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Ryan Patrick Smith

@writerlyryan.bsky.social
1.1K followers 5.1K following 175 posts

Writer, word nerd, film buff. Currently codeveloping a sci-fi board game called Derelict. He/him. Board game deets: waxriver.com Crossword blog: realpuzzlingstuff.com

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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I'm excited to share that the cooperative sci-fi board game @lizfischer0.bsky.social and I are developing, Derelict, is entering a new phase of playtesting -- which means we're looking for testers! You can learn about the game and join our Discord here: waxriver.com Art by @crowwkui.bsky.social 💚
"Looking for playtesters!" Five character portraits: a green-skinned Creature from the Black Lagoon-esque alien named Jax; a white pink-haired woman in overalls and goggles named Maddie; a Black male with close-cropped hair, a syringe, and a purple-accented lab coat named Gart; an Asian woman with a flight headset, a turtleneck, and fingerless gloves named Kara; and a stocky, mustachioed white man with a massive neck and a yellow coat named Davey.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Back in Puzzmo today. See what surprises await in the fill and clues... www.puzzmo.com/puzzle/2026-...
puzzmo.com
Puzzmo - Cross|word
Play Cross|word on Puzzmo, Take a hint.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
New puzzle on my puzzle blog: realpuzzlingstuff.com/can-you-crac... I'm fond of the theme here -- hope you are too! 51A: Contributor to a video game, briefly (3 letters) 18D: Spot of tea? (5 letters)
realpuzzlingstuff.com
Can You Crack It? - Real Puzzling Stuff
13-Down: Like some buns and breakups
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Hope y'all enjoy(ed) my nerdy @puzzmo.com puzzle today! www.puzzmo.com/puzzle/2026-...
puzzmo.com
Puzzmo - Cross|word
Play Cross|word on Puzzmo, Take a hint.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Happy to be back in the LA Times with a themed Thursday #crossword this week! I figured the film biz theme would be fitting for a solver base of Angelenos. That said, anyone (including you!) can solve for free at www.latimes.com/games/daily-... @latimes.com #puzzle #games
A rotationally symmetric themed crossword grid on the LA Times' website. The highlighted clue, [Screenwriter's assignment?], corresponds to an answer 9 letters in length.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I wrote today's Morphology word ladder #puzzle for The Daily Baffle. Check it out here: dailybaffle.com/morphology Alas, it sounds like Morphology is coming to an end, so this may be my last one.
"Morphology, by Ryan Patrick Smith." The Morphology logo resembles a ladder.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
This one's for the tennis fans! 🎾 #crossword #puzzle www.puzzmo.com/puzzle/2026-...
puzzmo.com
Puzzmo - Cross|word
Play Cross|word on Puzzmo, Take a hint.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Just posted a new #crossword to my #puzzle blog: realpuzzlingstuff.com/royal-flush/ Hope you enjoy the (topical) theme! 👀 46D: Partly or pertly, but not portly (6 letters)
realpuzzlingstuff.com
Royal Flush - Real Puzzling Stuff
36-Across: Lilac or lavender
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
A cryptic clue in honor of @feathersmcg.bsky.social: Elite "Jeopardy!" player repeatedly correct (4,4,4)
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
New @puzzmo.com #crossword! Apologies if this one makes y'all hungry. www.puzzmo.com/puzzle/2026-...
puzzmo.com
Puzzmo - Cross|word
Play Cross|word on Puzzmo, Take a hint.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
A few more casual snaps around Mueller Lake #photography
Late-day sunlight filtered through the bright green leaves of a lakeside tree.An Egyptian Goose grooms itself atop a large rock in the lake, lit from the right by the setting sun.A scoliotic tree in silhouette by the lakeside. Waterfowl also in silhouette on the lake's surface. Setting sun in the background.The crisply defined wake of a Muscovy duck making its way across the lake's surface.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
I authored today's Morphology #puzzle. Play here: dailybaffle.com/morphology
A 14-clue Morphology word ladder puzzle. Clues are listed on the left; fields for answer inputs are provided on the right.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Back in the New York Times today, friends! Please solve responsibly. #crossword #NYTxword
The blue button from the NYT Games app to play the Tuesday, Mar. 31 crossword by Ryan Patrick Smith.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
