Cipherhunt Recap #1

---BILL CIPHER STATUE HUNT (SUMMER EDITION) FAQ PASTEBIN; READ ENTIRELY BEFORE ASKING IN-THREAD QUESTIONS---
(Pastebin made on early July 21th. New info might be available if you're reading this later.)

--> This? AGAIN?

Yeah. For real this time.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Bill Cipher statue, let me give some backstory. In early 2016, Disney XD cartoon "Gravity Falls" had its conclusion with the "Weirdmageddon" episodes. In it, the show's otherworldly, pyramid-esque antagonist Bill Cipher, while defeated, still exists after the series ends, in the form of a stone statue located in the woods near the fictional town of Gravity Falls, Oregon. However, after the credits rolled on the finale, the very last shot of the entire series was grainy footage of what appeared to be a real-life statue of Bill Cipher. (Screenshot of the footage - http://i.imgur.com/mikTUYu.jpg) In addition to the eerie footage, the final credits included an encrypted message (a recurring theme throughout Gravity Falls) translating to "HIDDEN DEEP WITHIN THE WOODS, A BURIED TREASURE AWAITS, SECRETS LOST AND STATUES FOUND, BEYOND THE RUSTY GATES." Because of this, following the finale many posters on /co/ believed that said statue actually existed, and they set out to analyzing different Oregon locations and Disney attractions to possibly find it (and whatever "secrets" and "treasures" come with). For more outdated-yet-relevant information on the original search, read the similar http://pastebin.com/MhJZQhS4.

On /co/, and anywhere else looking, the search was inconclusive. One poster created a similar scavenger hunt in a persona of "Billposter," roleplaying as Bill Cipher and giving "clues" for a separate scavenger hunt. Another /co/ poster, "SacramentoAnon," even went on a roadtrip mocking the one taken by Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch when looking for inspiration years ago. These sentiments, while fun, ultimately provided no info on the statue, and the search was abandoned by late February.

HOWEVER.

--> What the hell is this?

On July 20th, 2016, Alex Hirsch released a tweet (surprisingly unrelated to his many classy political discourses on a Mr. Donald J. Trump,) with a very cryptic infograph (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cn1kjPHVMAAFCta.jpg). He simply wrote, "Let the games begin", along with the encrypted message "#FLSKHUKXQW", translating to "CIPHERHUNT". As such, Gravity Falls fans have come to examine the infograph, and have found clues leading to various locations all around the world.

--> What does the infograph mean?

Well, it actually points to a location. The picture alludes to a secret location in an ornate building, and as such, this is the first location for a clue. Online fans soon realized that the location in question to be the Orthodox Christian Kazan Cathedral, located in St. Petersburg, Russia. Russian Twitter user "tirtomner" soon found the clue, a baroque sort of index card containing the encrypted hint for the next clue (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cn2QYvDWEAAxqQy.jpg).

--> How has the chain of locations been?

After coming across the clue in the first location (Kazan Cathedral), the next encrypted message, when decoded, referenced "yen" and a "shrine," denoting Japan. Later clues seemed to point a "Shriners" temple at Ponce-de-Leon place, in Atlanta, Georgia. Then, the next directions called for the Ochre Court mansion in Rhode Island, saying to look behind a photo of Catholic nun Sister Mary Hilda Miley. Ochre Court is closed for the night at the time of writing, this, but come tomorrow that old sister will surely have new secrets to tell.

--> What's the deal with _______ "finding it first"?

Many posters on /co/ view this international Scavenger's Hunt as a "competition" between different websites, most notably tumblr. This sentiment was similar to the false-flag hunt back in February, and users on many websites do have an interest in Gravity Falls and this search. The "finder" of the statue is obviously less important than to who finds it, and as such, other websites may have information which /co/ searchers may find useful. (Keep in mind that some of these users from other websites are unable to understand such simple concepts as cryptography, location scouting, data interpretation, and human gender. They need our smarts, lads.)