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Last week we took a tour to Harvey Norman and got to explore the store’s vast varieties of designer goods.

Our primary focus was on household wares and we were told to pay extra attention to those, and to identify their emotions, as well as their interesting factors.

The products I have chosen to compare are hairdryers, as well as the coffee making machines.

Hairdryers

 

In the pictures above, both hairdryers emanates the idea of high style and fashion with their slack gloss finishing to appeal to the wider audience.

Emotional:

For the black hairdryer, one would tend to feel a standard higher than the average person as he or she is using a hairdryer which defies the original hairdryer. It sets the person apart as being someone special. Someone superior, or of better taste.

Whilst for the red hairdryer, it tends to follow the normal trend, however, it boasts a flashy appearance, and very curvaceous design which might be appealing to some. It is also slightly harder to hold onto due to a greater weight distribution at the head.

 

Interesting factor:

The black hairdryer is setting a new trend for hairdryers, with its iconic look, and eliminating the long nose which is typical of a hairdryer. This design is more compact, and has a nicer distribution of weight, making it easier to hold.

The red hairdryer is designed with functionality in mind. The opening between the red and black portion is a water spray, which helps to wet the hair while drying, allowing for stylizing during the process.

 

Coffee Makers

In this case, we are comparing two coffee making machines. Both are of the same colour, but differs vastly in terms of design.

 

Emotional:

The first coffee maker machine adopts the shape of a penguin. With its iconic bobbing head atop a round body. The animal is a clear inspiration for its design.

The second coffee maker machine did not boast of a nice appearance, but may have adopted functionality as its main trait, with a handle over-arching its body, this makes it easier to carry.

 

Interesting factor:

The first coffee maker machine has an interesting which captivates the attention of the potential purchaser, with an unique way of operating. Its cute appearance tend to increase a buyer’s affection towards it. Fun loving people tends to go for this design.

The second coffee maker machine looks like an industrial grade coffee maker found in offices, where the environment tends to be more professional. Its stern design boasts of functionality, and sacrifices appearance for being able to do more work, or being more easily operable..

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Karim Rashid,

Karim Rashid,

Among Karim Rashid’s more notable works, I am able to identify myself more with his architecture works. He places a lot of emphasis on ORGANIC SHAPES, their interaction with one another and the play between positive and negative spaces. The colours he uses are more vibrant and warm, often seeking to be the central of attention.

kr

As I aspire to be more involved in the architecture field next year, I look up to him for guidance, especially with his unique taste in blending organic forms into conventionally rigid structure.

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architect letters

HI! Typography for is a very interesting concept. For centuries we have used the standard letters which were passed down from our ancestors and we have accepted it without question. We never questioned why is A always shaped like an “A” We never questioned the ideology and the meaning behind each and every stroke. We accepted their way of thinking, which is unlike us in the current era where every definition, theory and concept has to be debunked and challenged by scholars and even students.

In our project 1, we set out to challenge and debunk the meaning of each letter, and break it down into our own way of thinking. How would an “A” look like if we were to create it? How would a “B” look like if i were to be someone else? It is really a challenging and exciting task which i cannot wait to venture into. Without any delays, let us explore typography as i know it.

Welcome to my universe.

Project 1 TYPOGRAPHY – Hello, my name is Orion and I am an Architect

Architect front

IMG_5327

In this first illustration of me, where i tried to pay heavy emphasis on the notion that i am obsessed with the idea of being an architect. Each letter was precisely cut out to match the type of precision that an architect would require during the calculations for each of his projects. Detailed and meticulous, every inch and border on this card was measured, trimmed, and measured again to ensure that there would be no error that could occur by chance, and that everything would give off the sense of intricacy and detail.

In this illustration, i attempted to make it interactive by introducing the black cotton bud top above the domed building of the “white house” to prompt the viewers to pull it and reveal the card’s hidden secrets. The typographic name Orion could be pulled upwards to reveal the hidden layer behind it: a typography Architect written in the same boxed letters as the typography Orion. At the same time, the letters O, R, O and N disappears behind the black front cover, leaving only the letter “I” behind. At the same time, a black “White House” rise into view behind the front covers.

The idea behind is was to show that behind my name, lies to the true me, who is am architect. And hopefully with a trained hand, i am able to rid myself of my cover, and reveal my true self, and become an architect who could perform wonders.

Here are some process shots!

slider clasp

In this shot, i can demonstrate the mechanism behind the sliding cover. The sliding mechanism is made by cutting a slit on the holders which hold the sliding portion in place. At the same time, the sliding cover has its corresponding lengths along it slides slit as well to match those on the holders to that they could in inserted there to slide the sliding portion up and down smoothly.

slider view

Here is another shot to demonstrate the sliding mechanism.

architect without cover

And this is a full view of the sliding cover!

Overall, i worked for a long time on the sliding mechanism. I tried various methods which did not at first.

sliding mechanism

This sliding mechanism is not only bulky, but also clumsy in appearance. It made the card thick and formidable-looking, which made it unfriendly to look at.

In conclusion, I liked this piece of work slightly more than the rest simply because of the thought process that went behind. The usage of an actual moving mechanism behind this piece of work prompted me to think of ways of introducing this mechanism into the card itself. A lot of creativity is invested here and i certainly enjoyed the challenge behind making this card.

Project 1 TYPOGRAPHY – Hello, my name is Orion and I love to travel

travels 2

In this card i wanted to display my idea of travel. Which comprises mainly of sight-seeing and extreme sports. I love all aspects of Earth. Its topography, the land, air and sea. I love exploring, and that feeling which made my heart race whenever i chance upon a breath-taking view. And i try to introduce all areas of this aspect into the card.