With the Oscars fast approaching, I thought I'd share my personal top ten #movies of 2025. 🙂 1. Sorry, Baby 2. Sentimental Value 3. Hamnet 4. Bring Her Back 5. Eddington 6. It Was Just an Accident 7. Marty Supreme 8. 28 Years Later 9. No Other Choice 10. One Battle After Another Vive le cinéma! 🍿
"A film by Eva Victor: Sorry, Baby." A young woman clutches a kitten bemusedly as a big puffy cloud and blue sky loom overhead."Sentimental Value, a film by Joachim Trier." An older man and his daughter stand together in a lush garden. They are close enough to be talking, but he looks past her and she past him.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Just uploaded a new #themeless #crossword to the blog! 👀 16A: Like bends and bends sinister, in heraldry (7 letters) 4D: Draft dodgers? (11 letters) realpuzzlingstuff.com/dietary-fibe...
realpuzzlingstuff.com
Dietary Fiber + Whimsical Foes - Real Puzzling Stuff
A challenging free-to-play themeless crossword puzzle by constructor Ryan Patrick Smith.
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Reposted by Ryan Patrick Smith
lauren @lauren.rotatingsandwiches.com · 25/02/2026
i don't play the resident evil games but i've always admired their ability to give stuff names that are both dumb and cool. raccoon city. umbrella corporation. tyrant virus. all very dumb, all equally cool
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Approaching the end of #GhostOfYotei. This game's really grown on me as I've played, and the outfits and scenery have been consistently striking 🏔
Atsu, in yellow and black, stands beside a patch of vivid red flowers. A pagoda looms in the background, piercing a clear blue sky.Standing by a woodsy shack with snow on the room, Atsu sports trim purple armor, stained red with the blood of enemies.On horseback, Atsu eases into a marshy area with low-lying mist, where shafts of sunlight lance down through the trees.With her shamisen out, Atsu walks through an autumnal area with red-leafed trees and yellow and orange foliage underfoot.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
It's a two-puzzle day for me! First off, super excited to be returning to #Cryptic Crossweird with a new #crossword: crossweirdpuzzles.com/crypticcross... Sample clue: [League final ultimately tied one-one? (6)] Second, I have the Morphology puz in today's Daily Baffle: dailybaffle.com/morphology
Yours truly, a tall white dude with dark blond hair, seated at a restaurant table in a red cable-knit sweater. Superimposed on the photo is text: "New puzzle! 'Enjoyable Sort of Math,' by Ryan Patrick Smith." The Cryptic Crossweird logo appears at lower right.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Pleased to be back in @puzzmo.com with a fresh midi themer today! Hope y'all enjoy the #crossword #puzzle: www.puzzmo.com/puzzle/2026-...
puzzmo.com
Puzzmo - Cross|word
Play Cross|word on Puzzmo, Take a hint.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Well, that was a rollicking State of Play! The new Kena and Mina the Hollower both have my attention, and that Konami showcase went quite hard with Darwin's Paradox, new Silent Hill, and new Castlevania. Not to mention the promising 2D God of War prequel that's apparently out right now?!
Kena astride a peacock-tailed mount in a moody, misty village with deep green foliage all around.Mina, a red mouse, unleashes her whip on an enemy on a bridge in charming pixel-art style.The player character in the new Castlevania game uses an ability to swing out over an abandoned street drenched in red light.A young spear-wielding Kratos against a painterly mountain backdrop in the new God of War side-scroller.
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Reposted by Ryan Patrick Smith
Jupie ༊*·˚ @jupieverse.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Bad Bunny’s halftime show combined music, dance, love and fun - it was a joy to watch! As a Latina I’m so proud and happy to see latin culture on display like this. Especially this year. This is the America I know and love 🇵🇷🇲🇽🇺🇸
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
First blog #puzzle of the new year: realpuzzlingstuff.com/shakespeare-... Hope you enjoy the themeless #crossword! 👀 1A: Pane after a breakup? (6 letters) 3D: Reasons to call off an engagement (15 letters)
realpuzzlingstuff.com
Shakespeare Plays + ASCII Art - Real Puzzling Stuff
A challenging themeless crossword puzzle by veteran constructor Ryan Patrick Smith.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
With all the recent Alex Honnold coverage, I couldn't help but recall this Cyanide & Happiness classic
Reporter: "The whole world is wondering: why did you you want to climb Mount Everest?"

