#also we are canadian by nationality and learned french from our friends as a very small child as well as in school

[carnage-cathedral]

you have a french speaking alter so you just called him frenchie? seems kinda racist

I am literally this man

[gstqaobc]

FROM THE MONARCHIST LEAGUE OF CANADA

As this Ecomm went to publication, we received word of the death, at the great age of 96, of Bill Silver, a significant benefactor of the League from its early days, and for many years a pillar of our Ottawa Branch.  We wished to remember him here: his ebullient spirit, fierce loyalty spoken gently, innate modesty and kindness.  Indeed Chaucer might have had forethought of Bill in describing one of his characters as a “very parfitt gentle knight.” May his ardent spirit rest in peace, and his memory be a blessing and example to us all.   LEAGUE ISSUES NEW FLYER: THE CASE FOR THE CROWN The League thought it timely and useful to issue, offer in its advertising and distribute as widely as possible - both via the website and in printed form - a new flyer which will give you, our members, ammunition to argue logically the case for the Crown in conversation with others, and, we hope, to distribute strategically. One never knows when such an item, left on a waiting room table at the doctor or dentist’s office, affixed to a supermarket or other community bulletin board, put through neighbours’ mail slots - the possibilities are many - will do good work for our cause. We hope you will both enjoy and profit from this item, and that many thousands will be distributed across the country. See item one in the WHAT CAN I DO FOR THE CANADIAN CROWN? section of this Ecomm, below, to read online and request printed copies.   And special thanks to our wonderful team of no less than seven translators, all francophones from La Belle Province, who so kindly volunteered to make the French version one that is accurate in expression and eloquent in its prose.                     WHAT CAN I DO FOR THE CANADIAN CROWN? Some suggestions for member activity during these times. We invite members to send additional ideas by return of email. 1.    How about asking the League to send you several print copies of our new flyer:  THE CASE FOR THE CROWN, or print them on your home computer:  https://www.monarchist.ca/index.php/publications and give them to others who may be unaware or sceptical of the importance of Canada’s constitutional monarchy, or even hostile to it. School teachers could be encouraged to read the League’s educational booklets, also available both online and in print at the same URL, or even to request a class set.   2.    When you read an editorial, opinion column or letter to the editor in a newspaper, or a tweet or Facebook post, critical of the Crown, don’t get mad - get even! In other words, use a temperate tone and logical argument to refute the writer’s attack.  Keep it brief: focus on the obvious flaws in reasoning, mis-statements of fact or name-calling substituting for logic.  Same goes for radio talk shows. In the long run, on all media, whatever the provocation, whatever the momentary satisfaction of ”giving them a piece of my mind” - an old adage remains true: “You catch more flies with honey.” 3.    Write your elected representative at the federal level to re-state briefly the reasons you support constitutional monarchy as our system of government,  and asking the MP whether not your view is shared. 4.    Once pandemic restrictions ease, try to make sure that Royal events - such as the upcoming 95th birthday of our Queen, 10th Wedding Anniversary of William and Catherine or 100th birthday of Prince Philip are celebrated both in your home but also among your wider family, your friends, your colleagues at the office,  your place of worship/faith community or service club. The League generally sends you some ideas to mark these celebrations. Remember, as they are incorporated into family life and public life, the     Crown becomes further embedded in the heart of the nation, and truly represents The Queen’s wish that it ”reflects all that is best and most admired in the Canadian ideal.” This is especially true when you go out of your way to include in your observance the newest members of our Canadian family, who generally are eager to participate in the traditions of their new homeland, and in turn to share their own traditions with the wider community. 5.    Always use a Queen stamp when you write a letter or pay a bill by mail. 6.     At events of ceremony, whether a Council meeting, a graduation, a civic celebration - whatever - make sure that the Royal Anthem is sung as well as the National Anthem. To the extent you can, discourage event organizers from having a soloist “perform” them. Far more pride and         learning develop from the untrained voices of loyal folk singing together. In that way, the Anthems are sung “with heart and voice” and not merely listened to.   A FINAL IDEA: AN ACT OF LOVING SUPPORT & THANKS Apart from the above, we think it would be enormously comforting and supportive for every one of us to  write a kind letter to The Queen, expressing your thoughts at a difficult time: her beloved husband ailing, a grand-child chiding other family members via sensational television, the drumbeat of the tabloids and the restrictions on her busy life caused by the pandemic.  A selection of letters, especially those from Commonwealth Realms, are indeed seen by The Queen - and their number and tone are summarized to Her Majesty. The address is - Her Majesty The Queen, Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA, UK Theoretically you don’t need postage to write the Sovereign; in practice, it is safer to affix the international airmail stamp available from your local Canada Post outlet.   AN INTERESTING OPINION PIECE FROM TODAY’S DAILY TELEGRAPHWe thought you might be interested to see the following strongly-worded opinion piece, reflecting a good deal of the tone of recent British public opinion, rather different from much of the Canadian and US commentary. Meghan’s fake interview has real-world effects The Sussexes’ claims have undermined the monarchy and done lasting damage to the Commonwealth by Tim Stanley, March 15, 2021 Two headlines appeared on the BBC News website on the same day. At the top: “Harry and Meghan rattle monarchy’s gilded cage”. At the bottom: “The kidnapped woman who defied Boko Haram”. Well, that puts the Sussexes' problems in perspective, doesn’t it? Yet across Africa, one reads, the Duchess’s story has revived memories of colonial racism, tarnishing the UK’s reputation, and has even lent weight to the campaign in some countries to drop the Queen as head of state. The only nation that seems to think a lot of nonsense was spoken is Britain. In the wake of an interview that Joe Biden’s administration called courageous, British popular opinion of Harry and Meghan fell to an all-time low, and the American format had a lot to do with it. Oprah Winfrey is not our idea of an interviewer. She flattered, fawned and displayed utter credulity. Imagine if it had been her, not Emily Maitlis, who interviewed Prince Andrew over the Jeffrey Epstein allegations. “You were in a Pizza Express that day? Oh my God, you MUST be innocent! Tell me, in all honesty, though...did you have the dough balls?” This wasn’t an interview, it was a commercial for a brand called Sussex, a pair of eco-friendly aristo-dolls that, if you pull the string, tell their truth – which isn’t the truth, because no one can entirely know that, but truth as they perceive it. “Life is about storytelling,” explained Meghan, “about the stories we tell ourselves, the stories we’re told, what we buy into.” Meghan is a postmodernist. Just as Jean Baudrillard said the Gulf War never happened, but was choreographed by the US media, so the Royal narrative she was forced to live was fake, her public happiness was fake and, following that logic, this interview might involve an element of performance, too. People have challenged her claims, alleging contradictions and improbabilities, but one of the malign effects of wokeness is that you have got to be very careful about pointing this out. Why? Because wokery insists on treating a subjective view as objective truth, or even as superior, because it’s based upon “lived experience”. To contradict that personal perspective is perceived as cruel, elitist and, in Meghan’s case, potentially racist, so it’s best to wait a few weeks to a year before applying a fact check. In the meantime, affect sympathy. People would rather you lied to their face than tell them what they don’t want to hear. The result is profoundly dishonest, for I have never known an event over which there is such a gulf between the official reception, as endorsed by the media and politics, and the reaction of average citizens, who are wisely keeping it to themselves. Into that vacuum of silence steps not the voice of reason but bullies and showmen – like Piers Morgan, who said some brash stuff about Meghan’s honesty and, after an unseemly row on Good Morning Britain, felt obliged to resign from his job.  “If you’d like to show your support for me,” he wrote afterwards, “please order a copy of my book.” Dear Lord, was this row fake, too? I can no longer be sure, though I despised Good Morning Britain before and still do: it embodies the cynical confusion of emotion and fact, a show made for clicks, where even the weatherman has an opinion. So what is real in 2021? The Commonwealth, which does a lot of good in a divided world. The monarchy, which has been at its best during the pandemic, doing the boring stuff of cutting ribbons and thanking workers that, one suspects, Meghan never grew into (can you imagine her opening a supermarket in Beccles?). It contains flawed people, but that only adds to its realness, and they can adapt faster than you might think. Prince William got the ball rolling by telling reporters, who he is trained to ignore, that his family is not racist. His wife paid her respects to the murder victim Sarah Everard, demonstrating that she is neither cold nor silenced. I’d wager Kate does her duty, day after day, no complaint, not because she is “trapped”, as Harry uncharitably put it, but because she loves her family and believes in public service. Meghan and Harry have indeed prompted the Royal family to change: not in order to endorse their criticisms, however, but to answer them.

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

[shinymooncolor]

hey! you don’t have to answer this, but i know close to nothing about hockey and my family and i have never really watched it and i’m starting to get very interested, but i have no idea where to start 😅 what do you think i should focus on first, as a newbie? what should i absolutely know as a fan? what teams are pretty good in your opinion? again, thanks for your help if ever you see this p.s: i really love your posts and they bring a smile to me face, so thank you for your hard work! <3

Hi!

Ohhh well. First of all. Welcome to the nerve wracking, nail biting, jaw clenching, gut wrenching, heartbreaking and utterly incredible world of (ice) hockey. Angry muscle machines on skates chasing a tiny rubber puck in the nhl and their goddess equivalents in wnhl - what’s not to love?

You’ve decided on a hell of a year to join. Due to Covid, the normal system was paused and a recent bubble playoffs series played and later won by Tampa Bay Lightning a few weeks ago. The new season would’ve begun last week but is currently expected to start around December.

I’d say the best starting point would be to watch some games - YouTube has a lot of highlights, game compilations etc. and browse hockey tumblr. Hockey tumblr is a great combination of hockey gossip, game reviews, fans sharing their love, passion and (hateful) opinions about players, clubs and the sport in general.

My personal team faves are a handful - you see, the league is “split” into two conferences - east and west and within here a few other divisions dictating who the teams will play on a more recent basis. The clubs in the nhl being split over North America and Canada means a lot of ground to cover and therefore it’s split like this - time zones, distance and whatever. So maybe decide on a conference first? East or west.

I’m an eastern conference gal meself, but the west sure has its merits too.

So. Teams. You’re about to start a rumble here 😂

I am a personal fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins 🐧 they play good hockey, in spite of their idiot general manager (I’ve got posts detailing why he’s an ass hat extraordinarie). They’re captained by Canada’s hockey savior, Sidney Crosby: hockey robot, yellow crocs enthusiast , triple gold member (youngest captain to get all three?) and the goodest boy in the league. He’s been heralded as the next great one yada yada since he was about 5? And shot pucks into a dryer back in Canada - with that came a lot of shit for the poor guy who, in his own words, just wants to play hockey. And he’s good. He’s got his team of French Canadian d-men (letang, dumo), a whole lot of goalie drama which seems to be a pattern and his Russian (husband) assistant captain Evgeni Malkin who’s got the cutest kid, a really cool wifey (seriously her insta is 10000 better than geno’s own) and a wicked sense of humor which he conviently hides behind his “English big bad today” excuse to avoid media on a daily basis (he’s played this card since his wild escape and temporary defection from Russia back in 2006) seriously google it. It’s wild. They’ve won three cups since 2009, they’re contenders in the playoffs most years and their pr department provides some hilarious videos of captain Canada and his Russian (husband) A. It’s a true love story. Sue me. We’ve got an intense rivalry with philly and the caps. Seriously. That orange flyers jersey is intense - even if philly’s mascot is the next president.

Funnily enough, my strange obsession with Russian hockey players have led to the most disturbing but developing club crush on the Washington capitals who are the penguins’ nemesis.

I mean, this club led by the one and only gr8 8 mr Alexander Ovechkin is a rollercoaster of emotion and hot daddies in skates armed with sticks and a murder Swede.

So. Washington caps used to be a joke in the league until they went and drafted mr ovechkin first overall, brought him to the capital and let him do his thing. He’s got a rep for being a hell of a lot of fun on the ice (if you’re on his team) and one of those players that people love to hate (even if they can’t take away how freakishly good he is at hockey) - look up his impossible goal(s)! He’s an exuberant, fun loving Russian with a heart of gold and a missing tooth. In 2007, the caps went shopping for a center just for ovi who needed a playmaker and a slap shot feeeder - they went and drafted the Swedish angel (maybe assassin) (Lars) Nicklas Backstrom - and the purest hockey marriage was forged. The actual words (we needed a center for ovi and ovi wanted backstrom) have been said. Yes, these two Are now famously the mama and papa of the caps and they have a roster of unruly (and handsome) hockey babies with the fighting menace Tom Wilson, bird impersonator and Russian cat Evgeni Kuznetzov and a whole army of other adorable (albeit hockey playing menaces) babies. Most recently they had the leagues daddiest daddy goalie Mr Holtbeast as the fun and handsome canadien cowboy uncle but he’s ventured to Vancouver to adopt a new group of hockey babies. To compensate, the caps went shopping in New York and brought the one and only king Henrik from the crease in msg to be the goalie mentor for baby Russian caps goalie and to keep the daddy energy flowing.

(Seriously why are Swedish players part time models? Their national team strategy is to be so handsome the other teams are distracted. It’s a thing. Look it up)

I also love a handful of other players on other teams (I really don’t dislike any team in particular - but you’ll meet some dedicated and strong minded fans here)

Erik Horse Johnson, Cale Makar and Nikita Zadorov (Colorado Avs - zad have recently been traded to the blackhawks (not sure how I feel about that). Phwucking fun team. Who needs teeth anyways.

Marc Andre Fleury (Vegas now but hell always be a penguin to me)

The Russian gang in Tampa - and giant Swede victor Hedman (seriously he’s massive)

The canes (Carolina) and their collective of Finnish and Russian babies (aho, svech) with chaotic Marty and former penguin Baby Staal as captain

And a whole lot of others too. It’s hard to choose.

The Dallas stars and the most precious bean of them all (Russian) dobby - Anton khudobin their backup goalie turned playoffs hero and fashion icon. The man said we’re not going home and threw the entire team on his back and dragged them to the final. And their homoerotically charged captain and his alt captain and their Hollywood epic soap worthy relationship. Stallions, people, Stallions...

Btw we like to project our brash queerness onto this league. You’ll learn why quickly. There’s only so much talks about hot hands, slick moves, eternal love for teammates and quite frankly obscene (sexy) amounts of kneeling, roughing (let’s face its it’s just aggressive cuddling) and teammates honorably defending teammates.

Anyways. I love hockey. He. Sorry.

Fun fact I’ve dragged @canesinthecrease kicking and screaming into the hellhole that is the caps and I’m working on convincing @dontpuckwithme about the incredibly sexy thing that is Russians and Canadians being secretly married in Pittsburgh.

Great, sexy, amazing, cool, smart and wonderful hockey ladies to follow for even more amazing content on more clubs (the hurricanes - also a team I’m starting to love). They’re my queer sherpas and emotional support network.

Hope you can use this dear (new) hockey friend and mutual 💖🐧

[mirrcred]

[ alex fitzalan / aletheia / dike / muse 43 ] / [ noel caron ] is a [ twenty ] year old [ political science & linguistics (pre-law) ] major. [ he ] is known for being [ persuasive & sincere ] but [ worrisome & sensitive ]. when i think of them, i imagine [ extremely neat handwriting, a lowly lit desk covered in notes, & late night conversations with those you're close to ]. and even though they’re a proud hu student now, we all have our roots. theirs run back to them being a [ mhp (aqua) graduate ]. i asked around and it turns out they [ are ] an aop student. in their interview, they managed to woo the admissions team by [ canvasing in french for multiple local elections & placing in multiple national debate competitions despite being a first-generation college student & coming from a low-income background ]. i guess that’s all there is to know! unless…

tw for mentions of panic attacks in the bold text!

basics

full name: noel caron

subplot: muse 43 (the tide is high)

age: 20

faceclaim: alex fitzalan

hometown: montreal, quebec, canada

high school: mhp (aqua)

current location: hatchett u

gender: male

pronouns: he/him

orientation: gay (closeted)

religion: grew up catholic, now in a gray area

clubs: aop club, language exchange club, speak to lead

language(s) spoken: english, french, some latin

zodiac sign: pisces

political affiliation: democratic socialist

more

noel was born in montreal, quebec and resided there for 15 years. he got to experience a lot of french and canadian culture, and he enjoyed the diversity he was exposed to. to this day, he still has some of the french accent while speaking english. in his first years in the states, though, he felt embarrassed by his accent and tried to learn how to suppress it. he never fully did though, and it especially comes out in certain words, such as catholic or electric where he ends it with more of an “eek” sound.

he grew up in a lower income household to immigrant parents who thought they could make a living with their bakery in montreal.

while in school, noel’s teachers realized he was extremely smart and had a lot of potential. despite growing up in a francophone household, he learned english quick and was very good in both languages.

so, to ensure noel had a better future, his parents encouraged him to go to a good high school in the united states so he could go to a good american college.

noel then decided to apply to mhp, and to his surprise, he got in on a full ride.

