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Edinburgh and Glasgow: The Famous Five (2014) — Sep 25, 2017

Edinburgh and Glasgow: The Famous Five (2014)

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Last week, I introduced Glasgow and Edinburgh, who are not the characters already from Britain Boys, but instead two completely new characters for Edinburgh & Glasgow,  a then-new series satirizing Scottish society. While I kept Edinburgh’s design mostly intact from when I first started sketching him, Glasgow was a bit more volatile in both his looks and even personality.

Eventually, I settled on his finalized make-up, and the Glasgow of Edinburgh & Glasgow is the one seen directly above – with Edinburgh and three other new characters created for the series.

The ‘famous five’ big cities of Scotland all get personified, each reflecting the popular perceptions of their hometowns (with the possible exception of Inverness). Although I have been to Scotland, it was only one part of it (it was a small village called Kelso near the English border), so I used as much of the knowledge I’d accrued from popular culture about Scotland in the process of creating these characters. I drew them roughly according to their geographical location, a technique I would use again for many later artworks.

  • Edinburgh

A 26-year-old comedian. He is an eternal funnyman, always making jokes even if people don’t necessarily approve of his humour. His wisecracks annoy his ‘frenemy’ Glasgow, who envies all the attention he’s getting and sometimes tries to steal his limelight – literally. He performs at festivals and gigs around the world, including his very own Festival. In the 2014 Scottish referendum, he campaigned (of sorts) for Scotland to remain a part of Great Britain, since he prefers working together to breaking apart.

  • Glasgow

A 28-year-old former dockworker. After the global economical crash, he lost the very job he cherished so much, and he has become depressed and pessimistic about everything ever since. He regularly drinks and smokes to temporarily relieve his deeply-entrenched stresses, and busks on the streets by playing the bagpipes to collect some coins just to get by. He hates anything funny, which is why he often gets irritated by Edinburgh’s jokes. His favourite food and drink are fried Mars bars and Irn-Bru, and was a passionate supporter of independence for Scotland in the 2014 referendum.

  • Aberdeen

An oil-rig worker. He has ‘Alba’ (the Gaelic word for ‘Scotland’) and a Scottish flag tattooed onto his left arm. Due to his riches in oil, he’s always wondering where the next barrel of oil will be found, which has led to him becoming somewhat materialistic. Like Glasgow, he also supported Scottish independence because he thought Scotland would then be able to keep more of its oil riches for itself, rather than having to share it with England.

  • Dundee

A journalist. He always carries a notepad and pencil around with him, so whenever he thinks he has a potential news story on his hands, he will immediately begin excitedly jotting down details, which he then types up into a full-on article. When not breaking or making the news, he loves to make his own marmalade to use for scones and toast.

  • Inverness

A detective. He always carries a magnifying glass with him, usually in his pockets. When he’s caught on to a case, he keeps track of clues in his notepad, and uses his phone to inform his colleagues and record the voices of people who he thinks are suspects. He seems to have an unusual resilience to the harsh cold Scottish winters, since he doesn’t wear any kind of leg covering, or socks inside his boots. He is popularly called the ‘Sneck’ when he is being called, or in the popular media.

I included these character bios in the first issue of the official Edinburgh & Glasgow magazine, which I ‘published’ roughly every month. Each magazine included puzzles, fun facts about Scotland, comic stories, and even a mailbox (with letters and pictures ‘sent’ in all drawn by me).

Edinburgh & Glasgow – The Official Magazine – Issue 1

(Click on the link above to open the book in your browser. You will need Adobe Reader installed to view the magazine. If you don’t have it, you can download it for free at https://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/)

I’ve also drawn other artworks of the Famous Five together, with one even being drawn by someone else for me out on impulse:

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Wind River (2017): My Thoughts — Sep 22, 2017

Wind River (2017): My Thoughts

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(TRIGGER WARNING: This review contains some graphic mentions of rape and violence against women. Also, spoilers if you haven’t yet seen the film.)

While I mostly review cutesy family-friendly films on my blog, I feel that now is the time to expand and also focus on more mature-themed motion pictures, since I don’t want to be pigeonholed as just a ‘kiddy film reviewer’ (though there is plenty of animated fare that isn’t really for kids).

