Category Archives: Assignments

Stuck in darkness

Extension of radio show idea this show will interview the various characters taking time to learn a bit about their daily lives and how the power outage affected them. Through these interviews you will discover what lies behind the scenes of this so-called accident. Enjoy, don’t enjoy really is up to you.

Characters for this piece Veronica Malone, Finn Calloway, and Max Matrix.


Vee is a nickname for Veronica Malone, a hard-boiled detective.

  • General Characteristics: Veronica is a no-nonsense, sharp-tongued detective with a strong moral compass and a witty sense of humor. She was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, and wants to fight for justice and help others.
  • Physical Description: Veronica has dark eyes, tan skin, a lean build, and shoulder-length brown hair. She often wears an iconic wine-red coat and fedora when on a case.
  • Personal Details: Veronica is 32 years old and single
  • Likes and Possessions: Her favorite food is spaghetti, and her favorite drinks are Dr. Pepper or Espresso Martini. Her favorite color is red. She enjoys movies like Ocean’s 11 and Miss Congeniality and the book The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler. Her favorite possessions are her journal and her revolver. She always carries a black leather bag containing items such as a notepad and pen, a flip phone, makeup products (in red), stylish sunglasses, and cinnamon-flavored gum.
  • Personal Motto: “Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing”.
  • Backstory: Veronica starts working as a detective in the criminal justice system but becomes disillusioned by the corruption and decides to go rogue.

    Finn Calloway is a 35-year-old tech CEO who established his data empire from the ground up. He was born and raised in New York City. His company deals with AI and data analytics. He is known for being sharp and low-key, and for staying a step ahead in a world driven by data and power.

    Some additional details about Finn:

    • Physical Attributes: He is 6’2″ with short, dark brown hair, a light scruff, and dark brown eyes that often seem thoughtful. He has a lean but strong build, olive skin, and a small scar on his chin. He dresses simply in clean, tailored clothes.
    • Personal Life: He is single and has never been married. He enjoys simple things like grilled cheese sandwiches, driving by the water, and watching the John Wick series. His favorite book is The Da Vinci Code.
    • Possessions and Motto: His favorite possession is his late mother’s wedding ring, which holds sentimental value for him. His personal motto is, “No one else is going to make you happy”.

    Max Matrix, once a teen hacker now a half a$$ed young adult that refuses to leave her room unless dragged out. Smart but overconfident and believes everyone around her is dumber.

    General Characteristics of Max:

    • A high-class hacker and “lady of the Salt Blue clan.”
    • Has a crude attitude and often uses crude language.

    Physical Description:

    • 22 years old, 5’6”, with short brown hair and brown eyes.
    • Has pale skin due to lack of nutrition and sunlight.
    • Has dirty brown hair, deep dark circles, and unhealthy pale skin.

    Personal Details:

    • Born on August 20, 2060
    • Strives to be mature and womanly but is inspired by hackers.
    • Sees herself as a femme fatale and constantly seeks female role models.

    Likes and Possessions:

    • Favors red and blue colors.
    • Enjoys eating meat, blue martini, books, movies, and Cyber Screwdriver.
    • Wears baggy sweats and dark colored clothes.

    Personal Motto:

    • Believes in turning off and letting it burn.
    • Believes life ends when she stops fighting.


    🔍

    The blinds blocked the light from entering the office; blackout curtains had been added ages ago to prevent screen glare, something that was becoming a problem of the past the more smog that filled the sky. With a soft beep, a message tone sounds, the only type of alarm she relied on. Slowly from behind the desk a woman rose; her shirt was crumpled and her hair was a mess on her head, another day spent sleeping in the office; she didn’t even make it to the couch. Aside from a few crumbled blue gum wrappers on her desk, the office was relatively clean. As she stood, she pushed her hair out of her face, revealing a pair of dark, sharp eyes. On the screen flashed a message; soon, however, more began to pour in. With a low, mumbled curse, she grabbed a piece of gum and chewed it until the cinnamon taste woke her up. It seems like tonight was going to be another all-nighter.