(begin mentions of panic attacks)

in high school, noel started to get panic attacks. before a large debate competition, noel started to feel sick and like something terrible was about to happen.

after that, he started getting them more often. he didn’t immediately recognize what was happening, but after it started affecting him, he looked online for answers.

now, noel knows that he’s experiencing panic attacks, and does everything he can to avoid having them around other people. he doesn’t want to be the center of attention or get negative attention.

(end mentions of panic attacks)

noel definitely had high expectations for the mhp, but he ended up finding it less than ideal.

he wasn’t hated, per se, but he wasn’t loved by everybody either. he always did everything he could to be kind due to a mix of his kindhearted nature and wanting to be liked. however, he was often too nice, leading others to make jokes about him, harass him, or take advantage of his kindness.

noel tried not to let it get to him, though. he knew that he was being a good person.

in an attempt to get over his shyness, noel started to participate in debate, and to his surprise, he was great at it!

after years of excelling in speech and debate, noel realized he wanted to go into the law profession.

to gain political science and law experience, he began interning at law offices and creating french materials for local elections to try to gain francophone voters.

he’s very academic, and is often studying or practicing his debate skills. early in the morning, you can always find him in the cafe or library.

getting into hatchett was a dream for him, he would’ve never imagined that somebody from his background could do it. 

gradually, he’s working on his confidence and openness, and now loves to make friends and have deep conversations.

overall, he’s very sincere and nice but he’s also learned how to be persuasive and honest with those around him, and always fight for justice and what’s right.

connections i’d like

literally anything but...

best friend

best friend from high school but they somehow fell off

crush/unrequited love thing either way :)

girl that noel dates/pretends to like but,, he’s gay

international/exchange friends who are also not from the us or native english speakers for him to connect with!

prelaw/polisci buds!

somebody who finds out he has tw: panic attacks and helps him out with it

again anything please

okay, that was a lot. wow, thanks to anybody who read through that! i’m just so excited to be here with the interesting plot and all the characters! so yeah, if anybody wants to plot with me, i’m open! just message me on discord or like this post! i would love to talk to all of you lovely people. any connection for him would be great!

[zanth-i]

Bonjour-Hi! I was born and raised in Montreal. But I don’t quite belong.

Because speaking a language is not the same as having a voice.

Here’s a story that may resonate with many first-generation immigrants. We may be born in Canada, but because our parents weren’t, we’re not considered bona fide Canadians, and our ethnic upbringing does little to wean us as such. We’re raised with pride for our heritage and develop everlasting patriotism — for our parents’ country of origin. We’re the quasi Canadians, well aware that with every passing generation, we become, well, more Canadian. But even so, one’s roots are not easily forgotten, if ever. Cultural indoctrination has proven its permanency.

So why is it that in a seemingly open-minded city where I’m free to live true to my heritage, I often feel like I don’t belong?

I was born in the late ’70s to Greek parents in Montreal, Quebec. My parents settled here in the mid-’60s. They’d planned on staying for 5 years but stayed for more than 50 (and it’s surely not because they couldn’t resist the good weather). They spent most of their life in this city because it became their home. My late mother always said that she had two motherlands: the one where she was born and lived as a young girl, and the other where she grew and lived as a grown woman. My father still stands by their decision to move here, though wishes they’d retired there (something to do with the weather, again).

While my parents faced many challenges and weren’t always greeted with a welcoming smile, I’d like to center this piece on some of my reflections on being raised Greek in a French Canadian province.

Like most immigrants, my parents held on tight to their traditions. As they began to settle into the city, ex-pats came together and gave rise to Greek media, educational, social, and religious institutions. And of course, they introduced Montrealers to Greek food.

Us kids, we inevitably made friends with our kind and upheld such a strong sense of community so immersive that our “Xeni” (foreign) friends would eventually “turn Greek” and become all too familiarized with our way of life. We’d speak English amongst ourselves (sometimes Greek), but Greek with our parents (sometimes English). And if not every year, every other year, as kids, many of us spent our summers off at our respective parents’ birthplace, “back home” in Greece, visiting our grandparents. As adults, many of us still make it a point to return and often. And we still unreservedly boast about our beautiful motherland.

While my parents made sure I spoke Greek fluently and knew my roots well, they were adamant about me learning to speak French, as “this was the language of the future in Quebec” my mother would counsel. So when I was 7, she pulled me out of the Greek educational system asserting that their French curriculum wasn’t sufficiently robust, and instead put me in an all-french school, where I experienced major culture shock. And to accelerate my learning (along with my shock), she also signed me up for French swimming lessons, French scouts, and French camp. Oh, and I was only allowed French tv and was to speak to my big sister exclusively in French, for a whole year. As you gather, she lent high importance to the French language, and I in turn learned to speak it fluently, and also to eventually forgive my mother for her militant (but in the end effective) ways.

Now — while I love speaking in French — I find myself consciously choosing to say hello rather than bonjour. Largely because I feel we’ve taken the language policing too far. For this, I direct my disappointment to the Office Québécois de la langue Française (OQLF) whose efforts may be well-intentioned but I feel are misplaced. And the Coalition Avenir Québec’s recent decision to inject funds into the OQLF especially during a pandemic while we’re literally fighting for our lives is a bitter reminder of the powerful provincialism we’re regularly faced with. It’s no longer about speaking French, it’s become about not speaking English. And to then have the minister responsible for the French language in Quebec say that this “is not against English institutions,” and “we can do both — respect English institutions but also respect French in our society” is playing offense.

Without making this article about the laws of the OQLF, it will suffice to say that the laws along with the board were created out of fear that the French language would go extinct in Quebec. That said, it’s important to note that the French hold a majority in Quebec. But their concern with having their heritage eclipsed, nods to the anglophone/allophone influential minority. Also to consider is that Quebec (begrudgingly to some) is in Canada, where anglophones are of majority. Naturally, in came the language laws with the mission to protect the French language in a primarily English-speaking nation. It’s only natural to want to secure your kind and colony.

For those of you that don’t live here, I want to clarify: No one will arrest or fine you for speaking in whatever language you wish amongst your friends and family. It’s when you seek to operate professionally — as an employee or business owner — , and seek service of any kind that things get sticky. Businesses are subjected to fines if they don’t abide by the language rules. And people are subjected to discrimination, plain and simple. French fanatics will not literally convict you, cuff you, and lock you up for not speaking French, it just feels that way.

I believe it is moot point to argue historical events and statistics in an attempt to prove or disprove the language laws, because in the end what matters most is people’s current state of mind and wellbeing. And if Black Lives Matter has taught us anything, it’s that history often needs a rethink, and room for redemption. With that in mind, our elected leaders and citizens of this province should be asking themselves “how do yesteryear laws continue to serve us?”

I understand that the French want to maintain their heritage in Quebec — it’s really the same for everyone settling onto any land. But I feel our Provincial government is stirring up a storm only to later justify its self-serving plebiscite.

If their true intent is to segregate the citizens of this province, I suspect that things will worsen with time and anglophones/allophones will eventually protest and march with #OurVoiceMatters banners in hand.

Some of my Francophone friends that are here fresh from France complain of being picked on for their accent. Some anglo/allophone friends often cope with disapproving glares for speaking in their mother tongue. And some of my pure laine friends think anglos are arrogant and dismissive of Quebec language and culture. If none of this resonates with you and you feel that there’s no race problem in Quebec, you’re likely part of the problem.

I remember wishing a francophone a happy Canada day (in French) and being met with a dry “I don’t celebrate that” as she handed me the flowers I’d just purchased from her shop at the Atwater market. And such racist and discriminatory occurrences are constant in everyday life here. Especially online where you’ll find no shortage of Anglophones complaining about some language-related fines, and Francophones coming to the OQLF’s defense, leaving low-brow remarks ordering anglos to pack up and leave if they don’t like it.

Here’s the thing, as a first-generation immigrant, I can assure you that just because I speak the French language doesn’t mean that I’ve given French-Quebec culture a voice.

If I was born to Greek parents in Montreal, QC, Canada, what is my country of origin?

My name is a dead giveaway of my ethnic background. When I’m asked where I’m from, I’m reminded of the struggle between being born somewhere but *really* originally being from somewhere else.

Being born in Quebec doesn’t make me a Québecoise any more than being born at the Jewish general hospital doesn’t make me Jewish.

Ironically, in Greece, I’m called a foreigner. Growing up Greek in Montreal, is not the same as growing up Greek in Greece. Goes to show how culture unavoidably breeds bias and immigration ushers it along.

Consider the saying “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”

So when in Quebec, do as…whom?

Think of the last time you traveled and how you were absorbed by the culture and became enchanted with their way of life. Now consider someone traveling here. What are they absorbing and experiencing?

Most say they love our multicultural vibe. And this perhaps defines Quebec culture — our hodgepodge of many cultures. And so making sure everyone speaks French or else, does very little to raise and cultivate the French-Quebec culture. Hence SNL’s latest ‘bonjour-hi’ skit, a spoof that caused upset amongst Quebecers especially francophones, that Bowen Yang issued an “apology” for missing the mark.

Many are unacquainted with Quebec heritage and culture because its people are preocupied with language correction, instead of cultural connection.

I humbly suggest they stop staring at the tree and instead take notice of the forest. Culture is more than language. It takes a lot more to maintain heritage and identity. This language battle only speaks to cultural impotence. Ask any immigrant who has no language charters and laws in place to secure their language and identity, but still has managed to preserve them. A powerful culture speaks for itself, in whatever language it chooses and its pull is so great, that you don’t resist. So instead of focusing on condemning each other for our differences, let’s start exploring how those differences make us fundamentally the same. What binds us will bond us.

I propose we start with the following statement.

#JeSuisQuebecois(e)Parceque…?

[feelingfolegandros]

Day 1 - Tuesday, October 27 2020

Hello out there,

A friend I met here in Folegandros in September suggested I start a blog over the winter since I decided to stay. So here we are. Why not? Hi Paul! 

For those who aren’t aware (I wasn’t until about 3 months ago), Folegandros is a small island in Greece, part of the Cyclades. I first visited in mid-August and fell in love with it. 

I was initially there for a couple of weeks, then went to meet my friend B.W. in Palermo to celebrate her birthday, then returned for a few weeks in mid-September to early October, went back to Berlin for 2.5 weeks where I’ve been living for the past 5 years to purge myself of the vast majority of my possessions, my apartment, etc and returned just yesterday, technically, although it was very late Monday night. 

Our ferry (I say our because B.W., not just a friend but my best friend, is joining me for the winter) was scheduled to arrive at 00h35 but arrived nearly an hour late. We had left Athens at 14h55. 

To get here, there are a few ferry options which become increasingly sporadic as tourist season dwindles. There are typically two main options that I refer to as the “fast” and “slow” ferries. I don’t feel like explaining them now.

But okay, I guess I will elaborate. The slow ferry is quite slow… It takes just under 10 hours to get to Folegandros from Athens, with four or five stops at other islands on the way. B.W. wasn’t thrilled with the idea but I have resolved to never ever take the fast ferry again because not only is it more expensive, it also tends to be a heck of a lot more nauseating. 

With the “fast” ferry, we’re talking a journey of approximately 4.5 hours on the open sea without being able to get any fresh air for the entire duration. If the wind and therefore the waves are wild, you might vomit. At one point, on a journey from Folegandros to Athens last month, I was sitting on the ground, hunched over my open suitcase, just trying to keep it together. I think this was after I darted to the tiny airplane bathroom-sized facilities where shortly after I started vomitting, a man (I think) in the stall next to me also started vomitting. A beautiful vomit symphony. 

Okay, enough with the ferries, although it is the only way to get to the island, unless you’ve got access to a private boat or helicopter. 

We arrived early Tuesday morning (Day 1) at something like 1:30am, when the boat was scheduled to arrive at 00h35. For the last part of the journey, I went outside to the front of the boat and revelled in each second it crawled along the long North side of the island, peering out at the lights and thinking about my favourite people and places that I would soon return to. Drinking the air and the salt and the darkness and the mystery of the almost-full moon.

My boyfriend Z.X. picked us up from the port in his car. We met at a wedding a few weeks before. More on that later... He drove us to our house, our beautiful rental abode for the winter just outside the island’s main town, Chora. B.W. and I settled into our respective rooms, with Z.X. naturally joining me for the evening in mine.

In the proper morning, after a bit of sleep, we made some breakfast, and later picked up some things we needed for the house. In the afternoon, Z.X. drove us to Agali beach. The taverna was still open, although everything else was closed. I said hello to the man who owns one of the cafés (who by the way, is an extremely talented DJ...therefore his café consistently has the best music on the island) as he diligently cleaned what looked like a drying rack for dishes. When I went for a swim in the sea, I noticed two men dismantling the sign for a hotel… a sign of the times.. The end of the season. Time for winter. 

Definitely cooler than it was in early October, B.W. and I were still thrilled to be able to embrace the sea. We both feel very connected to the beach in general, to nature, to stillness, to relative simplicity in life. We bonded over our love of Greece, among other things, although she has a longer-term relationship with the nation. In fact, B.W. 

spent some of last winter on Santorini, which is very close to Folegandros. She had been quietly manifesting an opportunity to spend four months of this winter in Greece, and here we are. We met online in March at the start of this whole Covid thing and became closer just this summer. We consider each other sisters, basically. Cosmically, karmically bonded whether we like it or not! (We like it!) 

After Agali, after taking our turns walking along the shoreline together, separately…. Dancing, scooping up the sand, lying on my big purple psychedelic beach blanket I bought while in Palermo, laughing, counting our blessings, we headed to Ano Meria to watch the sunset. Ano Meria is the other town on the island. Z.X. lives and works there, and I have a dear friend, a true Folegandriti born and raised on the island, who also lives there with her family. Z.X. took us to a spot, according to him a former lookout point for the Italian army. We went inside the tiny stone structure, now largely filled with hay, and I carefully climbed up a tiny ladder out the window onto a rock. It was sublime. Life here in general is sublime, in my humble opinion. 

We drove back to the house, with Z.X. stopping now and then to speak to locals he recognized. It’s interesting, he’s Greek but not from Folegandros, and only moved here in September. So we’re both new to the island, making our own friends, figuring out our lives here separately and sort of together. After showering we headed into Chora to get something to eat. By this point, I was already verging on hanger (hunger + anger). I opted to take a quick lap around the village to get a few moments of alone time. Z.X. and B.W. settled on Souvlaki Club, one of the few places still open on the island. B.W. has some dietary restrictions, so there were only a couple of things she could eat… And Z.X. somehow forgot them in the order. All was okay in the end, and by the time we had all eaten a bit, we were in better spirits, joking about our first dinner together as a family. At least B.W. and I thought it was funny. One thing I am still wrapping my head around is the fact that it’s completely scandalous for someone (me) to order patates (french fries) with ketchup and mayonnaise.... Z.X. explained that the combination, and the fact that it’s too different sauces makes it unhealthy and a bizarre preference. I still don’t get it, but it’s one charming example of the cultural differences between a Greek man and an Italian-Canadian woman that’s been living in Germany for half a decade. We’re learning to compromise. For example, I opted to only have ketchup with my patates to avoid any scandal that evening at Souvlaki Club. The next morning, Z.X. compromised (with my gentle, playful insistence) by cleaning a few dishes in the morning before he left, instead of just leaving them for me. 

Alright, that’s all for Day 1. Let’s see if I can keep the other days more concise….

P.S. I’m going to use initials for everyone I mention in my posts. They will not be anyone’s real initials to protect the privacy of my friends, loved ones, strangers, etc. 

[vocalfriespod]

French (Canadian) Fries Transcript

CARRIE: Hi and welcome to the Vocal Fries Podcast, the podcast about linguistic discrimination.

MEGAN: I'm Megan Figueroa.

CARRIE: And I'm Carrie Gillon and today we have another guest. We're gonna be talking about Canadian French with Dr. Nicole Rosen, who is a Canada Research Chair in Language Interactions at the University of Manitoba. She studies Canadian languages, including English, French and Michif. And full disclosure okay we actually wrote a book together on Michif, which is coming out early January! So welcome to the show!

NICOLE: Thanks for having me!

MEGAN: Hi Nicole!

CARRIE: Thank you for coming.

MEGAN: And also just a side note, this is the first time Carrie and I have recorded in the same room.

NICOLE: Really!

CARRIE: It's true.

MEGAN: Yeah, so, that's exciting.

