By Elizabeth French and Justin Melvin
Answer: EXTEND

This puzzle is a cryptogram with some additional elements. There are 26 distinct emoji, which suggests a simple letter substitution. Using frequency analysis or online cryptogram solvers, it’s possible to assign letters for most of the emoji:

HELLO! T🌌VIIIIS IS YOU🎸I MOM. I’M HAVING A GR👩RAT TIME OUT HE🎮BPE AT BAR T👩EIVIA W👩VTH 🎸PAREN AND ROXIE 👩SROM 🌌XXHE PTA, BUT 🎸GHEY 🇱🇾XPECT ME TO 🌌XINOW A LOT O🌌VI A🌌XIVSWERS THA👩G 🎮TO 👩WUST 🎸WON’T REM🇱🇾MBER! LOL! CAN 🇱🇾U 👩UELP US ON T🎮VLESE? THAT WOU🌌XIID BE “LIT”! THAN🎮IBS! XO🎸COXO — M👩BM

ON WHA👩G WOULD YOU LEAVE A W🎮BGSH DUR🌌IXNG THE 👩WAPAN🇱🇾SE STAR CELEBRATION, WHICH 🌌IIIOMMEMORATES THE MEETING O🎸U CE👩YESTIAL LOVERS WHO 🎮GCOURN🇱🇾ID ACRO🎮UXS THE MIL👩XY WAY?

ACCORDI🎮GGG TO SINGER/SON🌌VIIWRITER AND GUIT👩NR-PLA🎸BER 🌌XAMES TAYLO👩E IN 🌌I NINE🇱🇾TN SEV🇱🇾NTY-S🎮MRVEN HIT SIN🎸TLE, “N🎮GH ONE CAN TELL M👩R THAT I’🌌XIII DOING WRONG TODAY WH🎸VNEVER I 🇱🇾C 🇱🇾UR” W👩UAT?

M👩NY THE 🌌IIEST WOMAN WIN! IN RU👩CAUL’S DRAG R🎮YBCE, WHAT 🎸WOES SHEA COULEE WEAR ON HE🌌XVIII HEAD TO REPRE🎸HENT HER HOME T👩BWN?

WH🌌IT PUBLICATION OUTLINED THE POLITICAL PH🎸RLOSOPHY O🎮MS M🌌XXIAMMAR GADDA🎮AEI, WHO GOVERNED 🎸OIBYA UNTI🎮EG HE WAS CAPTURED A👩AD EXE🎸XUTED BY NTC MILITA🎸MTS?

IN THE BESTS🇱🇾LING VIDEO 👩TAME SERI🇱🇾S O👩S ALL TIME, WHO D🎸LES M🎮MNRIO USUA👩YLY RESCUE (TWO WORDS)?

However, some emoji are not used as letters, but rather as “commands” (as suggested by the flavortext), which change the translation of one or more subsequent letters:

  • 🌌 (Milky Way Emoji): The following letters are Roman numerals, which index into the alphabet. e.g., 🌌VIIII is 8, or H.
  • 👩 (Woman Emoji): The following letter must be decoded with ROT13. e.g., 👩R is E.
  • 🎸 (Guitar Emoji): The following letter must be decoded using the Atbash cipher. e.g., 🎸I is R.
  • 🇱🇾 (Flag for Libya Emoji): The following letter must be replaced with its name of the letter. e.g., 🇱🇾X should be read as EX.
  • 🎮 (Video Game Emoji): The following two letters should be added together, mod-26. e.g., 🎮AB is C, and 🎮YD is B.

Using these rules, the full text of the message can be decoded, and the questions answered:

hello! this is your mom. i’m having a great time out here at bar trivia with karen and roxie from the pta, but they expect me to know a lot of answers that I just don’t remember! lol! can you help us on these? that would be “lit”! thanks! xoxoxo — mom

Question Answer
on what would you leave a wish during the japanese star celebration, which commemorates the meeting of celestial lovers who journeyed across the milky way? tanabata tree
according to singer/songwriter and guitar-player james taylor in a nineteen seventy-seven hit single, “no one can tell me that i’m doing wrong today whenever i see your” what? smiling face
may the best woman win! in rupaul’s drag race, what does shea coulee wear on her head to represent her home town? hot dog
what publication outlined the political philosophy of muammar gaddafi, who governed libya until he was captured and executed by ntc militants? Green Book
in the bestselling video game series of all time, who does mario usually rescue (two words)? Princess Peach

Each of these answers corresponds to one (or two) emoji, which are used in the original cryptogram code. Additionally, each of the questions refers to one of the command emoji. Each of these commands can be applied to the answers:

Command emoji Answer emoji Answer decoded Command result
🌌 🎋 V E
🎸 C X
👩 🌭 G T
🇱🇾 📗 N EN
🎮 👸🍑 IU D

Reading the results of the commands in order yields the answer to the puzzle, EXTEND.