Category Archives: Assignment Idea

Bethany’s Barbie Dream House

I decided to further characterize Bethany (and indulge myself) by looking for a house for her on Zillow. Since she is based in Chicago, that’s where I opted to search. She really doesn’t need a lot of space, especially since its just her. I could see her eventually getting a pet, so a pet-friendly establishment was a plus. While Bethany is only a receptionist for a funeral home, she does have the extra cash flow from Smithy, so the price wasn’t anything I was too worried about.

I found this stunning apartment that I know Bethany would LOVE. Located in downtown Chicago, the one-bed/one-bath setup is just enough for her. The brick and hardwood fixtures are breathtaking, and the balcony would be perfect for her morning reading. There is enough space in the living area for a small office, which Bethany will use for all of her after hours work.

While the bedroom is a pretty stark white, Bethany would fill the room with life through a huge rug and lots of wall art. There is still some personality in this room, though! A wooden beam runs through the ceiling, bringing some much needed warmth to this part of the house.

Krissy’s House

Krissy’s Dream Home is located at 789 Long Ln Lancaster, PA 17603

Coming up with the setting for where my character lives is a central part of crafting their personality. For Krissy, I wrote about her background, stating that she grew up and lived on the farm her parents worked on and that she would one day take over. I had Krissy live in a big farmhouse in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I chose Pennsylvania for her home state because I know many people in Lancaster have very traditional values, and my thought for Krissy was that although she may have some traditional beliefs, she believes she is meant for bigger and better things than what her fellow Lancastrians believe. Additionally, it’s essential to be distinct in what area of Pennsylvania she lives in because Lancaster is so dramatically different than the big cities of PA like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Typically, there aren’t many farms in those cities. This particular house perfectly depicts Krissy and her family. The house has four bedrooms, perfect for her, her parents, her sibling, and a spare guest room. It only has two bathrooms, but the house is amazing in every other way. There is also a large plot of land in the backyard, perfect for crops, animals, equipment, etc. The house is unassuming, but the inside is gorgeous, rustic, colorful, and well-decorated. This is similar to Krissy, who should seem destined to continue her life as a farmer, but will get to one day save the world. The house was built in 1971, but it looks like it was built in the 1900s. The furniture looks like it was pulled from the movie For Richer or For Poorer. It shows Krissy’s taste for the old-fashioned aesthetic. This house is the perfect fit for Krissy, and I know Krissy would consider it her dream home!

Dream Homes and Digital Futures

The thought of what house I would buy without any financial restrictions has always been a thought in my mind, especially as I continue to progress into adulthood and have to think about fully living on my own with a job and a stable income. I’ve always dreamed of living in a house on the West Coast in the San Diego area, and immediately went to browse around the area. I’m also not a huge fan of the more boxy shaped modern houses and am more drawn to clean and minimalistic houses with some rustic aspects to tie it together. After a bit of searching, I found this house that looks perfect, listing at 4.5 million with 5 beds and 3 baths, and a setup and all the space one could need.

A connection to our class theme of Tech Noir I thought of was how the market of houses would look under a vastly developed technological society. Smart homes would be commonplace, but could be used to exert control over their inhabitants. There’s also concerns of privacy as technologies that makes a home “smart” could be hijacked by powerful corporations or government entities to monitor and manipulate people. Would every house look the same and be “smart homes” or could there be diversity present and how would that ratio look? How would a boundary between security and privacy look in a market of houses full of surveillance and AI-driven systems? Furthermore, large tech corporations could dominate the housing market, buying up properties to embed technology in them, then price out working-class residents to raise property value and essentially cut off any sense of community. Overall, my vision of the housing market in tech noir is a space governed by technology that shapes the living experience for its residents.

Soundtrack of My Soul

When I was first looking through the assignment bank the Soundtrack assignment caught my eye immediately. I have always been around lots of music, and am a big fan of all types of genres. I thought this assignment would be perfect for me to express different eras that have been impactful to me and led me to who I am now. Music is an amazing way to tell a story about yourself and that’s how I interpreted completing this assignment to be true to me. I chose eras of songs that were released in the 2000s and 2010s to reflect my favorite songs to listen to growing up, embodying my childhood. Then switched to Grateful Dead and Phish because my parents were a heavy influence in getting me into all sorts of music, and they love listening to jam bands, originating with those two. Lastly, I chose vintage songs mostly by Frank Sinatra to represent my grandparents, who loved Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, as they were big role models in my life before they passed away and I love listening to all sorts of Jazz to reminisce on being in their car looking at Christmas lights.