So I came to see Wind River as part of a club who one night went out to the local cinema. This was probably my first time seeing an R-rated (roughly equivalent to the 15 age rating) film with a group of other people in a public place, since all the films I’d seen with that rating before had been in the relative privacy of my own home.

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Glasgow and Edinburgh: Draft Designs (2014) — Sep 17, 2017

Glasgow and Edinburgh: Draft Designs (2014)

Just to clear things up: these are not Glasgow and Edinburgh from Britain Boys – they are two completely new characters with different personalities, looks and jobs.

The year of 2014 presented Scotland with a double celebration – the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the then-hot topic of Scotland’s potential breakaway from Britain (which has now re-entered the public consciousness thanks to Brexit). Since I wanted to create something to both commemorate and comment (of sorts) on these once-in-a-lifetime occasions, I decided to invent a whole new series in the vein of Britain Boys which would be a kind of satirical sitcom on modern Scottish society.

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Because I struggled to come up with a name for this new series, I simply named it after the main duo of Glasgow and Edinburgh, although of course there would be a lot more characters named after Scottish places over the next few months.

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Glasgow Dennistoun & Edinburgh Laurieston (Draft Designs)

The drawing above is how I first imagined the titular duo to look like. I based their personalities and appearances partly on how their respective cities are popularly perceived in the media – with Glaswegians being seen as rough and tough, and Edinburghers being more into culture and sophisticated.

When I first designed Glasgow, as seen above, he originally wore the stereotypical Scottish outfit of a kilt and black tap shoes with ribbons tied across the top of his socks. Although on the outside he appeared tough and prone to anger, inside he was jokey and always willing to have a laugh, even if it was at his own expense.

Edinburgh, on the other hand, makes making people laugh his job. I based him being a comedian on the presence of the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which is the favourite tour stop of many real-life comedians from across the globe. I tried to make him look hipster-ish with his beanie hat, man-scarf, black trenchcoat and tartan trousers, which also reflects the stereotype of the city of Edinburgh being an avant-garde centre for those whose tastes are slightly different from the mainstream.

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Glasgow & Edinburgh (Original Designs)

This drawing is the second iteration of the designs I created for Glasgow and Edinburgh. Edinburgh stayed mostly intact, but Glasgow was now a steelworker instead of just a figure of Scottish stereotype. This is because in the past, Glasgow was an epicentre for the British steel industry, as well as being the prime port of shipbuilding for such famous ships as the Queen Mary II. Though it has since dwindled greatly, it remains a point of pride for many Glaswegians, and the giant cranes overlooking the Clyde River have become the city’s landmark of sorts.

I would later again dramatically change Glasgow’s outfit and overall looks and personality, which would become his ‘canon’ design, but Edinburgh remained fundamentally the same. Glasgow’s ‘new’ design will be revealed in the next exhibition.

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Canadian Boys: Character Profiles F-K — Sep 14, 2017

Canadian Boys: Character Profiles F-K

  • Fernie

Fernie is a black snowboarder. Every day, he goes to the Canadian Ski Resort to go zipping down the slopes at high speed, not feeling any kind of fear. He practises at the Canadian Winter Sports Centre where he can sharpen his bravery. Fernie aspires to master snowboarding at Olympic level.

  • Flin Flon

Flin Flon is a maple syrup producer. He cuts maple tree trunks using a sharp knife to let the sap bleed out, hanging buckets beneath for collection, and he then boils the sap into thick, treacly, sweet syrup. He stores the syrup in handcrafted glass bottles with an embossed maple leaf motif on the front. Every bottle of maple syrup Flin Flon produces, no matter the colour or strength, is pure and organic. As well as syrup, he also makes maple-flavoured cookies, lollipops and hard candies. Flin Flon plants a new maple tree on his patch daily so he can continue extracting the sap.

  • Fort McMurray

Fort McMurray is an oil digger. He dresses up like a cowboy – complete with Stetson hat, sheriff’s badge and pointed boots with spurs – and he spends hot summer days out on the desert-like dunes of the more remote parts of the city drilling through the sand in the hopes of hitting ‘black gold’ and striking it rich. If he finds oil, he cheers excitedly as it all squirts out of the rig tower, collecting it into steel barrels and then reaping all the monetary rewards. Because of the nature of his job, he often gets hoots of disapproval from environmentalist protestors who say he is destroying the dunes with his excessive drilling, resulting in him being hounded out of the site, feeling a sense of humiliation. Fort McMurray’s wealth from digging for oil shows through the layout of his home – a huge mansion with all the ‘mod cons’ he wanted, the likes of which include a swimming pool with a Jacuzzi and water flumes, a bowling alley with a bar, and a home cinema – and his extravagant manners in relation to money and how he presents himself.