CARRIE: Alright so we have - I don't know there's so many things we could talk about in French, so… where would you like to begin?

NICOLE: Well, there's the political, there's a linguistic, I'm not sure where we want to start.

MEGAN: As someone who knows absolutely nothing, maybe the political, actually, would be helpful. Cuz even though we're so close to you over here in the US, I have no idea what the political status is of French in Canada.

NICOLE: Alright, well, I guess the question then becomes, how far do you want to go back? Historically.

CARRIE: I think we kind of have to go back, somewhat to the beginning, because I do think a lot of people don't know. Canadians generally speaking know the big picture at least, but most other people don't.

MEGAN: I have no idea why there's French in Canada. Like, why? Why did that happen?

NICOLE: Well actually the French were here first, before the English.

CARRIE: It’s true.

NICOLE: Back in the 1600s, there were settlers that came over from different areas of France. The first came from the west of France and settled in what is now Acadia, and those Acadians actually ended up - well being moved out by the English later on and ended up down in Louisiana, which is why they're called Cajuns, that comes from the word Acadian actually. So there is a US kind of link there. There's also another group that came originally from more northern France and then moved in along the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the eastern side and it's now called Quebec of course. And so we have sort of two groups that came over, within the same century, but they ended up settling in different places and they have pretty different histories and different current realities too. I mean they have two different accents. The Acadian accent is different than the Laurentian French accent. And I'm using the word “Laurentian French” because it seems to be the generally accepted term now, regarding the languages spoken in Quebec and from people that moved out of Quebec. So now those peoples live in Ontario and St. Boniface - sorry in Manitoba - and in other provinces as well. But it's just a way of distinguishing between Acadians and Quebecers. Because Quebecers are not only in Quebec, if that makes sense.

MEGAN: Are Acadians only in the US now?

NICOLE: No the Acadians are in Canada, in the Maritimes. So Acadia is an area - it's not really a province or anything. It's just a designated area, that really is part of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, in that area. There was this thing called the Great Upheaval, where the British government decided to just ship them all out. They split up families. People escaped. People got shipped down to Louisiana, shipped back to France, all the way down the coast. But the word Cajun comes from Acadian basically, because of the way it's pronounced. There's a pretty strong link between the Acadians and the Cajuns down in Louisiana.

MEGAN: Okay. So you're in Manitoba, which, is that Eastern Canada?

CARRIE: No. That’s the West.

NICOLE: This is the West, and so what we have here - near where I live is an area called St. Boniface. And that is really the biggest French settlement that still exists in the West. It was settled really - people came out here, the second half of the 18th century, and that's sort of the third group of Francophones that are around here, and that's called the Métis. They were the ones that came out here quite early, much earlier than everyone else, and they ended up intermarrying with the First Nations women that were here, and they ended up with their own dialect, actually the Métis, Métis French, or Michif French, depending on how you want to call it. Throughout the West, I guess you'd say, there’re certain settlements that are more Métis than then other than other French. They also have a distinct accent. There's sort of three historical groups that speak French in Canada: the Laurentian French, Acadian French and Métis French.

MEGAN: And is there gonna be - I'm just assuming that there's probably a dialect that is favored - I mean I say quote unquote favored.

NICOLE: Yes. Definitely. So as you might be able to guess, the group with the most political power is the one that is the one that - it's sort of the “best”, I guess, if you want to call it in prescriptive terms, the one that the people seem to prefer, it would be Québec French. That said, it depends on who you talk to. A lot of Anglophones will still think France French is better, right. They go way, way over that way, and these don't want to learn Quebec French, they want to learn France French, because it's, I don't, know prettier or something, I'm not really sure.

CARRIE: I think it's got to do with the anti-Québécois sentiment in Canada. I mean when I was in school - I was not - okay, so this is getting into the French Immersion facts, anyway - I was not in French immersion, I was just in regular, you know, the French classes that you had to take, and then you could also take later on. I took them all. Most of the time yeah our teachers were teaching European French, as opposed to Quebec French.

MEGAN: Hmm.

NICOLE: Yeah, that doesn't happen in Winnipeg because there's a strong Francophone community here. There really doesn't seem to be any preference for European French. I was taught by Franco-Manitoban nuns in a French immersion school in one of the first immersion schools that sort of arose in the seventies here. But I don't see that so much here, to be honest, which is good. I think that that sentiment is more definitely with the Anglophones. That said, there's also this sort of downward or upward - there's a hierarchy anyway, within Canada - so the Franco-Manitobans that I've talked to that have gone to Quebec, for example, often don't get treated particularly well. Or they might get - people think that they're Anglophone or people, they'll switch to English. I have a friend here who is very much like - she and her husband are very much Francophone. Their kids did not speak any English until they went to school. That's sort of Grade 4, when they learnt French in school, because they're in the French school division, they can take French swimming lessons, French soccer, and everything like that. Because you can actually do that in St. Boniface. And she works in French, and she went out to Montreal and asked for a jus d’orange, and then the person responded back saying, “oh I'll get you an orange juice.” And she got so mad and told them what they could do with their “orange juice” - because they say it in a very accented English. And French is definitely her first language, but there's a different accent, and some of it is just because the people out here are bilingual, so they have different ways of speaking French. Here it's totally normal, and nobody seems to really worry about it, but I hear stories anyway of people going elsewhere, especially in Quebec, and definitely being sort of not treated as well.

CARRIE: Yeah I should say that I'm from British Columbia, which is one of the more Anglo provinces, so that feeling that I might have gotten might have only been because of the province I'm from.

NICOLE: Yeah, it could be. Although I don't think it's necessarily there. I think it could be from other schools and things like that and definitely Alberta. I think that's probably true among Anglophones. I think it's not true about Francophones, but I think Anglophones do prefer, or at least they say they prefer, European French. I'm not convinced that all of them would be able to tell the difference. If they don't actually speak French. But they just have this sort of thing where they think that Quebec French is ugly and European French is nicer. Not that different I don't think than what we think about British English versus American English.

CARRIE: Yeah, exactly.

MEGAN: Ah, okay. How does it intersect with other identities? Because in the US, a Spanish speaker that is actually Anglo is actually more respected in some ways.

CARRIE: Oh what you're saying is, someone who's an English speaker in the United States who can speak Spanish well, gets more respect than a person who speaks Spanish natively.

MEGAN: Natively, and then learns English yeah.

NICOLE: There’s this really interesting - when it comes to that - if we're talking about in Quebec, for example, because things have completely switched. So in the 60s, there were a number of studies that were done, because Quebecers and Francophones in Quebec, specifically, were consistently doing economically more poorly than Anglophones. And they did all sorts of research and found that Anglophones - in fact monolingual Anglophones -earned more money than bilingual Francophones. So if you were a Francophone originally, who learned English, you made less money than a monolingual Anglophone. And a bilingual Anglophone was better. So that's what you're saying about the Spanish I think.

MEGAN: Yes.

NICOLE: If you're an Anglophone, but you speak French, back in the 60s, that was probably - economically you did the best. But what happened - this caused a lot of fury, basically. There was what we call the Quiet Revolution in Quebec in the 60s, where they essentially decided that their language and their way of speaking the language was not actually that bad, and they should be proud of it. That's when they started implementing a lot of different kinds of laws and things like that. But what's happening now is, if you go there, it's actually better to be a Francophone that speaks English than an Anglophone that speaks French. A lot of people are bilingual, but it is it is better for jobs and things like that, if they're looking for a bilingual person, that usually means Francophones that's can speak English, not an Anglophone that speaks French. Because, I think it has something to do it the fact that, if you're a francophone that speaks English, you speak better English than an Anglophone speaks French, if that makes sense. Because the surroundings are all English, in most of Canada - this is this a bit different in Quebec. But in general, if you are Anglophone you learnt French, you learnt it in school, and maybe you're not that great at it, you're kind of functionally bilingual, but you're not comfortable in the same way as your own language. Whereas it is the flipside if you're a Francophone and speak English, you are probably almost perfectly bilingual.

MEGAN: So then French is looked upon positively in Canada, but there are like a hierarchy of dialects.

CARRIE: [sighs]

MEGAN: No, it’s not true?

CARRIE: It's more complicated than that.

MEGAN: Okay okay okay.

NICOLE: Yeah, it really depends on the region. I think if you’re anywhere east, like Ontario, east, I think that's probably true. I think French is not looked down upon. I think things have changed a lot - like in the 60s or TV shows making fun of French people and making fun - this was really common before the seventies, I'd say. Really that's when this whole revolution started. But now in the West, with these official language laws from 1971 - that's when English and French both rose as official languages in Canada. And that caused a lot of controversy. That was basically Pierre Trudeau, our Prime Minister, trying to appease the Quebecers, who were quite upset with all these things that they had found - this is a commission that found all these inequalities basically - educational inequalities too. In Quebec, most kids stopped school at 13, 14 years old. It was still a confessional system, all run by the church and things like that. It was really a very different system than elsewhere. Even within Quebec, the Francophones were consistently more poorly educated, or less well educated than the Anglophones. So there was a very big economic split ane educational split. When this official bilingualism happened after 1971, that made a lot of people in the West pretty mad. Because in the West, yes there were a bunch of Francophones in Manitoba, but there were way more people who spoke German, for example, and even to this day there are more people who speak German in in the West in Saskatchewan and Manitoba anyway than speak French. So all these people who spoke German at home and learned English and worked in English, all of a sudden their language was lowered. By raising these two official languages, you were actually effectively lowering the importance of all the other ones. So that caused a lot of problems in the West for sure.

CARRIE: I definitely had the impression when I was growing up in British Columbia that there was a lot of antipathy towards French - not from my family. My parents put my brother and sister into French immersion - I was too old. It didn't start until I was too old, in the city we were in. And also I got that impression in Ontario, at least in Toronto, as well, that some people really did not like French when I when I was living there. I was only there for a year, but I did I did get that impression.

MEGAN: Were they bilingual in something else?

CARRIE: No. They just they were monolingual. Or partially bilingual in French, like me. I’m not even that anymore, but I used to be a little bit more.

NICOLE: I mean I think everyone hated their French classes, and that's a common thread. You can go across the country and everyone hated their French class. Some people could say they kind of wish they spoke it, but it was such a terrible class and all that kind of thing. So there’s that.

CARRIE: I mean I loved my French classes. I’m a linguist, so that'd be why, I guess. And I was jealous of my brother and sister.

NICOLE: Yeah, I'm really glad I did French immersion. I only did it for elementary school, so Grade 1 to 6, but it was also very new, and they really were all Francophones. I think nowadays it's a bit tougher, and it depends where you go, because they have these French immersion schools, but the teachers are not necessarily completely comfortable in French. I mean, they're supposed to be and a lot of them are, but it depends where you go, right. It's like it's like anywhere else. If you don't have enough teachers, but you have the demand, then you have to kind of try to get someone who's good enough in there.

CARRIE: Yeah I definitely saw that there was a shortage, a couple days ago I saw that on CBC I think, that they're looking for more teachers. And I had no idea. I mean it makes sense, because it's a popular program.

NICOLE: Oh yeah, it's a hugely popular program in Canada. It's partially for the language and it's partially actually the socioeconomic advantages.

CARRIE: Mmm-hmm.

MEGAN: Yup.

NICOLE: So this is often talked about - that the parents who want their kids to advance and do well socioeconomically, if they're upwardly mobile, they put their kids in French immersion programs because it's - you don't get a lot of the kids with learning disabilities, and you don't get a lot of the kids with behavioral issues and things like that. And so it's almost like a private school, but it's free. That's also one of the criticisms of the program is that it's segregating kids already.

MEGAN: Did these French immersion schools come about after French became one of the official languages, is that what happened?

NICOLE: Yeah, exactly. So in the 70s, that's when they started to become popular, sort of mid-seventies.

MEGAN: And is there a waiting list? How does how does one get their child into a French immersion school?

NICOLE: Yeah, often there are waiting lists. I mean technically it's public school, so it's free, and anyone can go, but I don't think they can usually keep up with the demand. So often they're either opening new schools or they're switching schools so that all the English schools end up getting put into smaller schools and then the French immersion school get in the big ones. There's also some schools that are splits, like they're streamed. Within one school, you'll have kids in an English program and kids in a French immersion program, things like that.

CARRIE: Yeah that's that was my school. I was in the regular English programming and my sister was in the French immersion programming. We were at the same elementary school.

NICOLE: When I went to elementary school, it was only French, but then when you went to junior high or high school then it was split into different streams.

MEGAN: And in your opinion, what would what would make someone choose not to put their kid in a French immersion program.

NICOLE: Well, there's a couple of things. One of them is this sort of the negative view of French. There is that. There are people just don't like French or don't think it's important. There's definitely people who decide not to put their kids in that because of that. Some parents decide that it's too hard and they're worried about their kids not being very good at English. There's also people who are worried that they're not going to be able to help their kids with their homework, because it's all gonna be written in French. There's that. Even though, I mean these schools are designed for parents who speak English, but still they want, I guess, to be able to help more or something. And then there's parents who think that their - or their kids may have some kind of language delay or something like that, and they don't want to put them in for that reason, or they put them in and they pull them out. Then there’s also some educational things. So a lot of these - we don't like to talk about them, we don't like to say anything bad about French immersion. It's kind of like this pet project and Canada's supposed to be really great at it, and we are, but I don't think the outcomes are necessarily what everyone is expecting. So you don't get absolutely high-level bilingualism coming out of these schools, you get sort of functional bilingualism. You get kids who are very comfortable in French. It doesn't really matter what they're saying, they're super comfortable. But they certainly - I mean if you imagine - these are all kids - you have a class of 25 or 30 or whatever kids who are all Anglophone, and they're all speaking French amongst themselves, it's not exactly natural, and they aren't getting exposure to the sort of authentic French. You're not getting exposure to actual French speakers, you're getting exposure to other Anglophones who are also trying to speak French. And so there's something sort of called “French immersion French”, which is in a lot of ways, it's like speaking English using French words, if that make sense. You don't learn all - you don't definitely don't learn the colloquialisms, and you don't learn the sociolinguistic differences and things like that - you know, how to be formal and how to be informal, and how to speak to other kids, because the model you hear is a teacher. And you hear one teacher in a class of 25 or something. So it's not exactly - I still think it's great, and I think you should put your kids in that, if you can, only because then at least they get the chance later to go somewhere where they speak French and really learn it like a native, if they want to. And if not, then they can still get by in work or that kind of thing. So I think people just have to have reasonable expectations. Kids are having to write in history and geography and whatever else in a language that they're not super comfortable with, so I don't think a lot of them can actually go for the depth that you could in your native tongue. I do think there's issues with that.

CARRIE: Yeah there are I think at least - well, at the time, I think some of the upper level high school classes were switched to English, because they wanted them to get that depth.

NICOLE: Yeah and that happens a lot in high school, I think very often there's not as many courses available. I mean, you still have an English class course, it’s not like you don't have anything. I think for me I would normally recommend putting kids in that in the early years and then, yeah, like you say, maybe switching them out for high school, because if I do think that they've learned mostly what they're gonna learn in that sort of environment. And then to really learn it, you want to go somewhere where it's actually French. You go to France, you go to Quebec, wherever.

MEGAN: Well that certainly sounds like, I don't know if you want to call it a problem, but a situation you’d run into in any sort of immersion. It doesn't seem like it's specific to-

CARRIE: No. Yeah, it would be the exact same for any immersion. So one of the things that when Megan and I were talking about this, I think we should also mention that there's actually like real French education - obviously in Quebec because it’s supposed to be a bilingual province, but it's more French than English, but even in in Winnipeg where you are there are actual French -

NICOLE: Yes. Yeah. I come across this a lot, as my kids are in the French school system. Then when I people ask me what school my kids go to, I have to say well they're in a French school, and everyone always says, “French Immersion?” No actually it's French. So you have a French immersion stream for Anglophones who want to learn French. Then you have a Francophone system where the schools are actually for people who speak French at home. That's different from the French immersion. So in Winnipeg there are quite a lot of these schools. There are four or five elementary schools and then maybe there's only two junior highs and two high schools - or one high school? I can't remember anymore. So it definitely peters off when you get to the higher levels, but there's also a French University where everything is done in French here. The difference is that if you are from an Anglophone family, you can't put your kids into the Francophone school system, you can only put them into French immersion.

MEGAN: Wow.

NICOLE: And those exists in most provinces, where there's demand. And that actually is part of the language laws that came about as well, is that you are entitled to go to school in your own language, as long as you have enough people to warrant it basically.

MEGAN: That's something I cannot imagine in the US at all.

CARRIE: I know yeah, it’s so different.

NICOLE: But there are two official languages, right, so. If they're official - well the US doesn't actually have an official language, right?