The hot-air balloon, the sea and the archway are representative of a tourist’s perception of a new place. They want to experience something that is different. Something that is exhilarating. These are all very sensual to me and i feel the need to include them in my work.

travels lamp post

This is not a lamppost. This to me marks the start of a new adventure, a new beginning. The lamppost made its first significant impact on me in Narnia The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe. When Lucy first entered into Narnia by accident, the first significant landmark she chanced upon was the lamppost. It marks the transition from reality to fiction, from the logical and boring world of ours into a realm of the unknown, where animals could talk and everything as you know it is completely different, where every action you make could determine your fate. I like this sense of adventure, of uncertainty. This is illustrated by the “N” hanging off the cliff at the end.

half completed travels

My rationale for having the letters arranged in a diagonal format was the introduction of the idea of traveling “across” the world. To explore the world and see it through my own eyes, without the limitations of borders.

Project 1 TYPOGRAPHY – Hello, my name is Orion and I love to read

orion loves to read

In this card, i cut out the letters “R, E, A and D” from my name “ORION”

Initially, i did plan on using the light to help cast a shadow from these letters that are cut out to create a more surrealistic feel, but felt that it may appear to be messy, so i went along with the plan of clipping “READ” back on the same plane as my name.

The concept behind this idea was to show that reading bring “more” out of me. By having the letters “READ” cut out from my name “ORION”, it was like as if Reading came from me. I was able to better express myself in a different form through reading. Able to see myself from a different light. There was more to me than just my name. I can explore myself further through reading, and i am able to find out things about me that i did not know previously, and it helps to add on to my overall character as person. I can become more through reading.

Th background which i have used here are just simple columns of bookcases. To me, seeing rows of books on bookcase is like finding trays and trays of food for others; i could not wait to jump into their midst and dig in.

Project 1 TYPOGRAPHY – Hello, my name is Orion and I’m different

im diff top

im diff

One of the most common problems in the first world society that we live in is the rapid disappearance of human interaction. With our advanced technologies we have reduced interactions with people, and our subsequent judgement of them is based entirely on our first impression of them, without taking the time out to learn more about them simply because we do not have the extra time to spare.

In my card, i tried to illustrate that idea. The idea of judging people based on their first impressions of them. And this has everything to do with perception, or our point of views. In my card, when viewed from above, one could only make out the numeric letters “011011”, which are not letters. In a second perspective, which is my front, one can only see half of my name “ORION”, which leaves them confused as to what my name really is. Only when you have looked at my card from a 45 degree angle tilted downwards could you make out my real name “ORION”.

In this, i hope to remind people that we should be see someone from only one perspective. There are many ways to look at someone, but we should get to know them first, before looking at someone in a particular way.

THE END!

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hello [template]ToPrint

Project one brief is about an introduction about myself. A lot of thoughts ran through my mind about these but i have decided to choose the following few to represent myself. Take a look around!

Hello! And my name is… ORION/OREO
Typography
hello 2

image1(2)

My name is ORION. More commonly known as oreo. This tend to happen as my name is quite unique and many people have difficulties pronouncing it when we meet for the first time. Most of them would mistakenly pronounce is as ORY-ON as opposed to Oryan as its supposed to sound like. I have decided to use this mispronunciation of my name as a part of my typography to portray the difference between the real me (As illustrated in Black) in contrast to the fake me (As illustrated in Red) The reason for this is that my outward appearance is not really who i am on the inside. People always take how others look for the first impression, but that may not be who i really am on the inside. In this case, people see a tall and (somewhat) muscular guy who they presumed to be very outgoing and sporty, whilst in reality i am more quiet and reserved.

Hello! And my name is… ORION!
Abstract

hello 3

image2(2)

I like to talk. A lot. And most of the time i would do that without thinking too much about the consequences of what my words my bring about. I hate this part about me, but i cannot kick this habit. It is a natural part of me which i am sometimes known to be insensitive about. I would say something, but would regret it immediately after. In this abstract illustration, i put the brain in my mouth to show that i am not using my brain as i speak, and that most of what i say were not processed by the brain, because that part of my body is not where is should be, and is thus nonfunctional during a conversation. I really hope that i could one day be more sensitive about the words i say and that people would not take offense to the words i say.

Hello! And my name is… ORION!
Conceptual

hello 4

image3(1)

This simple comic projects how university life is like for me so far: disoriented and confusing, so much so that i could not even differentiate between day and night, which hour is it, and whether or not i should be sleeping. My world has turned upside-down (As shown by the moon shaped clock hanging from the top) The equations and formulas that replaced the places where numbers were supposed to be to indicate the time of the day were all jumbled up, hence showing my poor track of time management and the inability to juggle all my schoolwork. The crooked clock hands revealed my weariness and fear as time goes by, as everyday brings new challenges which may proof too much for me to handle. It is only in my sleep that i am truly peaceful. Life will be better once i have a better control of my time management.

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I have updated my assignment and my story. This is a different story from the one which I have presented for my third assignment. Apologies guys you might need to read the synopsis again.

Blinded
Myth used: Saul’s transition to become Paul. He was a persecutor of Christians, until one day
God appeared before him and blinded him for three days. During his blindness, he saw
His wrong-doings and decided to change his way of life and belief.

Inspiration: My own personal experience.

Synopsis

Peter and Dave are brothers. They were inseparable. They would eat together, hang out together and do their work together. When they eat, Peter would always pick the food for Dave. When they study, Peter would always use objects which Dave can feel to illustrate certain points. When they play, Peter would always let Dave win, to give him his sense of pride and confidence. They were so close that Peter shared many things with Dave, and one day Peter passed Dave a glass bottle containing a note which he instructed him not to open until he was told to do so. They led an otherwise ordinary life.

