PUZZLE #65: No Comparison

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SOLUTION to the last puzzle

A few things:

Crossword Puzzles for Kids is finally out! 60+ puzzles that are kid-friendly, but based on the emails I've gotten, adults can enjoy it too. I'm graciously biting Chris King's style here with an offer: if you buy the book this week, let me know at pascopuzzles[at]gmail[dot]com and I'll donate $2 to The Bail Project, a bail-paying organization active in many cities, including my hometown.

Speaking of crosswords and making change, Grids for Good is out! It's 42 puzzles by an all-star lineup of constructors, just for a donation. Definitely hit it up, zero of the puzzles disappoint.

And, onto this puzzle! I know I said the last puzzle had a quirky theme, but this one has its fair share of quirks as well. I promise the next puzzle will be more straight-down-the-middle—three quirky puzzles, and I'll feel like Jughead from Riverdale.

Hope you enjoy!
Paolo

PUZZLE #62: "I Don't Do Crosswords" (and Book Announcement!)

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SOLUTION to the last puzzle

Hello!

Coming to you with some exciting news: I've been working on a book, "Crossword Puzzles for Kids," which is coming out June 30! It's a full book of easy crosswords with kid-friendly themes, perfect for introducing kids to crosswords. I solved my first crossword at 13 and was hooked ever since, so this topic is close to my heart—if this helps even one person get into puzzles like I did, that makes it all worth it. The preorder link is up now, and it would mean a lot if you got a copy for the puzzle-hungry 9-12 year-olds (or really precocious 0-8 year-olds (or bored 13-99 year-olds)) in your life.

If you're a regular solver on this site, though, these puzzles are going to be easy in comparison. My suggestion? Try speedrunning the entire book—the puzzles are entry-level enough that experienced solvers can breeze through them no problem. Who knows, I might even give a prize to the fastest documented speedrun. Or, solve at your own pace! Lord knows we need diversions nowadays.

Anyway, 16x15 puzzle! Think I've used the same revealer type before, but I liked the theme too much to pass it up. Hope you enjoy it too!

-Paolo

PUZZLE #54: Out-of-Body Experiences

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SOLUTION to the last puzzle

I've had a more basic theme, based on a similar idea, for a few years (the theme, encoded in rot13: gurzr ragevrf PUBCFGVPX ERFG, PURRGB QHFG, naq PUVAGMVRFG jvgu gur erirny PURFGOHEFGREF). I wasn't super happy with the puzzle as a whole, so I set it aside for a while. Then, while I was watching this video (slight SPOILERS for the theme) last week, I thought of the theme angle that you see here. Hope you enjoy the puzzle!

-Paolo

P.S. Writing this after the second earthquake in California, which was something. For all the Californians reading this, I hope you're all right!

PUZZLE #45: "It All Worked Out"

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SOLUTION to the last puzzle

Hello! Some crossword news:

• Last week, erik agard dropped a 🔥🔥🔥21x21 themeless at his site. And what a themeless it is.
• The first Inkubator Crossword drops this week! Get subscribed if you haven't already.
• The 5th annual Indie 500 was just announced for June 1, 2019 in D.C. They’re awesome people doing awesome things, so watch their website for more details.
• For AVCX subscribers, there's a very good debut on the horizon. It's so good, y'all. Just wanted to say that.

Easy themed puzzle today. Hope you enjoy!

-Paolo

PUZZLE #21: "Yes, And..."

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SOLUTION to last week's puzzle

Hello! Late puzzle, but better late than never.

This is a puzzle from the "write what you know" division. Last Friday, I played in a showcase for my school's improv team for the first time. Long story short, it was insanely rewarding, I loved it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. So, here's a puzzle based on that, titled after the golden rule of improv.

Hope you enjoy!
-Paolo

PUZZLE #3: Cleanup Efforts

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Solution to last week's puzzle

Welcome back! We're on week 3, and it's time to amp up the difficulty.

[MINOR SPOILERS AFTER THIS LINE]

A little background for today's puzzle: I made it right after watching the travesty that was the Manny Pacquiao/Jeff Horn fight. Watching the figure referenced at 39A led me to the revealer phrase, and a puzzle idea was born. Righteous indignation is great fuel for crossword-writing, apparently.

This puzzle lowkey inspired me to set up this site, since I loved the grid, but it was too wonky a puzzle to go to any publication. I might have been able to tweak it to make it publishable (bonus puzzle: what 15-letter phrase could be an alternate revealer for this crossword?), but I didn't want it to lose any of its Indie™ flavor. Such is the trade-off, I guess.

Hope you enjoy!

-Paolo

P.S. Excellent Chris King puzzle today, with a backstory unlike any other