Shulk's Scrapbook

Past Crosswords

Past crossword contests that have been hosted on the site! You can still fill out any of these crosswords for fun if you want, but there are no prizes associated anymore, and you won't be added to the Hall of Fame. If you do want to do the crossword for fun, be sure not to open the "Complete Crossword Image" or "Answer Explanations" dropdowns until you've given it your best shot, since they will spoil the answers!

Crossword 3: February 2024 - September 2024

Already giving up on this being a monthly thing apparently. Lol that's just the way it goes I guess. This one didn't have a theme.

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Across

  • 3. The most overworld-accurate item. (8)
  • 8. Why are we going insane over a brick? (11)
  • 12. Probably similar in appearance to 16 Down. (8)
  • 13. Manly eggplant. (15) Note: there is a typo in this clue on the PDF and PNG versions of this clue.
  • 14. Use it to cast spell of "summon mouse." (12)
  • 15. Would brown eyes be less intimidating...? (12)
  • 17. Patella petra. (11)
  • 19. Similar name, but much less effective as a gift than 21 Across. (10)
  • 20. Heart-shaped and hard to handle. (11)
  • 21. Love at first bite...? I thought it was a liquid? (10)

Down

  • 1. Sounds like a breakfast cereal. Maybe it is one. (10)
  • 2. For morning gambling? (8)
  • 4. Is it worth melting your soul? (14)
  • 5. Rusty and gutsy. (12)
  • 6. Shrivel up and dry. (9)
  • 7. A gemstone you don't have to craft. (15)
  • 9. Melia catches a glimpse of her home on a different continent. (9)
  • 10. A rock-collecting beauty. (11)
  • 11. Great hiding spot for Shield Bugs. (11)
  • 16. Surprising that the leaves didn't lose their color over the years. (11)
  • 18. Is this supposed to be another name for weed...? (8)
  • 19. Low-weight baseball implement. (8)

