Tales from the Cryptic

Cryptic Mini #000000056:   "I stress out Mary-Kate and Ashley" obscuration level: 🌔 (bring one glow stick) The Olsen Twins, Bill & Ted, Hole, Luigi's Mansion... I guess the secret theme this week is "millennial pop culture"? yadda yadda Clueless pun.... 💅

Cryptic Mini #000000055:   "Plastic Bag Video" obscuration level: 🌒 (bring slightly less glowsticks) I can't get enough of these oblong grids! Having a lot of fun with the varying word lengths. I tried to make this one easier, but found too many devilish tricks to pull 😈. Hope it makes you laugh more than it makes you wince!

Cryptic Mini #000000054:   "Beef Focus Group" obscuration level: 🌑 (bring plenty of glowsticks) A real doozy today, for all you true cryptic sickos out there. Hopefully the 3-letter answers will give you a foothold or two. Send any and all complaints to the comments section! 😈

Cryptic Mini #000000053:   "Chalice of Madness" obscuration level: 🌔 (lightly tinted, like transition lenses inside) Another oblongie, and another 🌔ie! Hope it suits your weekend well :)

Cryptic Mini #000000052:   "Peeps & Stickers" obscuration level: 🌔 (dark roots growing in) This is probably more of a 🌕 but I wanted to leave room on the scale to soften things a bit... Hope you enjoy solving it as much as I enjoyed making it!

Cryptic Mini #000000051:   "Dumb and Anachronistic" obscuration level: 🌓 (goldilocks would be proud) allo again! Another oblongy guy for ya. I'm traveling right now so had to rush this grid a bit. Hope it's not too rough! Remember to take a lot of breaks and drink plenty of water 🌊

Cryptic Mini #000000050:   "Under Stephen King's Home" obscuration level: 🌓 (the best of both moons) Happy 50th cryptic mini, solvers! 🥳 To celebrate, I bring you a collab with the inimitable Quiara Vasquez , who helped reshape some of the clunkier parts of the puzz. If there's anything still clunky about it... I take full credit :) Enjoy!