Puzzle #4: This time it's a Midi

 Since I've only worked on 15x15 puzzles and 7x7s for my upcoming puzzle in the 7xword project (watch for mine on May 8), I thought it would be nice to work on a different size.

So today I'm presenting a 10x10 with diagonal symmetry I made over the last few days. My seed was 7D, which I was inspired to use by the two most recent clipping. albums. It also gives me a loose musical motif, with 12A, 17A, and 30A.

Other notes:

• I particularly enjoy the clues/entries for 1A, 30A, and 27D
• 9D references a very serious issue! Read more about it here.
  
• Alternate (easier) clue for 8D:  German city that translates to "eat"
• Alternate (harder) clue for 24D: Lynch's character on "Twin Peaks"
  

Puzzle #3: Adventures in Modern Symmetry

As I've been getting more into crosswords, especially indie crosswords, I have been slowly breaking down my reliance on with the more stodgy style I'm used to from the New York Times.

My first "discovery" was the experimentation people have been doing with symmetry (à la https://xwordsbyaladee.blogspot.com/), so I thought I'd try my hand at something similar.

Second, I realized from https://qvxwordz.blogspot.com/ that it's okay to use the first person in a puzzle. I really get annoyed when I have to use the impersonal style in academic writing as part of my other life, and so being freed of this restriction in my hobby (at least on my personal blog) feels great. 27-Across is my response to this (and a reference to my factually incorrect original clue), and I aim to make my voice more explicit in the future.

Other notes:

-- 4-Down is inspired by a King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard album that includes the answer

-- I'm delighted that I got to use the clue for 13-Down

-- I didn't know 54-Across before Crossfire suggested it, but it strikes me as something more people should know!

 

Puzzle #2: Bimonthly edition

I started this blog with the expectation that I would post more regularly, on the order of a couple times a month. But of course I confused semimonthly with bimonthly and so instead this is coming out two months after the first post. I'll eventually get around to posting regularly.

This is the first puzzle I made when I started back up; years ago during undergrad I took a winter semester class on crosswords, where I submitted my final puzzle to the NYT and was understandably rejected.

I'd been stewing on this idea for a while, particularly because I wanted to honor 17-Across, one of the best current sci-fi/fantasy writers, and 27-Across, my favorite classic sci-fi/fantasy writer. 

Other notes: 

-- I included 31-Down because I moved there shortly before making this puzzle

-- The clue for 26-Across amuses me probably more than it should 

-- I'm proud to have been able to include 46-Across as a tribute to my friend Stephen

-- Alternative clue for 16-Across: Princes' song in "Into The Woods"

-- Alternative clue for 36-Down: _____ Estus Flask from "Dark Souls"