Complete Crossword Image:
Answer Explanations: Across
  • 3. The most overworld-accurate item. (8)
    • Answer: BLUEGLOW
    • Explanation: In the overworld of the game, any time you see a collectable item you can pick up, it is depicted as a small, fuzzy blue glow.
  • 8. Why are we going insane over a brick? (11)
    • Answer: REDFRONTIER
    • Explanation: The item description reads “Sharla looked wild as she named it. A weird red brick tougher than iron.” I have no idea what the reason for looking “wild” for an item like this would be.
  • 12. Probably similar in appearance to 16 Down. (8)
    • Answer: STARCUTE
    • Explanation: Emerald Snow (16 Down) is described as green snow made of leaves, and Star Cute is described as deep green stardust. Both would be a powdery green substance.
  • 13. Manly eggplant. (15)
    • Answer: ENERGYAUBERGINE
    • Explanation: Aubergine is the British term for eggplant, and the description says it’s “recommended for men.” (My apologies for the typo in the original version of this clue that said zucchini instead of eggplant; I got it mixed up with Girl Courgette, which is a zucchini.)
  • 14. Use it to cast spell of "summon mouse." (12)
    • Answer: ABSURDBRANCH
    • Explanation: The item description calls it a “small branch that attracts mice from who knows where.”
  • 15. Would brown eyes be less intimidating...? (12)
    • Answer: ETHERPENGUIN
    • Explanation: “This penguin has distinctive blue eyes, but still looks intimidating.” …Probably should have worded this clue better, as I now realize it might have made more sense to say more intimidating, if it’s intimidating in spite of the blue eyes… whatever no wonder barely anyone did this crossword when submissions were open >-<
  • 17. Patella petra. (11)
    • Answer: KNEECAPROCK
    • Explanation: “Patella” is the kneecap bone, and “petra” is from the Latin or Greek for rock. 
  • 19. Similar name, but much less effective as a gift than 21 Across. (10)
    • Answer: LOVEBEETLE
    • Explanation: Like Love Source (21 Across), it has “love” in its name. No item is as effective at raising affinity as the Love Source.
  • 20. Heart-shaped and hard to handle. (11)
    • Answer: STRONGSCREW
    • Explanation: The item description says: “A blue heart-shaped screw. Small and cute, but hard to handle.”
  • 21. Love at first bite...? I thought it was a liquid? (10)
    • Answer: LOVESOURCE
    • Explanation: Gifting a character the Love Source will earn you the “Love at First Bite” achievement, even though it is described as a love potion, which is typically thought of as something you drink rather than eat.
Down
  • 1. Sounds like a breakfast cereal. Maybe it is one. (10)
    • Answer: CREAMWHEAT
    • Explanation: Cream of Wheat is an American breakfast porridge similar to grits. The item description talks about steaming it, so it might be able to be eaten in a similar way.
  • 2. For morning gambling? (8)
    • Answer: DAWNDICE
    • Explanation: Dice can be used in gambling games, and dawn is in the morning.
  • 4. Is it worth melting your soul? (14)
    • Answer: JUICYBLUEBERRY
    • Explanation: The item description says it’s “So good it melts your soul away.”
  • 5. Rusty and gutsy. (12)
    • Answer: WARRIORSCREW
    • Explanation: From the item description, “It's red with rust, but who cares! A gutsy wild little screw.”
  • 6. Shrivel up and dry. (9)
    • Answer: DEWBEETLE
    • Explanation: The item description says that “Drying leaves it wrinkly,” giving the image that it shrivels up when it dries.
  • 7. A gemstone you don't have to craft. (15)
    • Answer: RAINBOWZIRCONIA
    • Explanation: Zirconia is a type of gemstone. There are gem items in the game that you can equip to weapons and armor to boost your stats, and these require playing the gem crafting minigame. Rainbow Zirconia does not function as one of these types of gems and can’t be crafted, of course.
  • 9. Melia catches a glimpse of her home on a different continent. (9)
    • Answer: ERYTHBLUE
    • Explanation: This item is from Agniratha on the Mechonis, and Melia is from above Eryth Sea. The item description specifies that Melia was sentimental when naming it, also.
  • 10. A rock-collecting beauty. (11)
    • Answer: RAINBOWSLUG
    • Explanation: “This slug sticks crystals to its body, thus giving it a rugged look.” Crystals are rocks and with a rainbow of them attached, I think the slug would be beautiful.
  • 11. Great hiding spot for Shield Bugs. (11)
    • Answer: BLUESKYBARK
    • Explanation: The description for Shield Bug says “After dreams of dancing in the sky, this species turned blue.” Since Bluesky Bark is also blue, Shield Bugs could camouflage there.
  • 16. Surprising that the leaves didn't lose their color over the years. (11)
    • Answer: EMERALDSNOW
    • Explanation: The item description calls it “Green snow made of wind-scattered leaves accumulated over time.” However, if leaves had fallen and collected over time, you would usually assume that they would have turned brown instead of keeping their emerald color.
  • 18. Is this supposed to be another name for weed...? (8)
    • Answer: HIGHLEAF
    • Explanation: A play on weed or marijuana being a leaf that can get you high.
  • 19. Low-weight baseball implement. (8)
    • Answer: LIGHTBAT
    • Explanation: The “light” in Light Bat refers to glowing, and of course it’s an animal, but the pun is on light as in lightweight and bat as in baseball bat.

 

Crossword 2: October 2023 - January 2024

This crossword was open quite a bit longer because I was so busy over the fall and winter holidays. I think I still made it too difficult... Anyway, the attempted theme was happy and sad items, though it was very subtle, probably to the point where there wasn't much of a point in going for a theme in the first place. ^^;

