Nautilus Puzzles

I'll see you all later today at Boswords ! In preparation, have a themeless with some extra Boston-related content. Enjoy, go Sox, wicked pissah etc. PDF PUZ

Got a puzzle in the New York Times! Play it here ; if you don't have an NYT subscription, you can probably figure out other ways to find it. This feels like a good opportunity to go a little more in-depth on my construction and publishing experience; some notes below! On constructing:  This puzzle started with the oversized groups of black squares in the corners, because I liked the look of those big pools of ink. How the crossword looks before you solve it is part of the experience! (I think it's like the plating of a dish at a restaurant, in an awkward metaphor I've tried to force before.) With this many black squares, I could afford a pretty low wordcount, and I'm pleasantly surprised at the quality of fill I was able to get. (ENIGMATOLOGY, most famous as the invented major of a young Will Shortz, was a happy accident, not an attempt to curry favor!) I started filling from the top down; I'm a big fan of conversational fill, and SOIGATHERED is one of those phrases...

 Classic themed puzzle today! Pulling one from my vault: this one is on the easier side. Enjoy! PDF PUZ

 May Midi for you! This was a tricky little themeset that was quite difficult to make a grid for; all things considered, really happy with how this turned out. PDF PUZ

This is one of a few themes that came to me during ACPT, one of the most fun, bonkers, intense, and enjoyable weekends I've had in a while. I was the guy standing around trying to act like I knew people! I'm not good at introducing myself, especially when I immediately lose my nametag! See you all next year, when I'll have different hair. This year, my goal was top half: I got 111th, which feels like a sign that next time I'll be gunning for top 100. (EDIT: LMAO I've been telling people I got 111th, but somehow got confused: I finished 149th! Maybe I'll shoot for 111 next year and work from there) Thanks to Frisco for sharing a playlist full of music that fit this theme. This one should play on the easier side. Enjoy! PDF PUZ

For the last Themeless Thursday, I attempted something I've always wanted to try: a Sunday-sized themeless! And... it was very difficult, even more so than I expected. So, with slightly more words and black squares than one would expect, this is a bit of a sub-par themeless, even if I enjoy the spanner I was able to fit in there. Focusing on themelesses has definitely helped my filling abilities. In terms of clues, though, I feel like this one's still a little lacking. I'll try to return to themed puzzles as much as possible for the next while, though. In the meantime, I will see some of you tomorrow (!) at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament! Au revoir! PDF  (might not work) PUZ

Boy, March flew by quick! Have another Themeless Thursday; this one's a bit on the spicier side. One more to go! PDF PUZ