Introducing A4 2B D6 magazine!

Apologies for the delay in this week’s newsletter, friends: it has been a rough few days energy-wise and I feel like I’ve slept more than I’ve done anything else lately. But I did have a nice Fourth of July weekend and spent it like a true American, sitting on a recliner in an air-conditioned room at the beach while watching sports on a big screen TV, lol. Later on in the day, the rain threatened to turn the coast into a ghastly grey-green straight out of Innsmouth, but eventually cleared enough for the neighbors to rapidly shoot off their fireworks, which the kids definitely enjoyed.

In news of my other homeland, the Malaysian RPG magazine A4 2B D6 Vol 1, edited by Aaron Lim, is now available online! I haven’t finished reading my copy yet (and plan to write it up at The Frumious Consortium when I do) but I’ve really enjoyed the different topics it covers. Moondew’s Diary by Atikah, a first-person fiction narrated by a Leshy in a Pathfinder game, is hilarious. I’m super looking forward to giving the rest of the magazine a thorough read and review soon.

I finally finished the last two bonus puzzles of The Light In The Mist puzzle tale (there’s a fun prize at the end!) and decided to go ahead and use the tarot deck for my weekly readings this July. While the deck has a lovely hand feel when shuffling, I’m not sure if I’ll continue using it for that purpose once the month is up, as the art tends to be gloomier than I prefer: suitable for the story told in the puzzle tale, but less fitting for the kind of introspection I prefer. It was a very satisfying game tho, and I’m looking forward to giving that a full write-up at TFC soon too.

I also happened to wander into an 81-person lobby in Bongo Cat the other day, which was genuinely delightful because of all the cool skins and items that the other players were rocking. There’s a picture below, tho many of the cats are layered on top of each other so you might not be able to examine all 81.

Reading-wise, I continue to keep up with my Hugo voter obligations by finishing and voting for all the 2026 Best Novelette nominees. My clear favorite was Catherynne M Valente’s When He Calls Your Name, a haunting interpretation of Dolly Parton’s Jolene. You can check out my opinions on the entire slate here; there are actually two stories nominated that clearly reference the classic country song, which is an admittedly weird coincidence but in a fun way.

I also enjoyed the gothic mystery novel The Fourth Wife by Linda Hamilton (no, not that one) this week. Drawing from her Mormon roots, the author spins a compelling yarn that’s almost a reverse Bluebeard, as young Hazel Russon becomes the fourth wife of a wealthy man who lives in a remote manor. Hazel’s sister wives aren’t terrible, as far as these situations go, but the house itself has secrets that threaten to destroy the slim chance at happiness Hazel has found for herself here in 1882 Utah. This historical fiction debut is admittedly rough-edged but shows that the author has lots of potential: I look forward to reading more of her work in future.

And speaking of which, I have a ton of reading and writing still to do. Maybe if I’m lucky I’ll get to watch some World Cup football with friends this weekend instead of just cussing out my screens, to the ongoing amusement of my family, at home. See you in six, friends!

Currently Playing (Music): Haydn’s 99th Symphony; my Declan Rice and 2026 Energy playlists; The Magnus Archives; BTS’ Arirang; Olivia Rodrigo’s you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love; Madonna’s Confessions II.

Currently Playing (Games): The Light In The Mist puzzletale; Metazooa by Trainwreck Labs; Learned League trivia; NYT Connections & Wordle; Gremco Industries’ Parseword; Irox Games’ Bongo Cat; Greg Stafford’s Pendragon; Larian Studio’s Baldur’s Gate 3.

Currently Reading/Writing (Games): Ghosts Of Saltmarsh.

Currently Reading or Just Read (Books): A Catered PTA Murder by Isis Crawford; The Fourth Wife by Linda Hamilton; The After-School Kindness Crew: Pooch On The Loose by Goldie Hawn, Lin Oliver & Breanna Chambers; Hugo Awards 2026: Best Novelette Nominees; All Shell Breaks Loose by Molly MacRae.