Thanks so much for believing in me. I solved the puzzle. I did it!!
Your last hint was so good. It’s so simple; all you said was
that they started in the right position so no swap was necessary. I hadn't even realized that I had been swapping them! It was my instinctual first move each time I did the split, so I never noticed that they started in the right arrangement.
It goes to show how easily our brains see past details, as if they’re literally past our vision.
Regardless, I have a question about my solution. Why isn’t the little half flung down in this move I did?
