Hey Pixlate, this was great! I really appreciated the range of your clues - from Bierce Books and Shepard tones to Bitcoin and the Simpsons, this puzzle had it all. Also, thanks for sharing your process. As someone who just started constructing on this site recently, it was good to see another author's process of fighting through the tough corners and decrypting the esoteric entries to emerge with a very enjoyable grid.