Climber: "Because it's there."

Reporter: "How inspiring! Any further comments you'd like to tell the people at home?"

In the last panel of the comic, the climber is standing atop the reporter's head.

-from Cyanide & Happiness
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
Just reached my 1st ending of Dead Letter Dept., which I learned of via @jacobgeller.com's 2025 gaming roundup. @skullthug.bsky.social serves up claustrophobic late-capitalist horror by way of an engrossing dead mail data entry conceit -- I echo Geller's endorsement! P.S. Watch Dead Mail ('24) too
A dingy workspace with a boxy computer. Displayed on the computer monitor is a scanned upload of a piece of undeliverable mail with some text highlighted for the worker at the keyboard to input.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Tried out Upwords with the 'rents last night. Fun!
An Upwords game board densely populated with words such as BEWARE, RAZORS and PIRACY
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
I have a new puzzle to share as we head into the new year! Think I managed some clever clues here; hope you enjoy the solve. ✍️ realpuzzlingstuff.com/travel-write... 1A: Craft for which Boston is famous (9 letters) 41A: Youngster working on a shoot, maybe (8 letters)
realpuzzlingstuff.com
Travel Writers + Tropical Cocktails - Real Puzzling Stuff
67-Across: Opposable chums?
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
Sad to hear about James Ransone. His performance as one of the most impactful characters in The Wire S2 was tremendous and will stick with me always.
A disheveled Baltimore kid with raven hair, a bruised face, and a ghost of a mustache (from The Wire).
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
Had my most satisfying #Wordle experience ever the other day
A Wordle game in which GREAT was the first guess and GUESS the second. GUESS was the solution to the puzzle.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
Wrote today's @puzzmo.com #crossword! My personal interests are well represented here, so I hope you enjoy the #puzzle: www.puzzmo.com/puzzle/2025-...
puzzmo.com
Puzzmo - Cross|word
Play Cross|word on Puzzmo, Take a hint.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
Happy holidays! I just pubbed a tricky new themeless #crossword to my #puzzle blog, if anyone fancies a challenge: realpuzzlingstuff.com/satire-and-s... 14A: Food in a meteorological simile (7 letters) 34A: Scorekeeper? (10 letters)
A themeless crossword grid resembling a vine with leaves protruding on either side.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
Taking a moment to appreciate the iconic carpet pattern at PDX (on a friend's advice)
A pleasing geometric design on the green carpet of the Portland airport. Sort of suggests a sextant.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
I have a new @puzzmo.com #crossword today! Enjoy the solve and have a happy Thanksgiving 🧡 www.puzzmo.com/puzzle/2025-...
puzzmo.com
Puzzmo - Cross|word
Play Cross|word on Puzzmo, Take a hint.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Back in The Daily Baffle with a new Morphology word ladder #puzzle today! Enjoy: dailybaffle.com/morphology 👀
A word ladder puzzle waiting for someone to fill it in...
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 01/11/2025
I made today's LA Times #crossword #puzzle! Hope it provides a satisfying challenge 👀
A wide-open 15x15 themeless crossword grid. 1A is highlighted: "For me? you shouldn't have!"
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
#GhostOfYotei is gorgeous, damn. Sound design's really dialed in too. #VirtualPhotography
In a grassy cloak, Atsu looks off at a distant mountain as dark clouds above threaten rain.Atsu astride her black horse, riding through water as the setting sun illuminates half of her face.Astride her black horse, Atsu eases into  thick trees, towards the sun. (The autumn filter has been applied.)Atsu looks out across vivid green grass at the distant, snow-capped peak of Mount Yōtei.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Making my Cryptic Crossweird debut today! I hope fans of #cryptic #crossword #puzzles will consider subscribing to solve my and others' work: www.patreon.com/cw/CrypticCr... Sample clues from my puzzle: 5A Clownish activity out of Quantico (5) 10A Small subatomic particle often overlooked (5,2)
A 13x8 cryptic crossword grid (a lattice of black and white squares). It's titled "Pets in Hats," was written by Ryan Patrick Smith, and was published by Cryptic Crossweird.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
Happy fall, #puzzle people! 🎃 I've just published a new Slide + Seek sliding puzzle for your amusement: realpuzzlingstuff.com/slide-seek-9/ Hope it makes for a fun diversion from my usual #crossword fare and everything slides into place for you! 👀
A Slide + Seek tile sliding puzzle. In its scrambled form, the grid reads PISPRO, SACHAB, KYNTED, EOTESS, DEOO, LAOR.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
Back in Puzzmo today, #puzzle peeps: www.puzzmo.com/puzzle/2025-... Hope you enjoy the #crossword! 😊 @puzzmo.com #Puzzmo
puzzmo.com
Puzzmo - Cross|word
Play Cross|word on Puzzmo, Take a hint.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
