Conglomerate

by Alex Irpan, Katie "chuttiekang" Chung, and Nishant Pappireddi

Answer:
HYDRA

To solve the puzzle, we should start by solving the minipuzzles.

Toy Bricks

The given words can be connected to form chains of valid words when individual blocks are connected together (for example, PLEAS-ANT-HEM-LOCK gives PLEASANT, ANTHEM, and HEMLOCK.) The connecting lines draw a letter, and each chain starts from a colored word. We read the letters in order of the rainbow to get the minipuzzle answer UNITE.

Birdhouse Kit

This is an image identification puzzle. The bird species are:

Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	NIGHTINGALE
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	EGRET
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	SPARROW
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	TERN
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	PIGEON
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	LARK
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	ALBATROSS
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	CROW
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	EMU
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	SWAN

The first letters give the minipuzzle answer NEST PLACES.

Baby Monitor

The answers to clues in the 2nd column are anagrams of answers to clues in the 1st column, minus one letter (which is what "it can drop a little" means in the flavortext). The answers to the 2nd column start with letters A to I. Ordering each pair by the 2nd column gives the minipuzzle answer INFANT CRY.

RETAIL	Sale of goods	ALTER	Change	I
NIBBLE	Small bite	BIBLE	Holy book	N
SCARF	Neck garment	CARS	Automobiles	F
ASKED	Requested	DESK	Table	A
LIVEN	Energize	EVIL	Sinful	N
STRIFE	Bitter struggle	FIRES	Terminates employment	T
ACTING	Playing a role	GIANT	Enormous	C
EARTH	Our planet	HEAT	Increase temperature	R
YIELD	Give way	IDLE	Unproductive	Y

Camera

"Hard to see" in the flavortext suggests using Braille. Each puzzle answer can be associated to some phrase starting with either BLACK or WHITE (the missing idiom from the flavortext is "things aren't so black and white”).

The Braille spells the minipuzzle answer LOOK.

GREAT DEALS = BLACK FRIDAY	DECEMBER 25 = WHITE CHRISTMAS	DISEASE = BLACK DEATH	IMMUNE SYSTEM = WHITE BLOOD CELL	SMUGGLER = BLACK MARKET	PRESIDENT = WHITE HOUSE	SPIDER = BLACK WIDOW	STATIC = WHITE NOISE
UNFORESEEN = BLACK SWAN	GIFT SWAP = WHITE ELEPHANT	CHICKEN BREAST = WHITE MEAT	SINGULARITY = BLACK HOLE	DECEPTION = WHITE LIE	FRUIT = BLACKBERRY	OFFICE WORKER = WHITE COLLAR	RAFTING = WHITEWATER
BOXING = BLACK EYE	BLIZZARD = WHITEOUT	UNCONSCIOUS = BLACK OUT	GIVE UP = WHITE FLAG	COAL MINER = BLACK LUNG	MOBY DICK = WHITE WHALE	WITCH = BLACK CAT / BLACK MAGIC	CHARDONNAY = WHITE WINE

⠇⠕⠕⠅= L O O K

Rings

Treating the thumb as the least significant bit, the given images can be read as 5-bit binary to give the minipuzzle answer ENCLOSING HAND.

Image	Binary	Letter
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	00101	E
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	01110	N
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	00011	C
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	01100	L
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	01111	O
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	10011	S
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	01001	I
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	01110	N
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	00111	G
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	01000	H
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	00001	A
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	01110	N
Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	00100	D

Tableware

The flavor text suggests we want something to do with colors. Each answer clues a different web color, and indexing each color with the given number gives the minipuzzle answer VERSATILE UTENSIL.

Tusk	IVORY	2	V
Grain	WHEAT	3	E
Kiln	FIREBRICK	3	R
Soupy	BISQUE	3	S
Horseback	SADDLEBROWN	2	A
Warm	HOTPINK	3	T
Seasonal	SPRINGGREEN	4	I
Wonderland	ALICEBLUE	2	L
Duck	TEAL	2	E
Country	PERU	4	U
Ancient	ANTIQUEWHITE	3	T
Melon	HONEYDEW	4	E
Sun-kissed	TAN	3	N
Cowrie	SEASHELL	4	S
Martini	OLIVE	3	I
Fishy	SALMON	3	L

Microphone

"Though you might not hear correctly" is a hint towards homophones. Each clue can be solved to a word with a homophone whose length matches the number of volume bars. We index by the number of highlighted bars to get the minipuzzle answer EQUAL.