CARRIE: No, it does not.

MEGAN: No, there is a movement.

CARRIE: But functionally, there's only one language that everything works in. For example, in the legal system, it's English. I mean you can get translators but everything's in English.

MEGAN: But that's so problematic.

CARRIE: Yeah I mean translators are better than nothing, but yeah.

MEGAN: Yeah yeah.

CARRIE: But in Canada you have to be able to access it in either French or English, depending on what your language is. So it has all sorts of effects throughout the country.

MEGAN: Yeah.

NICOLE: Yeah, in fact though there was a big - I guess in Manitoba and in the prairies in general, a lot of French sort of ended up falling by the wayside. And although with the Manitoba language - so I should preface this by saying that education is provincial, and so it's kind of like every state is different, every province is different. But talking about Manitoba just because it's a primarily Anglophone province, but has a very strong Francophone population, I think it's just an interesting place. And so the Manitoba Schools Act back in I think 1890 or 1891 dictated that you could have access to French or English education. And this was mostly, of course, related to the church at the time. So this is really about appeasing the Catholic Church, because the French schools were done through the Catholic Church. So there's a very strong tie between religion and language here - and still is actually. There's still religion in the lot of the French schools, which is really strange to think about. I think it was 1916 that they eliminated that access to French education, and so kids weren't able to go to French school anymore. And then, again in the 60s and 70s, really happening after this quiet revolution in Québec, the same kind of thing here happened here in Manitoba, where they started to get access to French education again. When you were talking about having a to all sorts of things in French and English, one thing that made me think of was, in the 70s, it was in 1976 or 1977, this guy, he was very famous here, he refused to pay a parking ticket, because it was only written in English. It was hugely publicized, and I remember this growing up. It was really well publicized. He said, “I am legally - I was parked in St. Boniface, I am legally allowed, from the government - like I'm supposed to be able to access services in English and French, and this was only written in English. I'm not paying it.”

MEGAN: What a hero!

NICOLE: I know, seriously! And they kind of settled it. They didn't make him pay, but they didn't change anything. But then he got another parking ticket, that poor guy. Actually, he took it to court, and it had huge legal repercussions, because he won. What it basically said was that all the laws written in Manitoba were not legal. They were all supposed to be written in English and French. So of course they put things on hold, saying, “for the moment, they're still legally binding, but we have to write them all in French.” And they did. And so everything now is in English and French. It's a huge precedent, here in Manitoba anyway.

CARRIE: Very cool.

MEGAN: Yeah.

CARRIE: Do you wanna start talking about the different varieties of Canadian French?

MEGAN: Yeah. Coming into this, I just assumed that French was being treated better in Canada than Spanish was being treated in the US, but I have been proven wrong.

CARRIE: Well, I would say, yes, that’s true-

MEGAN: Still, though yeah?

NICOLE: Yeah.

CARRIE: -but maybe less than you thought.

MEGAN: Yeah I know I had like beautiful picture. Cuz Canada’s beautiful in my mind, especially right now.

CARRIE: It is beautiful.

MEGAN: Yes. It’s a beacon of hope.

NICOLE: There's still people here. Where are people, things are not perfect.

MEGAN: So yeah: assholes. You have a big group of people, there’s gonna be assholes.

NICOLE: Exactly. It’s inevitable. MEGAN: So there are still people that view French generally as just -

CARRIE: Less than.

MEGAN: less than. So now we're gonna go into - there's a hierarchy of how the dialects are treated.

CARRIE: Well, within French probably, I mean I would say that Anglo Canada doesn't really think about the different varieties at all.

NICOLE: No.

CARRIE: Like there's just like French.

MEGAN: Yeah.

CARRIE: And it's either fine, like it's just another language, or -

MEGAN: Or it’s French, okay. Then within speakers of French in Canada there's gonna be some biases.

CARRIE: Right.

MEGAN: Okay. Got it.

NICOLE: Yes.

CARRIE: Cuz we’re humans.

NICOLE: I think Anglophones will kind of know that there's different dialects, but not really. They wouldn't know any details, and they hear from other people that there's better ones and less good ones, but they don't really have any opinions on them.

CARRIE: Okay, yeah that's kind of what I meant.

MEGAN: Okay.

NICOLE: Other than yeah other than France versus Canada.

CARRIE: Right.

NICOLE: That one they do think is better, in Europe usually. I don’t know.

CARRIE: So one of the one of the varieties that comes up sometimes, the joual. Do you know anything about it? Can you talk about that?

NICOLE: Yeah joual is really just a term - it's a term that’s not really used so much anymore - again it was in the 60s, everything happened in the 60s - but it was just a way of describing the Québec accent, basically. So you ended up getting this - well we had this playwright called Michel Tremblay, who's still around, but he started writing plays actually in joual. So written in the Québecois accent, as opposed to in a standard French accent. He was sort of part of this whole movement to raise Québécois to that level, to a higher level and in art forms too, right. I guess the term as well is really just kind of a short form for the Canadian or Québécois French, and like I said, it's not really - I don't hear it use very much anymore. It's almost a derogatory term really now, I think.

CARRIE: Oh!

NICOLE: Even though I don't think it really was before, but it does seem to be now. Because I think it's sort of thought being when you describe French in not such a nice way.

CARRIE: I did not know that.

NICOLE: Yeah. Anyway. I mean some people might argue with me for that, because I think it sort of depends on where you're coming from, but I always thought it was okay too and then someone said, “no, not really.”

MEGAN: So just to clarify when you said standard French do you mean like European French? Is that what that would be?

NICOLE: Ohhhh, you're gonna call me on that! Yes. Yes I do. It's just a very difficult thing to define, because nobody really speaks that standard French. There's sort of this international French they call it. Yeah, I guess I would call it European French.

MEGAN: Okay. So okay, so that variety is just called Québecois French then, is the best way to describe -

NICOLE: Yeah.

CARRIE: I’ve seen it described as more like a city version of Québécois French, but I don't know if that's accurate, that could be wrong.

NICOLE: Well, I think there's a lot of different dialects even within Québec, and so people know if someone's from Trois-Rivières and things like that, so there's at least certain towns that are kind of known for having different accents. There's obviously some differences. I mean overall Québécois French, which I was calling Laurentian French, really, is I guess characterized by a few things. For example, the t's and d’s before - I don't know how technical I need to go into these -

MEGAN: Not technical.

NICOLE: These sounds like /y/. There's these weird French vowels like /y/ and /œ/ that don't exist in English. You get this word tu [ty] in standard French, you end up sort of adding an s into it and saying [tsy], and du [dy] would be [dzy]. It's called assibilation. You add a little s or z in between there. That's very common. The vowels are different. Certain vowels will change where they don't in European French. So you'd have like vite [vit]. Vite is “fast”. But you'd say vit [vɪt] in Canada. So vite and vit instead of just vite. Things like that. They have a lot more diphthongs too. In the vowels. So something like père - and this is where - I started learning French here in Canada, and I had probably a pretty decent Franco-Manitoban accent, but then I moved to France and it all went away. And so now I have more of a European French accent. So I'm not so good at doing the Canadian accent, which makes me sad actually. So the père [pɛʁ] for father is more like pay-er [paɪəʁ], and they have this sort of diphthong. But the dialect thing is actually interesting. Because I go to my kids schools a lot here, everyone thinks - they don't know what to make of me, because they don't understand why I have the accent that I do. And honestly people come straight out and say, “so, like, tell me about your accent.” And I've been at parent-teacher interviews, and I could see that the teacher wanted to ask me, but didn't really have the courage, and then finally eventually after the third interview with, her she's like, “um, where are you from?” And I have to say I'm from here, because I actually was born in Winnipeg, but I happened to move elsewhere. But I was born as an Anglophone and did French in school, and then went to France for a couple of years, and so I speak French, and I studied French, but now I come back here, and I don't feel local, right. I really feel self-conscious about it. The teacher really didn't understand why if I was born here, why I spoke like this, especially if I was only over there - because no, I was born Winnipeg, but I lived in France for a couple of years, and they go, “okay”. But they know that you know if you were really a Francophone and just spent some time in France, you wouldn't actually change your accent. You would still have your accent from here. But it definitely makes me self-conscious, which is funny because it's supposed to be the better - the more standard accent. But here it really it makes you stand out as not being local, not being from here. Which is not actually a good thing because of the Franco-Manitobans are a very small community, and it's very - everyone knows each other or they know - and they're very protective as well of their language. And so being from somewhere else? Not quite as good as being a Franco-Manitoban. Although things are changing. And I shouldn't say everyone's like that, right.

CARRIE: Right, of course not.

NICOLE: Yeah it's not the case that everyone's like that.

MEGAN: What's the difference between Québécois French and the Franco-Manitoban French?

NICOLE: Alright so there's a couple different Franco-Manitobans, but the main one - so they were actually people that came from Quebec about a century ago. So they share a lot of similarities, but they haven't changed things in the same way as they did in Quebec. So one of the main one of the main differences I guess would be the r. So in the 70s, for some reason, everyone switched the way they pronounce their r in Quebec. And I shouldn't say everyone, but Montreal and the urban areas really did. So instead of doing an apical r [r], which is like a [rə], they ended up doing like a French one, which is [ʁ], where its velar or uvular, in the back, and it's a completely different r. And here in Manitoba you'll hear that apical r a lot more than you would in Quebec. It really makes you stand out as being from a farm, right, or just being not very urban, not very smart. That's kind of the type of r it is. And so here in Winnipeg or St Boniface I guess you do hear it, but you hear - you still hear probably more with people from rural French areas, but you hear it a lot more. And even my kids, when we moved from Alberta, where it was mostly taught by Quebecers, when we moved here, where it's now mostly taught by Franco-Manitobans, my older son did ask about why they were using that r. He didn't get it. He heard the difference, right? And he's like, “everyone pronounces their r’s differently here.” So that's a pretty obvious one. I think there's also a lot of things that just come from being in such close contact with English. So there's loads of monolingual Francophones in Quebec, of course, but there are not loads of monolingual Francophones in Manitoba. You'd be hard-pressed to find any Franco-Manitobans that don't speak English pretty well, other than a lot older people. You’ll people who may not be so comfortable in English. But because they speak English in French on a daily basis, a lot of things, and going back and forth right, so a lot of it is influenced by English. So there's a lot of what we call calques, so they change - they use what would be English words in French. So when I grew up, I learned all these words that that were called faux amis or false friends. I don't know if anyone else has done these language classes where you learn about false friends?

CARRIE/MEGAN: Yup.

NICOLE: So you learn you're not supposed to say this even though it sounds like the same one in English, because it doesn't mean it's the same thing. Well they all use those here. So all those false friends that you're not supposed to use, they all use them. It's really weird. So I'm just trying to think of an example. “Support”, so like supporting a team or whatever. You're always supposed to learn that it's appuyer, not supporter. That's a totally different word. But here everyone uses supporter, which is the calque from English right. They think the English “support” and they switch it over and they use it in French. And there's a lot of examples like that, and all these things that I have a hard time using, because I mean they feel like errors, but that's just the way they speak here right. It's not an error, there's a semantic shift in the word. Of course that comes from English, but whatever. I think as long - I think the big problem is that they may not use these always in Quebec, and they definitely do not use them that way in France. And so it comes down to a language purity question, and if you think that a “pure” language, whatever that means, is the better language, then you're not gonna think that these calques are any good. You're gonna think, “oh they're too influenced by English”, and that kind of thing. But that's not the way I look at things.

CARRIE: That’s not how language works.

MEGAN: No, it’s not.

NICOLE: Right.

CARRIE: These things happen all the time.

NICOLE: Yeah, so all these language laws that they're trying to implement, they only go so far right. They can work at a sort of institutional level, but not on a day-to-day level.

CARRIE: No. tilting at windmills. So one of things that I thought about when you were talking about the vowels is that kind of reminds me of the Southern drawl.

NICOLE: Yeah. It does, sort of. I think what it was is that a lot of those diphthongs - I believe they existed in France at the time, right, and then when they got transplanted here they just didn't evolve in the same way as they did in France. So there are some things that are innovations and are new pronunciations, but a lot of things are actually just from older archaisms from France that they brought over in the 17th century or the 18th century, and they still have that kind of - they have some of the same vocabulary items, and they have some of the same pronunciations - or similar. I mean it's not gonna be exactly the same from the 1700s, but still. Just follow different paths.

CARRIE: Yeah. So what's your favorite Canadian French expression that only exists in Canada?

NICOLE: Oh boy.

CARRIE: Because I found some that I thought were kind of cool, but then I thought maybe you would have better ones.

NICOLE: I don't know which - what did you find?

CARRIE: I'm gonna probably butcher this, but there's accouche qu’on baptise, which means “speak up”, but literally something to do with “birth that is baptized” or something?

NICOLE: Okay.

CARRIE: Avoir les shakes - I don't even how to say “shakes”, cuz I just want to make it English.

NICOLE: Avoir les shakes that probably is English. That's the way they would pronounce it.

CARRIE: But there are so many more that I just -

NICOLE: Well yeah, I mean I think one of the main things that people love is that the way you swear in Quebec is different than the way you swear in France. So it all has to do with religion here. Everything.

MEGAN: Oh! Tabernacle!

NICOLE: Yes, exactly. Hostie, and all these - and it's not native to me. It's funny because I can't swear in Québecois. I can swear in European French, but it just doesn't come out. I love it. I do love hearing it. I think that's what it is: I love it, but I can't do it. That makes me sad.

MEGAN: Yeah.

NICOLE: But yeah, it all comes from religion, and the host, like Hostie and tabernak. That’s tabernacle. I also didn't grow up Catholic, so it's all foreign to me. I don't really know what any of those things are or what they mean.

CARRIE: Yeah I was gonna ask you what at tabernacle was.

MEGAN: We still don't know.

CARRIE: Yeah cause we talked about it in our second episode, the swearing episode, and I was like, “oh, I actually don't even know what that is.” And then I didn't even look it up.

MEGAN: Yes. I meant to.

NICOLE: When I teach it, or when I used to teach French, I always had a swearing class, cuz people like that. I would often use that as a good opportunity to get the students involved, saying, “who knows what this is?” Cuz I didn’t really know it was either. But I guess the host, that’s the thing-

CARRIE: The wafer.

NICOLE: The wafer.

CARRIE: That one I can figure out.

MEGAN: Yeah yeah.

CARRIE: I know enough Catholicism to know what a host is, but not enough to know -

NICOLE: The tabernacle is something up on the, the, I don’t know.

CARRIE: The altar?

NICOLE: The altar.

CARRIE: Maybe.

NICOLE: Or something that’s at the altar. I’m not even sure. That’s very embarrassing.

CARRIE: I'm glad it's not just me.

MEGAN: Someone's gonna tweet at us when we release this episode and tell us what tabernacle is.

CARRIE: They never did last time. But maybe this time.

MEGAN: That’s true. This is a plea. So that I don’t have to google it.

CARRIE: Alright. So I guess we'll ask now: why is it bad to judge Francophones in Canada or anywhere else for that matter?

NICOLE: So there's all these different sort of layers of French in Canada, and everyone ends up kind of being denigrated by somebody else. So the Métis in Manitoba, certainly there's lots of examples of when they went to - they tried to go to regular French schools or French University or college or anything and they get made fun of for the language, and it just made them feel bad about themselves. I heard some really crazy things like - so we didn't talk a lot about the Métis French, but there's some towns in Manitoba that are really Métis towns, and so the French they speak is really Métis French. It's not even a standard Québécois French or anything or standard St. Boniface French or whatever. But there were federal jobs, for example - I met someone who applied for a job, and you need to be bilingual for that job, and she didn't get it, even though she was a native Métis French speaker. Because she couldn't pass that test. That was a written test. But the thing is she would have been dealing with people in person, in her language, in their language. But so economically it’s actually - besides all the sort of social things or making people feel bad which is also something you probably don't want to do, there's also reasons where using a standard as the standard - I actually shouldn't call it a standard - using a different dialect as a standard is problematic, because it's not taking into account the local realities. So locally what's important is that people speak what's local. It shows that there there's a sense of belonging, things like that. It's similar with speech pathology and things like that. So if they're analyzing kids here, there is no norm for the local kids. So they're using norms from Quebec or from elsewhere - and actually I'm doing some research with a colleague who is a linguist and speech pathologist specifically on that. Because we found and he's found that the kids are failing in certain things, like for example the pronunciation of r. They're actually failing that and they're being branded as not being able to pronounce those, and they need to go in for speech path. But they're getting a whole host of different r’s all over, right, so either it's just taking them longer, because they have to absorb them all, and before they can figure out how to pronounce their own r. They're not getting the same consistent input, or maybe the actual r is different here.