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Across

Down

Complete Crossword Image:
Answer Explanations: Across
  • 2. Maybe it’s a pacifist, or maybe it’s just too cute to fight. (11)
    • Answer: SHINYSCARAB
    • Explanation: The item description says “A cute shiny beetle. It's not really one to pick a fight with others.”
  • 9. Are we sure this isn’t a typo on “carnation”...? (15)
    • Answer: MERRYCORONATION
    • Explanation: This is a flower collectable, but “coronation” is not a type of flower or plant. It’s spelled similarly to “carnation,” which is. Of course, it could just be a name intended to sound pretty rather than reflecting any real flower.
  • 11. Like snow on the beach… (8)
    • Answer: SEABERRY
    • Explanation: The item description says this flower “reminds you of a snowy scene when open,” and it’s found in Eryth Sea. The clue is a reference to the Taylor Swift song. Plate Snow might have been a thought for this answer, since there are some beaches in Colony 9, but you would notice the letters don’t fit.
  • 12. I’ve never heard someone call a vacuum part “beautiful.” (9)
    • Answer: WHITETUBE
    • Explanation: The item description says, “A piece of broken vacuum tube. Its beauty endures however.” I can’t help finding this hilarious.
  • 15. Perhaps it’s named this because it warms off sadness? (13)
    • Answer: DESPAIRCLOVER
    • Explanation: The item description just says “Flower with thermal properties. Carry it around to keep warm.” There is no reason why it should cause despair, so maybe it’s named because the warmth chases despair away. The clue may have seemed like a typo with “warm” instead of “ward,” but this was intentional to more clearly hint at this item.
  • 18. Like snow on the… uh. Mechonis? (14)
    • Answer: SNOWTRANSISTOR
    • Explanation: This item is found in Mechonis Field and “causes visions of snow flurries when you switch it on.” I liked the silly joke in contrast to the Sea Berry question, and thought having this as a question too might help narrow down the answer options for that one.
  • 19. Sneaky fruit. (9)
    • Answer: DARKMANGO
    • Explanation: The item description says “Often sneaks its way into boxes of sweet mangoes. Makes you feel blue.” In addition to the sneaking, it ties in with the overall crossword theme of happy vs sad items.
  • 20. Branch, Blood, Fox, and… (9)
    • Answer: OILOYSTER
    • Explanation: These are all parts of items that have “Oil” in their name: Oil Branch, Blood Oil, and Oil Fox. Oil Oyster is the last item available that would fit the pattern.
  • 21. No need for sleeping pills—just get a whiff of this. (12)
    • Answer: INSANITYMINT
    • Explanation: The item description says it “emits a savage smell powerful enough to knock you out.”
  • 22. This creature’s existence is kind of a joke. (6)
    • Answer: HAHAHA
    • Explanation: The item description calls it “some kind of furry white creature,” and its name is literally just Riki laughing.
Down
  • 1. The protagonist of Flushed Away. (6)
    • Answer: WETRAT
    • Explanation: This one might require googling, but the relevant information comes up upon just searching “Flushed Away.” It’s a 2006 animated movie about a pet rat that gets flushed down the toilet by accident. This would make him a Wet Rat.
  • 3. Organception. (14)
    • Answer: BLACKLIVERBEAN
    • Explanation: Liver is an organ, and this item is found inside Bionis’ Interior, making it an organ inside an organ.
  • 4. I’ve heard of wheezes and crackles from the lungs, but quacking is new. Hope it’s not contagious… (9)
    • Answer: HAPPYDUCK
    • Explanation: This duck has “an infectiously gleeful quack” and is found in Bionis’ Interior. Many of the Bionis’ Interior areas are lungs. This is another one for the theme of happy vs sad items.
  • 5. What about this zucchini is feminine? (13)
    • Answer: GIRLCOURGETTE
    • Explanation: A courgette, according to wikipedia and the dictionary, is a zucchini or marrow squash plant. There’s no real reason for it to have “girl” in its name, other than that Xenoblade is a series that is annoyingly weird about women.
  • 6. You’ll stab your eye out, kid! (13)
    • Answer: BLUEGEARSHARD
    • Explanation: The item description says “Sharp shard. Somebody could have their eye out with that!” The joke is in reference to a quote from the movie A Christmas Story.
  • 7. I guess if Jiminy was more like this, Pinocchio could have wished on him instead. (13)
    • Answer: BENIGNCRICKET
    • Explanation: The item description says it “flies like a shooting star.” The clue is in reference to the song “When You Wish Upon a Star” from Pinocchio, and the movie features the character Jiminy Cricket. I hope this one isn’t too convoluted; I haven’t seen the movie in years, I’ve just played a ton of Kingdom Hearts, which is close enough I think.
  • 8. May rely on ivy poisoning the water. (14)
    • Answer: POISONOUSCORAL
    • Explanation: The item description says it breathes half sea-water and half poison-water. This item is from the Fallen Arm, like Poison Ivy, and since I’m not sure what else would create poison-water, I like to think there is some form of mutualism going on here.
  • 10. Mistaken enough as a vegetable for the collectopaedia to categorize it as one. (11)
    • Answer: SWEETPEPPER
    • Explanation: The item description calls it “a sweet fruit that is often mistakenly thought of as a vegetable.” However, it is still in the Veg category anyway.
  • 13. Along with Feather Leaves, can make for some cozy blankets. (8)
    • Answer: WOOLROCK
    • Explanation: Feather Leaf has the description, “A furry leaf from which they make bedclothes.” Wook Rock’s says “A rock covered in black fur. It can be shorn to make blankets.” Both are found in Satorl Marsh, so they could easily be used together. I added the note about Feather Leaf mostly so that item could be ruled out from the answer.
  • 14. Surprising that Reyn doesn’t dislike this more, considering his history with similar bugs. (13)
    • Answer: FIRETARANTULA
    • Explanation: Reyn hates spiders, as seen in the Heart-to-Heart “Legend of the Spider” and the events of early-game Tephra Cave. This is the only spider collectable.
  • 16. Looks sad, but makes a Nopon happy. (12)
    • Answer: SORROWBEETLE
    • Explanation: The item description calls it “frustrated-looking.” Riki gets +14 affinity points from it. This clue is also more clear if you read the dialogue snippet on the item page.
  • 17. No need to fret; it’s perfect for tea parties with toys. (10)
    • Answer: PAUPERSCUP
    • Explanation: The item description says that “Dunban fretted over what to name this” and calls it “An overly-tiny cup of obscure usage.” While it is probably too small for most people to drink out of comfortably, it could be used for the childhood game of having tea with stuffed animals or dolls.