  • Fredericton

Fredericton is the CEO of Fredericton’s Fantastic Funhouse, a chain of children’s play areas, and its subsidiary company, Hotel Fun, a chain of ‘amusement’ hotels, and the villain of Canadian Boys. When working at the original branch of Fredericton’s Fantastic Funhouse in downtown Canada alongside his partner Nanaimo, he is the receptionist and CEO, typing customers’ details onto his computer, taking telephone calls, collecting money and sorting out bookings for parties. But when he decides to act as the ‘bad guy’, he and Nanaimo go around the city causing havoc, panic and devastation to innocent citizens. He has had a song written about him and his enterprises, aptly named ‘Fredericton’s Fantastic Funhouse’, where the most prominent line is: “When you wanna have some fun and you wanna enjoy yourself, Fredericton’s Fantastic Funhouse!” Fredericton sometimes gets annoyed by Nanaimo, making them even more of ‘bad Canadian Boys’.

  • Gagetown

Gagetown is a soldier. He is stationed at COCFB Fennville, where he is one of the youngest serving members at 25 years of age. He carries a range of weapons around with him, including rifles and grenades, and he sharpens his accuracy every morning with a round of target practice. Very rarely, he is actually required to be drafted out onto the battlefield, where he must put all his acquired skills to good use for his own – and his comrades’ – survival. As a soldier, Gagetown is brave and hardy, yet also manages to see the funny side of many things, even if he’s cracking a joke at his own expense. When not on duty, he likes to go down to the local pub to have some pints, play some games and even show off some moves and belt out some tunes at karaoke with his fellow soldiers, although he admits his singing and dancing aren’t really that good. Gagetown has a City-of-Canadian Cross medal pinned to his lapel, which he won in a previous exercise for his outstanding courage.

  • Gatineau

Gatineau is a young French Canadian man, the first of a duo of French Canadian villains in Canadian Boys. He is very testy and frequently shouts noisily, making a scene of himself. He travels the city with Laval to cause trouble and terror. He speaks both English and French, often mixing the two languages together when he speaks. Gatineau acts as Laval’s carer when she goes out with him.

  • Georgina

Georgina is a 20-year-old watercolour artist. In stark contrast to her older brother Jacksons Point’s vividly striking marker illustrations, she approaches her art in a much softer manner, using light sweeps of aquatic paint and ink to create masterpieces which are easy on the eye and are almost true-to-life. She feels a sense of relaxation when she paints, so whenever she feels an impulse, she will get creative straight on the spot. For this reason, she usually carries her watercolour-paper sketchbook, paint palette and brushes of various sizes around with her. Georgina aspires to become professional, selling her artworks to an art gallery or to other people who want to decorate their homes, and teaching her techniques to the next generation of hopefuls.

  • Glovertown

Glovertown is a wheelchair-confined 96-year-old. He wears a velvet tartan blanket in various shades of green draped over him and a tea-towel spread across his lap to mop up saliva, as he dribbles and spits a lot. He does not speak, has poor eyesight and hearing and a very bad memory, always looks angry and serious, and he has a small hearing aid clipped onto his left ear. He is tube-fed on skimmed milk powder blended with water. Glovertown cannot control his bodily movements, so he ends up relieving himself in his trousers and needing changing. Because of his deteriorating physical and mental condition, he is prone to bursting out in fits of making strange noises, jerking himself about and flapping his hands like crazy. Glovertown puts a great strain on the staff at the care home where he resides, but they love his charm and the stories his family have to tell about him.

  • Goffs

Goffs is a blind 36-year-old. He cannot see at all, and he cannot talk either. He wears dark sunglasses and carries a walking stick with a silver rubber bottom to help him work out where he’s going, and reads using Braille. Due to his total lack of sight, Goffs will often crash into objects and knock things over while he is moving about. When he needs to use the bathroom, he needs help in getting there, using and flushing the lavatory, and washing his hands. He also needs to be supported while having a bath or shower so he doesn’t slip up. Goffs finds many everyday tasks which ‘normal’ Canadian Boys take for granted daunting, but his carer helps him to gain much-needed independence, and he feels very proud of him and the progress he’s made.