Except, that is, Dave is blind.

However, Peter took little notice of that. To him, Dave is his brother, no matter what happens to him. He will still eat with him, do work with him and play with him until the end of the world.

Or so he thought.

It wasn’t long before things start to change. Due to his disability, Dave had to attend a separate school from Peter. He had to learn how to read with his fingers, groping around the textbook and using his sense of touch instead of his sense of sight. Despite his inability to see and observe the things around him, Dave did not become withdrawn to himself. Instead, he viewed the world with optimism. Because he was not blessed with his sense of sight, he was grateful for everything else that was his; his sense of touch, his parents, and above all, his brother.

Peter, on the other hand, changed for the worse. He took what he have for granted. Because he attended a normal school, he was exposed to people who did not have disability. And some of them were mean and obnoxious in their own way. When they went over to his house, they discovered that Peter has a blind brother. Gradually, over time, they began teasing Dave for his disability, mimicking his groping actions as he was looking for something and hiding his things so that he would have to grope around the room to look for it.

Peter resented this behaviours initially, but he did not want to feel like an outcast to his friends. He did not join in the teasing for his brother, instead he kept a distance from him, as if his condition is infectious. Slowly, a void grew between them, and Peter started spending lesser and lesser time with Dave. Dave felt the ramifications of his brother’s spoiled friends and how they have affected him. He tried pulling Peter away from them, emphasising on how they have changed him. Peter was no longer then man that he once was.

Where was the brother who promised to be by his side throughout his life?

Peter, instead of seeing enlightenment in his brother’s words, flew into rage. He ranted about how Dave was a burden to him. How he was a disgrace to him in front of his friends. And how he regretted ever calling Dave his brother. Dave was stunned. He stood on the spot for a long time, going over the words which Peter had said, long after he had walked away.

Something was broken between them. The bond, that brotherhood. It was gone.

However, it was not long before something tragic happened.

While Peter was hanging out with his gang of friends one night, he was knocked over by a car.

He survived the accident, but was crippled by it. He felt hopeless, despair and grief all washing over him at once. For the first time in his life, he felt that it was better to die than to live this way.

His friends all vanished at this, and he was left alone. All alone. Until Dave came and pulled him out of the darkness. It was a slow process, not just the healing of his leg, but also rekindling of the kinship between them. Dave would help Peter carry his bag on this way to school, and helped Peter around the house. It was awkward, to be the one who required assistance. The roles have reversed. It was Peter’s turn to receive help from Dave now, but Dave did not mind it one bit.

As the days passed, Peter saw what Dave was referring to when he asked him to stay away from his school friends; they were only there for him because of what he has for them; of his money and companionship. Not who he really was inside. Dave had seen what Peter had missed, even though he was blind; he saw the truthfulness of someone, he saw the value for who they really were, instead of their exterior appearance. Peter was truly grateful to Dave for opening his eyes for him. He was Peter once more.

Peter’s friends, however, resented as being pushed off the podium by his blind brother. They were still his friends, were they not? Their hatred was compound by their initial dislike for him and they decided to hatch a plot to put Dave in a hospital.

As Dave was walking home one night, he heard the sound a screeching car just meters away. It was waiting for him to turn up. But as he was blind, he could not see how fast the car the coming, and where it was headed. Instead he just stood there, hoping that the car would pass without hitting him. Suddenly, a heavy force slammed into him. Who was that? It felt like a bag of muscles had pushed him violently of the way. Dave crashed to the ground just an ear-splitting screech came from the car that just whooshed past him and collided, eerily, with a body.

David was walking around the garden, gently pushing his leg to walk an extra mile to hasten the recovery, when he heard the car coming. It looked way to familiar. When it burst into speed, David caught the figure in its headlights. It was Dave. Without hesitating a moment, he leapt into action. In a fraction of a second, he crossed over to the road and violently shoved Dave aside.

Just then, he injured leg gave way, and he fell helplessly to the ground. He turned and saw the driver’s shocked face as the car ate up the distance between them, he heard the brakes slam, but it was too late. All remembered with a flash of blinding white light.

When he came to, he was gasping for breath. The arms holding him were soft and smooth, like that of his brother’s. Through ragged breathe and half-blinded eyes, he glimpse a rough outline of his brother. He tried to reach out to him, but his arms wouldn’t move. Come on! Move it! He thought furiously, but they just flopped limply on the ground.

Between breathes, he whispered to Dave’s ear

“Open…Open the note I gave you”

And he was no more.

A few days after the incident, Dave found the note Peter has passed onto him. It was originally in the bottle which Peter had given him, but he had smashed it in rage during their previous argument.

With trembling hands, he asked his parents what it contained.

In between tears, their parents recited the note.

“Dear Dave, if I were to die one day, I would to give my eyes to you. You deserve to see this beautiful world much more than I do. Love, Peter”

3 acts structure.
First act:

Our hero Peter leads an ordinary life. He has a loving brother, and he gives the best of what he has to his brother.

Second act:

Peter was misled by his friends. They twist his opinion about his brother. Instead of seeing him as someone in need, he saw him as someone who is weighing him down. He affiliates lesser and lesser with his brother.

Third act:

Through his accident, Peter saw who the indispensable people in his life are. It was his brother who stuck to him through his darkest moments, whilst his friends kept their distance. Peter came out of his reverie and returned to his old self once more; the kind, caring and compassionate brother he was.

Plot twist:

Peter’s friends were jealous because Dave has taken Peter’s attention away from them. They plotted revenge. But Peter, having changed because of David, saw that happening and lost his life to save his brother.