Clue		Clued word	Homophone	Extracted letter
Travel by wind	Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	SAIL	SALE	E
The top	Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	PEAK	PIQUE	Q
Rooster or turkey	Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	FOWL	FOUL	U
Icon	Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	SYMBOL	CYMBAL	A
It's gold, silver, or bronze	Warning: if you see this message, please wait for this image to load before printing again.	MEDAL	MEDDLE(METTLE is another valid homophone that also extracts L)	L

Fishing Rod

This is a word search where we can find different species of fish. The full list of fish in the grid is: AHI, BASS, CARP, CHAR, COD, HAKE, HALIBUT, HERRING, PERCH, SALMON, SARDINE, SOLE, TROUT, TUNA.

If we highlight the found words, they draw out the minipuzzle answer REEL.

S	O	L	E	I	H	C	R	E	P
A	Q	E	I	P	A	A	O	T	S
R	I	H	B	Y	L	O	T	I	U
D	A	H	A	I	I	C	A	R	P
I	M	H	B	D	B	D	S	N	I
N	N	E	C	A	U	W	P	O	R
E	N	N	E	I	T	R	O	U	T
N	O	T	A	O	C	U	F	N	O
S	S	A	B	Q	E	G	L	G	E
A	N	M	G	O	A	N	N	T	A
L	T	A	L	E	T	I	S	P	D
M	C	O	D	B	S	R	O	D	E
O	R	M	T	N	Y	R	F	A	A
N	P	A	N	O	H	E	I	U	T
T	U	N	A	L	B	H	A	K	E

Mirror

Each answer has an answer which is a palindrome. The flavor says "You only need half to see the whole." We can start by putting in just half of each answer word into the grid, as if the rest was reflected back by a mirror. For odd-length words, the middle letter should be included.

A DETECTION SYSTEM - RADAR

A DOT - PIP

A NOTE - MINIM

A CONSTELLATION - ARA

A BAND - ABBA

A FAST VEHICLE - RACECAR

A PHARAOH - TUT

A NORMAL POKEMON - EEVEE

SOME STORIES - SAGAS

A SENSING ORGAN - EYE

A WATER POKEMON - ALOMOMOLA

A DOCUMENT - DEED

A SCI-FI FILM - TENET

R	A	D	P	I	M	I	N	A	R	A	B
R	A	C	E	T	U	E	E	V	S	A	G
E	Y	A	L	O	M	O	D	E	T	E	N

The given clues are all capitals, and have some bolded letters. The bolded letters are all the ones with a vertical line of symmetry. Applying the same highlighting to the grid gives

R	A	D	P	I	M	I	N	A	R	A	B
R	A	C	E	T	U	E	E	V	S	A	G
E	Y	A	L	O	M	O	D	E	T	E	N

This is a drawing of the letters LEV, which should be mirrored one more time to get the minipuzzle answer LEVEL.

Map

"The golden gate" from the flavor text is the Golden Gate Bridge. Each clue solves to a station from Bay Area Rapid Transit. We move 2 stops towards San Francisco, then index into that station with the given number to get the minipuzzle answer OPERATE.

Clue	Clued Station	2 Stops Towards SF	Index	Letter
Location of FDR’s death	Warm Springs	Union City	4	O
Confederate capital	Richmond	El Cerrito Plaza	10	P
French general who helped the US gain independence	Lafayette	Rockridge	9	E
Cuban communist leader	Castro Valley	San Leandro	9	R
First Republican presidential candidate	Fremont	South Hayward	7	A
Roman amphitheater	Coliseum	Lake Merritt	11	T
Peace and harmony	Concord	Walnut Creek	10	E

Quilt

The quilt is a sudoku, using letters instead of numbers, with no other gimmicks. Each 3x3 cell has exactly one highlighted square. We solve the sudoku, then read the highlighted squares in order of the 3x3 cells to get the minipuzzle answer GAVE IT ALL.

T	R	A	V	E	L	I	N	G
E	I	N	A	G	R	T	V	L
V	L	G	N	T	I	A	R	E
L	A	E	G	R	V	N	T	I
I	N	V	L	A	T	E	G	R
R	G	T	I	N	E	L	A	V
N	V	R	E	I	A	G	L	T
A	E	L	T	V	G	R	I	N
G	T	I	R	L	N	V	E	A

Telescope

Each clue's answer has 2 compass direction abbreviations within it (possibly crossing word boundaries). These directions form semaphores, giving the minipuzzle answer ORBITS.