Crossword 1: August - September 2023

Here are the answers and explanations for the August-September 2023 Crossword! This one did not have a specified theme, but a lot of the answers ended up being Bug collectables by coincidence. There were very few submissions, which either means not a lot of people visit the site, not a lot of people do crosswords, or the clues were just too hard this time. I might try to make them a little easier in the future.

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Across

Down

Complete Crossword Image:
Answer Explanations: Across
  • 5. Dunban IBS momence <3 (11)
    • Answer: SWEETWASABI
    • Explanation: During the Heart-to-Heart “Glowing in the Night” Dunban says, “Let me see... Something I dislike. Sweet Wasabi! The sweetness evokes tears and induces terrible bowel movements.”
  • 6. Apparently ladies enjoy biblical plagues. (11)
    • Answer: QUEENLOCUST
    • Explanation: The item description says, “Deep red like the setting sun, it's a popular gift for the ladies.”
  • 7. Who counted all those stripes? (12)
    • Answer: MINUTEMANTIS
    • Explanation: The item description says it has 77 stripes, but also that it’s pretty hard to find.
  • 9. Ferocious husband to a dying wife. (13)
    • Answer: EMPERORBEETLE
    • Explanation: The item description mentions its ferocity, and its counterpart Empress Beetle is described as emitting “a celestial light which attains intense beauty in its dying moments.”
  • 14. GMO. (11)
    • Answer: MISSINGTREE
    • Explanation: The item description says that through genetic manipulation, it will never decay. GMO stands for “genetically modified organism.”
  • 16. Stoic monarchist. (14)
    • Answer: ULTRAMARINEANT
    • Explanation: The item description says that it toils stoically for its queen, which would be supporting a monarch.
  • 18. So does Greek mythology exist on Bionis...? (11)
    • Answer: HADESBEETLE
    • Explanation: Hades is the Greek god of death. Since Bionis and Mechonis seem to have their own gods in Zanza and Meyneth, as well as the lore around the High Entian pantheon (as seen in the Sororal Statues and elsewhere), I thought having such a direct reference to an existing mythos was interesting.
  • 20. Canonizes the existence of soda on Bionis. (11)
    • Answer: DEATHLYCHEE
    • Explanation: The item description says it can be pressed for “a white juice that's like cream soda.” This item is from Prison Island, making it of the Bionis specifically.
  • 21. Evil counterpart to Clarity Moss. (12)
    • Answer: CONFUSIONIVY
    • Explanation: This was a trickier one, as it might have initially seemed like Insanity Moss, but that one would not fit in the crossword if you solved the adjacent 15 Down. Confusion Ivy was the answer because while Clarity Moss is said to act as a landmark for lost travelers, Confusion Ivy is said to hide signs and lead travelers astray. Both are found in Tephra Cave.
  • 22. Don't let your dreams be dreams! (9)
    • Answer: SHIELDBUG
    • Explanation: The item description says, “After dreams of dancing in the sky, this species turned blue.” The joke is also a reference to the Shia LaBeouf “Just Do It” motivational video.
  • 23. Not a bug, which may be why these siblings have uncharacteristically reversed opinions on it. (9)
    • Answer: BLOODWORM
    • Explanation: Blood Worm is classified as an Animal collectable. It’s Fiora’s favorite item, and Dunban’s second-least favorite. (You can read more about this on the Trivia page.)
  • 24. Apparently you can build basic houses with this in combination with Spotted Volff Hide. (9)
    • Answer: STEELSILK
    • Explanation: This is a tougher one. For the Colony 6 reconstruction, you need two Spotted Volff Hides and two Steel Silks to achieve Housing Level 1. The thought of building whole houses out of just these two items was funny to me.
Down
  • 1. Nostalgia is a negative emotion, apparently. (11)
    • Answer: LEMONADESKY