  • Grafton

Grafton is Cobourg’s father. He cares for his disabled son, supervising him, preparing his feed and letting his mother Port Hope know when he needs changing. He jots down details of the day and his thoughts in his light mauve journal. Grafton’s life is very difficult as he has to keep constant watch over Cobourg, but he loves him just as he is because he is his dear son.

  • Guelph

Guelph is a potter. He makes pots by hand on a wheel from clay, and they range in colour from cream through to terracotta and burnt umber. He gets very messy while making pots because of the wet clay, so he cleans his hands on his clothes, dirtying him even more. He takes regular breaks to help soothe his aching muscles and joints. Guelph often decorates his pots by scratching patterns into them while the clay is still moist using either his fingernails or a cocktail stick.

  • Guysborough

Guysborough is a fisherman. He lives on a big boat docked in the Canadian Harbour, just like his fellow fishermen Blacks Harbour and St. John’s. He earns income by going out to sea every day to catch some fresh fish for sale at market. Guysborough is concerned about overfishing and the depletion of fish stocks, so he practises good fishing techniques to maintain sustainability. Because of this, he acts as a role model for other fishermen to look up to when they feel passionate about conserving marine life. Guysborough is frequently seen with a fish in his arms, gripping on to it tightly and admiring his ‘new catch’.

  • Haliburton

Haliburton is a lactose-intolerant Canadian Boy. He has to consume lactose-free food and drink, or else he will suffer from severe diarrhoea and awful bouts of wind. He must keep a very close eye on looking at ingredient lists on packaging to make sure he doesn’t ingest lactose by accident. Haliburton uses lactose-free milk in his tea, coffee, cereal and cooking, and warmed up as an aid to help him drift off to sleep.

  • Halifax

Halifax is a businessman. He wears a royal-blue suit with a white-and-sky-blue striped tie and a pair of black laced shoes, and he always carries his ‘precious’ suitcase around with him. He works in a very modern office in the city’s Central Business District, where many big businesses along with a few medium-sized and small enterprises are headquartered. Halifax is obedient, courteous, patient and noble, and he is never late for work, misplaces his things or lets himself get distracted by goings-on around him, which some of the other employees do. He has received many ‘Employee of the Month’ awards since he started working at the office. For all these reasons, he is popularly called ‘the good businessman’. He eats healthy food, drinks decaffeinated coffee and refrains from smoking, drinking alcohol and taking harmful drugs since he knows they’re all bad for him. While at work, he gets up and takes short strolls around the office to keep himself active. Halifax is a very positive role model for Canadian businessmen owing to his keeping of morals and strong work ethic.

  • Hamilton

Hamilton is a pig keeper. He lives in a barn on the Canadian Farm in the southwest of the city, and he keeps a wide variety of different breeds of pigs like Berkshires and Common Whites. Hamilton believes that pigs should live freely, not cooped up in claustrophobic pens which severely limit their movement and breathing space. Because of this, his pigs have the liberty of trotting away in natural daylight out in the fields. He feeds, gives them water to drink and checks them thoroughly for illnesses on a regular basis. Hamilton thinks slaughtering animals for their meat and skin is immoral, so he follows a vegan diet. He is often seen carrying a pig in his arms, embracing and caressing it tenderly. Hamilton frequently finds his pigs trotting around the barn, and when he sees a pig sitting down on his bed, he smiles brightly. Hamilton cares deeply for his pigs.

  • Hanceville

Hanceville is a 51-year-old man. He wears glasses and carries a dark walking stick with an amber rubber bottom. He loves to take leisurely strolls around the Canadian Park, enjoying the sights and scents of nature. He carries a mini-book entitled The Many Different Types of Plants in his left jacket pocket for quick and easy reference and identification of the various flora he finds. In the autumn, he loves the earthy colours of the leaves being blown off the trees, and he sometimes goes foraging for wild berries. Hanceville has a vivid memory – he can remember distant memories in great detail.

