At the suggestion of Jim Groom (the co-professor of this class) I decided to base my character on my cat. It is important to me that readers know art is not a hobby of mine, nor a talent. I felt content enough with how the drawing came out to share it, but it is not anything revolutionary or particularly well drawn.
Drawn by me (2025)
Regrettably, I did not save the information I put into the Google form, so some of the information will not be verbatim and based off memory and it will not cover every single question asked.
Name: D41SY (previously Daisy)
Archetype: Anti-hero
Place and date of birth: Jantra City (It’s a word for industrial in Bengali, I believe) April 27th, 2124.
Occupation: A(n unwilling) member of the government’s military.
Marital status: Single and never married
Bio: The government kidnapped people’s household pets and turned them into part-robots in order to create an army of animals that citizens would not be able to, in good conscious, fight back against or hurt. D41SY is one of these animals. I need to continue to develop this idea.
Favorite food: Rice cakes (this is true to real life too)
Favorite movie: watching a live video of fish swimming around in a tank.
Favorite possession: Her next meal (also true to real life)
I would like to base the story around a dystopian government taking advantage of empathy to control the population. I’m big on sappy, happy endings though, so don’t worry too much.
Zer0 (Z-0903) is a sentient robot in a futuristic, cyberpunk society. In this world, robots are used for labor, protection, and all sorts of things that would be dangerous or undesirable for humans. Unfortunately, in this world, we’ve reached a point of advancement where the robots and AI we create are capable of independent thought, though we continue to treat them like objects. Since the robots are legally classified as conscious, they receive salaries for the dangerous jobs they’re assigned to, but they’re paid significantly less than humans. “Why give them extra pay when they don’t need a place to sleep?” some have argued. Ironically, these robots do “sleep” at charging stations. They’re able to fully recharge overnight for free because the government knows how big of a loss it would be if their money-making expendables were to stop working.
Zer0’s job is to be a meat shield for important people like CEOs and presidents. While unable to carry a weapon himself, his reflexes are fast enough that he’s able to stand in the way of an oncoming bullet or push someone away from danger. He’s capable of feeling emotions and expressing them through the blue LEDs on his “face” monitor, though most humans he encounters still refer to robots as the impersonal it/its. He’s not happy with the way he’s treated, but he keeps his head down and doesn’t complain. He only speaks when necessary on the job, and sometimes people take his silence to mean stupidity. One day, it pays off when he overhears information that would be devastating for his kind should it come to pass. He joins an underground resistance and informs them of what he’s heard, kicking off the plot of the story.
Appearance: She’s only 5’2 but keeps a fit body to keep up in fights during missions. Even though she gets mistaken for a teen because of her baby-face Runa is actually 22. She has brown skin and keen eyes that match her recognizable smug smirk. Her flowing curly hair is rarely tied back into two puffs unless taking strolls through the city. Normally found wearing cloaks or oversized hoodies especially on missions to hide her identity.
Personality: An antihero to her core. Runa is known for her arrogance easily backed up by her skills. She’s really strategic, blunt, and headstrong. Normally prefers working alone so no one will drag her down, but secretly enjoys any acknowledgement from the rebellion’s leader when they’re paired up. Will never admit it but voice becomes high-pitched and squeaky when embarrassed.
Bio: In a world where the corrupt government executes citizens over the smallest crimes to keep them in order, Runa is out for vengeance after her parents were killed. She joined the rebellion called the Claws hidden in the part of Celeste City where crime runs wild without laws being enforced there. Her father was friend’s with the rebellion leader who took her in at a young age and trained her to fight. Now she’s known as The Shadow, a merciless mercenary who gets hired to take down her client’s targets one by one while slowly getting paid in info on government officials so she can avenge her parents.
This week I chose a visual, a design, and a written assignment from the weekly assignment bank. I will also introduce my new course character, add some of my weekly adventures from the daily creates with my post and replies, and then give a brief summary of some of the new things that I learned this week.
I can feel and smell the seasons through the pictures!!!
