"The Last Of Us" by benchen71

Can you storm the castle by getting across the MOAT? A weekly meta crossword constructed by forum member Ben (aka benchen71). These metas range from relatively easy to more challenging, depending on how many Australianisms he puts in them! Puzzles are posted in a new thread every Tuesday, with nudges appearing on Saturdays, and the solution coming out on Mondays. (At least, that's the plan. Given he lives in Australia, and they are so far ahead of the US time-zone-wise, things may get posted early!)
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benchen71
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"The Last Of Us" by benchen71

#1

Post by benchen71 »

Welcome to...

benchen71's Metas on a Tuesday (MOAT)

Can you storm the castle by getting across the MOAT? I created this puzzle in 2023 shortly after the final episode of season 1 of "The Last of Us" aired. Here's hoping that when this puzzle is published in April of 2024, season 2 comes out so that this puzzle appears amazingly relevant! [April 2024 edit: Nope! Season 2 isn't coming out until 2025. Ah well, them's the breaks when you construct so far ahead.] The answer to the meta will be patently obvious to fans of "The Last of Us".

The easiest way to submit is on Crosshare (and you get instant feedback and unlimited attempts!) But you can also PM me with your submission. Either way, I'll compile a list of those who successfully solve the meta.

The Last Of Us - Crosshare
The Last Of Us - PUZ
The Last Of Us - PDF
The Last Of Us - Spreadsheet


Nudges are here.
The solution will be posted Monday.

havefun.gif
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Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta! :D
markhr
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#2

Post by markhr »

Knowing absolutely nothing about "The Last of Us", I got it anyway.
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woozy
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#3

Post by woozy »

Castle walked up to. Stared at. And it fell down on its own accord. Never saw an episode and know very little about it but... A little google....
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#4

Post by hoover »

woozy wrote: Tue Apr 02, 2024 1:43 am Castle walked up to. Stared at. And it fell down on its own accord. Never saw an episode and know very little about it but... A little google....
I can corroborate woozy's experience. I don't know anything about the show either, but I was able to google myself across the MOAT.
I don't have anything clever to say, but if I did, it would go here.
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Cinny
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#5

Post by Cinny »

Thanks to Google, I was able to cross the moat and storm the castle! Thanks, Ben!
Cindy Heisler
MatthewL
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#6

Post by MatthewL »

Moat crossed, castle stormed, __________ eradicated. Love the show -- no Google needed. Thanks for the puzzle, Ben!
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#7

Post by Ergcat »

Moat crossed, castle stormed! Clever construction! Thanks, Ben!
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ChrisKochmanski
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#8

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

Crossed!

Stormed!

With help from Mr. G.

Thanks, Ben!
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Darth
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#9

Post by Darth »

DeMOATed. Thanks, Ben.
the-last-of-us-photo-5400510a54a33.jpg
Dave C
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#10

Post by Dave C »

I agree with some of the others - I was not familiar with the show, but Mr. Google confirmed my answer.
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schmidzy
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#11

Post by schmidzy »

I've been meaning to watch this show since it came out, but in typical fashion, I haven't even started. Nonetheless, made it over the moat. Maybe I'll watch it soon!
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lbray53
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#12

Post by lbray53 »

I found the answer but cannot really say I crossed the moat. Looking at my notes I would say that the drawbridge nearly smacked me on the head when it came down but I could not see it. Thank you for saving me from drowning Cinny!
My avatar proves that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good!
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hcbirker
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#13

Post by hcbirker »

Not as hard as I thought it would be since I'm not familiar with the show. Thanks Ben!
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Abide
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#14

Post by Abide »

Google did not help me with the answer, but did tell me the executive producer is Craig Mazin, an inveterate meta solver. You should send this to him.
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benchen71
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#15

Post by benchen71 »

Abide wrote: Tue Apr 02, 2024 6:04 pm Google did not help me with the answer, but did tell me the executive producer is Craig Mazin, an inveterate meta solver. You should send this to him.
Thread posted!
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta! :D
DebbieC
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#16

Post by DebbieC »

I got nothing. Tough to solve a meta with a title that's a show I never watched and a prompt that tells me I'll get it if I watched the show. Curious to see how many non-viewers get this.......
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whimsy
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#17

Post by whimsy »

A little consultation, and then managed to storm --
Untitledzzschedule.png
Thanks, Ben!
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#18

Post by Qmark »

Loved the show...thanks for creating this meta, Ben!
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benchen71
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#19

Post by benchen71 »

DebbieC wrote: Tue Apr 02, 2024 8:28 pm I got nothing. Tough to solve a meta with a title that's a show I never watched and a prompt that tells me I'll get it if I watched the show. Curious to see how many non-viewers get this.......
Sorry about that. But according to the comments on Crosshare there have been a lot of solvers who have never watched the show who got it without too much googling. This is supposed to be a "week 1" puzzle, after all. :D
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta! :D
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benchen71
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#20

Post by benchen71 »

We have reached the end of the first 24 hours, and we have 37 successful solvers to show for it!

markhr
woozy
Dow Jones
Hector
Danny K Bernstein
Pair O Ducks
LarsCaine
hoover
Cindy Heisler
Meg
Cindy Weatherman
MatthewL
Ergcat
Darth
I K Snamhcok
Carolyn
Jaclyn
JM
Tom Wilson
kurtalert
katie
Dave C
DrTom
HeadinHome
Laura M
CPJohnson
lbray53
heidi
Berto
Tim
whimsy
Golem
bigboris
Qmark
Dow Jones
Abide
potemkinish
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta! :D
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