Clue	Answer	Compass Directions	Semaphore letter
What a model does at a fashion show (6 4)	RUNWAY WALK	NW + W	O
The mobilization of civilian and industrial resources to support a military force (3 6)	WAR EFFORT	W + E	R
Indiana Supreme Court justice who left in 1858 (7 6)	WILLIAM STUART	W + S	B
Started with the battle of Hard (7 3)	SWABIAN WAR	SW + NW	I
Reluctant or averse (9)	UNWILLING	NW + N	T
British surface-to-air missile (3 4)	SEA WOLF	SE + W	S

At the end of the day…

The minipuzzle answers in order are

UNITE
NEST PLACES
INFANT CRY
LOOK
ENCLOSING HAND
VERSATILE UTENSIL
EQUAL
REEL
LEVEL
OPERATE
GAVE IT ALL
ORBITS

The first letters spell UNILEVER LOGO. Unilever is a large consumer goods company whose logo is made of multiple icons.

Each minipuzzle has a given number of blanks that does not match the minipuzzle answer. We can treat each minipuzzle answer as a clue for a word matching the blanks, such that our new words are 1 letter off from a Unilever icon.

Minipuzzle	Subanswer	Length	Clued Word	Logo Icon	Changed Letter
Toy Bricks	UNITE	4	BAND	HAND	B
Birdhouse Kit	NEST PLACES	5	EAVES	WAVES	E
Baby Monitor	INFANT CRY	4	BAWL	BOWL	A
Camera	LOOK	3	SEE	BEE	S
Rings	ENCLOSING HAND	4	FIST	FISH	T
Tableware	VERSATILE UTENSIL	5	SPORK	SPARK	O
Microphone	EQUAL	4	FAIR	HAIR	F
Fishing rod	REEL	5	SPOOL	SPOON	L
Mirror	LEVEL	5	PLANE	PLANT	E
Map	OPERATE	3	RUN	SUN	R
Quilt	GAVE IT ALL	4	DONE	DOVE	N
Telescope	ORBITS	4	LAPS	LIPS	A

The changed letters spell BEAST OF LERNA, a clue phrase for the final answer HYDRA.

S	O	L	E	I	H	C	R	E	P
A	Q	E	I	P	A	A	O	T	S
R	I	H	B	Y	L	O	T	I	U
D	A	H	A	I	I	C	A	R	P
I	M	H	B	D	B	D	S	N	I
N	N	E	C	A	U	W	P	O	R
E	N	N	E	I	T	R	O	U	T
N	O	T	A	O	C	U	F	N	O
S	S	A	B	Q	E	G	L	G	E
A	N	M	G	O	A	N	N	T	A
L	T	A	L	E	T	I	S	P	D
M	C	O	D	B	S	R	O	D	E
O	R	M	T	N	Y	R	F	A	A
N	P	A	N	O	H	E	I	U	T
T	U	N	A	L	B	H	A	K	E

T	R	A	V	E	L	I	N	G
E	I	N	A	G	R	T	V	L
V	L	G	N	T	I	A	R	E
L	A	E	G	R	V	N	T	I
I	N	V	L	A	T	E	G	R
R	G	T	I	N	E	L	A	V
N	V	R	E	I	A	G	L	T
A	E	L	T	V	G	R	I	N
G	T	I	R	L	N	V	E	A

S	O	L	E	I	H	C	R	E	P
A	Q	E	I	P	A	A	O	T	S
R	I	H	B	Y	L	O	T	I	U
D	A	H	A	I	I	C	A	R	P
I	M	H	B	D	B	D	S	N	I
N	N	E	C	A	U	W	P	O	R
E	N	N	E	I	T	R	O	U	T
N	O	T	A	O	C	U	F	N	O
S	S	A	B	Q	E	G	L	G	E
A	N	M	G	O	A	N	N	T	A
L	T	A	L	E	T	I	S	P	D
M	C	O	D	B	S	R	O	D	E
O	R	M	T	N	Y	R	F	A	A
N	P	A	N	O	H	E	I	U	T
T	U	N	A	L	B	H	A	K	E

T	R	A	V	E	L	I	N	G
E	I	N	A	G	R	T	V	L
V	L	G	N	T	I	A	R	E
L	A	E	G	R	V	N	T	I
I	N	V	L	A	T	E	G	R
R	G	T	I	N	E	L	A	V
N	V	R	E	I	A	G	L	T
A	E	L	T	V	G	R	I	N
G	T	I	R	L	N	V	E	A