Excited to be debuting in the newly launched Daily Baffle today! The format of my #puzzle is called Morphology and will be up the alley of anyone who enjoys a good word ladder 🙂 If you've had fun with my #crossword puzzles, give it a look: dailybaffle.com/morphology Thx to Julian for having me!
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
Finished #SwordOfTheSea last night! 🗡🌊 Really lovely little game (abrupt ending notwithstanding) #VirtualPhotography
A gondola lit from within sits at the edge of a cliff in the blue expanse of the Sacred River region.The Wraith gets some air riding a shark as blue and pink hues collide in the sky above.The Wraith's blue flame resembles the blue light in the right half of the image, while the red flame of an engraved serpent's eye illuminates the left half of the image.The bones of ancient sea creatures litter a flooded cave, as do stalactites, stalagmites, and red kelp. In the foreground, the Wraith rides a live plesiosaur.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 31/08/2025
Muscovy ducks + sea serpent statue by Mueller Lake in Austin #photography
Two Muscovy ducks (brown with red growths around the eyes) stand at the flagstoned edge of Lake Mueller, off of whose rippling surface the setting sun reflects.A sea monster statue with a glowing blue eye, captured in profile at the edge of Mueller Lake Park. The surrounding trees match its chartreuse belly, while its blue back is mirrored by the cloud cover overhead. Just past the statue, a woman in yellow sits on a bench in a playground, her back to the camera.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
The way the weather evolves in this game is just *chef's kiss* 😍 #DeathStranding #DeathStranding2 #VirtualPhotography
In his hooded jacket and exoskeletal legs, Sam looks out over the shadowed expanse of the desert as the setting sun pokes through thick cloud cover far in the distance.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
Just pubbed a quirky new #crossword puzzle to my blog: realpuzzlingstuff.com/drops-of-col... Hope y'all get a kick out of the theme. 🙂 19A: Recent Best Picture winner with an acronymic title (4 letters) 28D: Xmas transmission, maybe (5 letters)
realpuzzlingstuff.com
Drops of Color - Real Puzzling Stuff
68-Across: Pop artist/AIDS activist Keith
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 24/08/2025
Don't sleep on #SwordOfTheSea, the latest beautiful adventure from Giant Squid Games! The undulating landscapes and smooth snowboard-y traversal go together like PB & J, and @awintory.bsky.social delivers as always with a rich, enthralling score. 🐬
The Wraith (the player character) leaps from a mossy rooftop as ocean fauna glide by below.A zoomed-out view of a vast chamber in which schools of tropical fish drift by and broad shafts of sun stream in through holes in the ceiling.The Wraith looks into the camera, at rest in a patch of shade in a canyon. Two waterfalls appear behind her.Crouched, the Wraith rides an orca with dozens of white fish on all sides.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
Just unboxed the #Daggerheart starter set 👀 Excited to get acquainted!
The Daggerheart Core Rulebook, its cover adorned with sunset hues and a range of different sample characters in action, sits beside the box of colorful cards needed to play.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 09/08/2025
If you see this, post a knight!
Kyle Katarn (of the Jedi Knight games) cuts down a stormtrooper with his blue lightsaber.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
So exciting to have print issues of #GameInformer dropping again! Beautifully produced and solidly written magazines 🎮
A human in a Psycho mask in profile on the striking Borderlands 4-themed red cover of the latest Game Informer.An open issue of Game Informer showing two profiles from Summer Game Fest, on Mixtape and Sword of the Sea.An open issue of Game Informer showing a mix of atmospheric and action shots from the new Borderlands, alongside the text of the write-up.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
New blog #crossword, friends! I think the theme material here's pretty lively; hope you agree. ✒️ realpuzzlingstuff.com/gotta-go-fast/ 1A - Fabric named for a Middle Eastern metropolis (6 letters) 36A - Naturally occurring zigzag (15 letters)
realpuzzlingstuff.com
Gotta Go Fast - Real Puzzling Stuff
14-Across: Hefty sword akin to a katana
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
Excited to be making my @puzzmo.com #crossword debut today! Should be a fairy breezy midi solve 🙂 www.puzzmo.com/puzzle/2025-... S/o to @xws.bsky.social for all her editorial guidance!
puzzmo.com
Puzzmo - Cross|word
Play Cross|word on Puzzmo, Take a hint.
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Ryan Patrick Smith @writerlyryan.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
Visuals and vibes in the new #DeathStranding are immaculate. Can't wait to play more! 🤩 #VirtualPhotography #PhotoMode
A smiling Sam in jaunty sunglasses stands among verdant foliage in Mexico.Sam looks out over a shallow stretch of river wending through rough-hewn desert terrain.His face and hair caked with sand as a sandstorm churns behind him, Sam sticks his tongue out at the camera.Nightfall in the Mexican desert. Sam grins and gives a thumbs-up as he points to mountains in the near distance.
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