MEGAN: And r comes in late anyway.

NICOLE: It does come in late.

MEGAN: If they’re getting so much input.

NICOLE: Yeah, consistently coming in even later. I think there's actual educational ramifications, and economic ones, and people are not going to get a job, or they're going to be labeled as speech delayed, and things like that, when they're not. I think there's real problems that go even past the normal social things, which I think are - socially, I think it's bad to discriminate. But I think it goes further than that.

CARRIE: Yeah. Are there any other questions?

MEGAN: No.

CARRIE: Is there anything else you want to talk about Nicole?

NICOLE: Oh, I could go on forever, so I think you want to cut me off.

CARRIE: Ok.

NICOLE: There’s just so much really. At the provincial level, at those federal level, at different areas, it's just lots.

CARRIE/MEGAN: Yeah.

NICOLE: It's a very interesting topic TO ME.

MEGAN: I learned so much. I always say this. I think this is my new thing is just to say how much I learned.

[Laughter]

CARRIE: Did I learn this much, or this much?

MEGAN: This much. You can’t see what I’m doing. Or if anything. But yes I did, I learned a lot.

CARRIE: Yeah, so thank you so much for coming on again.

MEGAN: Yes thank you.

NICOLE: Thank you.

CARRIE: And: don't be an asshole!

MEGAN: Do not be an asshole.

CARRIE: Alright. Bye!

MEGAN: Bye!

CARRIE: The Vocal Fries Podcast is produced by Chris Ayers for Halftone Audio. Music by Nick Granum. You can find us on Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @vocalfriespod. You can email us at vocalfriespod@gmail.com.  

[hetaliaweekinreview]

Week of 9/9/2018 - 9/15/2018 PruCan!

Total fics: 14

FFN: 1

AO3: 12

fanfiction.net:

Our Obnoxiously Calm Chem Teacher by goctyudicbdkvhb175749674

He's loud. He's annoying. He's obnoxious. He's somewhat egotistical. He's got the worst case of ADHD anyone has ever seen. But, most of all, he's their awesome chem teacher who always rambles on and on about his French-Canadian boyfriend. Human AU where Prussia is a chemistry teacher who may be a bit loud for everyone's tastes but also has a heart that's bigger than a mountain.

Rated: T - English - Humor/Hurt/Comfort - Chapters: 3 - Words: 12,560 - [Prussia, Canada] OC

archiveofourown.org: 13

Dancin’ in The Ruins by Fave101

The Reaper has been growing closer to the Guardians over the last few years. They've become almost like a family, but something they learn about the Canadian scares them. Sequel to ‘Don’t Fear The Reaper.’

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category: M/M

Fandoms: Rise of the Guardians (2012), Hetalia: Axis Powers

Relationship: Canada/Prussia (Hetalia)

Characters: Matthew Williams, Canada (Hetalia), Gilbert Beilschmidt, Jack Frost, Prussia (Hetalia), Nicholas St. North, Toothiana (Guardians of Childhood), Sanderson Mansnoozie, E. Aster Bunnymund, Pitch Black (Guardians of Childhood)

Language: English

Blackout by Fave101

Canada is believed to have one of the lowest ghoul populations in the world, but that couldn't be further from the truth. The ghouls across the country know the truth and the nation behind it.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category: M/M

Fandoms: Hetalia: Axis Powers, Tokyo Ghoul

Relationship: Canada/Prussia (Hetalia)

Characters: Prussia (Hetalia), Gilbert Beilschmidt, Alfred F Jones, Matthew Williams, America (Hetalia), Canada (Hetalia)

Language: English

Lovesick by Ludwiggle73

Fresh out of rehab, Arthur Kirkland is ready to get his life back to normal—or, at least, as normal as a rockstar’s life can be. He’s supposed to be sober now . . . but everyone knows love can be a drug. He might have a new lease on life, but the withdrawal of a lovesick heart could very well be the end of him.

[PortEng. Past FrUK. Frain. DenNor. PruCan.] (Nyo!France.)

Rating: Mature

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, M/M 

Fandom: Hetalia: Axis Powers

Relationships: England/Portugal (Hetalia), England/Female France (Hetalia), Denmark/Norway (Hetalia), Canada/Prussia (Hetalia), Female France/Spain (Hetalia)

Characters:England (Hetalia), Prussia (Hetalia), Denmark (Hetalia), Norway (Hetalia), Canada (Hetalia), Spain (Hetalia), Portugal (Hetalia), Hungary (Hetalia), Female France (Hetalia), Japan (Hetalia), America (Hetalia), Seychelles (Hetalia)

Additional Tags:Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Punk England (Hetalia), Fame, Drug Abuse, Past Drug Addiction, Friendship, Swearing, Drama & Romance, POV First Person, Guitars, Gay Sex, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Self-Destruction, Singing, Song Lyrics, Post-Break Up, Angst

Language: English

Demonic Romeo by Pastaaddict

A demon and an angel meet in battle and a forbidden love blossoms but how long before the wrong people find out and both are put in danger?

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Major Character Death

Category: M/M

Fandom: Hetalia: Axis Powers

Relation ships: America/England (Hetalia), Canada/Prussia (Hetalia), South Italy/Spain (Hetalia), Lithuania/Poland (Hetalia), Finland/Sweden (Hetalia), Germany/North Italy (Hetalia), implied France (Hetalia)/Jeanne d'Arc | Joan of Arc

Characters:America (Hetalia), England (Hetalia), Canada (Hetalia), Russia (Hetalia), Prussia (Hetalia), France (Hetalia), Spain (Hetalia), North Italy (Hetalia), South Italy (Hetalia), Germany (Hetalia), Ancients (Hetalia), Poland (Hetalia), Hungary (Hetalia), Estonia (Hetalia), Lithuania (Hetalia), Latvia (Hetalia), China (Hetalia), Norway (Hetalia), Denmark (Hetalia), Iceland (Hetalia)

Additional Tags: Devil and Angel brothers, Starcrossed Lovers, Inspired by Romeo and Juliet, Character Death, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net under same name, more tags may be added

Language: English

How Much Wood Could Canada Chuck by RavenclawProngs

Canada has an axe to grind, but really, it's always sharp

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: M/M

Fandom: Hetalia: Axis Powers

Relationship: Canada/Prussia (Hetalia)

Characters: Prussia (Hetalia), Canada (Hetalia), Kumajirou (Hetalia)

Additional Tags: Human & Country Names Used (Hetalia)

Language: English

Series: ← Previous Work Part 7 of the Tumbling Through the World series Next Work →

Tripping Blind by RavenclawProngs

Road trip! But where are we going?

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: M/M

Fandom: Hetalia: Axis Powers

Relationship: Canada/Prussia (Hetalia)

Characters: Canada (Hetalia), Prussia (Hetalia)

Additional Tags: Human & Country Names Used (Hetalia)

Language: English

Series: ← Previous Work Part 9 of the Tumbling Through the World series

Isolation by Fave101

Stolen at a young age, Canada has been through it all, human trafficking, drugs and prostitution. When he finally gets away he has no idea how to find his family again. Homeless and with an approaching cold winter a kind man takes him in and shows him how to make it in the world, but it's not exactly legal either.

Rating: Mature

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category: M/M

Fandom: Hetalia: Axis Powers

Relationship: Canada/Prussia (Hetalia)

Characters: Matthew Williams, Canada (Hetalia), Gilbert Beilschmidt, Prussia (Hetalia), Francis Bonnefoy, France (Hetalia), Alfred F Jones, America (Hetalia), OC - Character

Additional Tags: Eventual PruCan, AU, Mercenaries

Language: English

Chasing the Moon by Anubis_2701

The efforts made by Matthias and his crew to rescue their friends have resulted in them being imprisoned. Trapped and unable to negotiate, some among them may have to strike hard bargains with their rebel captors in order to win their own freedom.

Lukas and Emilia have fought tooth and nail to get to the resistance, and fought even more to restore order within its ranks. But with their vital secret hanging in the hands of a group of criminals, their future looks more uncertain than ever.

Lovino and Feliciano have struggled to keep their identities concealed for years. With the secret of their birth out between the two, their bond is stronger than ever. But with the arrival of a talented mercenary on Rela seeking the great bounty on their heads, the two may be forced to abandon their place of sanctuary to evade capture.

As empires begin to fall and death spreads like a plague, only the brave bother to keep going.

Rating: Mature

Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Other

Fandom: Hetalia: Axis Powers

Relationships: Denmark/Norway (Hetalia), America/England (Hetalia), Canada/Prussia (Hetalia), Lithuania/Poland (Hetalia), Bulgaria/Romania (Hetalia)

Characters: Norway (Hetalia), Denmark (Hetalia), China (Hetalia), England (Hetalia), France (Hetalia), South Italy (Hetalia), North Italy (Hetalia), Canada (Hetalia), Prussia (Hetalia), Female Lithuania (Hetalia), Poland (Hetalia), Svalbard (Hetalia), Female Iceland (Hetalia), Switzerland (Hetalia), Kazakhstan (Hetalia), Hong Kong (Hetalia), Taiwan (Hetalia), Hungary (Hetalia), Spain (Hetalia), Finland (Hetalia), Romania (Hetalia), Bulgaria (Hetalia), Austria (Hetalia), Sweden (Hetalia), Ancients (Hetalia), Egypt (Hetalia), Seborga (Hetalia), Female Germany (Hetalia), Turkey (Hetalia), Peru (Hetalia), Belarus (Hetalia), Russia (Hetalia), Estonia (Hetalia), Original Characters, Background & Cameo Characters

Additional Tags: Space Opera, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Space Pirates, Bounty Hunters, Rebels, Sequel, LGBTQ+ characters, Explicit Language, Telekinesis, Elemental Magic, Mind Manipulation, Healing, Rape/Non-con Elements, Aged-Up Character(s), De-Aged Character(s), Guerrilla Warfare, Rescue Missions, Slavery, Sexual Slavery, Assassins & Hitmen, POV Multiple, Snow, Past Child Abuse, Terminal Illnesses, Secret Identity, Military Training, Strong Female Characters, Original Universe, Lore - Freeform, Buckle up motherfuckers because this has the s l o w e s t o f b u r n s, who ever thought i would write enough of this shit for a sequel, Not me that's for sure

Language: English

Series: ← Previous Work Part 2 of the Hunting the Stars series

Pranks at the World Meeting - or, how everyone pissed off Ludwig by RunningDeer and zhejiang_loves_cacti

It all started with Alfred and Matthew playing a simple joke at the world meeting... but where will it end?

Rated for Lovino's mouth, just to be safe.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Fandom: Hetalia: Axis Powers

Relationships: England/France (Hetalia), Prussia/Canada

Characters: Prussia (Hetalia), Canada (Hetalia), America (Hetalia), England (Hetalia), France (Hetalia), North Italy (Hetalia), South Italy (Hetalia), Germany (Hetalia), Spain (Hetalia), China (Hetalia), Russia (Hetalia), Japan (Hetalia), Gilbird (Hetalia)

Additional Tags: Pranks and Practical Jokes, america is immature, everyone is immature, romano swears a lot possible ameripan

Language: English

Little Bird by random_shit

Gilbert Beilschmidt is a psychiatrist, stressed and tired and struggling to help his anorexic best friend. Matthew Williams is a traumatized, schizophrenic man who's checked into the psychiatric facility his older brother Alfred works at. Matthew also happens to be Gilbert's newest client.Updates Mondays.

Rating: Mature

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: M/M

Fandom: Hetalia: Axis Powers

Relationships: Canada/Prussia (Hetalia), Austria/Prussia (Hetalia) [in the past], South Italy/Spain (Hetalia), Germany/North Italy (Hetalia), England/France (Hetalia), America/Russia (Hetalia), very briefly - Relationship, Austria/Switzerland (Hetalia)

Characters: Canada (Hetalia), Prussia (Hetalia), Austria (Hetalia), South Italy (Hetalia), Spain (Hetalia), North Italy (Hetalia), Germany (Hetalia), Rome (Hetalia), Switzerland (Hetalia), England (Hetalia), France (Hetalia), Finland (Hetalia), America (Hetalia)

Additional Tags: this is a rewrite so bear with me, Mental Health Issues, Mental Institutions, Schizophrenia, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Torture, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Mental Institution, Hurt/Comfort, Trauma, Self-Harm, Panic Attacks, mentions of anorexia, mentions of DID, Mental Disorders, Trigger Warnings, pls be careful my dudes

Language: English

Series: Part 1 of the What It Takes To Try Again series

Wallflower with Power by Moshianomo

Matthew is just a normal kid in high school. He doesn’t love it but getting kicked out? No way! He would do anything to stay! Anything! Even if that means... cross dressing... venturing out of comfort zones... and WAIT! He has to befriend the “delinquent” of the school?! Who knew high school was THIS stressful.

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/M, M/M

Fandom: Hetalia: Axis Powers

Relationships: Canada/Prussia (Hetalia), Austria/Hungary (Hetalia), England/France (Hetalia), Germany/North Italy (Hetalia), America/Japan (Hetalia)

Characters: Canada (Hetalia), Female Canada (Hetalia), Prussia (Hetalia), Austria (Hetalia), England (Hetalia), France (Hetalia), North Italy (Hetalia), Germany (Hetalia), Hungary (Hetalia), Spain (Hetalia), a lot more lmao

Additional Tags: Super hero and villain shit, i want them to be happy, prussia and Canada ayyyyy?, prucan, this honestly feels shitty but whatever eyy, Fluff, yeah - Freeform, did I mention Canada, yeah Canada, Matthew likes Fall Out Boy yeet

Language: English

Plain Old Day by that_one_waffle

For Gilbert Bielschmidt, today is supposed to be a plain old day.

Or is it?

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category: Other

Fandom: Hetalia: Axis Powers

Relationship: Canada/Prussia (Hetalia)

Characters: Canada (Hetalia), Prussia (Hetalia), Gilbird (Hetalia)

Additional Tags: Fluff, references, just a thought i’ve Had for a while now, don’t mind me

Language: English

[thorndale-industries]

//So, I have been thinking about which nationality Morgan might have in Titanomachy and I have been on a little lore hunt about that. We know Beth is French, Lucius is supposed to be British (ignoring his Accent), Dowd is American, so is Robert. But we never get any intel about where Morgan comes from.

After doing some digging and research, I came to the conclusion that he most likely is French-Canadian and this is what he will be in my verse. To make it clear why I think this, I want to write out some of my thoughts.

First of all, the rather big obvious point: Morgan only lives in French-speaking areas whenever we meet him. In DXHR and MD he lives in Montreal, located in the French-speaking part of Canada: Québec. In DX1 he hides in France and he had a communion in the Cathedrale de Payens (alongside a Rockefeller and a Rothschild)  - also located in Paris. So it’s more than safe to assume that he is able to speak French fluently.

But I do not think that French is his native language given his name and his style of speech - if anything, he learned it (in early years) or as a second mothertongue due to the enviroment he grew up in. The second doesn’t mean you will adopt an accent of the language because I grew up with 2 languages as well and I never adopted an accent of the one I consider to be my second/weaker mothertongue -  you wouldn’t notice anything when you hear me speak German. 

Also, after checking up with a friend who comes from Montreal, I learned that there is an English-speaking minority in the area which often consists of “upper class” / rich people - a category Morgan fits in without any doubt. This community also has its own English-speaking schools, universities ect., some members don’t even really speak French at all. Looking at Morgan’s heritage, I think this is a setting he comes from. 

Furthermore, during my current “lore hunt” playthrough of HR, I found an ebook about Picus stating the following:

Picus has been founded in 1985 by Martin Darrow (Hugh Darrow’s father) and not by Morgan or any of his relatives . So I assume 2010 must be the year Morgan officially took over Picus and became CEO - a position he still holds in the latest entries of the franchise. So why move it to Montreal and try to turn it into this stronghold for the Illuminati? Well, if one of the highest ranking members is already located there, it’s quite convenient, right? Same with Dowd controling New York and the UN and Paris also being a very important place for the organisation. Keeping a short leash. 

Also the whole “Montreal as a hub for entertainment” isn’t really far fetched, as it is already pretty much that in our world. 

This is it about why I came to the conclusion Morgan is French-Canadian, maybe I will find more in the future. 

[nelliievance]

Learn to Soar With Christine Van Loo

“If you want to fly, you have to give up the shit that weighs you down.”-Toni Morrison

Christine Van Loo, Aerialist, Speaker, and Coach (http://www.christinevanloo.com/about.html)

Christine Van Loo is an elite athlete that started out as an acrobatic gymnast, a sport in which she was a 7-time consecutive US National Champion, female Olympic athlete of the year, and athlete of the decade. After retiring from competition in that sport, she married and settled into a new life that seemed complete, but something also seemed missing.