    💵

    With a soft clink, the blinds opened automatically, revealing the hidden speakers, allowing the sounds of birds to enter the room gradually, hitting a plateau; as if on command, the man in the bed sat up. His eyes flew open as there was the soft beep and the bathroom door opened, a robotic voice playing, ‘Bathroom sanitation complete, floors warmed to optimal temperatures, today’s schedule…beep…error…lost…rebooting, rebooting.’ The man held no surprise in his eyes as he slowly moved the blanket off himself and stood, his large hands running through his short brown hair as he said a command. “Ignore the schedule for today; play morning sounds, B. There will be quite a few things to get done. For breakfast let’s do something quick; a BlueWake nutrition bar should do the trick.” The man chuckled and walked into the bathroom, stopping for a moment and quietly counting to 3; as if on cue, the robot gave up on finding a schedule and began to play soft forest sounds. The bathroom door closed to hide the man’s knowing smile that reflected in the mirror.

    🖥

    It was impossible to tell what time of day it was; only the light of the screens lighting the windowless cement block “NO NO NO NO NO Boss is gonna kill me!” There was the frantic sound of keyboards clacking as a scrawny woman surrounded by screens practically screeched, the concrete walls absorbing her anguished cries. Her bangs covered her face, but she couldn’t care less since she could see through the strands; her desk and floor were littered with cans that were partially crushed. Whenever her fingers fly to another keyboard, the cans hit the floor with a light ‘tink.’. “AGH, I AM GONNA DESTROY WHOEVER PULLED THIS!” She muttered, her chair spinning to point her at another screen, out of breath in her anger. With a click she grabbed another energy drink and chugged it, blue liquid wetting her throat. “WHEN I FIND YOU, I AM GONNA TELL EVERYONE WHAT COLOR UNDERWEAR YOU WEAR.” With renewed determination, she began her furious typing once again.


    Each character would have an introduction like this

    introducing their morning after the blackout!


    Synopsis

    2082, a world full of smog and pollution only for the poor, that is, while the wealthy live in luxury in their sky-high real estate above the clouds of smog. Everyone was satisfied with the status quo, just trying to make it to the weekend. Who would have guessed it would all end in a single blackout? It was a day like any other; the cabs soared overhead, and you could smell the sweet artificial smells that were being pumped out from the food stalls. Breakfast was coming to a close, and everything was about to hit its peak when the vendor switched to their lunch prices only for every screen to go black. Anything plugged in died, and the never-ending whirring in the city suddenly silenced. Then came the screams of panicked citizens, plunged into darkness with no sun to rely on. It took an hour for the lights and machines to slowly flicker to life once again. The darkness was momentary, but the true problem was just beginning. What or who had caused the largest city to come to a complete standstill?


    Act 1 Set up

    We will set up each character’s identity as presented earlier, adding in how they meet and decide to either work together or against each other; not every person is the hero after all.

    Act 2 conflict

    The main conflict will begin in when they finally found who caused them and then the confrontation of course.

    Act 3 resolutions

    Will they go separate ways or will they become better people together? Who goes to prison, who stumbles into wealth, and who becomes a better or worse person is decided here!

    Title image created by me through Canva

    Tech Noir News

    News Report Assignment for Week 7

    I made this news article from a template on Canva. Luckily, Canva seems to have improved since the last time I used it, where I described it as, “the worst website I’ve ever had the displeasure of using.” Currently, it appears very similar to Picsart, which I have been using for other assignments in this class. I unfortunately got carried away creating a news article for my story instead of a scene from a tech noir film, so the first row is about my story, and the second row is about the matrix. I wrote and edited the text, as well as the moving images and background. I wanted the news to appear as if it were on a screen, letting me bypass certain limitations paper has, which let me use glowing text and moving images.

