August 30, 2022

Title: FALLING STAR

Constructors: Mikkel Snyder & Brooke Husic

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

STARE BLANKLY (2D: Gaze ahead expressionlessly)

QUICK START GUIDE (4D: Installation reference manual)

JONATHAN JOESTAR (8D: Protagonist of the first season of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure")

Theme synopsis: Each vertical theme answer contains the word STAR. Additionally, the STAR is FALLING (sinking lower in the grid) as you move from left to right.

And now a word from our constructors:

Mikkel: Bellchime and Metronome have been waiting patiently for this one

Bellchime & Metronome

(well, more so waiting for me to get out of my office from constructing). The grand experiment of me continuing to do more and more crossword responsibilities with Brooke's help continues with our fourth puzzle in the last eight months. We spent a day or two iterating on the theme before getting it to its current iteration, and then of course I had to make it "interesting" for myself by adding some fun letters in even more "interesting" spots. Still, I really like where we landed with everything. 12D, 58D, and 51A are my favorite inclusions this go around.

Brooke: I'm very grateful to be a part of this puzzle with Mikkel, who came up with all the theme answers! I really like that we got to include so many superheroes in 23A, 62A, 3D, and 8D, and I love Mikkel's clues for 60A, 15D, and the 38D+42D combo.

Things I learned:

• AKA (23A: Pearl Pangan, ___ Wave (Cebuano superhero)) Pearl Pangan, AKA Wave is a character in the Marvel Comics Universe. Pearl Pangan is a native of Cebu City (the capital of Cebu Province in the the Philippines). Her superpower is the ability to control water. Wave made her debut in 2019 in the comic book War of the Realms, New Agents of Atlas. Although the answer of AKA was inferable, I was not familiar with Wave.
• ADAM (62A: Black ___ (enemy of Shazam)) Black ADAM is a DC Comics antihero. As the clue indicates, Black ADAM is an enemy of Shazam (also known as Captain Marvel). Black ADAM (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) made his movie debut in the animated movie released this year, DC League of Super Pets. Dwayne Johnson will play the antihero in the live-action movie, Black ADAM, scheduled to be released in October.
• JONATHAN JOESTAR (8D: Protagonist of the first season of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure") JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a TV series based on the Japanese manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. The series has different parts, each following a member of the JOESTAR family who has a name that can be abbreviated to "JoJo." JONATHON JOESTAR is the first protagonist to be featured.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• CLUE (22A: Crossword puzzle hint) Hmm, what might this CLUE be referring to?
• TORAH (34A: Text that starts with Genesis) The TORAH, also known as the Pentateuch, is the Jewish text that includes the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The word Torah can also be used to refer to all 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or all of Jewish teaching, culture, and practice.
• ARE (50A: The "r" in "hru?") hru? = how ARE you?
• TEN (3D: Number of rings possessed by Shang-Chi) Shang-Chi is the Marvel Comics superhero featured in the 2021 movie, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the TEN Rings. Simu Liu played Shang-Chi in the movie. 
• NEALE (12D: Author Zora ___ Hurston) Zora NEALE Hurston (1891-1960) was an author, anthropologist, and filmmaker. Her 1937 book, Their Eyes Were Watching God was adapted into a made-for-TV movie in 2005.
• MAY (38D: AAPI Heritage Month) and PSA (42A: #StopAsianHate ad, e.g.) Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month is observed annually in the United States during May. This clue reminded me of two previous puzzles that celebrate AAPI Heritage, one by Paolo Pasco, and the other by Hoang-Kim Vu & Erica Hsiang Wojcik. PSAs (public service announcements) featuring the message #StopAsianHate are aimed at countering the increase of violence targeting Asians and Asian Americans seen since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. 
• ELMS (53D: Trees that orioles like) American ELMS are the favorite nesting tree of orioles. This is likely due to safety; the drooping branches of the ELMS keep predators from reaching nests.
• UBE (58D: Purple yam) UBE is a species of yam with a bright purple color. It tends to have a mellower taste than its orange counterpart.

Geography review:

• IRAN (40A Country where Farsi is spoken) IRAN is a country in Western Asia, and Farsi is its official language. The capital of IRAN is Tehran.
• SLC (15D: Jell-O Belt state capital, for short) Salt Lake City (SLC for short) is the capital of Utah. How did Utah become known as the Jell-O Belt? A 1997 report by Kraft foods reported that Salt Lake City had the highest per capita consumption of Jell-O. That's not the end of the story, however. Just two years later, Des Moines, Iowa, had pushed Salt Lake City out of the top spot of Jell-O consumption. Utah did not take this news lightly. Several groups in Utah began a marketing campaign to regain the state's title of number one Jell-O consumers. In 2001, the Utah legislature passed the "Resolution Urging Jell-O Recognition." The rest, as they say, is history, and now SLC is a Jell-O Belt state capital.
• ORE (35D: State home to Crater Lake (Abbr.)) Crater Lake in southwest Oregon (ORE) is the deepest lake in the United States. The clear water Crater Lake is known for is due to the fact that there are no rivers flowing into or out of the lake. Lake water that is lost as a result of evaporation is replaced by rain and snowfall.

Today I chased a FALLING STAR and learned more about superheroes. All three theme answers are great, though I try not to STARE BLANKLY when I am supposed to be writing the blog! I liked the visual of the STAR FALLING lower in the grid with each successive theme answer. In addition to the answers I've already highlighted, I also enjoyed DAY TRIP, SOY SAUCE, and PEARLS. Thank you, Mikkel and Brooke, for this puzzle that was a fabulous way to begin my Tuesday.