i hear voices in my head (or: my descent into madness and how i climbed out of it) (CONTEST METAPUZZLES) (dissonant grids #4-4.5)
hi!
hoping you are all doing well in these dark times. this month's puzzles are kinda like a blend of the first two puzzles; personal, yet complicated and full of mechanics. it also carries a long list of content warnings. that said, this was the first idea i had for this blog, and i'm really happy with how it ended up coming out.
the first puzzle is below. while you're solving, see if you can figure out what's stuck in my head (5). then, put that answer into the following blank to unlock the second puzzle:
https://tinyurl.com/anddespitethe___irecover
the first puzzle might be a lil grueling/upsetting, and in the second puzzle we'll recover together. as you solve, see if you can find the cornerstones that carried me to recovery. in addition, note what i still carry with me, and are fading over time.
submit those answers here by march 1 to get a chance of winning dissonant grids stickers!! (we're working on a logo rn, details to come).
and note that there are things & mechanics going on in these puzzles other than the meta gimmicks. so if you're staring at a theme thing thinking, "what's the meta?" it's possible there is none. after all, there were and are more to the experiences depicted in the puzzles than just simple pithy takeaways and answers.
so, you might wonder, why have a meta answer? and why on earth make this a contest? call it my search for closure; call it a mocking irony; call it a desperate attempt for blog engagement; call it what you will. after all, who am i to lay all my cards on the table? untangling my intentions is left as an exercise for me the solver. (which is not a way of saying i don’t have intentions—i do, i just want to experiment with being less opaque with them)
anyways, i love y'all so so so so so much thanks for solving <3
thanks to frisco, mallimack, and ben for testing!