The first assignment I chose was to make a visual collage of the 4 seasons: Winter, Fall, Summer, and Spring. I was drawn to this assignment because I absolutely LOVE the transition of all 4 seasons, and pictures of nature always amaze me. I wanted to use this assignment to start getting used to creating work that incorporates our class themes (Cyber punk and tech noir). I created the two collages using Canva. They are posted below in the order that I will write about them. Hopefully, you all will be able to tell the difference by their appearance!
First, I started searching for pictures of the four seasons that appeared to be normal or with no theme. I selected pictures that I felt we would see in real life. Or when we think of these seasons a picture like this will immediately pop into our heads. I then added them to my collage board and kept their original rectangular shapes and used no filters or editing tools to alter their appearance. Seasons are in this order for the first collage: Spring, summer, fall, and winter.
For the second collage, I chose another batch of seasonal photos that tended to have darker lighting with more intensified colors and are a little animated. For example, a themed photo I chose for the summer season has an animated human figure sitting at the beach. I intended for this picture to have some tech noir vibes to it with notes of cyber punk, while still representing a seasonal picture in my collage. That was really the process for all of the ones that I chose. I added the themed seasons in no correct order, I curved the edges of the pictures, and I added a little saturation to the pictures to make them look a bit more edgy. All in all, I wanted to show our seasonal reality versus a fun imaginative seasonal world with cyber punk and tech noir vibes. I hope you all can see my vision through these two collages!
For the second assignment, I decided to design a Destination Poster using Canva. My destination is of an imaginary place called Dooms-Dale Land that takes place in the heart of Cyber-Rome, Italy. Traveling to Italy has always been a dream of mine, so that’s why Italy was the inspiration for the setting of this technologically doomed place. I chose a few different pictures to put into this poster because I couldn’t choose just one of them. I researched cyberpunk/tech noir Italy, and these pictures popped up. I thought they were absolutely awesome and had to include them all. I cropped the pictures in a way that I could fit them all on the poster. Other than that, that is the only editing that was done to the pictures.
I used a multicolored background color that you can find on Canva using the linear gradient codes #8c52ff & #ff914d. This is the purple/pink/orange multicolored colors on the poster. I chose these colors because they looked appropriate for the setting. In most of the pictures, they have these colors incorporated in them. I used a “vintage” font with a hollow effect on the text. You can see the letters are slightly hollowed out. I chose this font/effect because I felt like it matched the vibe of the images. I looked through probably at least 15-20 font styles and I loved this one. I clicked on the hollow effect one time, and I didn’t even look for any other effects because I knew this one was it. Lastly, I finalized what I was going to say on my poster. At first, I kept it simple, and I wrote “Welcome to Dooms-Dale Land”, that name was a little random, but I felt like it went with the tech noir and cyber punk themes. Then I added the “Located in the heart of Cyber-Rome, Italy!” part. I thought it would be fun and on track with the theme to add Cyber-Rome, Italy instead of just saying located in Italy. Then I figured, why not add something nice at the end, in hopes to add suspense or something of the like. “We hope you enjoy your stay :)”. It’s almost the same effect as the creepy/scary chucky doll saying “you wanna play?”. Because who is “we” and from looking at the pictures, enjoying your stay may not be what will happen if you travel here. There seems to be a lot of technological warfare happening in these images.
For my last assignment, I chose to do a Self-Wellness Check. Personal wellness is very important to me, and I think it is essential to occasionally do self-check ins to see where I’m at, what I’m thinking, and why I’m thinking it. Below are the questions that were asked in this assignment. I answered them as myself and this assignment was not themed like the other 2. Above I created a little poster to go along with the written assignment. I created it on canvas. I found a picture that I felt like represented self-wellness, and I added it and expanded it to the full size of the poster (11 x 17). Then I added a little text box below that says “Self care. Self love. Self-Health.” Below is the Q&A panel, questions first and then answers are below it with a bullet point.
What worries me most about the future?