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1st poster
final 7

sky

Inspired by surrealistic momvents where one can seemingly reach the sky. It has always been a man’s dream to be able to touch the sky with his bare hands, as with that of dreaming to travel in the skies like how they travel in the seas with boats. This surrealistic painting struck me as something that is filled with hope, and therefore I used this as inspiration for my first poser.

2nd poster

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

window

This painting by Rene Magritte inspired me in this next poster because of the way on how the window is portrayed. In our age, window represents a barrier, an insight to another world which we cannot enter. In my poster, I illustrated the invisible barrier as indicated by the window, and with it, the entrance to another world based on our imagination. This imagination is differentiated from reality by the half-tones which I have used. I summarises the children’s desire and hope of finding a fantasy land some day and living in it.

3rd poster
test 3

andy warhol

4th poster
final 13.1

Based on the painting “Great American Things” by Andy Warhol, I was inspired to create a poster filled with repetitions of the same model, by alternating between the black foreground and background. However, I did not want to diminish the significance of the star in the poster, so I choose to replicate the female figures instead. This is to emphasis just how many people wanted to have their dreams come true, and how significant is that one star in their lives.

Below, on my second poster inspired by the same artist, I have tried to duplicate the stars and make my subject, the woman, a singularity. However, the significance of the star is diluted. They act as a distraction to the audience, and the meaning of the poster is undermined. I decided to not use this poster.

5th poster

Silhoutte of man standing on a beach at sunset

Silhoutte of man standing on a beach at sunset

sun-fantasy-wall-paper

6th poster
final 16 1

A dreamy landscape filled the the justaposition of many planets in the background (or moon in the case of my poster) is to create the sense of illusion and otherworldly-less in my poster. Something that is surreal and imaginative. Closer to heart and yet at the same time far from reality. This dream-like landscape is what I wanted to create.

However, with the use of illusions and duplications to create this environment, grey scales were forcibly used, and ultimately I have to discard it due to its presence. ALso, i’m not satisfied with the craftsmanship in this poster.

7th poster
final 15.2

campbell

The hands in this poster are as ubiquitous as the campbell soup cans found in the poster. They exist in different forms, and they are everywhere. They all have different colours and tones, as reflected by my hands in the poster. Some of them have different pose as well. This is used to indicate that those hands came from all walks of life, they all have different backgrounds (coming from different directions) but they all have a common goal (reaching towards the star)

However I chose not to use this poster because I cannot find a suitable way to illustrate the star, and the hands’ interaction with it.

8th poster
final 19

surrealistic painting

Most surrealists make use the sea as a part of their composition, and I want to illustrate the significance of it as well. The sea contains many mysteries, and is seemingly a representation of the black void which we interpret as the Space, where the stars dwell. I thought it would be interesting to establish that connection.

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Final poster 1
final 6.1

hand towards sky

hands

I wanted to illustrate the desperation in the which the hand want to reach up to reach for the stars. The desperate hands are scrambling for hope in the sky. The scene is emphasised on the star so that their significance is diminished as compared to that of the star.

Final poster 2
FINAL 4

wish upon a dream

Based on the inspiration from cartoon film makers, I wanted to depict the type of hope that a child would portray. Kneeing by the window side, staring at up at the starry nights, wish upon a dream gives us an insight to our childhood, and how we would pray for a wish to come true when we were once a child. The half-tone shadow of his larger self depicts his inner desire, which is much larger than the actual him, reaching out for the stars.

Final poster 3
final 9

the-praying-angel-liam-liberty

Inspired by the picture of an angel, I wanted to capture something that is not physical, but whose effects is emotionally felt. We cannot see angels, but we feel their presence. The positive radiance emanating from them is something that could only be felt. But what they stand for still remains clear. Angels are representations of hope, justice and joy. A dream come true. By centralising the angel, I directed the focus of the audience on the angel, and what she clutched in her hands; A star. Filled with hope.

Final poster 4 —————————————- Final poster 5
final 12 final 10.1

surreal

The juxstapositions of the objects in this painting is obvious. The huge expanse of clouds portrayed as a pair of closed lips. In my poster, I played with the idea of the human parting the Earth’s crust to reach out towards the stars. That his will is bigger than his strength, just like how the love of the couples in the painting is greater the star that shone through the clouds. It depicts his determination, his drive and his desire to have what he wanted. Just like how the love of the couples envelopes even the star.

Final poster 6
final 14

super surreal

The swirly clouds in this painting struck me as particularly surreal and dreamy. Almost like its from a distant dream, waiting to eclipse with that of the imagination f our minds. In my poster, the swirly clouds of the thought of a person combined with the clouds, developed into a reality. He longed for this moment to occur, and yet did not notice it. This is similar to the idea of having a bubble in the painting. It is a sphere of imagination. If you were to remove that bubble, would those trees still exist? or do they exist only in the bubble? It is a question in which can only be answered by your own thoughts and opinions. It is however you wish it to be. Some people might imagine that the tree would still be there because the clouds inside the bubble and outside are the same and intertwined. But it could also be that the clouds might have existed in the sphere as well.

Final poster 7
final 8

snow

Every Christmas tree has a star on it. That star depicts hope, dream and everything which one has desired since they were a child. This is why the subject matters present in my posters are children. They look up to the star in hopes and awe. They dance around it, with aspirations and joy and yearning. They rejoice and welcome its warm presence, which is why I used light rays. Light rays represents warmth and closeness to the heart, which is precisely how the children are feeling now. I introduced two children in this case to balance the proportions of the poster, as well as to create movement. It is as if the children are interacting with each other as they are interacting with the star, sharing their gasps of awe and admiration for the star. Communication could be heard between the two children, their joy could be felt.