  • Happy Valley-Goose Bay

Happy Valley-Goose Bay is a young fisherman. He lives on a huge boat docked in the Canadian Harbour, just like his fellow fishermen Blacks Harbour, St. John’s and Guysborough. Every day, he goes out to sea to catch some fresh fish to be sold at market. He uses sustainable fishing methods to help protect the sea and ailing fish stocks. Happy Valley-Goose Bay obeys fishing quotas set by the City of Canada Council, which is another way of promoting marine sustainability.

  • Harricott

Harricott is an Irish-Canadian 18-year-old, Dunville’s son. He lives with his father on their houseboat. His face is peppered with pale brown freckles, and he has soft, thick, curly black hair, which used to be straight until he had it curled with rollers. He is quiet and mildly shy. Dunville thinks of him as his “little curly-haired b’y”. Harricott loves to play on the beach and go swimming in the sea while his father is out fishing. He washes his hair after every swim to get rid of salt and seawater and maintain his curls as he is very proud of them. Harricott feels a lot of kindness and care from Dunville.

  • Ingonish

Ingonish is a 30-year-old Scottish-Canadian man. He wears a bright red jacket with an orange collared shirt underneath and a deep-red tartan kilt fastened with a belt. He is part of a piping band – specifically the City of Canada Highland Pipers – and he plays the bagpipes for special occasions such as weddings, family reunions and parades. He also makes appearances at Highland Games and other Scottish-themed festivals like the Gathering of the Clans or the Tartan Tintamarre. Ingonish occasionally helps out at inns and lodges around the city by baking foods such as blueberry pies and growing plants to decorate and freshen up the rooms.

  • Inuvik

Inuvik is a young Inuit man. He carries a silver-headed spear, and he goes out every day to forage for food and pan for gold. He eats raw meat and uses a sharp piece of flint to carve sculptures out of soapstone. Inuvik sleeps in his freezing-cold bed at night.

  • Iqaluit

Iqaluit is Whitehorse’s first-eldest brother. He goes out with Whitehorse and his second-eldest brother Yellowknife daily to go foraging for food and panning for gold. He helps in hunting for big game such as deer, moose and caribou to provide meat for raw consumption and hide to make insulating clothes for chilly weather. Iqaluit sleeps with his brothers inside their igloo at night.

  • Jacksons Point

Jacksons Point is a 23-year-old illustrator. He first sketches out line-art using black graphic pens in various widths, then he adds dashes of colour with his rainbow-hued collection of markers to create artworks which evoke childhood memories of comic books and Saturday morning cartoons. Sometimes he creates actual comics out of the characters he creates in his illustrations, writing up detailed backstories for them and scripting out the plots beforehand before drawing, inking and colouring. He hopes that one day his comics will be published and read by fans around the city and the world, and they will meet him at comic conventions to see him in action. Jacksons Point has a younger sister named Georgina, who paints with watercolours.

  • Jasper

Jasper is Banff’s older brother. Like Banff and his younger brother Whistler, he has a sweet nature and is not afraid of zipping down the slopes. He often practises at the Canadian Winter Sports Centre with his brothers just before going out for the ‘real thing’. Jasper shares his dream of being an Olympic skier with Banff and Whistler.

  • Jenner

Jenner is a farmer. He lives in a barn in the Canadian Fields and grows a range of cereals such as wheat, barley and oats. He also grows a variety of fruit and vegetables, especially berries and carrots. Jenner frequently attracts visitors to his farm who come to pick their own produce and learn about farm life.

  • Joggins

Joggins is a 22-year-old Scottish-Canadian man. He wears a pale tan collared shirt and a bright red tartan kilt fastened with a belt. He is often seen at ceilidhs gleefully playing his bagpipes and smiling joyfully. Joggins is good and caring, thinking positively of his brothers. Joggins has a young nephew named Parrsboro whom he cares so much for.

  • Jonquiere

Jonquiere is a 22-year-old French Canadian man. He goes out to the Canadian Diner to have some French Canadian dishes like poutine and smoked-meat sandwiches. He loves to listen to traditional Quebecois music with accordions, fiddles and tap-dancing to accompany. He is fluent in both English and French, frequently blending the two languages together when he speaks. Jonquiere wears a blue fleur-de-lis badge on his shirt to show off his pride of being French Canadian.

