April 15, 2026

It was the second week of the semester and the deadline for adding or dropping classes was fast approaching. A classmate asked me if I was “laptop-maxing” this semester (i.e. going fully remote). I told them that I wasn’t even sure what classes I was actually signed up for because I couldn’t seem to find a copy of my schedule online. I thought about visiting my advisor the next morning to ask about it.

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I was modifying a 3D art piece of Deadlock characters inside of a virtual space. I was able to move around and “physically” repose and reconstruct the models. I wanted to create a counterpart to the original work where they were worn out instead of triumphant. Somehow models from League of Legends like Rammus and Heimerdinger were also present in the roster that I pulled out from the tangle of bodies. I set down a Shiv with noodles for arms onto the ground and grew frustrated at the lack of progress and my inability to realize what I was trying to make. I wasn’t communicating with the people who were there to help me with the project because I wanted minimal distractions. Someone was recreating some of the characters with bread. Some thought we were trying to make an animated short. And yet others thought we were going to a group photo kind of vibe.