Fuck You, Pay Me

Look. Many of you know me as a saint. Maybe even a martyr. This is why I have opted to create this puzzle. I must speak my piece, and what a piece it is.

I have been ignored - nay, robbed - snubbed! - for far too long. I have fought the good fight with the best of intentions, only for my words to fall on stubborn, unlistening ears. I have clawed my way up from the trenches, I have fought my inner demons, I have been a passenger aboard Charon's mighty raft through the deepest pits of Tartarus. I have touched the cold and unrelenting hand of God, and I have returned to you all, bruised, raw, but full of affirmations: I am strong. I am powerful. I am deserving.

This puzzle came to me in a dream, much like the benzene ring appeared in the form of an ouroboros to Kekulé. His vision changed the world, and so will my puzzle.

Thank you to the incomparable Norah for all of her help on this puzzle, and for being my ally on this grueling journey.

SPOILER-Y THINGS:

Evidence of my dedication to the cause (1, 2, 3)

fullscreen | .puz | .pdf

Themeless #Whatever (don't make me count)

 

You all @ me. Screenshot of the fluffiest, most judgemental angel Scotty over at @lacorgi.

Hi all! I don't have much to say about this puzzle other than I hope you enjoy it and that it's probably NSFW. Tryna lean into chaos a bit more than usual (except I decided not to clue 60A as [Grandma's house]) . Thanks to Quiara for the test solve and to Norah for helping me rework the fill!

Also, hey! Pssssst! Check out the AVCXpansion Kickstarter!

fullscreen | .puz | .pdf

SPOILER-Y THINGS:

29A

54A

66A

33D

40D

61D, if you'd like

Do The Math

If you've never gone to a Kaiju Big Battel show, you need to.

There are a multitude of reasons as to why I'm grateful for stumbling into the crossword world, but one of the main ones is that I've met so many incredibly smart people who are willing to lean into (and frankly, enable) my chaos - I firmly believe in the beautiful, masterful execution of insanely dumb ideas and hope to sell you all on it eventually. I also hadn't realized how much I missed making silly stuff with my friends until I started collabing on puzzles.

As always, some thanks are in order: a huge thank you to Alex for reaching out and suggesting we do an acrostic collab (you can make your own here), and a huge thank you to Chris for the test solve! And a quick shoutout to the acrostic generator for producing some nasty fill - I see you, girl. Do your thing.

PS: Go check out the AVCX Kickstarter!

fullscreen solve

SPOILERS (please watch this video in its entirety I swear it's worth it)