  • Judique

Judique is a fiddler. He performs with his bandmates Campbell and Lime Hill at ceilidhs and Highland Games across the city. He is a little of a ‘happy chappy’ as he always seems to be smiling, although of course he is sometimes sad or angry. Judique breaks wind quite frequently, often at awkward moments such as when he is rehearsing with his bandmates or playing at a concert. Because of this, he is easily embarrassed and can be overly apologetic, always asking people to excuse him when he ‘lets one rip’. Sometimes he accidentally wakes up his bandmates in the morning by breaking wind loudly in bed, and occasionally right up in their faces, causing much disgust and irritation. Judique has a very strong Cape Breton brogue when he speaks, reflecting his heritage and upbringing. Judique is regularly encouraged by Campbell and Lime Hill to keep up on his fiddling talents despite his near-constant bad gas.

  • Kamloops

Kamloops is a beekeeper. He lives beside the Canadian Heath in the southeast of the city with his younger brother Kelowna, and he watches over his bees daily, collecting honey and storing it in golden pots. He is concerned about the use of pesticides and their damaging effect on bees, so he practises natural and organic beekeeping. Kamloops’ bees are tame – they do not sting him or Kelowna – and he is often seen with a bee crawling up his bared arm. Kamloops shows a great deal of affection to his younger brother, caring a lot for him and their bees.

  • Kelowna

Kelowna is Kamloops’ younger brother. He lives with his older brother, and like him, he tends to his bees every day, collecting and packing honey. He is also aware of the detrimental effects of pesticides on bees, preferring a more natural and organic approach to beekeeping instead. Kelowna’s bees are meek – they don’t sting him or Kamloops – and he is frequently seen with a bee crawling up his un-sleeved arm. Kelowna shows a lot of fondness for his elder brother, caring greatly for him and their swarm of bees.

  • Kenora

Kenora is a Chinese-Canadian snowboarder. He visits the slopes daily to practise his runs repeatedly to memorization and perfection, not afraid of zipping down steep hills at high speed. He further hones on his snowboarding skills at the Canadian Winter Sports Centre on the artificial slopes. Kenora hopes to play for the snowboarding team at the Winter Olympics at professional level.

  • Keremeos

Keremeos is Bountiful’s father. He has a wife named Port Renfrew, together caring for their young son. He is very generous towards his wife and his ‘sweet little one’, using a range of endearments when he speaks, such as “dear” and “sweetheart”. He strokes his soft skin to show his affection. Keremeos sleeps with Port Renfrew and Bountiful in their king-size bed at night.

  • Kitchener

Kitchener is a cook. He spends much of his time in his kitchen, cooking up new recipes for everybody else to try for themselves. Kind-hearted, he speaks sweetly, using endearing terms such as “dear”, “sweetheart” and “my lovely little one”. He is often seen cradling a bowl of chocolate cake mixture in his arms, briskly whisking it up and taking little licks fresh off the spoon, enjoying its sweet cocoa taste. Thus, Kitchener is an ardent lover of chocolate, using it as an ingredient in a wide array of dishes, both sweet and savoury.

  • Kleinburg

Kleinburg is a 12-year-old who lives with dyslexia. He cannot read without much assistance and effort, and he also struggles greatly with writing, his words often coming out as nearly illegible scribbles or wiggles. He has an easier experience with pictures, however, so he often uses graphical symbols that simplify more complicated texts. He receives essential support from his parents and teachers at school, correcting his mistakes and neatening his calligraphy. Kleinburg labours hard over even the most basic tasks of forming letters and words, which most people would take for granted.

  • Komoka

Komoka is a black 15-year-old adopted by a white foster family, namely Port Carling and Sprucedale. He is quiet, making his needs clear by approaching his adoptive parents, from which they deduce that he wants their attention. Due to traumatizing events in his past, he has been afflicted with severe depression, the reason for his emotional sensitivity and frequent outpourings of crying. His ethnic identity has not been broken or assimilated, however. Despite being separated from his biological family for a very long time, Komoka presents unwavering loyalty towards his adoptive parents.

