Hey guys; today's a collab with Ricky Billingsgate, because this was kind of an inevitable co-construction if we're being honest. This one's been in the works for a while, so it's really nice to finally have it out there. Hopefully the title doesn't give too much away :)
Note for applet and PUZ solvers: the solution grid is not included in the puzzle file (the encoded solution is just a grid full of Xs), so the program won't show your solution as correct. Feel free to Google any answers you're unsure of; the solution grid will be provided in the blog post for the next puzzle.
Solving Music: The War On Drugs - Under The Pressure
It's time for a meta contest! Solve the puzzle above and work out what the meta answer is, and submit it for a chance to win a one-year subscription to Crucinova, a newer outlet for unconventional crosswords. My guess (which may be *way* off) is that the meta will only be moderately tricky; solving the puzzle itself may prove more difficult. Here are the details:
TO SUBMIT: Send the meta answer to my email (rickycruzmedia@gmail.com) by 11:59 PM Pacific Time on Monday, July 19th, and provide some information to show you understand the mechanic and that you didn't just guess the answer (it can be as simple as "X part of the meta was cool/weird/bad/interesting/sensual", as long as it's clear that you get it). Put something like META CONTEST ENTRY in the subject line, that way your entry doesn't get lost in my inbox. It'd be appreciated if you included a name you'd like to go by in the event you win; I plan on announcing the name of the winner, but if you want to be anonymous or something, just let me know. If you want to be notified some way other than email in the event you win, let me know that as well.
I'll send a reply to all entries to verify that I've received them (said email will not confirm whether or not the solution is correct); if it's been a day or so and I haven't replied, email me again or DM me on Twitter (link below), and I'll make sure your entry is counted.
The winner will be selected randomly from the pool of correct entries received before the deadline. Only the first submission I receive from each entrant will be accepted, so make sure you're confident about your answer before you send it in!
STREAMERS: I'm totally cool with (and encourage!) streaming this and working out the meta solution on-stream with chat. If someone is watching a stream and decides they want to enter the contest, even if they didn't work out all of the solution themselves, that's totally fine by me. As long as nobody's publicly posting hints or a completed grid, I'm gonna be pretty lax with submissions; I trust y'all to play fair.
Again, I won't be verifying correct meta solutions by email, so if you don't want to enter proper (because of course you're already subscribed to Crucinova), but want to know if your meta guess is correct, please wait for the results to be posted, and don't submit a formal entry (though emails complimenting my Escherian meta constructing skills are always welcome). I'm also open to gifting the subscription to someone else, if that's something that interests you.
That should do it for all the details! I'll post any clarifications and updates over on my Twitter; if you have any questions, feel free to DM me there, comment below (no spoilers!), or shoot me an email. The meta solution will be included in the blog post for the next puzzle, which *should* be on Tuesday. Good luck everyone, and enjoy the puzzle!
