Midway through season 2, I've figured out that the end cards from the episodes all combine to make one, big, 21-card image. Here is a picture of what that image looks like so far.
Alternatively, you can view the image by clicking here: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/177o_dYL4z6d7EWTP3pdmqMq0MbpopIsynbbVezWyGNA/edit?usp=sharing.
Now, here is what I have noticed. First and foremost, the positions were determined by the borders and by using designs that seem to carry on from one image to the next. For instance, the triangle parts in the middle make me think that those two images go together.
Now, if you fill in the blanks, you might see Stan's head atop Bill Cipher's body.Even more interestingly, if you turn the image upside-down, you might be able to see the author's face in what are now the top cards. Click this link if you are having trouble seeing it: http://i.imgur.com/mrJkIya.jpg.
As for the cryptograms, all of them can be decoded with the A1Z26 cipher, to atbash, to Caesar cipher set 3 letters back. Here they are in episode order:
Scaryoke (zombie skeleton, top left corner): "The man downstairs is very clever. Can he hide his plans forever?"
Into the Bunker (atom, top right corner): "Improper use of machinery could lead to utter catastrophe"
The Golf War (windmill, bottom left corner): "Old man sleeping on the green, can't help but wonder what he's seen."
Sock Opera (Dipper puppet, right middle): "No puppet strings can hold me down, so patiently I watch this town. Abnormal soon will be the norm, enjoy the calm before the storm."
Soos and the Real Girl (Bear-O, bottom right corner): "Winning hearts by daylight! Possessing robots by moonlight! Her emotional baggage is a real fright! She has the one name Giffany!"
Little Gift Shop of Horrors (claymation monster, left middle): "All animation is black magic"
Society of the Blind Eye (memory-erasing gun, bottom left): "Gideon's tantrums, misspelled tattoos, Shandra's rejections, society's views, a fear of witches, a life of regret, these are the things that they try to forget."
Blendin's Game (hourglass, right above middle): "Join the Time Paradox Avoidance Enforcement Squadron! Great hours! Solid benefits! Sign up yesterday!"
The Love God (heart with smiley face, left above middle): "At the play or at the fair, I always see them standing there. Dressed in black they're on my lawn, but when I turn my head they're gone."
Northwest Mansion Mystery (totem pole & part of Stan's fez, top middle): "Stanisnotwhatheseems Stanisnotwhatheseems Stanisnotwhatheseems"
Not What He Seems (portal, bottom middle): "Thirty years and now he's back. The mystery in the mystery shack."
Now, here are a few thoughts on the second half of this season's cards.
Alex Hirsch said in his interview with the AV Club that season 2B will contain the story points originally scheduled for season 3. It follows, then, that season 2A's storyline was originally intended for all of season 2. And, thanks to a Twitter post from Sabrina Cutogno, a storyboard artist, we know that season 2 will last a total of 22 episodes. But wait! If season 2 will last 22 episodes, then how come the image only has 21 slots? Well, I'm glad you asked.
It's amazing how far out the writers planned this show. They probably planned the 21-card image to span the entire length of season 2, back before it was condensed into 11 episodes. That means we lost 10 episodes in the process. I bet those 10 episodes would have contained the missing 10 pieces to the puzzle. The plan would have been to finish that image with the card in Not What He Seems. I bet the plan was then to have an entirely new image (or something even better) in season 3. So, I propose that they will completely abandon the season 2 image and give us something all-new in the next half-season. (I bet they won't finish that one either.)
Please note that Alex Hirsch knows how smart his fans are. He probably was counting on us figuring out what the image is with only half the pieces in place. He also knows that he can't keep secrets for very long if the audience has already figured them out. (The McGucket hoax was a perfect example of this.) But, here's one last thought: Alex promised to melt our faces off, so I'm expecting to get my face melted off. You will not be disappointed by season 2B.
