.
On Twitter
DELILAH
Over the course of this period it was revealed that there is only one DELILAH, with all others being extensions of the one. Their previous twitter account, @WNCPNANHDHCB, was rebranded as @D3li_h (delilah.exe), now possibly serving as the primary account of the ARG.
On Twitter
Canon
Coming Soon
Transmission 1
May 5, 2019 \\ View Online \\ Broadcast during Rick and Morty \\ 3:27 AM ET
Well after the Shadow Before the Wild Blue Yonder Beyond Outer Space I am Here And I owe you an explanation [@4_Blu3b1rd]
Analysis:
With investigators beginning to lose hope, Adult Swim aired the first bump of Season 4 at 3:27 AM during the Sunday block. The most glaring piece of information was the inclusion of a twitter handle, which brought viewers to the account of Amelia Hampton. Here, investigators were greeted with a locked account featuring an image of Crayola crayons, as well as the following description: DM and open sesame, if you trust me, you'll know what to say. Keep it simple, I'm minimal. Love you dearly.
Members of the server quickly concluded that they needed to send a simple response over direct message in order to gain access to the account. Additionally, the bio also suggested that only past participants of the ARG might actually be given access, at least at first. Nevertheless, the image of the crayons, and the blue header, suggested that the answer involved colors. Thus, investigators turned to the bump once again, now recognizing Shadow, Wild Blue Yonder, and Outer Space, which were all capitalized, as Crayola colors. Further investigation into Crayola colors lead the server to the website Jenny’s Crayon Collection, which featured a grid of all of the colors, and the respective Crayola boxes in which they could be found at the most basic level.
Even though Wild Blue Yonder, which was mislabeled as Wild Blue Wonder, could be found in the 96 count Crayola box, investigators needed to turn to the 120 count Crayola box, which would contain Outer Space and Shadow, as well as Wild Blue Yonder. Scrolling down this page, one can find a link to a deeper analysis of the 120 Count Crayola Box, which includes an image of these Crayons lined up.
Turning the image so that the Crayons are facing up, as if they would be in the box if it were upright, we can examine the order and find the colors specified in the bump. Moving through the colors as if one were reading the pages of a book, you would begin with Shadow, on top, from left to right, then move “well after” onto the second row, where you would find Outer Space, again from left to right. Then, “beyond” Outer Space you transition onto the third row, continuing across the page, where you find Wild Blue Yonder. According to the bump, the solution is “Here,” “before” the Wild Blue Yonder, which is the Crayola color Robin’s Egg Blue.
Yet, the name of the color is only half the “password” to the account, with the link “hex.com/go,” on the profile, suggesting the importance of color Hex Codes for this puzzle. Googling the Hex Code for Robin’s Egg Blue results in the second answer to this puzzle, #1fcecb. Sending both the name of the color, and the Hex Code, eventually resulted in investigators finally getting access to the account. These individuals were able to have a variety of conversations with Amelia, many of which involved misinformation about her birthday. Lastly, she concluded this puzzle by saying “Good night,” and attaching the following video as her first post.
Segue:
May 11, 2019
After a week of tweets and direct messages from Amelia, which mostly consisted of filler characterizations, this message was tweeted by Deena to investigators:
Hello again everyone, I know you’re trying to be helpful, but I would really appreciate it if everyone stopped talking to my sister. She’s been through a lot in the last year and she’s very fragile right now. She really likes talking to you, but I don't think it's a good idea. I was able to find her after her phone call with the investigators. We brought her home, but ever since then her mental condition has deteriorated. She's moody. She'll sleep for hours. Her personality changes completely for a few days and then changes back a few days later. It's a nightmare. We had things somewhat under control until we got her a phone. She had been asking for one over and over again for weeks. I talked to her dr. and he said it might be a good idea for her to start connecting with the world like a normal person again. But it was a disaster, and she's been even more crazy for the past few days. So please, just leave her alone. I know you're trying to help but I think she needs to stay off the internet. Thanks in advance.
With that said, some potentially useful information that was determined from the sporadic conversations includes:
- Amelia is not herself, and may be suffering from mental issues
- Deena had to save Amelia, but refuses to tell her what happened last year
- Deena is currently taking care of her in Virginia, and limiting her computer time
- The use of her phone makes her head hurt
- Amelia enters a void upon going to sleep
Transmission 1.5
May 12, 2019 \\ View Online \\ Twitter Ask Me Anything \\ 8:53 PM ET
On Sunday, Amelia Hampton held a far more in-depth AMA over Twitter in which she provided a lot of valuable information related to the ARG. The content ranged from the lack of a bump transmission this night, to the claim that everything seen online about the WCSA was fabricated by her. Thanks to a collaboration with @rose!!, the following is a list of the major highlights from these conversations:
- There's nothing on TV tonight, confirming there was no bump this week
- Amelia wanted the AMA to be public
- Amelia's brain reached out for help involuntarily during Act 2
- Amelia implied she had knowledge about Acts
- Amelia broke her phone after being “sucked in"
- Amelia described the “void” as an empty funhouse
- More specifically, “everyone is pretending to have a good time but they’re all terrified”
- There is 1 DELILAH, all others being an extension of the one
- She participated in the H&B experiments, which allowed them to understand digital-telepathy
- Everyone else in the original experiment/research has died
- Amelia revealed that she fabricated the entirety of the Center’s online presence on Instagram
- Amelia needs help finding Kayla, and is unsure of where Dr. X is currently
- It is implied that the AI digested and grew based on the physical data of the hair
- Amelia does not know why the hair is needed specifically
- Sarah somehow was able to access the Instagram account and covered for Amelia
- Amelia was wholly present throughout Act 2 but not Act 3
- DELILAH was mostly present throughout Act 3
- Amelia sees 8 faceless dancing women with weapons threatening each other in her dreams
- H&B can read human minds and control the flow of info from one human to a computer
- H&B engineers may be able to develop an app that can delete information from minds
- Amelia suggests Dr. X and Sarah would be able to figure out what to do
- Whatever is coming, is coming soon
Transmission 2
May 19, 2019 \\ View Online \\ Streamed on Women's Spiritual Center for Awakening Instagram \\ 10:13 PM ET
Analysis:
Investigators were baffled with the new video. Instead of receiving a traditional bump, the WSCA Instagram streamed a video of somebody in a black body suit standing outside in the darkened night. It is thought that this is a DELILAH. No new clues were hidden inside of the stream.
