Slowly Regaining My Energy

Hello, dear readers! It has been a busy week, but ever since I took the sleep study and stopped feeling so guilty about needing more rest instead of being “productive” or exercising instead, I’ve started slowly regaining energy. Who’d a thunk it? Apparently, there’s only so much manic energy one can function off of before the body goes on strike. I’ve been making sure to amend my schedule — and improve on my kindness to myself — accordingly.

Anyway, I stopped by my favorite local comics and games store Pure Panic the other day to buy some gifts and was so chuffed to see that, while my first two games are sold out, you can still find physical copies of Camp Elementa there! I need to remember to go in and restock my other games soon. Sadly, the entrepreneurial side of game creation has fallen to the wayside for me of late, as has any creativity if we’re being perfectly honest. Hopefully, those wells of inspiration will recover as my energy continues to do:

Speaking of inspiration, I did get to do a little art this week, courtesy of Gaynor Carradice’s adorable Fall Harvest Mini Coloring Book. I’ll have a full review of that at The Frumious Consortium soon, around the time of its publication on the 25th. I was also so thrilled to get the phenomenal care package sent out with my review copy of Karen Thi’s Spookie Cookies! I have been coveting a bench scraper for the last long while, and since they sent me one (from Williams Sonoma, no less!) plus so many other luxe accessories, I have all the tools I need to make some fabulous Halloween-themed treats.

If you, too, would like some free stuff, check out Level One’s Free RPG Day 2026 Anthology, which is currently available on 9th Level Games’ website! They’re also looking for entries for next year’s anthology, with the theme Romantasy. If you’ve got a game that you think would fit, submissions are open till September 30th!

In games I actually got to play, I finally finished Leon Richardson’s terrific (and also free!) Commandment. It’s got a few bugs but is a very satisfying text puzzle game. You can also check it out on itch.io and textadventures.co.uk (tho the first link in this para is the only one in light mode at present, a godsend if you’ve got the ole astigmatism like I do.) I also just found out about the textadventures site, which is billed as a place you can create, play and share text adventure games. I am going to lose sooooo much time there, lol.

I did not get to read Emily Wilson’s translation of Homer’s Odyssey this week, tho am hoping to do so in the next. I did read a bunch of amazing books tho, including the graphic novel adaptation of Kiersten White’s Mister Magic by Scott Peterson and Veronica & Andy Fish. I haven’t read the original yet, but was utterly blown away by this graphic novel version, which reminded me of old school Vertigo comic book titles in the best way. Essentially, the story revolves around a beloved old children’s TV show that seems to exist in the present day only as urban legend, with no traces to be found since an accident on-set shut down production. When a podcast announces that it’s reuniting the cast, the former child stars themselves are of various minds about it. Little do they know that an ancient evil is waiting for the return of the kids who got away.

I also really enjoyed Christy Mihaly & Marta Sevilla’s America’s Founding Myths, a highly accessible guide for kids who’ve been fed mainstream lies about the USA’s origins, such as Disney’s technicolor romance between Pocahontas and John Smith, or the pernicious idea that colonial settlers occupied empty land, as promulgated by the beloved but problematic Little House On The Prairie books. Ms Mihaly gently debunks these myths and more, while also providing readers with the tools to figure out how to separate fact from fiction. Ms Sevilla’s bold illustrative and design choices underscore the informative text perfectly.

Okay, I have a whole bunch of things I need to do before the Arsenal Premier League season starts later today, so I’ll see you in six, friends!

Currently Playing (Music): Haydn’s 99th Symphony; my Declan Rice and 2026 Energy playlists; The Magnus Archives; BTS’ Arirang; Ariana Grande’s petal; CMAT’s EURO-COUNTRY; Phoebe Bridgers’ Lost Weekend; 90s House playlist.

Currently Playing (Games): Metazooa by Trainwreck Labs; Learned League trivia; NYT Connections & Wordle; Gremco Industries’ Parseword; Irox Games’ Bongo Cat; Greg Stafford’s Pendragon; Michael Szerencsy’s Outliers; Hyper Cats’ Studios’ Haru Cats; Alexander Pfister’s Oh My Goods!

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

Currently Reading or Just Read (Books): Eight Enchanting Elixirs by Lynn Cahoon; Little Monsters by Maire Roche; Mrs Shim Is A Killer by Kang Jiyoung; America’s Founding Myths by Christy Mihaly & Marta Sevilla; Mister Magic: The Graphic Novel by Kiersten White, Scott Peterson & Veronica and Andy Fish; The Hostess by Courtney Psak.