I worry about what the world will turn in to. I’m worried that all my hard work (College, internship, jobs.) will only get my head above water, and I’ll never truly become stable to where I can enjoy a comfortable and a financially stress-free life that I create for myself. I fear that I will finish college and get a well-paying job but then I still can’t get ahead. I want to be able to have the work life balance and not have to work to live like I have seen other family members have to do.
What am I doing about the things that matter most in my life?
I am nurturing and watering the things that matter most in my life so they can continue grow. I care the most about my education, wellbeing, my partner, my family, my friends, and my community. I study and use my resources to do well in school. I nurture and respect my relationships with my partner, family, friends, and in my community. The hardest thing to do out of all of these sometimes, is to be nice and kind to myself and take care of my wellbeing. Although I do my best!
What do I want most in life?
I want stability, great health, to be well education, enjoy the work I do, and to live a life that I love. I’d love to own a home. I want a garden to grow fruits and vegetables. I also want to grow flowers.
When did I last push the boundaries of my comfort zone?
This is a great question. I’m unsure. I feel like the last time I truly pushed the boundaries of my comfort zone was when I switched jobs. I had been waitressing for 7-8 years and I QUIT! Shortly after I found an internship opportunity that has been life changing. Now to think about it. I want to push my boundaries of comfort again very soon!
What goals do I need to have to get where I want to be?
My goals:
Complete my last semester at UMW, graduate this May 25′, and apply for a permanent position at my internship.
I want to start working out again or taking yoga classes. Something to get me more active and stimulated.
Start saving money. Once I graduate college in May, I’ll have NO student debt. I paid all of it off while attending college. So, this will give me the opportunity to start actually saving the money that I make. I don’t have a specific savings goal yet.
Apply to attend graduates’ school to achieve my Masters. If I get offered the position at my internship, they will FULLY pay for me to get my masters. Then I’ll get another raise.
Be open to moving out of my apartment. I’m scared to move because I’m comfortable here. I feel safe and secure because I know I can afford it because it is cheap/cheaper than anywhere else I’ve seen in the current market. But I want to keep an open mind about moving or relocating. I don’t want to be scared to make a move if it will benefit me.
Are you ready?! Click below to meet her. She doesn’t like waiting.
Name: Sapphria Mae
Archetype: Femme Fatale
Date of Birth: September 16th, 2073
Place of Birth: Somewhere in Greece
Occupation: Self-reliant entrepreneur/Slayer
Marital Status: Single, of course
Physical Description: Sapphria Mae has dirty blonde long hair. She wears down most times or up in a clean bun. Green eyes, long eye lashes, and a stunning face. About 5’4 and 170 pounds. Her dress style changes for the occasion. She loves wearing tight dresses with heels or dress slacks with a button up t-shirt with a blazer and dress shoes. But don’t get it twisted; She has a strong sneaker game too! She always wears jewelry, Sapphires are her favorite BUT diamonds are a girl’s best friend, so they say. Red lip stick looks good on her of course but she’d rather wear a vibrant purple because it really brings out her green eyes.
Bio: “When I’m good, I’m very good, but when I’m bad, I’m better” (Inspired by Mae West)
Favorite Food: Mangos, apples, yogurt, French fries, and salmon with mashed potatoes and vegetables.
Favorite Drink: Water, Ouzo, and fresh squeezed juices.
Favorite color: Doesn’t have one
Favorite book: Women talk “Family, Love, Sex” MONEY, Edited by Rebecca Walker
Favorite movie: Doesn’t have one. Her life is a movie.
Favorite Possession: Her cigarettes, and her weapon of the day. It varies.
This week was the start of my Daily Creates #ds106 #DailyCreates
First of all, I have 3 followers already!!! How exciting?!
For the first DC #tdc4754 (Daily Create) I sent in my secret spy weapon. Which was a picture of a watch, I’ll repost the picture below. I got my inspiration from James Bond, and many other agents. In my caption I said, “Every agent needs a watch!”