Christine performing acrobatic gymnastics

She went through a period of depression before coming up with a new challenge and reinventing herself as an aerialist. She has much to teach about pursuing our dreams and becoming all we can be, and now in addition to being an internationally acclaimed performer as an aerialist, she has a set of teaching dvds for aspiring aerialists, and also coaches the champion’s mindset. She uses the acronym S.O.A.R to summarize her philosophy:

Shape your success.

Overcome obstacles.

​Architect a satisfaction plan.

Reap the rewards.

I was fortunate enough to be able to interview Christine, an amazing athlete and human being.

I think a crucial part of your story is when you had retired from competition as an acro-gymnast, and were finding yourself not totally fulfilled. Then you came up with a second career as an aerialist. How did you come up with this idea, and how did you motivate yourself to pursue it?

After I retired from acrobatic-gymnastics I married my first boyfriend and we moved to Italy where I became a Navy officer’s wife and a housewife, roles I struggled to fill authentically. 

When we returned to the United States I worked as an instructor. I taught gymnastics to children, dance to gymnasts, stretch classes to an aerobics national champion, acrobatics skills to world champion ballroom dancers and fitness classes to the general public. But no matter how well I did as an instructor, I felt like I was waiting for my real life to begin.   One day, I went to watch a friend of mine audition for Cirque du Soleil at Brown’s Gymnastics, one of the places where I taught. I sat alone on the bleachers as dozens of dancers and gymnasts signed their names to a list before warming up on the gymnastics mat.   Suddenly my hands started shaking uncontrollably. As I gripped the bleachers to steady them my body started swaying back and forth. I clenched the bleacher so tightly my knuckles turned white, but I could not still my body.   That moment was an epiphany, an aha. A realization I was watching my real life from the outside. Those strangers were my family. This art form was my home.  Without thinking, my body stood up. My feet walked to the table. My hand signed my name onto the audition sheet.

During the seven hour audition we danced, tumbled, balanced in handstands, stretched, acted and were interviewed. I had no expectation they would choose me. It had been five years since that old life as a competitive acrobat. But a few days later a woman with a French-Canadian accent, Nicolette, called to offer you a two-year contract to tour the world with Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Quidam’.” My breath caught in my throat. My words went AWOL. My mind exploded with images of acrobats flying through the air. Of stages, lighting, costumes, music; of performing, traveling to exotic places, and stretching my creative limits. She was offering my perfect dream. Then my husband stepped into the doorframe and the dream shattered. “Who is that?” he mouthed. I found myself between two colliding worlds. The “real” world, in which I was a wife and an instructor with newly registered students, and an apartment renter with a newly signed lease. And the dream world of running away and joining the circus.

“I’m sorry Nicolette,” I said, “I can’t accept the offer. Thank you for asking me.” “I don’t understand, Christine. You should continue to perform. Performing is inside you.” I knew she was right, but I hung up the phone and watched my dream disappear like a train pulling from the station without me. Months passed. They seemed like years. I put myself on automatic pilot to make it through the days. It was not that my life was bad. I had no reason to complain. That only made things harder, so I accepted this was who I was. It wasn’t who I dreamed I could be, though, and that broke my heart.

Then a friend told me about a show in which I could perform at corporate events on the weekends then go home during the weekdays. I sent this company a video of me competing and they hired me to do a show two weeks later. I was only working as a background cast member but it was through this show that I discovered aerial artistry. When I watched aerial artistry it reminded me of when I discovered acrobatic gymnastics as a child. Both times I felt this excitement in my chest so large I thought I would burst into a supernova. I knew that this too was my calling too. It was never a thought of how to motivate myself to become an aerialist; I simply had to do it.

You were self-coached while learning to be an aerialist, so how did you teach yourself?

The first three skills I learned from a former teammate of mine who just retired from Cirque du Soleil. The majority of the rest I learned mainly through exploration and trial and error, which amounted to lots of torn skin, bruises, and even setting the back of my pant leg on fire doing a slack drop on the wrong kind of fabric. Even with a competitive acro gymnastics background, learning an aerial act on my own was extremely difficult. It also took a very long time.

How do you motivate yourself to go through the day-to-day discipline of training?

Our route to our dreams are paved and discomfort. It’s not comfortable getting up at five in the morning to train or to ask that special someone out for dinner and face rejection or to ask for a raise. When aiming toward success we are bound to face fear, stress, frustration, anger, disappointment and a whole host of other uncomfortable feelings. Believe me. I know. I have a PhD in discomfort.

Think of these uncomfortable feelings as cross roads. Discomfort is a dream killer. Discomfort can kill your dreams. The moment you quit in order to feel better is the moment your dream may die.

Toni Morrison wrote, “If you want to fly, you have to give up the shit that weighs you down.”

If you want to be successful and to reach your dreams then make space for discomfort. Instead of judging discomfort like an enemy, simply accept and embrace it as part of the journey. In fact, train yourself to associate the discomfort of your challenges with an outcome of success.

Don’t wait to feel comfortable to take action. Get up in the morning and do whatever it is you need to do no matter how you feel. This will make you stronger. Instead of running away from discomfort, choose your dream instead.

Can you go into more detail about the champion mindset and elite athlete habits you teach in your coaching? I assume these apply to all of us, regardless of our talents, we should still strive to be the best versions of ourselves.

I teach a host of champion mindset techniques such as creating your own launch team, emulating excellence, and simplifying your success, among others.

Regarding simplifying your success, most people don’t dream big enough. You know you’ve dreamed big enough when your dream seems impossible. But have you ever dreamed an impossible-sounding dream and then felt overwhelmed at the magnitude of how to accomplish it?

I wanted to be an aerialist more than anything, but I didn’t feel like an aerialist and I had trouble believing that I might achieve such a feat.

So I came up with a plan. I figured, if I can’t believe this ambitious dream of becoming a professional aerialist, what if I reprogram my thinking to just believe in the next step? So I converted my dream into mini-steps – and I just focused on one at a time.

I didn’t have to believe in becoming an aerialist, I just had to rent a place to train.

I didn’t have to believe in becoming an aerialist, I just had to buy two yards of costume fabric.

I didn’t have to believe in becoming an aerialist. I just had to believe in climbing the next climb up the rope.

By breaking my dream down into mini steps, I created a momentum of confidence through incremental wins.

My point is this – whether you’re climbing a circus rope or a corporate ladder, the rules are the same. You learn to believe not by taking a huge leap, but by believing in one step after another.

Good news is confidence is learnable, and as you learn, that crucial belief takes root and spreads into all parts of your life.

If you’re intrigued and inspired by Christine’s story, or if you want to see some amazing videos of her in action as an aerialist, please check out her website. In addition to performing, she does speaking engagements, and coaches (teaching the champion’s mindset and coaching aerialists). Her book Falling to the Top is coming soon (check here for updates).

Do you have something unfulfilled inside that makes you feel like you might “burst into a supernova“? Maybe Christine’s coaching can help take the next step.

Learn to Soar With Christine Van Loo published first on https://steroidsca.tumblr.com/

[tchalametdaily]

Timothée Chalamet: "I always root for the underdog".

Translation below the cut.

A star is born. He has a French name (like his dad), but his home is New York. However, fame came with an Italian movie, "Call Me By Your Name" by Luca Guadagnino, a heart-wrenching tale of first love. And there's already Oscar talk around it.

"College? I tried, but I just can't. I'm already in too deep with the movie business to take a step back and say, okay, now I'll go back to school. I can do what a director tells me to do, but I can't do homework".

Warning: acting is robbing a bilingual 21-year-old, who's always been a good student, of a prestigious degree at Columbia University. It's undeniable that the career of New Yorker Timothée Chalamet is rising (right now he's on the set of Woody Allen's next project), and if you didn't notice how talented he is in movies like Love The Coopers and Interstellar, you now have a new chance of finding out with his first leading role in Luca Guadagnino's Oscar frontrunner Call Me By Your Name (written alongside James Ivory and Walter Fasano), out in US theaters on November 24th and coming to our cinemas next year.

Based on André Aciman's 2007 novel of the same title, it tells of an unexpected love story between a French-Italian 17-year-old named Elio and one of his father's students, Oliver, a 24-year-old American who comes to Italy to work on his post-doctorate dissertation. It takes place in the early 80s, when Craxi was prime minister and Beppe Grillo was on TV*, in an unspecified location near Cremona. The discovery of passion turns Elio's summer into a coming-of-age momentum that will probably change his whole life.

"I admit I was a bit intimidated by the character at first. But once I got to Italy, after I took piano lessons, and guitar and diction, and while rehearsing scenes, I let myself go without having to label roles or actions. It truly was a beautiful experience, partly because Guadagnino has a very natural way of guiding you and making you see things through his eyes".

Call Me By Your Name is a movie about the power of first love. Do you remember your first crush?

I was probably 12 or 13 years old. I went to a party and I found myself with a group of girls. I realized that, while I was talking, my head was pounding, it felt like a war was raging inside of me, I sensed that it wasn't like when I was with my friends... I was afraid, and yet I was enjoying it.

Do you have any confidants?

My sister, who's a little older than me. I usually talk to her about some stuff, and I talk to my parents about other stuff, there's a good dialogue between us. I have no secrets from them (he smiles)... well, maybe some. And then there’s my friends, although sometimes my job makes it hard to see them regularly.

Has fame changed your life?

I started at 14 with small roles, I had time to get used to it. I'm not a star, I'm sure I'll never be one. No one is stopping me on the street. There are a lot of celebrities in Manhattan, where I grew up, no one looks at me like I'm special. And I don't mind being interviewed either, some of my older colleagues told me that it can get boring after a while. But, for the time being, this gives me the opportunity to ask myself where I'm going and how. It's like seeing a therapist.

What did you learn on the set of Call Me By Your Name?

That one doesn't just decide to change, that there are stages in everyone's lives that take you places you didn't expect. Sometimes, trying to impose our will onto the future is a wasted effort.

What did Italy leave you with?

Beauty. Beauty in places, food, people's warmth. But I'm half French so it felt a little bit like home.

How did your parents meet?

My father, who's French, was on a business trip in New York for Le Parisien. He's a journalist, who now works for the United Nations. My mom was a dancer, now she's in the real estate business. I can't tell if my sister and I feel more French or American. I stayed in New York while she's been living in Paris for quite some time. I spent every summer in France until I was 15 years old, but New York is my home.

Who would you root for in a sporting match between France and the US?

France if it's basket, America if it's football**. I find that it's easier for me to root for the underdog.

Do you find a different welcoming while you're overseas now that Trump is president?

It's not easy, not so much because of what people think, but because of how I feel in the first place, as an individual.

Are you politically active?

I don't take to the streets to protest, but I often talk about politics with my friends. Obama's first election campaign was a sort of a way in that pushed my generation to get into politics. Up to that point, the only memories I had of the White House had Bush as the main resident, and there was very little to get excited about. Trump can try to build walls and make our current lives horrible, but we now live in a world where most of us come from mixed-race families, Americans, and Mexicans, Canadians, and Germans, French, and Italians, Argentinians, and Russians. It's a process that cannot be stopped, we're already heading towards a united world, free of nationalism.

What do you read in your spare time, do you prefer essays or literature?

Literature. I'm currently obsessed with Russian authors. Tolstoj, but also Dostoevskij. Crime and Punishment is a gut punch.

Music?

David Bowie, Nancy Sinatra, Talking Heads. I know, I have old-fashioned tastes.

Social network?

I'm not a fan. I have an Instagram account I rarely use, no official Facebook page. There's so much to do, I really don't have time to commit to something that is not real***.

Favorite actor?

Louis de Funès, the greatest.

Do you have a long-cherished dream?

In my case, to be content with your everyday life is already like living a dream.

 (translator's notes: *a bit of historical context: Craxi was the leader of the Italian Socialist Party and a controversial political figure; at the time, Beppe Grillo was a stand up comedian and actor who's now, ironically enough, a controversial political figure. **For you Americans out there, he's obviously talking about soccer, but everywhere else it's called football, the one you actually play with your feet! ***I realize him saying that social networking is "not real" can sound a bit harsh, but please don't fixate on such a small detail; the real meaning behind his words might have gotten lost in translation –mine was literal– and he clearly has a different approach to it than us)

[thewidowstanton]

Archive feature: Guillaume Saladin and Artcirq

2018 seems to be a year of important circus anniversaries: 250 years since Philip Astley created the first circus ring in the UK, 40 years that Laszlo Simet has been performing on the high wire and Semaphore, 25 years of Cirque Eloize, and 20 years of Artcirq, the circus set up in Igloolik in the Arctic Circle to try to combat the high suicide rate among young people there.

To mark Artcirq’s anniversary, we have chosen this feature – by The Widow’s Liz Arratoon – from 2005. We first met the inspirational Guillaume Saladin at the after-party for Cirque Eloize’s show Nomade at the Barbican in London in 2003 and instantly became friends. Struck by his passion and commitment, I interviewed him – during a trip to Paris to see Nomade at the Folies Bergère – to learn about his plans, before he headed off to the frozen north. It was in the days of dictaphones, and just after we’d finished chatting for about an hour we noticed the tape had snapped! Drama! But Gui calmly said: “We’ll do it again.”

There cannot be many circus artists who would willingly give up the bright lights of showbusiness to spend a year living on an island in the Arctic Circle. But after touring with Cirque Eloize for the past three years and performing in its show, Nomade, almost 500 times, that is exactly what Guillaume Saladin is going to do. Seven years ago he set up a circus project in the tiny Inuit village of Igloolik. Saladin says: “It’s called Artcirq. I started it in June 1998, just before I started circus school, after two of my old friends committed suicide, to try to prevent further young people in Igloolik from doing the same. It had been like that for many years, a lot of suicides.” Since then the 32-year-old French Canadian has been back every year for up to three months at a time to teach his students more and to help them put on shows.

Now Saladin has been asked by the village to return to Igloolik to spend a year running the community centre, where the students train, and to provide workshops. He says: “In July, after my last Nomade show in Christchurch, New Zealand, I’ll move to Igloolik to a little hut lent to me by the missionary. I will schedule next year’s activity for ten artists that will end with the shooting of a movie I devised with the film-maker Marie-Helene Cousineau. With these ten we’ll create a solid base, but each week we’ll provide open workshops for the community and the kids will help me teach them. So we’re already giving back knowledge from local people to local people. For the Inuit people, by the Inuit people.”

It is Saladin’s unique upbringing that has led him to this point. Both his parents are anthropologists and his father spent almost 50 years working in the Arctic with the Inuit community as an expert in Inuit Shamanism. Although Saladin was born in Quebec City, he spent much of his childhood in Igloolik. He was baptised by its queen and given the Inuit name of Ittuksardjuat. That name relates him to a family with whom he stays whenever he goes back, so he feels very strongly that he is part of the community.

“I was raised in Igloolik and spent all my summers there until I was 15. Then I didn’t go again until I was 24. My father continued to go there to conduct his research. I started out training to be a sociologist and I decided to finish my Sociology degree there with Isuma Productions who were shooting the film, Atanarjuat, The Fast Runner. I realised then that there was a dark side to the reality to life there that I never saw when I was a kid. Kids are lost in the generational gap. There is a loss of meaning in their lives. The elders still have the old knowledge but the kids are disconnected. There are so many images coming at them from the TV, but it has no meaning for them. There are no local role models. That’s why Isuma are trying to create Inuit stars with their movies. Artcirq is trying to do the same thing at ground level. We’re not that big.”

As well as circus skills, such as juggling, acrobatics, Inuit straps, unicycling and trapeze, the kids also have a chance to learn such things as lighting, set building, costume, dance, theatre, acting, writing and video-making. It is intended to give them career opportunities and a purpose in life. Their job prospects otherwise are limited to becoming cashiers or sewage truck drivers. Saladin has a network of about 15 potential trainers and is looking forward to working with an old friend from circus school.

“Janju Bonzon will be helping me. He’s a teeter board and BMX specialist and has been working with Circus Zip Zap in South Africa. As soon as he’s finished there he’ll join me in the Arctic. He’ll be in the movie as well. I’m also going to bring other circus people to provide speciality workshops. I’ll be there the whole time, the other artists will come to bring specific training. The end of the movie will be the beginning of the show that we want to present to other local communities. It will be a full-length movie about a year in the life of two young kids from a remote community close to Igloolik, who do stupid things, and one is caught by the police. He has to do social work at the community hall and gets in touch with the circus group.”

