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Very true, Murky. And as is often the case, it’s revealed unwittingly by someone requesting help, wondering if they are on the right track. Putting initial letters of a possible message is a step too far, in my book

Quisling, I apologise if my previous post overstepped the mark, but I fail to see that I have given away. Once you have deduced what the preamble is referring to, the closing words are relatively easy to identify on the internet. However, until you have identified the reference those 6 letters are absolutely meaningless.

I don't think it's given anything away. I'd arrived at Gitto's conclusion a long time ago anyway but I'm blowed if I can see how it goes in the grid diagonally. Too many letters for a diagonal for a start.

Thankyou aspria. I just put those letters in google before I posted them and of 2670 results found in 0.22seconds none of them referred to the work in question (but I cannot read Chinese).

Gitto, don’t worry. I don’t see that you’ve given anything away. I’m also stuck with not knowing the different thickness to enable the diagonally revealed message. The grid fill and the thematics are a dead giveaway very early on. That’s not where the challenge lies for me.

Surely the point is that if one has a range of possibilities, this identifies which one is correct? It needn’t lead you directly to it from a position of ignorance to be a hint. Anyway, I seem to be in a minority, as usual

Got it finally.... I totally agree with Quisling about giving things away and spoiling the fun but in this particular case I don't think it applies. Surely a thread like this, apart from congratulating the setter (which I do, heartily, here) should provide the odd nudge. I suppose the question here is what constitutes a fair nudge and what doesn't. I solve alone whereas many solve together and occasionally I check in when I'm stuck to reassure myself that I haven't gone completely off the beaten track, which is I think what's happened here. Gitto's query wouldn't mean anything to anyone who hadn't got to that point as well, and to those who had it would simply provide welcome reassurance - like a signpost in a dense jungle (or something along those lines, its too early...)

Quisling, in what way has the instruction at post one, specifically

"the aim is to help the would-be solver without spoiling the puzzle for others and, importantly, without giving too much away"

been contravened? I'm bamboozled if I know.

Goodness, gracious..! From the flavour of the posts here it looks very much as though my comfortable familiarity with 3D helical projections helped me enormously in getting to - for me - a very early conclusion; the theme seems to be the least of many members' problems.

I'd offer more hints, but - honestly, friends, I just don't care.

quixote , your hints and comments always make my little grey cells click together nicely so keep up the good work.

Ne Jupiter quidem omnibus placet.

Happy 2023 to all :-)