My second DC #tdc4755, I sent in captcha humor/sarcasm. On canvas, I created a collage with about 8 different humorous memes or images that I found on the internet. I added them into the collage, and I cropped and edited the memes/images, so they fit in square or rectangular form on the page, almost how a normal captcha would look like. Then I added a text box and posted a caption on the collage that said, “Select all squares with captcha humor”. Image below:
Third DC, #tdc4756 We were supposed to make some kind of art about unexpected coincidences. I created a blank canvas on Canva and found a meme about the coincidence of eating Pie on Pi Day. I also added a caption: “The pie also cost $3.14… Wicked!! A coincidence, I think NOT!” Image posted below:
The last DC for this week! #tdc4760 Create an emoji poem. I found a meme emoji poem that I had to share. It had a bunch of waves, ice cubes, whales, dolphins, boats, and one ship; At the very top right corner it says, “Jack No”. I love the titanic and I thought this was pretty creative way to represent that movie/story. I replied to myself on my post and wrote “Titanic Emoji Poem” just to clarify what the empji poem was about.
Image posted below:
Lastly, each day for our Daily Creates I favorited ones that I was able to see. Everyone else in my class did a great job this week! I made one reply to another student that said “This is awesome! Nice post rylie!” I’m still getting the hang of using these platforms. Next week I plan to make more comments and replies to other classmates.
Dr. Oblivion; Film Review with The Postman
The Terminator
Last week I watched the film The Terminator. From the previous readings, I had already known that some themes of this film were going to be tech noir and cyberpunk. I asked Dr. Oblivion, “What other themes besides tech noir and cyber punk were in the move The Terminator?” His response gave me a deeper insight on some of the deeper themes that I had overlooked. Of course, AI, dystopia, fate/destiny, and time travel are all themes that I had caught onto. But the idea of humanity and empathy, what it means to be human, and the idea that certain events are meant to happen and with changing them creates another set of problems. Then I asked Dr. Oblivion, “What does it mean to be human?” He replied that being human means that we feel emotions, have our own thoughts, we are conscious and aware of ourselves and our surroundings. Humans can also create things that don’t already exist. I had never really thought about what it means to be human.
In Chapter 1 of the Towards Technopoly: The Judgement of Thamus, ““Every technology is both a burden and a blessing”, “therefore, whatever our tendency — to praise or to curse — we should avoid becoming “one-eyed prophets.”” It makes sense that One-eyed prophets are not to be seen clearly. There are many external factors that cannot be accounted for. For example, the behaviors of people are most times unpredictable. We can’t account for the actions of other people because you cannot ever be certain of it. This also ties into the Statement of non-neutrality. Technology is not neutral. There are many pros of using innovative technology – it is used to create and transform but with that comes with many consequences. Just because an innovation is good, and it holds value, and dignity doesn’t mean it always will be and could cause disruption. Competition, dominance, money, attention, and intention is always subject to change and take discourse. I resonated with the concept of who are the winners and who are the losers of this technology? Who will gain power, dominance, money, and control? Who will suffer poverty, hardship, and defeat? In The Terminator, Skynet was originally created for unmanned military use and then became so powerful it became evil, and humans could not unarm it. In this case, humans would have been the losers.
In chapter 3, Towards Technopoly: From Technocracy to Technopoly, the Postman talks about unlimited growth. Which is relevant to The Terminator. Skynet, the created invention by Sarah Connor’s son became incredibly dangerous to humans and would have caused a nuclear death of the masses. This creation was not improving the condition to humanity and had widely caused disruption. This idea of technocracy had created new freedoms and accelerated life but also became the root of evil and triumph. From the reading, “With every new invention some limit was lifted or alleviated and there was less temptation to look back.” The Terminator was sent to look back in time to kill Sarah’s son to eliminate the new limitless technology, including; Limitless possessions, knowledge, science, and progression – good or bad. In this case bad because it was leading to violence, waste, war, and destruction. It also minimized the respect, reverence, responsibility, accountability, and self-subordination for those in power in the future. Which would have AI, robots, and of the sort.