Early on, Saladin’s project began to address the problem of a rising number of suicides in Igloolik that local residents had debated for years. Before Artcirq there were an average of four or five suicides every year but, dramatically, 12 months after it started, they were able to celebrate a suicide-free year. But it remains a bleak place for kids. The island has only 1,200 inhabitants and is surrounded by ice for eight months of the year with temperatures falling to –60 degrees C in January, when there is no sun.

“It can be brutal. It’s never banal, never flat; life is either very high, beautiful, powerful, very strong, then suddenly, very dark, deep, violent, with a loss of meaning. Kids there need to find themselves as teenagers, find out who they are. Traditionally there, men were hunters, women were mothers. That’s still the same in Igloolik, but not many people are hunters anymore. Lots are just like teenagers anywhere. They have lots of energy, they listen to hip-hop, rap, rock ’n’ roll, they always ask: “Yo, what’s up?” And the answer is always: “Not much.” And it’s that ‘not much’ that causes the problems. They are stuck on an island, stuck in a village, everywhere is a dead end, every street, and it’s flat, flat, flat. Just gravel and tundra. For eight months a year, it’s all white and for four, it’s summertime. Then there is an explosion of life. Everyone breathes again. In winter people stay inside. The kids have school until they are 16 and then are free to do whatever they want. Everyone is an artist inside and trying to express themselves, sometimes this will be by drugs, alcohol or sports. We’re trying to bring back another way of expression. Another possibility.”

At present, Saladin explains, the young people have three ways to escape. “Igloolik has two little hills; one way is the airport, then the village and the other is the cemetery. They can look out and see two exits. One way out is when you die and another is if you leave the island and don’t come back. Education is free, so it’s possible to leave the country. They go and study in the white world. It’s not connected to them, but it’s a possibility. Another possibility is if you commit a crime and kill someone, you will go to jail down south, so it’s a way to leave. Another way to leave is if you shoot yourself. Or you stay home in your own environment and do things that make sense of your life, and try to mix where you come from with where you want to go and find a meaningful job. We’re trying to provide meaningful expression that could be transformed into meaningful careers.”

Sadly, even though the suicide rate in Igloolik has been reduced by 80 per cent, there are still deaths among the young people. Last year the elder sister of one of Saladin’s 12-year-old students hanged herself despite being clever at school and apparently having a bright future. “She was 14. We don’t know exactly why she did it. I arrived three or four days afterwards and we worked with her sister for a month. We did a 45-minute show last summer that we presented ten times to the community. And for the last show she juggled with us. She’d come a long way. Inside she was always sad, but she stayed with us because it brought her joy and happiness. But at the same time she was not full of life. She had to work, work, work. It was meaningful for her to show her father how she could juggle. She did that, her family was there and they were all crying.”

Saladin first became involved in circus while he was studying for his Masters degree in sociology. A friend suggested he join her at a circus class and he loved it so much that he decided to give up his studies and enrol at Montreal’s National Circus School, where he met Karine Delzors. They became performing partners and specialised in hand-to-hand balancing. Delzors is also involved In Artcirq, as are others from the Nomade cast. Bartek Soroczyński, one of the clowns, is another of the artists who has visited Igloolik on several occasions to run workshops for the kids and help with the shows. Acrobatics, juggling, unicycling, hand-to-hand have all featured in the productions, which always have a local theme and feel. The shows are filmed by the students, some of the activity taking place in igloos or out on the ice pack.

He and Delzors have now been performing together for seven years. ”We were taught by Alexandre Arnoutov, who comes from a famous Russian circus family. He’s in his sixties now and is still doing hand-to-hand with his wife. The other two men who have influenced Karine and me a lot, and therefore Artcirq as well, are Daniele Finzi Pasca, our artistic director in Nomade, and Krzysztof Soroczyński, Bartek’s father, our head trainer at Cirque Eloize. He has a lot of knowledge about different techniques. So, those three men have been very important to us.”

In Nomade, Saladin displays his own wide-ranging talents. Due to his stature and strength he forms the base of a four-man column, he sings, plays the trombone, juggles and performs acrobatics. But it is his stunning hand-to-hand display, performed with Delzors under a fine mist of water, that provides the show’s finale. Despite losing one of the key members of its troupe, Cirque Eloize is committed to supporting Artcirq. It has sold red clown noses at all performances of Nomade to raise funds for the project, which has always been run on a shoestring. “They are also providing training space in Montreal, their own circus equipment that they no longer need and they are buying specific things for us, like juggling clubs. They are a great partner. They are sensitive. Krzysztof can also come to Igoolik to lead a workshop if we need him.”

Saladin has many hopes and dreams for the future of his project. “One is working with the Inuit trying to bridge the cultures, and the other is to create a show with Cirque Eloize one day. Karine is part of Artcirq and she’s staying with Eloize, so I’m sure they’ll propose her for it. Daniele will also be involved. If the timing is right, everyone is in place.”

His altruism puts most people to shame but he sees Artcirq as a lifelong project and appears to carry his responsibilities lightly. “It’s a promise I made myself when I was a kid and I’m just following that. My Inuit name means ‘the little old man who will grow’. This man, Ittuksardjuat, was a powerful Inuit leader in the 1930s, a great chief. Inuits say that through the names they’re passing the knowledge also, so the one called Ittuksardjuat will be a little like him. If my name was not Ittuksardjuat I’m sure my life would have been different. I feel connected to him. I feel I’m going back for me also. To save my life, to make sense of it because when I was a kid I used to live there. I was baptised with an Inuit name which joins me to their culture. I can’t say I’m not part of it. I’m just trying to mix everything that I am inside and use it to communicate and to share. If you don’t realise someday that sharing is the best way to live a happy life and that you can’t just live for yourself, you’ll feel sad at the end and alone. That’s my motivation; to be happy.”

Saladin already has an invitation from a festival in Salzburg for the Inuit troupe to perform there if they ever go to Europe. The Inuit Cultural Centre in Paris is also open to help them in any way. “There are many places we can go. This is one dream, to set up a tour, then to perform somewhere else. My mother is also involved with aboriginals in Amazonian Peru and when I was there I was surprised to see similarities between the two cultures. That would be a nice exchange. What one has lost can be relearnt from the other. But those are my dreams and I don’t want to impose them. It’s their own destiny. It’s for them to express and direct.”

Saladin is passionate about Artcirq and determined to preserve its heritage. He stresses: “It’s important to combine the circus skills with traditional dance and music. Last summer we recreated an old legend in a month. It made me realise how willing the kids were and how good they are. We’re trying to find the roots of circus in Inuit culture. Through that we’re trying to bring back meaning and not lose everything from the past. If you want to run forwards you need to know where you’re coming from. Our goal is continuity. Artcirq is not a little fire that will burn for a month and then go out.”

Artcirq’s website. To make a donation to the company contact Guillaume Saladin at info@artcirq.org

Twitter: @isumaTV

Follow @TheWidowStanton on Twitter

We’ll be catching up again with Gui in the next few weeks and posting an interview to further mark Artcirq’s 20th anniversary.

This feature first appeared in Spectacle magazine. A shorter version also appeared in The Stage.

[emmetohboy]

Favorites: The 2020 Conundrum

Illustration credit: Orkenoy

I’ve heard it from numerous colleagues, friends and family members. The sentiment along the lines of "...can't end soon enough." or " Worst year ever." I don't disagree. Along with virtually everyone I know, this year has meant personal loss, crippling angst and the missing of loved ones. But do I wish 2020 had not happened? Along with the uncertainty and hardship, would I wish away everything else that the years has brought? I don't know.

I'm not one to pontificate what the pandemic has taught us or accelerated or revealed. But I am interested in drawing it as a frame around the creative work that was generated in the context of it. At the close of 2016 I hoped that the lemon of the new political environment might bare the lemonade of generational creative output. That may or may not have been the case. We’ll have to wait longer to assess that from a more objective distance. But the last 10 months have been a concentrated, intensely focused, if not simply harrowing time. Has the pressure been so intense, in such a short period, that we graduated from lemonade to forging cultural carbon into diamonds at an unprecedented speed? Are these gems be so luminous, that they will one day be viewed as heirlooms? Was the pain of 2020 worth its blessings?

Listen

Released right at the onset of quarantine was my absolute favorite record of 2020. Waxahatchie's St.Cloud is a stunner first track to last. Some hook you instantly ("Can't Do Much"), and others slowly worm their way into your soul ("Witches"). Several year-end best lists included the latest from Lucinda Williams, Katie Crutchfield's musical hero. I disagree with its inclusion, finding the tracks a little flimsy and familiar.  Katie's St. Cloud, however, is as close to prime Lucinda as anyone has gotten in quite some time.

Termed "Hip-Hop's first pandemic masterpiece by Exclaim magazine, Oddisee's Odd Cure brought a lot of joy this year. A tidy mix of R&B tinged hip-hop intertwined with calls to friends and family, the record has broad appeal and a narrative that only 2020 could supply.

The Remote Tiny Desk concert Oddisee performed with his band, mostly present, is fantastic.

Every year I can count on being introduced to one or two new artist via the New Music Mix that Apple Music serves me every Friday. This year I was pulled in to the track "Safe in Sound" by Orlando Weeks. I dropped it into a growing playlist that I have for background music while working. Each time it came up on shuffle it begged to be replayed. Eventually I tapped the entire record and googled Mr. Weeks. He is not a new artist to me at all. The former frontman for the U.K. band the Maccabees had ventured into a solo career. And it is so strikingly different from the Maccabees record I love, 2007's Colour it In, that it is no surprise I didn't recognize him. Weeks’ A Quickening is transformative and almost spiritual at times. He contemplates fatherhood ("Milk Breath") and community ("St. Thomas") and an aging seafarer’s relation to the elements that surround him ("Moon Opera"), in such ways that the record works in prioritizing what is important during difficult, if not odd times. 

I came late to Natalie LaFourcade and I’m a little angry at ignorantly depriving myself of this joyful talent for so long. She is a prolific dynamo. 2020 brought Un Canto por Mexico Vol.1. And so as the tile suggest, there will be another volume on its heels. Natalia had similarly released the wonderful Musas as two volumes spread over 2017-18. These three records along with 2015's Hasta la Raiz have supplanted the Trio Los Panchos records I played for cooking  accompaniment.

One of the most creative and infectious records I heard all year was Buscabulla's Regresa. The husband and wife outfit returned from New York to their native Puerto Rico following the tragedy of hurricane Maria. The environment made for joyful and melancholic results musically.

Buscabulla’s remote performance for NPRs Tiny Desk, from the back of their car at the beach in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico makes me smile the entire 13 minutes. Here’s to the resourcefulness of creativity.

I've been a fan of White Denim for some time. They are also quite prolific, generating new records almost yearly since 2009. So who could have blamed them after releasing Side Effects in 2019 if they had taken 2020 lying down. Not James Petralli and Michael Hunter. When faced with Austin Texas' pending stay at home order, the band wrote and recorded the entire record in thirty days. World as a Waiting Room is among the band's best. 

2017 Juno award winner William Prince is a huge star in Canada and should be stateside as well. His voice is as unique and warm as any I can recall. And his songwriting is as earnest, if not as clever as fellow Canadian Ron Sexsmith. "Wasted" is an unintentional anthem for 2020.

I am hooked Frazey Ford's vocal delivery. There is a Van Morrison quality to it, so nonchalant to almost be conversational. It as if the lyrics might be different every time she sings the song. U kin B the Sun is laden with grooves and a casual coolness that  always set me down lakeside on a summer day.

Circles feels like it was released a lifetime ago. The loss of Mac Miller was devastating and his partnership with Jon Brion is was one the most visionary collaborations of all time. This record feels timeless.

Lianne LaHavas is one of the most talented musicians alive. This year’s self-titled release is as close to a Sade record as we've had in a while.

Its great to see local acts get such national acclaim. Even better when they demonstrate creative growth. DEHD's Flower of Devotion expands the bands previously bare bones approach to music making with lovely Cocteau Twins-esque shimmer.

Orkenoy in the daytime.

Speaking of things local, I have been rooting for Orkenoy since finding out the Humboldt Park brewery was in the works back in 2019. What a journey it has been for the folks behind it all. Brewing equipment, transported from a distance, tumbles off of the truck as it nears its new home. It was damaged but not irreparable. It was nothing compared to what was to come. We may have hit the tipping point on craft breweries, but can you imagine readying your passion project for the world and the world snaps back with a global pandemic. They admirably soldiered on.

Turns out they are not just another brewery. They bill themselves as a "creative enclave operating as a brewery, kitchen and synergetic haunt for local artists." Their offerings, from brews to food, are a delicious blend of the rare and traditional, Norwegian Smørrebrøds and French Farmhouse, to new and experimental. Their branding is charming and narrative. We've taken carry out of cocktails and beers. Both were fantastic. Very recently Orkenoy has added even more allure to their footprint in the Kimball Arts Center by stringing lights from their facade to the elevated Bloomingdale Trail. As the nights have grown to their longest, my morning runs begin in darkness. So when I came upon the illuminated Orkenoy early one morning last week my path became a bit merrier. I was also struck by how much the scene reminded me of Van Gogh's Cafe Terrace at Night. 

Orkenoy at pre-dawn run.

Lulu Miller has worked as a producer for Radiolab and is a co-creator of the NPR show Invisibilia. Her book Why Fish Don't Exist was my favorite read of 2020. Told in Miller's quirky voice, the pages navigate herculean scientific achievements, our country's racial history, murder and ultimately love. While this may all  sound a frantic lot, Miller weaves it together tersely and with self-deprecating humor.

One of my favorite books of years' past is Michael Pollen's lesser known, Second Nature. It was in my initial reading of this that I learned from Pollen about Aldo Leopold's Sand County Almanac. I purchased a copy and thumbed through it when I finished Second Nature. A recent interest had me recall the work, so I set about our house to find it. It's a short book and so it took me a couple of looks to locate it behind thicker, stacked volumes on our bedroom bookshelf. I've been immersed in it ever since. I'm intentionally taking small bites, savoring every page, even highlighted passages—something I haven't done probably since reading Pollen. Leopold was an American philosopher and naturalist long associated with the University of Wisconsin. His writing is keenly observational, almost poetic. As he winds through the seasons on his Wisconsin farm, he introduces us to the behaviors of migrating geese, defensive plover and elusive trout among other inhabitants. Leopold is almost always alone with these creatures and his thoughts, save occasionally his dog. And while I wish I had a printing that contained the forward by Barbara Kingsolver, Leopold's original forward from 1948 suits me just fine. 

Aldo Leopold

"...the opportunity to see geese is more important than television., and the chance to find a pasque-flower is a right as inalienable as free speech...But wherever the truth may lie, this much is crystal-clear: our bigger-and-better society is now like a hypochondriac, so obsessed with its own economic health as to have lost the capacity to stay healthy. The whole world is so greedy for more bathtubs that it has lost the stability necessary to build them, or even turn off the tap. Nothing could be more salutary at this stage than a little healthy contempt for a plethora of material blessings."

[xtruss]

What Is The End Of An Era?

Trebek Remembered For Grace That Elevated Him Above Tv Host

George Alexander Trebek has been the host of Jeopardy! since the syndicated debut of America's Favorite Quiz Show® in 1984. He has become one of television's most enduring and iconic figures, engaging millions of viewers worldwide with his impeccable delivery of “answers and questions.”

— By Lynn Elber | Associated Press | November 8, 2020

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alex Trebek never pretended to have all the answers, but the “Jeopardy!” host became an inspiration and solace to Americans who otherwise are at odds with each other.

He looked and sounded the part of a senior statesman, impeccably suited and groomed and with an authoritative voice any politician would covet. He commanded his turf — the quiz show’s stage — but refused to overshadow its brainy contestants.

And when he faced the challenge of pancreatic cancer, which claimed his life Sunday at age 80, he was honest, optimistic and graceful. Trebek died at his Los Angeles home, surrounded by family and friends, “Jeopardy!” studio Sony said.

The Canadian-born host made a point of informing fans about his health directly, in a series of brief online videos. He faced the camera and spoke in a calm, even tone as he revealed his illness and hope for a cure in the first message, posted in March 2019.

“Now normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m going to fight this and I’m going to keep working,” Trebek said, even managing a wisecrack: He had to beat the disease because his “Jeopardy!” contract had three more years to run.

Trebek’s death came less than four months after that of civil rights leader and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, also of advanced pancreatic cancer and at age 80. Trebek had offered him words of encouragement last January.

In a memoir published this year, “The Answer Is ... Reflections on My Life,” Trebek suggested that he’s known but not celebrated, and compared himself to a visiting relative who TV viewers find “comforting and reassuring as opposed to being impressed by me.”

