Cross the Streams (LITS) by Bryce Herdt
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between a shading mode and a composite mode where left click inside cell shades square, left click + drag draws line segment, right click inside cell adds dot, and right click on cell edge adds an x.)
Theme: Book Code? (The row clues hide the theme word “LITS”, but how?)
Author/Opus: This is the 10th puzzle from guest contributor Bryce Herdt.
Rules: Standard Cross the Streams rules. Also, the shaded region must be able to be split into tetrominoes to form a valid LITS solution (meaning all tetrominoes are connected but no two tetrominoes sharing an edge are the same shape, including rotations and reflections).
Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the black segments from top to bottom for the marked columns, going in order from A to B to C to D and separating each entry with a comma.
Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 7:00, Master = 10:30, Expert = 21:00.
Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.
Note: Follow this link for variations of Cross the Streams and this link for other classic Cross the Streams. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Cross the Streams to get started on.
7:20 (what the hell?). Very fun puzzle, with very few clues, it seems to me.
I’ve learned to write “LITS” next to the puzzle to remind me what to look for when ordinary CtS logic fails. It didn’t work to remind me this time though.
Finally solved the book cipher too: it’s not A-Z for “fuel” in reverse, it’s pretty standard once you find the text.
Fb V vzntvar gung gur grkg vf fbzrjurer ba gur cntr, be pyhrq ba gur cntr? V’z gelvat gb obbx pvcure gur vafgehpgvbaf naq abg trggvat YVGF ab znggre jurer V fgneg. (Ohg V’z vagrecergvat vg nf sbe rknzcyr, jbeq gjryir, sbhegu yrggre; svsgu jbeq, frpbaq yrggre, gjragl svefg jbeq, svsgu yrggre, fvkgu jbeq, svefg yrggre.
Gurer vf ab erny “obbx” gb svaq urer; gur pyhrf ersre gb gurzfryirf va fbzr jnl.