Final poster 8
final 17 1

hope surreal

At times, hopes are not all positive. There are instances whereby a children would feel down, burdened by the worlds. In my poster, I want to create that down feeling which we may experience from time to time because of problems which are bigger than us, and that we feel entrapped in our own spaces with no way of escape (Like how the subject matter is being cornered into part of the poster). One can reach out for him, but he can never grab it because he is trapped in from all sides. The sense of negativity is over-whelming. But hope is always there. He needs to pick himself up and grab it.

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in time

Synopsis

In time
Inspiration: Time travel
Myth: Maleficent
Concept: Sacrifice, loving someone whom you once hated

Storyline:

Janice is just an ordinary woman. She has no desire for adventure, action, or even the mood to finish her police report as she rode on her lonely bus ride home. As she looked outside the bus, the hidden stresses of living in a first world country slowly begun to unravel.

Life, work and family. That was all she knew. As a police officer, she did not have time for an exciting life, and rejected all invitations to parties. What is wrong with her? Is something missing in her life? Even she did not know.

Ding-dong, the bus bell chimed as it eased slowly into another stop. Janice glanced absent-mindedly to the closing door in time to catch a dashing young man alighting the man. As he did so, he throw a casual smile at her.

Her heart fluttered. But it was not because the guy just smiled at her. It was because of the mysterious guy who stalked the young man off the bus. As he did so, he too glanced in Janice’s direction. The look in his eyes made her skin crawl. It resembled an abyss, so deep and dark that it swallowed her eyes like a void. She quickly looked away, as if frightened that the intensity of his glare might burn her.

Within a flash, the dual disappeared. Janice’s thought ran wild. What was it that she just witnessed? Her intuition told her that something ominous was around the horizon, but she could very well be wrong.

Or so she thought.

The next day, she froze upon seeing the headlines of the newspaper. The title screamed “10th missing teen this month” Below the caption was a full-face shot of the young man she met last night. Even though he was a total stranger, the fact that she was one of the last few person to have seen him alive meant something right? She fired up her team from within the police command for this case, but their search yielded nothing. Clearly, this form of crime is very-well thought out, and had underwent meticulous planning. Whoever did this, was no amateur.

“The guy is a killer and kidnapper.” Janice fumed “And I had witness it all happen. I’m a civil servant, I have taken a pledge and made it my life’s dedication to save lives. I will not let this pass so easily”

She flashbacked to the incident which had occurred decades ago. She remembered the moment when her own father had been taken from her. The killer was never convicted and she was raised by a single parent for her own life. She would have given anything to have her father back, but what was done was done, and all she had of him is a photograph which she kept in the inner pocket of her wallet. This was what had driven her to join the police force.

“I can either seat back and pretend I have seen nothing, or help another family recover their lost ones”, thought Janice. She decided to go after the mysterious kidnapper, despite the dangers she know she will face.

However, trouble found her first.

A few weeks later, she found him in near a hospital in the pharmacy department.

“What is he doing here?” Janice was intrigued by his appearance, and warily followed the guy deeper into the room. She thought of alerting the security, but doing so might lose the trail which she had coincidentally stumbled upon. It all or nothing at this point. Janice took a deep breathe, and followed the man into the room.

A warm glow appeared around the corner of the cabinet. The man was fiddling with something which she could not see. It looked like a combination code.

“It’s now or never” Thought Janice. She looked around nervously for a weapon; anything to apprehend the man. The sterilised knives on the operation table looked promising. She inched closer, all the time keeping a wary eye on him. When she was in striking distance, she leapt upon the knife. The man turned around at the sound of a crashing tray and saw a deranged Janice staring back at him.

“This ends now,” Janice said, brandishing the knife to the man. “Whatever it is that you are doing, I suggest you stop it now or this knife goes in where it hurts most.”

To her surprise, the man appearance neither disturbed nor even surprised at her presence. If anything, his look is one of mocking indifference. Suddenly the knife which Janice was holding seemed to be made of paper; the cold steel in her hand begun to falter as she realised that she recognised the voice. Wait, it sounded familiar. Despite the decades which separate the time when she had last heard the voice, she remembered it as it were yesterday.

Before her father’s eventful death, as she clutched him in her arms, she looked up and saw the assailant disappearing through the windows. As she did so, the assailant’s spoke “One day, you will realise why we did this.” And with that, he soared out of the window.

She will never forget that voice, but never of all places did she expect to hear it here.

“You do not understand the importance of what I am doing here,” The man speak with measured confidence, without a hint or trace of emotion, like a cold-blooded killer. “One day, you will, but if you stop me now, you are only accelerating your own peril.”

And with that, he punched down on the combination lock and a blinding white light appeared, opening what appeared to be a portal leading to the unknown. Within the blink of an eye, the man was swallowed by the light. Janice, though terror-struck, was pulled forward by the gravitational force of the portal and was dragged into an abyss, subjected to the blinding light which seemed to be increasing in intensity with each passing moment.

She was thrown out of the tunnel of light, and landed roughly on her feet. She felt disoriented and unfocused, but the sight before her eyes swept all her motion sickness from time travel away and forced her to be focused on the present.

The room was dim and gloomy, but the silhouettes of the people bounded in ropes was visible even through the darkness. Before she had the time to respond, she caught a whispered conversation between two parties outside the room.

“…Once you have moved the subjects to the facility, get rid of the woman. James. The tests must commence at once, lest humanity be eaten up by the plague forever.” The voice of a woman pierced the frozen air in the atmosphere and flew like daggers in her direction.

Janice, more awaken now, felt a surge of adrenaline rushing through her veins. This is where she will die, but having learned now that the man carrying out this deed was the killer of her own father, leaving her to be raised by a single parent, the rage was unbearable.