That was contradicted Sunday by the messages of grief and respect from former contestants, celebrities and the wider public that quickly followed news of his loss.

“Alex wasn’t just the best ever at what he did. He was also a lovely and deeply decent man, and I’m grateful for every minute I got to spend with him,” tweeted “Jeopardy!” champion Ken Jennings. “Thinking today about his family and his Jeopardy! family — which, in a way, included millions of us.”

“It was one of the great privileges of my life to spend time with this courageous man while he fought the battle of his life. You will never be replaced in our hearts, Alex,” James Holzhauer, another “Jeopardy!” star, posted on Twitter.

Recent winner Burt Thakur tweeted that he was “overwhelmed with emotion.” When he appeared on Friday’s show, Thakur recounted learning English diction as a child from watching Trebek on “Jeopardy!” with his grandfather.

The program tapes weeks of shows in advance, and the remaining episodes with Trebek will air through Dec. 25, a Sony spokeswoman said.

“Jeopardy!” bills itself as “America’s favorite quiz show” and captivated the public with a unique format in which contestants were told the answers and had to provide the questions on a variety of subjects, including movies, politics, history and popular culture.

They would answer by saying “What is ... ?” or “Who is .... ?”

In November 2019, one contestant expressed what many Jeopardy! fans were feeling: For his "Final Jeopardy!" answer, Dhruv Gaur wagered $1,995 on his answer: "What is We ❤ you, Alex!"

Trebek, who became its host in 1984, was a master of the format, engaging in friendly banter with contestants, appearing genuinely pleased when they answered correctly and, at the same time, moving the game along in a brisk no-nonsense fashion whenever people struggled for answers.

“I try not to take myself too seriously,” he told an interviewer in 2004. “I don’t want to come off as a pompous ass and indicate that I know everything when I don’t.”

The show was the brainstorm of Julann Griffin, wife of the late talk show host-entrepreneur Merv Griffin, who said she suggested to him one day that he create a game show where people were given the answers.

“Jeopardy!” debuted on NBC in 1964 with Art Fleming as emcee and was an immediate hit. It lasted until 1975, then was revived in syndication with Trebek.

Long identified by a full head of hair and trim mustache (though in 2001 he startled viewers by shaving his mustache, “completely on a whim”), Trebek was more than qualified for the job, having started his game show career on “Reach for the Top” in his native country.

George Alexander Trebek began hosting Jeopardy! in 1984. He is shown above in his Los Angeles home in 1988. Alan Greth/AP

Moving to the U.S. in 1973, he appeared on “The Wizard of Odds,” “High Rollers,” “The $128,000 Question” and “Double Dare.” Even during his run on “Jeopardy!”, Trebek worked on other shows. In the early 1990s, he was the host of three — “Jeopardy!”, “To Tell the Truth” and “Classic Concentration.”

“Jeopardy!” made him famous. He won five Emmys as its host, including one last June, and received stars on both the Hollywood and Canadian walks of fame. In 2012, the show won a prestigious Peabody Award.

He taped his daily “Jeopardy!” shows at a frenetic pace, recording as many as 10 episodes (two weeks’ worth) in just two days. After what was described as a mild heart attack in 2007, he was back at work in just a month.

He posted a video in January 2018 announcing he’d undergone surgery for blood clots on the brain that followed a fall he’d taken. The show was on hiatus during his recovery.

It had yet to bring in a substitute host for Trebek — save once, when he and “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak swapped their TV jobs as an April’s Fool prank.

In 2012, Trebek acknowledged that he was considering retirement, but had been urged by friends to stay on so he could reach 30 years on the show. He still loved the job, he declared: “What’s not to love? You have the security of a familiar environment, a familiar format, but you have the excitement of new clues and new contestants on every program. You can’t beat that!”

Although many viewers considered him one of the key reasons for the show’s success, Trebek himself insisted he was only there to keep things moving.

“My job is to provide the atmosphere and assistance to the contestants to get them to perform at their very best,” he said in a 2012 interview. “And if I’m successful doing that, I will be perceived as a nice guy and the audience will think of me as being a bit of a star. But not if I try to steal the limelight!”

In a January 2019 interview with The Associated Press, Trebek discussed his decision to keep going with “Jeopardy!”

“It’s not as if I’m overworked — we tape 46 days a year,” he said. But he acknowledged he would retire someday, if he lost his edge or the job was no longer fun, adding: “And it’s still fun.”

Trebek said he hated to see contestants lose for forgetting to phrase their answers as questions. "I'm there to see that the contestants do as well as they can within the context of the rules," he told Fresh Air's Terry Gross in 1987. Above, Trebek poses on the set in April 2010. Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

Born July 22, 1940, in Sudbury, Ontario, Trebek was sent off to boarding school by his Ukrainian father and French-Canadian mother when he was barely in his teens.

After graduating high school, he spent a summer in Cincinnati to be close to a girlfriend, then returned to Canada to attend college. After earning a philosophy degree from the University of Ottawa, he went to work for the Canadian Broadcasting Co., starting as a staff announcer and eventually becoming a radio and TV reporter.

He became a U.S. citizen in 1997. Trebek’s first marriage, to Elaine Callei, ended in divorce. In 1990, he married Jean Currivan, and they had two children, Emily and Matthew.

Trebek is survived by his wife, their two children and his stepdaughter, Nicky.

The Order of Canada (French: Ordre du Canada) is a Canadian national order and the second highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. Alex Trebek was awarded on November 17, 2017

Trebek was proud of the Peabody Award received by Jeopardy! in 2012 (left), Trebek at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan, on March 31, 2007 (right)

[truemedian]

The Bachelor's Colton Underwood and Cassie Randolph Break Up

Colton Underwood and Cassie Randolph have called timed out on their relationship.  The Bachelor couple, who found love on Season 23 of the ABC dating series but never officially got engaged, are going their separate ways, Colton announced on Instagram. The breakup comes less than two years after cameras captured Colton's journey to find his soulmate in the fall of 2018.  "It's been a crazy few months to say the least, Cass and I have been doing a lot of self-reflecting," he wrote. "Sometimes people are just meant to be friends - and that's okay. We both have grown immensely and been through so much together - so this isn't the end of our story, it's the start of a whole new chapter for us." Cassie also confirmed the news, writing, "Colton and I have broken up, but have decided to remain a part of each other's lives. With all that we have gone through, we have a special bond that will always be there. I love Colton very much and have an enormous amount of respect for him. We have both learned and grown so much these past couple years, and will always have each other's back. Always." Rumors that Colton and Cassie had split picked up steam when the former NFL player returned home to Colorado after staying with her family in Southern California for some time as he recovered from coronavirus. Typically keen on sharing relationship updates with their millions of Instagram followers, fans predicted something was amiss when more than a month passed without any mention of each other online.

During a recent appearance on E!'s Daily Pop, Colton, 28, explained how contracting COVID-19 impacted his and Cassie's relationship. "I think getting ill and dealing with this situation has only made us stronger," he said at the time. "Cass is a great nurse and followed all the guidelines and everything, so I can't say enough good things about her." But as the reality TV star revealed to People in March, he and Cassie have dealt with their fair share of troubles behind closed doors. 

Amuse Society, Jason Naude "To put it very frank, after the show, we realized we weren't communicating as well as we once did," Colton said, adding, "It was a very real and very emotional breakup, but it was also very good to be real and emotional because it forced us to have conversations and move on. Now, we know the flags to look for. When issues start to creep up, it's like, let's go have a conversation. We're trying to be more transparent and honest and really trust each other." As for why the two never took the next step and decide to tie the knot, Cassie, 25, told E! News last year that they were simply "taking things day by day." "We're not putting pressure on ourselves," she assured. "Overall, me and Colton are in a very normal and real relationship. And while it's difficult and it has its challenges being in the public, and like every relationship it isn't perfect, but we do love each other and we're on the same page. And we're very happy." Bachelor Nation was first introduced to Colton when he competed on Becca Kufrin's season of The Bachelorette, which aired in 2018. He enjoyed a brief stint on Season 5 of Bachelor in Paradise before being picked as The Bachelor's lead, where he met Cassie.  E! Is Everywhere This content is available customized for our international audience. Would you like to view this in our US edition? E! Is Everywhere This content is available customized for our international audience. Would you like to view this in our Canadian edition? E! Is Everywhere This content is available customized for our international audience. Would you like to view this in our UK edition? E! Is Everywhere This content is available customized for our international audience. Would you like to view this in our Australian edition? E! Is Everywhere This content is available customized for our international audience. Would you like to view this in our Asia edition? E! ist überall Dieser Inhalt ist für internationale Besucher verfügbar. Möchtest du ihn in der deutschen Version anschauen? E! Is Everywhere This content is available customized for our international audience. Would you like to view this in our German edition? E! est partout Une version adaptée de ce contenu est disponible pour notre public international. Souhaitez-vous voir ça dans notre édition française ? E! Is Everywhere This content is available customized for our international audience. Would you like to view this in our French edition? E! está en todos lados Nuestro contenido está disponible y personalizado para nuestra audiencia internacional. ¿Te gustaría verlo en la edición en español? E! está en todos lados Nuestro contenido está disponible y personalizado para nuestra audiencia internacional. ¿Te gustaría verlo en la edición en español? E! está en todos lados Nuestro contenido está disponible y personalizado para nuestra audiencia internacional. ¿Te gustaría verlo en la edición en español? E! está en todos lados Nuestro contenido está disponible y personalizado para nuestra audiencia internacional. ¿Te gustaría verlo en la edición en español? Read More Read the full article

[yourdailykitsch]

A rough translation of the Cinema Teaser article featuring Dylan and Taylor. Some parts are paraphrased, sorry I’m not as up on my French as I should be...

Dylan O’Brien, the rebooted version of Taylor Kitsch? The rich idea comes from American Assassin and it caused Cinema Teaser to germinate the desire for a cross-talk. The two actors have some points in common with ten years between them and we interviewed them face to face.

There are similarities in your two paths: you started on TV (FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS for Taylor and TEEN WOLF for Dylan), then on to big productions in the cinema. Dylan you even made an incursion into Taylor’s field, working with Peter Berg (DEEPWATER). Is there a typical route for young actors to be wary of or to embrace in Hollywood?

Taylor: I think the most important thing is to never do what you don’t want to do. You can’t always fight the way people see you in Hollywood, but you can get closer to projects that attract you and you can fight for what you believe. In the end, I refuse any project that I don’t want to devote weeks of time to, that’s all. 

Dylan: I do not have a very definite plan in my mind...It’s a little weird. I did not grow up wanting to become an actor or anything like that. I grew up worshiping movies and I have parents who worked and still work in the industry and I imagine that in a sense they have conveyed to me the love they have for cinema. When I was little, it was what I preferred: watching movies, watching actors, and adoring all kinds of artistic talents too - performers, singers, dancers. And that’s how my interest is. Growing up, I always performed. I always made small films, short films with my friends and my sister and everything started like that. Hollywood is the drive force of cinema today, the experience now has another scale and it is different. When you come into that environment you must master a part of the trade that is not exactly your profession.

Ten years separate you. If you Taylor, you observe the beginnings of Dylan and if you Dylan, watched how Taylor started, do you have the impression that the industry or the way it deals with young actors has changed?

Taylor: It should be kept in mind that when I start on television with FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, the series was not a phenomenon. We never had the following that TEEN WOLF had. My popularity was limited to a fervent public that has a background in American football or that kind of sports fiction. I don’t know if the industry has changed for young actors. When I see Dylan, I have the impression that the younger generation is attacking the business with plenty of intelligence, it’s on! They know what they want and they know how to use the system to their advantage. 

In your opinion, what is your biggest commonality - professionally and personally? 

Taylor: I would say that Dylan and I are always ready to take on a challenge. We are not afraid to look far into ourselves for a character. For example, it was always a wish to play a bad guy, and I very much like the fact that we both went a little against the usual, in the sense that we show that there is a torment, or even an inner hell. We show that there are repercussions for our actions, especially mental ones. And that’s why American Assassin is a bit different in the genre. 

Dylan: I agree with everything Taylor says! (Laughs) The reality is that on the set we did not have too much time to chat or compare our careers because the time we shared is as short as the time we share on screen. But I am sure that now that we are promoting the film we will have more time to discuss.

Taylor, you are Canadian and you don’t stop playing the American Heroes. In Lone Survivor or in American Assassin, there is a rather harsh picture of the American culture of violence. Do you feel like an enlightened observer?

It depends on the script I get. Also, I think more of the character’s hope than his nationality. Whether it as a (Mike) Murphy in LONE SURVIVOR or Ghost in AMERICAN ASSASSIN, what is important is what he has in his head, more than his flag. The thing is, with Murphy, who is a heroic figure and quite iconic - and it’s legitimate - you play someone who represents something strong and you have to be faithful to him. I live in Texas and I have a buddy who has a ranch. For AMERICAN ASSASSIN, I lived there alone for ten days with the script and some weapons and that’s how I put myself in the head scape of Ghost and created him.

That you have both worked with Peter Berg is not insignificant. Peter casts actors who crystallize something from American. Dylan, what relationship do you have with the image of the American hero?

Taylor: Peter was a TV star (between 1995 and 1999, in CHICAGO HOPE, he played Dr. Billy Kronk) before becoming the great director he became. He is a dream director for an actor, especially the young actors, because he knew better than anyone what it takes.

Dylan: Peter, I learned so much by speaking with him, working with him, watching him. The idea of not being the typical action hero in American Assassin is what attracted me first to the film. If you watch movies about assassins or secret agents, you rarely see how they got there, what events or accidents they went through. A year and a half ago I went through something quite traumatizing in my life (Dylan was injured on the set of THE DEATH CURE). Rebounding after that was very difficult, to be honest. So I can easily connect with that part of my character.

Dylan, TEEN WOLF will stop soon. Is there any particular anxiety? Taylor you remember what you felt when FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS stopped? Do the films made while you’re engaged on a series set the tone of the films that you want to do next?

Dylan: I have no problem with leaving TEEN WOLF behind me because I never wanted to stay ‘cornered’ with the same character for too long. I never looked for stability with a job on TV over seven years or more.

Taylor: The end of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS was bitter sweet. On one side, it was time that it stopped and we all wanted to try other things. But at the same time, we were an extremely close team. We never had big audiences, contrary to what everyone seems to think today. With the rebroadcasts, Netflix and all that, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS is still very much alive and surely has a wider audience today than at the time it aired. But I do not take it badly, a series does not set the tone of your career. The producers will always try to hire you for roles that you have already played if you succeeded at a the box office... And in my case, we know that it never happened like that! (Laughs)

Through your respective series, you have (or have had) a teen fanbase. Does cinema help you get another audience? Is this one of the criteria for choosing a project?

Dylan: I have never reflected in these terms. For me, AMERICAN ASSASSIN was interesting because it was different from what I was known for, okay. But as a comedian, you always want to do new things, to meet different challenges. You do not want to always play the same character. As for my fans or the people who follow my career closely, I respect them enormously but, sorry, I will never let anyone lock me in a box.

Taylor: My teenage fanbase is far behind me. I want to go back in time! (Laughs) No, I’m joking, everything’s fine.

Taylor, after shooting supermovies (WOLVERINE, BATTLESHIP, JOHN CARTER), you finally turned to movies that, even if they have a certain pre-awareness, remained original movies. Is it difficult to find original material while evolving in cinema?

Taylor: I think in terms of character. I do not know if I necessarily like the guy I play in AMERICAN ASSASSIN, but I like the fact that he is anchored in some reality. There is a lot of pyrotechnics but I like that there is no green screen, if one has to compare with WOLVERINE, BATTLESHIP or JOHN CARTER. Green screens are always difficult because you have to use all your imagination to try to fill the void around you. AMERICAN ASSASSIN evolves into a reality, a realism, a viscerality, the rhythm is incredible. I think it is the kind of cinema I prefer.

Taylor, after FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, you took time to re-engage in a TV series. Dylan, would you like to devote yourself to the cinema before eventually returning to a series or mini-series?

Taylor: I did not plan to return TV until I had an interesting and limited proposal for the small screen. I did TRUE DETECTIVE and then I just finished a six-hour mini-series which is called WACO, with Michael Shannon, Paul Sparks and Shea Whigham. In this case, returning to television is not an insignificant option, of course.

Dylan: It may have been different ten years ago when Taylor was on TV, but today, there is no longer a real difference between TV and cinema. You find excellent scenarios everywhere as long as you give yourself the means to look for them and show a little patience. 

Taylor: I will not sign a lengthy contract of something like seven years. On the other hand, I could sign for a mini-series of six or ten episodes, if the character interests me. There is something beautiful to serve and dig into a character over six hours, rather than over 30 minutes.