“Technopoly is water we swim in, which is why it’s critical for the flourishing of our local and global community that we know what it means to be wet.”, a quote from ch.3 readings from the Postman. This movie is the perfect example of why humans have to be careful and cautious of new technological creations as they can become dehumanizing.
It was lovely to meet Dr. Oblivion this week and read through Postmans Towards Technopoly pieces. Learning how powerful technology is, what type of effects it can have, and the ideologies behind it was very interesting and I took a lot from it.
Final Thoughts:
This week I got to participate with my classmates through the daily creates. I also had the opportunity to explore and pull out my creative side through the assignments that I chose. I also got to play around with word press and find out how to create tags, insert media, design my writings in my post, and even more.
Over the weekend I’ll be going to the DKC again to dive a little deeper on how to work with word press and how to better format my work on my post. Overall, I think I did a great job on week 2 assignments and activities! My work can only get better and more creative from here!
Your bank account’s worse nightmare and lady of the Salt Blue clan. Born on 08/20/2060…error…information deleted… Born on ??/??/????. She was raised under her single mother and forever absent father at the age of 5 she was sold to a repair shop to be an apprentice. Under the gang soon worked her way to become the top hacker. Hidden in the dark shadows and slowly hacking away in a broken world.
“Turn it off and let it burn” -Max
She loves eating meat but, in today’s society it’s hard to get the real stuff since most is synthetic meat. Although she isn’t a drinker her favorite is a blue martini from the Gear. A night club down the street from her. Favorite colors are red and blue since they pop up the most often on her screens. 100 ways to fix a computer is her favorite book and one of the first books she ever got. On the other hand, her favorite book in called blue moon romance….error….Information edited…..Her favorite movie is Brookshire murders. Finally, her favorite item is the Cyber Screwdriver, helpful for opening doors and zapping enemies in an emergency.
Your bank account’s worse nightmare and lady of the Salt Blue clan. Born on 08/20/2060…error…information deleted… Born on ??/??/????. She was raised under her single mother and forever absent father at the age of 5 she was sold to a repair shop to be an apprentice. Under the gang soon worked her way to become…
I began with the name Matrix since it’s very noir and ended with the name Max since it’s very gender neutral. I did not have a specific idea in mind so thinking of a good image that suited her took a while. She is inspired by hackers with deep dark circles and no social lives.
Evelyn (Lynn) Calico is a 26 year old woman who is currently living in New York after she moved out of her parents house in Helen, Montana. She is currently a journalist for the New York Times and she is a hard worker. She is short and beautiful. She wears heals to work, has a strong posture, and a stern voice to gain respect in her field. She has green-blue eyes and longer hair than she knows what to do with, so her hair is always in a neat bun.
If there is anything she has learned from her parents its how to be a work-a-holic. She is almost always on the job and all within in her own volition. Her favorites stories are the crime column. She doesn’t want to be a detective but she enjoys the puzzle, mystery, and thrill that the stories give her.
She doesn’t have many friends because she doesn’t get out much but she does enjoy her free time almost as much as she enjoys working. Her nights off look like a nice book and a glass of wine. She enjoys any Agatha Christie books and she also enjoys hate watching some really bad reality TV. She likes living expensive so her favorite food is a rare ribeye steak at the fanciest restaurant you know.
Even in her independent life she misses her family so much. She has an out of sight, out of mind mentality but her favorite possession is a framed photo of her family that sits on her bedroom vanity.
“As women achieve power, the barriers will fall.” Her motto and goal.
I had so much fun developing my course character, Bethany Smith (aka a gangster named “Smithy”). As such, I opted to participate in one of the visual assignments but collage Bethany instead of myself. I used Pinterest’s Collage Maker, and had so much fun developing this character further!