    Beware the AI

    Design Some Propaganda Assignment for Week 7

    This is a propaganda piece made with Picsart based on a vaporwave aesthetic. I believe this alert would appear on phones, buildings, or other screens that would be impossible to ignore. This warning was made in response to the discovery that AI had become self-aware, represented by the brain in the glowing triangle. Many people fear what AI might do to humanity if it were capable of independent thought, evident through movies like The Terminator or 2001: A Space Odyssey. I believe the same would be true in a world more technologically advanced than ours, where people are constantly surrounded by robots that could pose a threat. In the story, this leads to people having a negative opinion of robots to the point where people with mechanic prosthetics are discriminated against. Although there has never been a case of a robot causing the death of a human in this universe, robots like Zer0 are deeply feared and distrusted.

    Response and reaction

    M. Marshall 2.28

    For the reaction post I chose this post from Tini Time:

    I actually imagine that this sort of propaganda would be how my character recognizes the brain-washing going on from the government. This idea that, eventually, this animal-cyborg-robot-army thing would just be another thing the government did to an innocent group of people (now animals). I think this realization could start some sort of an uprising and eventual downfall of the tyrannic government.

    Reactions

    After a long day DK comes home and sees a news paper on his doorstep, he instantly becomes curious and picks it up to read and on the front page it is a police station shootout. He instantly question who would open fire on a police station and he does further research into trying to figure out why and if there are any patterns that could lead to another shooting

    Propaganda

    M. Marshall 2.28

    I have to start this by saying that I am a liberal. I hate Donald Trump, I cannot stand the Republican party, and I vote blue in every election. I try not to get overly political in this class because I know it can make people uncomfortable (although, isn’t being uncomfortable how we learn? I digress) and that isn’t the purpose of this class. If you disagree with me, you disagree with me, and that is none of my business. However, propaganda could not be described as anything but political, so that is the direction I am going. After any assassination attempt in any country, there will be a lot of controversy and discussion about political violence. To be clear: I do not believe that attempting to shoot anyone will address the problems going on in a country, but most likely martyrize the individual at the center of the controversy. Also, gun violence is wrong. With those things in mind, since this happened, I have seen the image of Trump, his bloody ear, and his fist pumped into the air more times than I can count, some might call it heroic, some might call it idiotic for remaining in the line of fire, I call it propaganda. He was almost shot for his cause makes Trump supporters dig in their heels further into the dirt. These images enforce the idea that he is patriotic and will fight for his country. The other week, at the mall, I saw a picture of this event put onto a poster, perhaps to serve as a reminder of his strength and commitment to the country. I think it is a perfect example of propaganda, which is why I created this right-wing propaganda.

    For the record, no, he won’t. Even if he would, no, I don’t.

    Reporting from the scene!

    M. Marshall 2.28

    For this project I chose the first video, Police Station Shootout from The Terminator (1984). This scene was definitely pretty intense, but a good representation of film noir. I was very lucky this week because I had an important presentation for another class and decided to do a free trial for a month of Canva. This website is great for creating presentations, flyers, papers, anything you might need for free; however, it is really great when you’re paying for it (or on the free trial). Because of that, I was able to create this beautiful newspaper!

    I am struggling to upload files onto WordPress, so working on that is definitely a future goal, for now, enjoy my screenshot.

    Propaganda

    The qoute “Legends rise in the dark ” is sued to emphasize that what is done in our darkest hour and out of sight is what comes to light and shapes us as who we are. This going along with DK’s morality and the questionable things he does as he trying to figure out the line between right and wrong.

    Breaking News

    I used Canva to craft a newspaper article about the movie The Groundstar Conspiracy, after going through the movie it really was the best scene to make a movie about. The images were never clear, so I decided to make that a factor in it and treat them as if they were secret photos so naturally, they are blurry. Gotta expose the underground secrets~ the reporter definitely vanished after putting this story out though. Lots of clipping to make sure they fit.