Enjoy viewing a compressed version of the eras and influences of my life!

Dr. Oblivion’s Speech

You know, the old world was a total mess. Nothing worked the way it was supposed to. Everything was slow, chaotic, full of mistakes. But now? Now it’s different. Everything just… works.

The city feels alive, like it’s looking out for you. The machines take care of the hard stuff—things we used to stress about, they just handle it. No emotions, no second-guessing, no screw-ups. It’s efficient. It’s smooth.

People talk about freedom like it was some great thing, but honestly? It felt more like chaos. What we’ve got now? It’s better. Cleaner. Safer.

And the best part? I feel good. I feel happy. You do too, right?

Dr. Oblivion intro

A broken sign flashed blue neon, creating a rhythmic flicker over the alley’s slippery, damp asphalt. Potholes accumulated puddles that were too deep to be rainwater, reflecting the sky like obsidian shards. A instrument of brushed steel, its strange blue glow fading to a dying ember, lay beside a crumpled body. Rats, slender and plump, emerged from the darkness, scavengers in a concrete jungle where even rodents appeared to flourish. His story was buried in the endless urban night, and he was simply another fatality. The weight of the world, a tiny data chip promising salvation, shifted in the pocket of the man who had been his friend – or had he been? Trust was a currency long devalued in this city of shadows and circuits.

Visual Assignment

Stay Home – Living is Dangerous. Create some sort of graphic. Design the overall graphic to convey some sort of feeling or theme, but then have text saying something completely contradictory to the theme or feeling. Sort of like one of those old anti-motivational posters, but with more design than a black box with a white frame.”

I wanted to do something simple and creepy. Using the description of the assignment to create the creep factor.

I had to search for a suitable image that went along with the theme of tech noir. This particular image was built with the idea of constant surveillance even if you can’t tell. Yet I opted to put a visible eye then a hidden one.

Pinterest Picks My Perfect Life

I love Pinterest, and I have always loved Pinterest. It’s a fun and relaxing website that allows me to curate what I would like my life to look like. I chose the “Your Dream Life” assignment because I’ve basically been doing this assignment in my free time for years.

The boards that I have on my Pinterest include hair, outfits, bedroom, pets, gym, and home. To start, my Pinterest board shows many beautiful styles of hair. In an ideal world, my hair would always be made up. Whether it’s straightened, curled, braided, or put up, I love it when my hair is done, and I wish I had more time to sit down and do it. For the outfits board, I have been struggling with my style lately. I’m having trouble choosing what style(s) I identify with. For the most part, I’ve been really into 2000s fashion, so my board is made up of a lot of that. I also love feminine fashion, so those pieces also show up on my board a lot. Moving on to my pets board, I have a cat and a dog at home, so I feel I already have the ideal life for pets. I will be happy if I have at least one pet. My gym board is the only one that doesn’t align with my perfect life. I have never been into fitness, so in a perfect world, I wouldn’t have to exercise to stay healthy. However, I know that’s unrealistic, so I included some easy, beginner exercises for my health and wellness. Finally, for my home board, I love lots of color and character, and that shows in my pins for homes. Victorian homes match my love for color and character really well, so I have always been drawn to them.

To determine what I wanted on each board, I had to sit down and envision all the aspects of my ideal life. For example, with my outfits board, I said I’ve been having trouble figuring out my style, so what I did to try and help find it was thinking about TV characters I’ve seen where I’ve thought “Oh that’s a cute outfit.” So I thought Cheyenne from Reba had some cute outfits and included her on my board. Another thing I did since I mentioned liking feminine outfits was to search for “2024/25 girly outfits” to stay up to date on trends while still matching the vibes that I like. For my house/bedroom, I went a different route. Where I live is an extension of my personality and interests. I like comedies that can be messy, and my love for playful and maximalist decorations reflects those interests. Another example is I’m a night owl, so I spend a lot of time in my bedroom. Therefore, I want it to be aesthetic, but I also want it to have things like my books and laptop in close quarters. Consequently, you’ll see a nightstand, dresser, bookshelf, or desk in many of my pins so that I can easily access my valuables.

This project was enjoyable for me because I enjoyed getting to craft my ideal life. Limited time might keep me from being able to do my hair every day, and limited funds may keep me from buying a house tomorrow, but crafting a more personalized style, going to the gym more, and decorating my room better are achievable goals, maybe now that I can see the finish lines for my goals they will be easier to achieve.