Driven by anger, she grabbed the nearest weapon and charged out from her hiding spot. The dual in the distance was caught completely off guard, while the woman ran for cover, the man tried to parry her blows, and retaliated with his weapon-free hand.

“You murderer!” Janice screamed at the top of her lungs, “You murderer!”

Janice was choking…. Is this how she is going to die? Suddenly, a pair of strong arms came from behind the assailant and wrapped them around the man’s neck. One of the victims bound in ropes had managed to free himself and had come to her aid.

The assailant, despite being oppressed by a man, was slowly raising his hand to aim his weapon at her. Janice dove upon him and snatched the weapon from him. With hatred, she shot the man and turn and ran to the escaping woman.

A light glimmer shone through the room ahead. Janice raced down the staircase behind the escaping woman. “No! She is not getting away again!” Her mind was 10 steps ahead of her body, and she opened the door in time to see the white light swallow her quarry. Without a second thought, she dived into the portal.

The world shimmered into appearance once more. Except that now it appeared darker and gloomier. The woman was already out of sight. Janice glanced around. It is once again back to the present. She ran to the nearest IT desk and discovered that it was precisely a month before that fateful day when she had witnessed the kidnap.

Total is running short, but for now it is still on her side. One question ran through her mind. If she had killed a person, a living person back before all the kidnapping had started, why they still occur? True, the woman, who appears to be the mastermind, is still at large. But surely by eliminating her accomplice would delay her acts of atrocity? Janice has no idea. But she decides to position herself at the site of the first attack anyway.

To her horror, she discovered that the man named James was still alive, and seemed to have no recollection of her. He went through his plan as reported in the police report, and Janice apprehended him easily. However, something was wrong. This is not the cold blooded murderer whom she had seen that night who had murdered his father. He seemed truthful, polite and innocent. And was whole-hearted cooperative throughout the procedure, and believed firmly that he has done nothing wrong.

Janice was at a loss. Just what happened during the time-line? Was this even right anymore? James revealed that he was paid by a mysterious woman to work for her, which does involve doing strange things like going back into the past to save her younger self from peril. He bought her story, thinking that she was a good person running for a good cause, and that there were many people trying to kill her because of what she was doing, because what she was doing was right. He thought that he was doing the right thing, without harming anyone on the way. He was simply saving a woman in danger.

Stumped, Janice felt the over-whelming pressure of a criminal on the loss crashing over her. Apparently the woman had out-smarted her and used had used James as a decoy. Now she was left with no evidence, or any clues that may reveal the whereabouts of the mysterious woman. In addition, the appearance of James without recollection that was linked to any crime is even more devastating.

Perplexed, James asked her what was the significance of him being held captive.

Janice suddenly looked up at him with a glimmer of hope; if he has yet to commit any crime that means her father…

Before she can finish the thought, the door crashed open with a resounding bang. Another officer rushed into the room, and without checking to see who was in the room, blurted out the latest update from a situation which had reached crisis level.

“ma’am! Latest update from the headquarters, we have successfully located the woman who you were looking for, and ran a background check on her. She goes by the name of Doctor Catherine Lee, a biological engineering specialist. She has been working on a drug which she claimed to be able to cure an epidermia that will claim the lives of many people, but no one believed her. So she disappeared off the grid. We know she has invented a device which enable her to travel through time with ease. Here is a photo of her.” He produced a photograph of the mysterious woman whom Janice had recognised as the mastermind.

Before any of the three could say anything else, Janice leapt up from her seat and grabbed her coat.

“Tell me where she is, now!” She demanded.

“wait wait, hold on a second, would someone tell me why is this woman so important? And why am I related to any of this? How does time travel come into all of this?” James protested.
“Because in a month’s time, she will train you to become a cold-blooded killer. She will transport you back in time to kidnap people, acts of cruelty you cannot imagine; you will be the one who will kill my father.” Janice’s voice was laced with venom. Regardless of how innocent he sounds now, she could not erase the memory of him killing his father.

James’s response was one of muted silence. “But,” he stammered, “That was all part of future which hasn’t even happened yet.”

Janice empathised the boy. He is not the cold-blooded killer he is in another time-line. Janice sensed goodness and a sense of justice emanating from him. What happened to him in the other time-line? Janice did not have time to ponder over this. Without a backward glance, she took the note containing the whereabouts of Doctor Catherine, and dashed out of the room.
Upon reaching the scene, Janice quickly recognised that this was where she had been where she had first been during her first time-travel journey. How fitting, to end all of this where it first started, she thought. Without hesitation, she crashed into the building, and on the second landing found who she had been looking. Strangely, the doctor seemed to be expecting her.
“Here you are. You know, officer Janice, you are fighting the wrong side all along?” The doctor looked younger in the dimmer lighting, but Janice knew better than to be deceived by her words of reassurance.

“Tell me about it,” Janice upholstered her weapon and aimed it at her heart.

“Well, for a start, can’t you see I am doing this for the betterment of all humanity? If you must know, officer, a virus is spreading that will soon claim the lives of many. If we do not find a cure now, then all will be too late”

“And how do you propose that we go about finding this cure? By kidnapping people and using them for experiments? We do not sacrifice a few just so that we can save the majority, I thought you of all people should know that, doctor.”

“Only if the situation allows us to, officer, now time is running short, and I’m afraid I have something more important here to accomplish than you.”

Without warning, the doctor took out a pistol and shot her once. Stunned, Janice fell to the ground, her gun held limply in her immobile hand. She had not expected the doctor to act first. The pain was searing through her wound, and she had to bite down hard on her hand to prevent herself from screaming out loud.

