I’LL BE A ZOMBIE (I GUESS)

Hello everyone! This week has meant a lot to me namely work (*looks at Martha and whispers “whyyy”*). That being said every reading and watching (my new phrase) was worth it as it lead into the assignment and definitely elevated my work.

OH MY GOD GUYS! We were walking on campus and WE SAW ZOMBIES. We called the police and THEY DIDN’T ANSWER. We’re so scared BC THEY KEEP CHASING US. We found some other survivors and they said that they’re heading to a bunker under the HCC? Anyone out there? #tdc2206@ds106dc pic.twitter.com/NtDeRfvUxo

— cypherpunk106 (@cypherpunk106) January 23, 2018

To start off the week I completed two Daily Creates. The first Daily Create we did was to create a flash fiction story about the zombie apocalypse. I decided to make a video accompanying mine. I borrowed footage from the Our UMW video and transferred gifs to frames to keep the transparency. I then created a short tweet that expressed the stress and anxiety I would feel if zombie were chasing me.

Inspired by Pulp Fiction, my “gate” to another dimension. #ds106 #theend106 #tdc2208 pic.twitter.com/5FH8m5x1dv

— cypherpunk106 (@cypherpunk106) January 25, 2018

The next Daily Create I did was the Gate to Another dimension one. This is actually the one thing that I wish I could change, if I could do the week over. I actually struggled a lot in coming up with an idea. I specifically kept thinking too large (something I couldn’t achieve in 10ish minutes). So I felt like I had to settle on an idea I wasn’t happy with. That being said, this Daily Create did take me awhile to do but I attribute that to my pickiness and once again my deep seeded need for everything to be *perfect*. Thus, this is the one assignment I wish I could get a do-over in.

After my Daily Creates, I did the Tell It/Tweet It Assignment. I think that this is the work I am most proud of this week. I feel that I was able to write a short story that drew people in and used digital aspects to elevate the quality of it. I also feel like I was able to TDLR it (tweet it in 280 characters) pretty well so that people got the gist from my tweet. Fun fact, I actually wrote the story in about 1 hour 30 minutes (fast for me). I think that this short amount of time actually made me get into the story and write it using a more narrative voice.

Some other readings/watchings we did this week was watching a BBC special called “End Day”. It was honestly WILD. We also read an entry from the “Routledge Companion to Science Fiction”. This week I also got to choose the book that I want to read throughout this semester. Because I am indecisive, I asked my friends what they recommended I should read. Unanimously they said that I should read “Oryx and Crake” by Margaret Atwood. I read an excerpt of this and WOW, I cannot wait to read the rest of the book. To read some of my thoughts/opinions on these you can read my reflection post on them here.

Another assignment we had this week was to come up with an archetypal characters we’ve encountered in apocalyptic and post apocalyptic fiction. I really enjoyed this assignment and even made a post about it that you can read here. 

In terms of my website, I’ve been doing some little changes since I got my title, tagline and theme taken care of early on. So what I’ve been doing this week is creating categories along the way (e.g. Reflection Posts, Weekly Posts, Assignments). I then have been adding those to my menu for increased navigation and efficiency. Because of the assignments we’ve been doing this week, I have been able to add more content to my website. Besides one weird posts glitch, this has been amazing for making my website look more complete and not an empty hole (like my heart).  

Regarding my participation this week, I feel like I’ve settled into participating more openly. I have answered a good number of questions on our #tech-questions channel on Slack. Because I am a mole at the DKC, I have picked up a couple of things that have allowed me to help others. I also this week have made Slack reactions that have brought us together as a community. I made one based on Chris’ in my bag video and one with Martha. Even though it’s something small, I think these add personalization to Slack that brings us together. Lastly, I also have been looking at other people’s Instagram and Twitter posts. I have especially liked looking at everyone’s Daily Creates. It always intrigues me that we can all be given the same prompt and go so many different, creative directions with it.

Looking forward, I am excited to do more Daily Creates as they force me to be spontaneous and and run with an idea. I tend to be someone who overthinks, so having the Daily Create has forced me to trust myself and my creative instincts.

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This week Martha asked a really depressing question that I actually know the answer to immediately. She asked  

“In the event of a zombie apocalypse, would you rather be turned into a zombie or have everyone you love turned into a zombie? Why?”

A major characteristic of myself is my desire for everyone around me to be happy. Therefore, I would choose to be a zombie. I want my friends to move on and enjoy life (to the extent that you can enjoy life when you’re in a zombie apocalypse) after I become a zombie. I guess the “Why?” part of the question again can be answered by my deep rooted desire to be a people pleaser and I know that obviously no one would be happy as a zombie. So I’ll take one for the team and become a zombie.

On that depressing note, that’s it folks. I’ll catch you on the flip side.

Featured Image, glitch editor