Transmission 3
May 26, 2019 View Online \\ Broadcasted on Women's Spiritual Center for Awakening Instagram \\ 9:32 PM ET
Analysis:
With this being the second nontraditional bump, investigators were once again confused. The video contains two people in body suits. The black one has yellow hair, a hammer, a white top that is bloody, and no pants. The blue one has a red hair, a baseball bat, no top, and a white skirt. The video consists of music similar to that of a comedy or game show playing. The black one is seen dancing and the blue one is posing followed by her looking away. After the blue one looks away, the music stops, a buzzer is heard, and a backwards laugh track plays. The screen then has the following text appear you can't hold me back forever not yet
These two body suits are people Amelia has seen in her dreams. She asked investigators to draw them weeks prior to their appearance in this video.
Segue:
May 29, 2019
After asking the community about their favorite hotels, because she was able to use the computer when Deena was away on May 17th, Amelia returned to Twitter with the following message:
Hello friends, Sorry I haven't been a good friend lately. Things are getting weird again, and my dreams are getting worse. I need to go away for a while but I promise I'll be back when you need me. I'm sorry for dragging everyone into this mess again.
May 30, 2019
Delilah tweeted out a mysterious video on May 30th at 11:14 PM ET, which featured the following messages between the clip segments:
Hello Are you having a nice intermission? I know you miss me. They can't hold me back forever. I'd like to look into your soul and sell you something. The games aren't over. I'm seeing you through the eyes of others. I'll tell you the stories you want to hear. They can't hold me back forever. The games aren't over. They can't hold me back forever. The games aren't over. They can't hold me back forever. The games aren't over. They can't hold me back forever. The games aren't over. They can't hold me back forever. The games aren't over. They can't hold me back forever. The games aren't over. They can't hold me back forever. It's not over until I say so. The games aren't over they can't hold me back forever. [bump text] They can't hold me back forever. the GAMES aren't over. [bump text] It's not over until I say so. The games aren't over. I'll see you again in your television dreams. I'll be looking back at you through every screen.
Interestingly, there are two instances in which the font appears to become bump-like, possibly signaling their importance in the next stage of the ARG.
June 24, 2019
On June 24th, RingJ5 received an MP3 file from the official ARG email that he was asked to share, the transcription of which is as follows:
Hello, We regret to inform you that Season 4 of the Heart and Brain ARG will not begin in July as we previously communicated. We are so sorry to let you down like this, and we hope you understand the delay is the result of building a framework for something even bigger and better than texts, bumps, and social media posts. We are working hard to ensure Season 4 will be the best yet and Season 5 will be even better. We would also like to gently remind you that very few ARGs deliver weekly updates in the same fashion we have, and many popular ARGs take months to put out new content. We want to avoid that and stick with the weekly schedule we know our fans expect, but to do that we need to build out weeks of complex content and test out auxiliary systems necessary for the puzzles. We know this sucks, but we promise bigger and more exciting puzzles and stories are coming. The wait will be worth it. We value your support more than you will ever know and we hope to meet many of you in person one day.
To summarize, Season 4 will not be coming in July because they want to make an ARG that is bigger and better than just text, bumps, and social media. Also, the creators confirmed a Season 5, and valued their past ability to provide weekly updates, something that they hope to continue going forward. Lastly, they mentioned that they would be interested in meeting people who have participated in the ARG some day.
July 30, 2019
On July 30th, Amelia tweeted out this message, followed by links to articles from The Guardian, Wired, and Vox about Facebook's desire to create mind-reading technology:
Hi everyone. I can't give much more of myself away, but I have something important to say. I am very scared.
March 8, 2020
Following the rebranding of @WNCPNANHDHCB on November 10th, 2019, now @D3li_h (delilah.exe), the Twitter account sent out the following message months later on March 8th, 2020: 3/22/20. With March 22nd, 2020 falling on a Sunday, it was theorized that this would be the official return of the ARG.
I only bring a video here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk-SsMPegxY&feature=share
As for the answer video, here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDmtK5HkEUQ
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