what i did, #1

i came up with a new blog category that is more like a diary of special interests and i called it: what i did.
what i did is simply what i did, meaning what i was up to within a specific period of time and deem noteworthy. we could define these "specific period[s] of time" as "what-i-did-after-the-last-post-and-before-i-wrote-this-post period of time". this way, it's always true! i'm imagining it as a weekly format, but you know how it is.
so, what is it that i did, exactly?

I finished marvel's midnight suns

i've been playing marvel's midnight suns, a deck-building game developed by firaxis and published by 2k in 2022, for months now (to be precise: i started playing on Dec 25, 2025) and it was pretty intense, to say the least. today, i finally finished it after some lengthy achievement hunting (which i did because i wanted a "perfect game"). i was so hooked on that game that i often stayed up way too late which caused me sleepless nights because it messed up my evening/night routine. but it was worth it.
citing from the steam review i posted directly after finishing, it's easily one of the most well-written games i've ever played. it features satisfying turn-based combat, great deck-building options, interesting characters, open-world(-ish) exploration opportunities with lots of world-building, fun leveling mechanics, room for customisation (framed marvel covers (reminiscent of the cover i made for this article)? hell yeah!), a quirky main protagonist (and party), top-notch sound design, environments, and animations... i'm a bit sad it's done now but i'm also looking forward to picking up my evening routine again and checking out other games. talking of which:

i started playing abriss

i've been curious about "abriss — build to destroy", a physics puzzle destruction game developed by randwerk and published by astragon entertainment in 2023, and since it's more of a short game it's nice change of pace for me. (instead of going directly into a longer game again) i've destroyed two structures so far and it's getting complicated already. (you know, physics) the game has a moody post-apocalyptic setting, detailed 3d graphics, and an atmospheric soundtrack. quite intriguing so far!

i designed a logo for mixpal

i saw a post on mastodon from one of my mutuals asking for an artist to design a logo for a federated social network called mixpal. as it turned out, this project revolves around requesting mixtapes from other members of the network. reading the description, i got immediately excited as i've created many mixtapes throughout my teenage years in the 1990s/2000s up until the 2010s, moving from cassettes to discs to mp3s. i even had a tiny tape label, tyyny tapes, for a year, which i really enjoyed (but which was too tough for me to keep up) and handpoked myself a walkman on my hand. so i didn't think twice and was happy when lown gave me this opportunity.
my memories of regulating myself with my walkman/discman/mp3 player every day, creating mixtapes/playlists all the time, and my love for the written word (not only fictional text but also exchanging letters with pen pals) instantly gave me an idea for the mixpal logo: a walkman (or as i like to call it: walkbuddy) who's your friend. who's supporting you throughout emotionally draining/funny/tough/adventurous/melancholic/difficult times, and who gets you into contact with other people sharing a similar passion for music.
the mixpal project is still in the making and i'll definitely check it out once it has launched.

i visited an exhibition called nihilistic superstar

i really wanted to see the nihilistic superstar exhibition that was happening at migrant bird space, an art gallery that focuses on contemporary chinese art, often showing transgressive works by young photographers. i didn't know the photographer, gulu, but the exhibition poster looked intriguing and the preview read like something i'd like:

Gulu's photographs, made between 2021 and 2023, capture with striking clarity the emotional landscape that would soon define our global moment: young bodies navigating loneliness, desire, and fractured intimacy while struggling to stay alive amid a feeling of endings.

In an age governed by algorithms, made transparent by data, and driven by speed, we are losing something fundamental: the capacity to feel. [...]

However, when systems demand that we become smooth, efficient, and predictable, the body remains a space of resistance. It's where we push back against control, express our chaos, and reclaim depth.

[...]

