"Sunday Freestyle XVII," by Claire Muscat

Editor's Comments

Today's themeless is held together by a standout pair of 15s.  FRESHMAN FIFTEEN in particular is the kind of fun, lively entry I love seeing in themelesses!  Grid-spanners often put major constraints on how much liveliness you can work into the rest of the fill.  Claire was smart to section off her four corners—that way, she didn't have to deal with letters locked in by the 15s and letters locked in by the other corners.  She was thus able to squeeze in gems like ARS POETICA, TANNIC ACID, and BELIEBER.  Claire's LAST LETTER clue was also much friendlier than the one you see.  You're welcome ;).

"Free for All XV," by Claire Muscat

Constructor's Comments

I started this themeless during a time I had been watching a lot of RICK AND MORTY.  A lot.  So of course I had to get that entry, especially after I saw it had never been in a published puzzle before.  My twin sister was also reading David Foster Wallace's INFINITE JEST, so I thought it might be fun to stick that in there as well.  After that, everything just fell nicely into place.  Although this is a themeless puzzle, there are a lot of entries—DJ SET [in the original—see below], FIST BUMP, THE CLASH, and (in some cases) D STUDENT—that tie the puzzle together as an ode to the interests of a stereotypical liberal arts college bro (i.e., everyone I went to college with).  So to all you liberal arts college guys out there reading DFW, listening to "I Fought the Law" on vinyl, and dressing up as Pickle Rick for Halloween, this one's for you.

Editor's Comments

My favorite part about this puzzle is the center.  Making four or five of the six long entries lively would have been plenty, but Claire took care to make all six sparkle.  My favorites are RICK AND MORTY, MANDARIN DUCK, and WI-FI HOTSPOTS.  Claire also packed lots of bonuses into the corners—I especially like FIST BUMP, MATCHA, TSA AGENT, JORTS, LOCAVORE, D STUDENT, FAT JOE, I'M SORE, ACID TEST, and THE CLASH.  Wow!  The only corner I tweaked was the upper right.  I was sad to lose Claire's lively DJ SET but wanted to make sure the crossings on MATCHA were as easy as possible.

"Sunday Freestyle XII," by Claire Muscat

Constructor's Comments

Hello, everyone!  My name is Claire Muscat, and I am a recent college graduate living in Chicago, Illinois.  I've had puzzles published in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the American Values Club Crossword, Queer Qrosswords, and The Orange Country Register.  I'm thrilled to be adding Andrews McMeel Universal to that list, and I look forward to contributing more!

I always try to start a themeless with a few really fun entries I can build the puzzle around.  In this case, my springboard was HEART EMOJI, an entry I really like because of its modern flair and clue-ability.  That was followed by entries like ATHLEISURE, GLUTEN-FREE, and SLEEPER HIT (as well as the dumb-luck cross of THOR and RAGNAROK), and I was pleased to have a puzzle with so many fresh, exciting entries.

However, I always find the balance between entries I really like and acceptable fill a hard line to walk.  There is fill in there I definitely would be happier without—TCI and ELY in particular, which serve as a good reminder that there is always room for improvement.  However, at the end of the day, I'm proud to put this puzzle out there regardless!

I hope the solving experience is a good one.  Lastly, I am always looking for feedback, so don't hesitate to reach out!

Editor's Comments

Claire put together a lovely themeless, and I'm not just saying that because HEART EMOJI is in the grid.  There are just so many great entries, from the ones Claire listed above to WHITE HATS (clued as [Ethical hackers]).  I also laughed out loud when I saw HAIRY LEGS—that's the kind of unexpected yet totally legitimate entry I enjoy uncovering most as a solver!  Crossing THOR and RAGNAROK is another elegant touch.  Watch for more of Claire's themelesses in the coming weeks!