    • Explanation: The item description says “Sharla looked wistful as she named this deep blue stone of nostalgia,” but Sharla is the only party member to lose affinity points when gifted it. She only loses 2 points, but it’s still interesting considering she was the one to name it.
  • 2. Potential namesake of Sharla's brother. (12)
    • Answer: JUJUBESILVER
    • Explanation: This one’s mostly based on name alone. Sharla’s brother’s name is Juju. Jujube Silver is found in Sword Valley, so it’s possible that one of their parents had seen it while fighting Mechon there. Sharla receives the most affinity out of the party members from being gifted this item, with +14, making it her most liked Flower collectable, which may support this theory. (For those curious, a jujube in real life is a fruit also known as a red date or Chinese date.)
  • 3. But I thought the eyes were yellow? (11)
    • Answer: RABBITSTONE
    • Explanation: The item description is “A red gemstone the colour of a rabbit's eye.” However, the description for Happy Rabbit—the only rabbit item that specifies eye color—says it has “cute yellow eyes.”
  • 4. A High Entia's best friend. (10)
    • Answer: DOBERCORGI
    • Explanation: Dobercorgi is Melia’s most preferred item after Love Source, giving her +22 affinity points. Melia is the only High Entia party member.
  • 8. Ironically, not found on Bionis (unless you make Colony 6 really special). (14)
    • Answer: FORTUNEFEATHER
    • Explanation: The item description says, “A fluffy feather of fortune on Bionis. Sometimes floats over to Mechonis.” Despite this, it is only found in Agniratha—unless you reach Special Level 4 in the Colony 6 reconstruction, in which case you can find it there.
  • 10. Miss Sweetness' exotic gift. (13)
    • Answer: LEWISIASILVER
    • Explanation: Another pretty tough one, but Luma thought it would be funny if I had a question related to Berryjammy. Berryjammy is known as “Poor Miss Sweetness” in Frontier Village, and has a quest where she goes against Ma’crish for the title of Miss Sweetness in Colony 6. While depending on the quest route chosen Ma’crish could become Miss Sweetness, there are no “exotic” collectables that Ma’crish can trade. Berryjammy at a location affinity of 5 stars can trade Lewisia Silver, which is from Agniratha on Mechonis.
  • 11. Everyone likes weird liquid. (13)
    • Answer: HAPPYCARNIVAL
    • Explanation: The item description says “Reyn was laughing as he named this weird liquid that chimes when stirred.” There are no party members that lose affinity when gifted this item.
  • 12. Hope you have calamine lotion and/or diphenhydramine. (9)
    • Answer: POISONIVY
    • Explanation: This one is a little mean in that it requires a bit of pharmaceutical knowledge. Diphenhydramine is better known by the brand name Benadryl (at least in the US) and can be taken by mouth for allergic reactions to reduce itching. Calamine lotion can be applied to skin for itching and is a common treatment for poison ivy, bug bites, and similar issues.
  • 13. Named like 17 Down, but only metaphorically. (13)
    • Answer: WHITESONGBIRD
    • Explanation: This item is actually not a bird at all. It’s a strange collectable that “makes a fresh sound in the breeze.”It is the only item besides 17 down to have “Bird” in its name.
  • 15. Great for goths with spice tolerance. (13)
    • Answer: HELLRASPBERRY
    • Explanation: The item description says “HOT! People who have eaten it have sworn they've seen demonic visions.” The spice level and demonic aesthetic both contribute to the clue here.
  • 17. Why is the only avian Switch-locked? (9)
    • Answer: BLADEBIRD
    • Explanation: There is only one bird collectable, and it’s exclusive to Bionis’ Shoulder in Future Connected, which is exclusive to the Switch. On the original Wii Xenoblade, there were no bird items, which I think was a huge missed opportunity personally.
  • 19. 3 Down played straight. (11)
    • Answer: HAPPYRABBIT
    • Explanation: While 3 Down was about the rabbit-associate item without yellow eyes, this is the rabbit that does.

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