Canadian Boys: Character Profiles A-E — Sep 6, 2017

Canadian Boys: Character Profiles A-E

  • Abbotsford

Abbotsford is a Canadian Girl who loves to sew. She carries a needle, various threads and pieces of fabric with her when she goes out to keep herself occupied. When she is at home, she designs her own outfits, using lots of fabric and her trusty sewing machine. Abbotsford is proud of her handiwork, and when she finishes an outfit, she takes it along with her so that the other Canadian Boys and Girls can admire her fashion style.

  • Amherst

Amherst is a 24-year-old Scottish-Canadian man. He wears a pale cream collared shirt, a light brown tartan kilt fastened with a belt and an amber bonnet on his head. He has a lot of thoughtfulness for his brothers, frequently bringing them little gifts like thistles, shortbread, scones and traditional Celtic jewellery. Amherst loves touching soft things, such as his pillow. Amherst is often seen vigorously playing his bagpipes, smiling compassionately.

  • Antigonish

Antigonish is a 20-year-old Scottish-Canadian man. He wears a ruby-red jacket buttoned up in the middle, a bright red tartan kilt fastened with a belt and a rose-pink bonnet on his head. He is very short-tempered, having a mildly irritated face most of the time – but if he is provoked, he becomes terribly furious and starts to shout noisily, hurting other Canadian Boys and greatly upsetting them. Antigonish is fiercely proud of his Scottish roots. Antigonish is often seen angrily playing his bagpipes, frowning lividly.

  • Apple River

Apple River is a 24-year-old Scottish-Canadian man. He wears an apple-green jacket with a lime-green collared shirt underneath and an emerald-green tartan kilt fastened with a belt. He is kind, soft and thoughtful, considering other people’s thoughts and feelings and helping to rectify any problems that arise. He is the exact same age as Amherst and they share Scottish roots, so they are on very amiable terms with each other.

  • Baddeck

Baddeck is a bagpiper and fiddler. He wears a deep-red jacket with a bright red collared shirt underneath and a vermilion-red tartan kilt fastened with a belt. He shows great aptitude in playing two musical instruments – namely the bagpipes and violin – and he travels around the city with both in hand, astounding crowds and making them dance the Scottish jig to his lively and heart-stirring tunes. Baddeck prides himself on his Cape Breton roots – he has a very strong ‘Caper’ brogue when he speaks and sings – and he says his hopes are to keep the culture and arts of his homeland alive through his musical talents and special way of singing.

  • Banff

Banff is a young skier. He is sweet, and he goes down the slopes without any fear, since he was ‘born to ski’. He frequently visits the Canadian Winter Sports Centre with his brothers Jasper and Whistler to practise before going on the real slopes. Banff dreams of being a professional skier at the Winter Olympics.

  • Barrie

Barrie is an accident-prone 31-year-old man. He has a physically weak structure, so he is always getting injured from even the slightest blow, sometimes severe enough to warrant hospitalization. He is almost always seen with a sling, cast or protective healing application of some kind, with the remnants of the wounds peppering his skin. Barrie is also emotionally weak due to having developed over-sensitivity to the tiniest pang of pain, making him cry the second he feels it.

  • Barrington

Barrington is a wheelchair-confined 15-year-old with cerebral palsy. He is non-verbal and is always bent over the right side. He has a dish-cloth tied around his neck and a tea-towel spread across his lap to mop up saliva and spills. He always has an angry, serious look on his face. Barrington relieves himself in his trousers frequently, so he needs regular changing. He is tube-fed on skimmed milk powder mixed with water. His parents take on responsibility for attending to him and his desires. Barrington is very rowdy and unreliable, prone to bursting into furious fits of uncontrollable screaming, spitting and dribbling all over his clothes and making unintelligible noises. Barrington makes his parents’ lives complicated, but they also care deeply for him.

  • Bassano

Bassano is an acoustic guitarist with high-functioning autism. He always carries his ‘precious’ guitar around with him, strumming in a lively manner while singing in a clear, passionate voice. He has a habit of flapping his hands when he is excited, stimulated, or anxious. Bassano is a very positive role model for disabled Canadian musicians thanks to his talents of singing and playing the guitar.

  • Blacks Harbour

Blacks Harbour is a mildly surly fisherman. He lives on a large boat docked in the Canadian Harbour beside the beach, and he makes a living by going out to sea daily to catch some fresh fish to be sold at market. He is slightly angry most of the time, but if somebody goes onboard his boat without his permission, he becomes extremely furious and whips the intruder with his fishing rod, shouting at them raucously, causing them to bleed excessively, and badly depressing them. Blacks Harbour lives ‘next boat’ to his brother St. John’s, who is just as cantankerous as he is.