Bethany Smith was born in Agusta, Maine on June 6, 1996. She had a good childhood, full of family dinners and stellar report cards. She surprised everyone by not applying to any colleges, and moving to Chicago with her high school sweetheart, Colin. They married soon after, but her picture perfect life seemed to end there. Colin died on a hunting trip or a ski accident or during a hiking trip with his best friend two years after they were married. She surprised everyone even more when she started working at the same funeral home that “took care of Colin.” Bethany never struck anyone as the type who would work somewhere so morbid, but she seems to love it! It gives her plenty of time to read her books (romance, especially anything with vampires or monsters) and her bosses are pretty lax on the cell phone policy. If you ever ask her for advice, she’ll tell you that “the kindness I to others show, that kindness comes to me.”
Bethany has always been unassuming, but it has only become worse since Colin died. She keeps her mousy brown hair cut above her shoulders (she hates when its in her eyes). She’s 5’5″ with a slim build and dark brown eyes. She tends to favor jeans and pants, and can rarely be found in a t-shirt as she likes feeling “put together.” She has a light dusting of freckles, and acne scars that are slowly fading. One of the signature parts of her style is her green nail polish, because she feels like it makes her features pop. Lunch most days is a salad or leftovers, and after work she might enjoy an Old Fashioned or two. She doesn’t go anywhere without her phone. She is glued to it, whether she is at work or anywhere else. She can be found making hushed phone calls and viciously texting, but swears “its nothing.”
Smithy, on the other hand, was “born” September 29, 2011 at 1:06pm. She knew her Dad was up to something, but he had been going on a lot of “work trips” recently and “working late” more nights than not. One day, she went to bring her Dad some lunch and walked in on a scene she would never be able to forget. Her Dad was dead, bent over his desk in a pool of blood. While she knew it was wrong, she had to look at her Dad’s computer before calling the police. Through his emails and phone records, she realized that the man she knew as a good father and loving husband was one of the East Coast’s most powerful mobsters. Whatever had happened to her Dad was clearly targeted, but the police ruled it a suicide. Smithy used what she found on the laptop to slowly begin to build her own empire, using her connections to the crematorium to take care of anyone who causes her trouble. No one knows who Smithy is, and no one knows what Bethany is always so preoccupied with.
Finn Calloway is a 35-year-old CEO who built his data empire from scratch. Born and raised in NYC, Finn runs a super successful tech company that deals with AI and data analytics. He’s the kind of guy who stays low-key but always seems to be ahead of the game. His company is shaking up industries, but it’s not without its costs.
Finn is 6’2” with short dark brown hair and a light scruff. His build is lean but strong, and he has dark brown eyes that often seem lost in thought. He’s got olive skin with a scar on his chin. Finn dresses simple with tailored clothes that look sharp but don’t scream for attention.
He’s not the easiest person to connect with. He’s never been married, and relationships just haven’t worked out. When he’s not working, he enjoys the simple things: a grilled cheese sandwich, driving by the water, or watching John Wick. His favorite book is The Da Vinci Code, probably because he’s always thinking about puzzles and mysteries.
The one thing Finn holds on to is his late mother’s wedding ring. It’s his only real possession with sentimental value.
His motto? “No one else is going to make you happy.” Finn learned that the hard way, and it’s something he keeps in mind every day.
I decided to pick the hard-boiled detective arch type, but to steer away from the usual and make her female. We do not see many female detective characters, and if there are any they are more stereotypical. I wanted to create one that had the hard personality, but also a soft side.
Veronica Malone works as a detective, and is a no-nonsense, sharp-tongued character who has a moral compass. She will usually use humor even in tense situations. Being born and raised in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, she grew up wanting to fight for justice, and to work in a field where she could help others. She is single, born in 1992, which makes her 32 and her zodiac sign a Scorpio. She has shoulder-length brown hair, dark eyes, and wears an iconic wine red coat and fedora that she wears when she is on the case.
She does enjoy some movies and books. Her favorite movie is either Ocean’s 11, or Miss Congeniality when she is feeling good. Her favorite book is The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler as she likes a story with flawed characters and moral grey areas. If she had to pick her favorite possession, it would either be her journal where she makes notes of all the cases she has worked on or criminals she has caught, or her revolver, which is self-explanatory. Her personal motto is “Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing”, as it reflects her way of life and her upbringing to where she is now.