This exhibition poses a question: How do we remain human in a post-human age?

i got there the day before the closing event and it turned out that the gallery was already preparing for the next exhibition and all of the flyers/catalogues were out. next time, i'll attend earlier. anyway, i liked most of gulu's work, especially the photographs with distortion effects, costumes, and interesting environments. they conveyed something surreal and futuristic.

i watched an interview on this suffocating now

i was finishing a video on youtube when the algorithm showed me a thumbnail of this interview with vika kirchenbauer on her latest short film "this suffocating now". i had watched one of her early short films, "like rats leaving a sinking ship" (2012), more than ten years ago and i'm still thinking about it from time to time, especially because of the poetic language and the moody images. i originally wanted to see the screening of "this suffocating now" at the berlinale a few weeks ago but i couldn't make it. so i thought this interview might be interesting. even without having seen the short film, the interview is worth the watch as it touches upon current fascist tendencies happening in germany, censorship around the term palestine, small signs of something bigger, something scary. kirchenbauer is interested in what precedes violent acts: what are signs that marginalised people become demonised (again)? why are people getting away with (micro-)aggressions that were deemed impossible just a few years ago? kirchenbauer asks these questions through the lens of everyday events such as being at the hospital with a broken arm and getting asked what her genitals are (an event that led to kirchenbauer getting the initial idea for the film). i highly recommend watching this interview conducted by zsombor bobák for the teddy awards 2026.

i watched aşk, mark ve ölüm

i watched a very nerdy (and outstanding) documentary called "aşk, mark ve ölüm" (which translates to "love, deutschmarks and death"), directed by cem kaya in 2022. the film revolves around the recruitment of turkish "gastarbeiter*innen" (guest workers) by the german state in the 1950s and how the workers wear met with bigotry and racism. kaya's focus lies in musical developments, the emergence of new genres, and he highlights the utilisation of the workers' music with (partially) turkish-german lyrics in order to stand against racism. these songs of protest and their creators became very popular in in turkey and in turkish communities in germany, but hasn't been talked about in german media. the documentary features a lot of these artists, found footage, and new interviews, all of which create a memorable portrait of this time up to the 1980/90s (although a bit more briefly, since these years are not the focus of the documentary). an educational and fun watch!

i read moon of the crusted snow

even though the snow has melted, i felt like reading a book with a post-apocalyptic winter theme. i found "moon of the crusted snow", written by waubgeshig rice and published 2018, while searching for native american literature and thought initially it was an eco-horror novel. (it's not)
despite the slow pace i found myself invested in the story and patiently waited for a big scary reveal. (there wasn't one) the plot was a bit predictable and it had some issues (plot holes). i still enjoyed the read because of the atmospheric storytelling and the educational material on ashininaabe ways, traditions, and language. i would also read the sequel, "moon of the turning leaves", which is set a decade after moon#1 and features a female protagonist.

i started reading the heated rivalry source material

i'm on my third rewatch of the "heated rivalry" tv series and decided to pick up the source material (the book by rachel reid, published in 2019). apparently, it's a best-seller now. it's funny to me because i've read 138 pages by now and most of it is gay smut (which i'd hoped for, tbh). i didn't think this could become mainstream but here we are. i wonder if people would read this if it was a yaoi manga... (which is not mainstream yet) anyway, i absolutely enjoy the read and my only gripe is that reid describes ilya as somewhat unattractive which creates a bit of a dissonance with the actor (connor storrie) who portrays him in the series. my workaround: i've been replacing the book-ilya with the series-ilya while reading, so everything is fine.

i finished industry (season 4)

that series has always had me on the edge of my seat and with season 4 it was no different. i loved seeing harper launching her own business with eric and guessing what yasmin was scheming next. there were lots of new characters and i think that has been a problem for me. partially, because i liked the characters from the past seasons and missed them. partially, because the new storylines weren't that interesting, one of them being a retelling of the wirecard scandal. max minghella plays a convincing villain and i'd like to see more of him in the final (5th) season. but the henry plot (involving rich people and politics) was kind of boring, sorry. and there were some questionable choices in regard to cast members of the previous seasons and how their stories were ended in season 4. the writing felt a bit too cruel, a bit too constructed for shock value. still, i absolutely loved episode 7. while i'm waiting for the final season (probably coming 2028?), i'm listening to the excellent soundtrack by nathan micay.