“The end is near, officer, I will be sure to tell the future generation of your sacrifice in the journey to find this cure” The doctor raised the pistol for the finishing shot. Janice closed her eyes. No… not like this.

A loud crashing sound brought her to her senses again, and she opened her eyes to see a sea of struggling limbs before her on the ground. James had disregarded his personal safety and threw himself at the armed doctor just as when she was about to take the finishing shot.

“noooooo!” He roared, trying to disarm the doctor, but she was ready for this type of situation. With shocking precision, she took aim at his foot, and shot him through his feet.

James hollered in pain and collapsed back in a heap.

The doctor stood up, brushed off the dirt from her shirt and pointed her gun back at Janice

“How dramatic, but I’m afraid his heroic efforts will accomplish nothing. It’s ironic, really, seeing how I was about to send him off to kill your father, and there he is trying to save you.”

A look of pure horror crept onto James’s face. Blood was draining from his face faster than his wound. He looked more solemn now, and in between pain tried to stand up and move towards Janice. Janice’s heart reached out for him. Please, he is still young, don’t destroy his future, she begged with all her heart.

“Why can’t any of you understand? I am doing this for our future, not just us here. Everything we were doing James, only to be thwarted by this officer here.” Her words struck home. Janice no longer felt the fight seeping out of her. She had failed the very people whom she promised to protect. Her father, if he is alive on this time-line, would be better off without her. She had exchanged her life for his. Hasn’t she said, a long time ago, that she would give anything to have him back? Even with her life, she will do it. Gently, she began closing her eyes, and wait for in the inevitable.

Bang! A loud gunshot rang throughout the room, Janice braced herself for the impact of the bullet, but there was none. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see her own pistol in James’ hand, which he had pointed at himself. Blood was oozing out from an even larger wound in his chest. Apparently, James was not pushing himself forward to hold her hands in her moment of demise. He was trying to reach out for the gun.

“Janice,” He said through his mouthful of blood, “I had to do this, it’s the only way to save both you and your father. If….if I were to live, surely she would send me to kill your father, and the cycle will repeat itself. I have never imagined myself as a murderer, but I do not know what the future holds. I hope… if my death, I have redeemed myself.
“It’s such a pity” James, choking on his blood now, forced a smile onto his face, “Such a pity that I cannot get to know you better. You seemed like a nice person, the only one who do not make use of me. Go and save the world Janice, forget me.”

And with that, he fell silent. Janice watched she felt his heartbeat weaken, and finally stopped.

Janice cried, she cried out in agony and sorrow for a stranger whom she did not yet understand, but had sacrificed himself so that she can survive the ordeal. She cried, for a good man whom she could not save. She cried, for she had failed the good people of this world whom she had sworn to protect. She cried so hard, she did not notice the doctor Catherine had faded away into nothingness. Through the effect of time-travel which Janice had not foreseen, James, by killing himself, prevent Doctor Catherine from sending him back into the past to save her and carrying out her crimes. He has sacrificed himself, for the betterment of mankind.

A few weeks later, as Janice was seating on the bus ride home again. Her mind was once again filled with thoughts about her life. The past few weeks had passed in a flash. Press conferences about how the hero saved the day, about stories whose true details which only she knew about. And above all, about a hero whom the world would never know.

Janice let out a heavy sign. James didn’t have to sacrifice his life, she would gladly give hers to ensure that he had lived, but he did it to save her and her father from a future which he knew would spell disaster for them. From doing evil to sacrificing himself to save humanity, Janice would never have seen it coming.

Ding-dong, the bell rang again, and Janice looked up to see the dashing young man whom she had saw a few months back, or was it the present? Janice did not know. But he was there again, with the same dazzling smile. Janice returned it, but the person who followed him to alight the bus was one she would never have imagined. Her father, dressed in a suit, was right behind him.
Janice’s hand leapt to her mouth as tears streamed from her eyes. Never again would she have thought that she would see him alive and well again. Ignoring the stares from onlookers, she ran forward to embrace him.

Her father looked perplexed, but Janice only held onto him more tightly.

“Thank you James,” She whimpered between tears,” for everything.”

3 act structure.

1) Act one: Hero’s call to adventure: Janice was being called into action through the nature of the crime. She was just doing her job.
2) Act two: The hero’s encounter with a problem which she appeared to be overwhelmed: She met a mastermind who had outsmarted her.
3) Act three: The hero’s resolution: She went after the mastermind, determined now to succeed.

Second round of problems: Janice failed to succeed at capturing the mastermind. Her own life is now in danger.
Final problem resolved: James came to Janice’s rescue, and killed himself in the process to save her and her father.

Relevance to maleficent:

Maleficent started out as an evil charactor doing evil things because she was once betrayed. Slowly, Aurora opened her eyes to the kindness and love which she was too blinded to see. Eventually, she became good and saved aurora from her fate.

James started off as an evil charactor, who kidnapped many innocent people and helped doctor Catherine in her evil acts. Janice has opened his eyes to the bad things he was doing, and he eventually saved Janice’s life.

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You are the beginning... of your end

You are the beginning… of your end

Synopsis

The Recrudesce

Inspiration: Predestination (movie)
Myth: Scientific myth of the chicken and egg, which comes first
Concept: Time travel, self-discovery and healing, Sacrifice.

Storyline.

Janice was born a righteous woman. Truthful and pure. She believes that one’s purpose in life is to do good for the people. Have courage and be kind. The only child of a war hero and a nurse, this family-instilled form of righteousness had been the core value of her life. Be it a stranger who was being bullied, or an old man crossing a particularly busy road, she has never hesitated to help.

