This page is meant to be a log of the things I’m currently reading, watching, playing, listening to, or otherwise consuming. These are liable to get out of date but I want to publish it so I actually finish something :) Mindful consumption is a project, too.
10S FOREVER
owch
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3257310/
Started: Jun 18, 2025
Genre: Solo-dev bullet-hell arcade mashup
Format: Video game
Progress: Tower
Chloe (she/they, aka owch) has been releasing lo-fi GameMaker games for the past forever. She’s been a huge inspiration for me over the years. Some of my favorites are BEAT THE ART BREAKER and PALACE OF WOE. She has a way of creating unique, moody environments with minimalistic flair. Her games are deeply focused on the gameplay, engaging with a small, unique concept and taking it to its absolute limits. And while she does it, she threads in narratives about identity and trauma, and manages to be whimsical and charming at the same time. There a million trans girl game devs out there, but nobody does it like her. And her games are dirt cheap. Buy them, and then donate, if you can.
10S FOREVER is a tennis souls-like breakout mashup with intense bullet-hell mechanics and the same dense, menacing atmosphere and bumpin soundtrack I’ve come to expect from Chloe. She’s been busting her ass off on this for a long time now, after releasing the original 10S and scrapping a follow-up. This game moves the gameplay from 3D to 2D while maintaining most of the same mechanics. This makes things a lot cleaner imo.
The focus on every little detail in this game is insane: from the way the failure timer echos and screen-shakes to the cinematic timing between levels. The font choice, subtle shaders, and even how the courts midline serves as both a barrier and a progress meter. There are lots of customization options if the game is too hard (or easy!) to enjoy, and it supports local co-op. Everything about this game shines.
I only have a few gripes. I think the menu controls are pretty confusing when playing on keyboard, but that’s minor. The big issue is that the game suffers from the Breakout problem: when you have only a single target left, it’s damn near impossible to hit it! The heat mechanic and charged shot mitigates this slightly, but as far as I know there’s no real way to aim the ball, which makes the latter parts of waves feel like something of a slog. It’s pretty fun just to hit the ball around and charge up your heat though. I could be missing an aiming mechanic here (I’ve only been playing for 1.5 hrs), but it does drag the game down a bit. Maybe I could use my charge shots and unleash myself more.
Anyways. Please buy this. Chloe deserves the recognition, and this is her first Steam release.
The Third Voice
Evan Dahm
https://rice-boy.com/3rdvoice/
Started: ?
Genre:_ High Fantasy
Format: Webcomic (ongoing)
Last read: 109th Scene
15 Jun 2025
Keeping up with the latest updates. I was a big van of Vattu and own the physical edition. So far this is definitely keeping up. Dahm has a way of exploring interesting historically-inspired fantasy settings with interesting character designs, poignant drama, and a penchant for exploring the practical terms of revolutionary struggle.
Crafting Interpreters
Robert Nystrom
https://craftinginterpreters.com
Started: Jun 2025
Genre: Computer Science Textbook
Format: Book (digital)
Last read: Chapter 2, A Map of the Territory
15 Jun 2025
Just started reading this. Studying for an AI parsing/tokenization job. I figure that it would be good to know this stuff anyways, always wanted to write a small language. The book is a really charming read, too. I know the author from his prior work on video game architecture.
Beyond the Limits of Thought
Graham Priest
https://archive.org/details/beyondlimitsofth0000prie
Started: Nov 2024
Genre: Philosophy Monograph
Format: Book (physical)
Last read: Chapter 8, Absolute Infinity
15 Jun 2025
Been chewing on this dense logical work for a while now. I applied for graduate school in December and was hoping to study under Priest. I was rejected (which, honestly, is fine, given the political situation surrounding universities atm). This book goes over the history of philosophy and its relationship to the paradoxical before turning to contemporary views and pushing for dialetheism, the view that contradictions are logically sound and inescapable parts of rationality. This is one of the books I printed off and bound myself.
One-Way Street And Other Writings
Walter Benjamin
https://www.versobooks.com/products/1081-one-way-street
Started: March 2024
Genre: Monograph with essay anthology
Format: Book (physical)
Last read: No. 13
15 Jun 2025
Walter Benjamin is one of those unavoidable cultural critics of the 20th century. I saw this book at my local store and decided to pick it up. This collection includes the essay “Critique of Violence,” which I had just read an essay about. Haven’t gotten to it yet. Honestly, One Way Street itself is pretty boring, though it has some interesting aphorisms tucked away in there. I think the typical English translation of only a few of the book’s aphorisms is probably correct for everybody but scholars.
Disco Elysium
Za/Um
https://discoelysium.com
Started: April 2025
Genre: Investigative Role-playing game
Format: Video Game
Progress: Finding Martin Martinaisse
15 Jun 2025
I hadn’t played this game yet. Obviously it’s a masterpiece and I have a lot to say about it. When the game came out, I was just divorced and was going through psychosis, so I was in no place to play as a washed-up failure of a police officer who has a personal relationship with his necktie. I’m in a much more stable place now so I’m finally giving this game the attention it deserves.
Minecraft
Mojang
https://www.minecraft.net/
Started: 2010 (Alpha)
Format: Video Game
15 Jun 2025
I’m always playing Minecraft. My daughter recently got really into it, so we’ve been playing with her a lot. She’s recently discovered that Survival is actually really fun and has been playing with my boyfriend and I on our worlds. She even joined us for a Hardcore romp and was the last to survive.
Minecraft has always been a big inspiration for me, as it is for most people. It was definitely the first true realization of the infinite sandbox, and has inspired a love for PCG in me.