One’s purpose in life is to do good for the people. Have courage and be kind.

However, even the most righteous person on earth are not immune from hustle and bustle of a busy working life. Worn out by the weary days of work, Janice slowly sink into a form of depression which she did not know about. Undeterred, she continued to press on.

However, something is bothering her. A nation-wide alarm has been sounded by a terrorist nicknamed the “fizzle bomber”. His campaign of terror has claimed many lives and is still at large. Authorities are baffled by his meticulous planning and strategies which he used to execute his act and his subsequent escape. 3 bombings later, they were nowhere close to solving the case. Clearly he had been planning for years. How did he get the equipments and resources to do it alone?

Janice, as with her usual self, felt her natural instinct tugging at her to help. Oddly, she seemed able to see some familiarity in the way the bombings were carried out, and the strategies as well. She would have done the exact same things if she were to carry out an act of terrorism, but how did she know? Was it possible that she and bomber are related? Or perhaps she was simply destined to be the one to catch the bomber and bring justice to this world? Janice convinced herself that it was the latter. All these while, her condition was getting worse.

That was when she met him.

Janice was drinking alone in a bar after work, when he approached quietly and slid onto a chair next to her. He struck up a casual conversation with her. It was so easy. He understands her predicament perfectly. Janice had never before in her life know of someone who knew her so well. In her drunken state, she began unravelling; she pour her heart out to the stranger whom she had just met for 2 hours, about her unspoken fears for the “fizzle bomber”, the troubles she had with her work life and finally, her family. Ever since the appearance of the “fizzle bomber”, her parents were shrouded in fear, as if something had reached out from the abyss and was threatening to drag them into its void.

The stranger calmly acknowledged all these, but surprised Janice by showing empathy for the bombers’ actions.

The bomber’s means justifies his ends, the stranger explained, you sacrifice a few to save many more. Janice’s heart leapt at this sentence. She had debated with herself over this for many years now, and had struggled to maintain her integrity, because there was truth in this.

How can a single human make the world a better place? You can. By rooting out the evil doers and punish them instead. This will save the majority.

Janice shook her head wildly at this thought, dismissing it as alcohol influence. There is no way she will let these dark thoughts grow on her. She felt tipsy, and sick. All she wanted to do was to go home and find safe haven in her own tiny rented apartment.

The next day, the media exploded with a flurry of activity; a video file was discovered at yet another bomb site. Death tolls continued to climb, calling for a national crisis. When the video was put on national broadcast, a masked figure appeared and addressed the nation in parables:

Oh be weary, sinners!
For when the night hits four,
Judgement awaits in the brightest places,
Across the nation you will seek,
But even with courage and kindness you will find defeat.

Somewhere deep in Janice’s mind, she knew that the bomber was calling out to her. Have courage, be kind. These values have guided her all her life. How could someone else outside her family know this? Beside her, even her parents were shocked by what they have just heard. A look of realisation had downed on their faces. But how Is this possible?

In slurred speech, his father spoke of a time when Janice’s mother was kidnapped by a stranger who wore the exact same mask as the one in the video. An uncanny coincidence, maybe. But the parable he had used was exactly the same one as the one he had told Janice’s father when he was looking for her mother. It was how they met and came to fall in love with each other.

Driven by more than just a desire to stop the “fizzle bomber” now, Janice had a real reason to unmask the unknown stranger. Too many mysteries was raised and he held the key to them all.

Putting her instincts to work, she quickly realised that the riddle was really straight forward. “Brightest place” simply indicate the time that the next attack is going to happen. “Across the nation” simply meant that it was take place at the exact centre of the country, based on geographical grids. This puts the attack at precisely 12 noon in a busy town area. “When the night hits four” meant that the attack with commence in a fortnight. Janice is ready for him.

She managed to locate him just as he was about to arm the bomb. With a shacking hand, she held up her weapon. It felt like a ton.

The stranger sensed her presence and stood up to meet her.

It was the same man whom she had met in the bar. Janice swallowed her shock and edged firmly closer to the man. She demanded to know the purpose for all his actions, and how could he have possibly made contacts with her parents, bring them to harm, forty years ago?

The man stood there and laughed.

“Because, dear Janice,” he smirked, “You are my beginning, and I am your end. You and I… are the same person”

The story flash forward to the future, where Janice had created James, the stranger, as an artificial intelligence which she meant to send back to the past to ensure her parent’s survival as she had made several enemies who wants her dead for her actions. As her depression grows ever stronger, she begin to think that is it hopeless to try and save the people. There were too many of them. She decided to punish those who brought disasters upon those who are helpless. She called her actions noble, but many condemned her for being immoral. How could she be the dictator of who lives and who dies? So created an AI to help her carry out her tasks.

The scene flashes back to the present, the stranger still staring fiercely at Janice.

“shoot me, and you will never be born.” He jeered.

Janice was truly lost now. Her months of pent up frustration stretched to a breaking point. She wanted it all to end so badly. But what about her? Was her existence all for nothing if she pulled the trigger?

The scene zooms out. A deafening sound of a gun shot was heard.

3 act structure

1) Hero living a normal life, questioning her moral values and meaning of her life. Janice was struggling with her own sense of righteousness and will to help other people.

2) Hero’s call for adventure. Janice encountered the fizzle bomber, who threatened to destroy everything she stood for.

3) Hero’s greatest challenge. Janice faced an unknown stranger who knows everything about her and understands her pains. He turns out to be the fizzle bomber. But soon he reveals that he is her future, and that she created him to ensure that she will be created as well.

Link to myth: Janice created her worst fears, but at the same time, the fears she had created also made sure that she was being created. There is no end to this story and everything happens as a direct consequence of another.