  • Bountiful

Bountiful is a black 2-month-old. He is cared for by his parents Keremeos and Port Renfrew. He is quiet, and considering he is very young, he crawls. Keremeos and Port Renfrew are slightly worried about him being disabled. He relieves himself in his pants frequently, so he needs regularly changing. His parents take great care not to damage his easily-breakable bones when they handle him. Bountiful already has a sense of his identity and knowledge of his parents. Bountiful sleeps with Keremeos and Port Renfrew in their king-size bed at night.

  • Bracebridge

Bracebridge is a 15-year-old. He is in love with a young Scottish-Canadian man named Sambro, and he is very kind-hearted. He speaks with a sweet voice, using a lot of endearments, such as “dear”, “sweetheart”, and “my sweet little dearie”. Bracebridge shows a lot of care towards his boyfriend. Bracebridge thinks of Sambro as his “beloved little sweetness”.

  • Bramalea

Bramalea is a 13-year-old. He is cared for by his father Brampton, and he is very shy, so he is often seen hiding behind his father’s back, shuddering. He cannot talk either, so he must communicate in the same ways that Saint John uses. He cries a lot, often for tiny things, which bothers Brampton as he thinks he is suffering from depression. But the other Canadian Boys tell him it’s just ‘normal teenager stuff’, so Brampton isn’t overly worried about his son, but he still feels a little concerned. Bramalea frequently clings to Brampton, thinking of him as the ‘love of his life’.

  • Brampton

Brampton is Bramalea’s father. He cares for his teenage son, comforting him when he cries. He clearly loves him a lot; he uses a range of endearments when he talks to him, and he strokes him sweetly, showing him a great deal of affection. Brampton thinks of Bramalea as a ‘mini-me’ version of himself, and his ‘heir’.

  • Brandon

Brandon is a 30-year-old man. He has a wife named Portage La Prairie, and he cares for her, helping her to live her daily life. He shows his love for her by kissing, stroking, using a variety of endearing terms when he speaks to her, and comforting her when she is feeling glum. He thinks of her as his ‘sweet love’. Brandon sleeps at Portage La Prairie’s side in their double bed at night.

  • Brantford

Brantford is a 25-year-old. He is married to a young black woman named Mallorytown, and he cares for their baby mixed-race son Smithville. He feels a lot of affection for his dark-skinned wife and his ‘dear little black one’. He speaks very kindly, using a lot of endearments such as “dear”, “sweetheart”, and “my little honey”. He strokes his soft skin to show his sweetness. Brantford sleeps with Mallorytown and Smithville in their king-sized bed at night.

  • Burford

Burford is a 15-year-old with a prosthetic left arm. He became this way after his parents discovered his ‘real’ left arm was developing gangrene, so he had to have a surgical amputation and prosthetic replacement. He has lived his life with a prosthetic joint ever since. Burford is independent. He can dress himself, cook his own meals and care for himself. Burford holds a positive mind – he says that nothing will ever let him down just because he has a prosthetic joint. He is an optimistic young disabled Canadian Boy who is always looking on the bright side of life.

  • Burlington

Burlington is a slightly disadvantaged young teenager. He is totally paralyzed on the left-hand side, so for instance, he cannot move his left arm or leg as they are always glued to his body. He was left like this after he was knocked over by a car one afternoon, and he will never be able to live his life the same way as before. Thankfully, however, Burlington can still move his right-hand side, but this means he cannot walk properly, so he has to drag himself around. He can only handle things with the right-hand side of his body. His left-hand side cannot be touched – if it is, he will feel excruciating pain. Burlington is cared for by his mother Milton.

  • Calgary

Calgary is an eight-year-old boy. He is very obedient, though of course he does sometimes misbehave. One of his favourite words is “guy”. When he is with the other Canadian Boys who live in the Canadian Boys’ House, he says “Come on, guys, we gotta do this,” and if he finds something lost or unusual, or when he is excited, surprised, sad, distressed or angry, he says “Oh, guy.” He frequently calls one of the other Canadian Boys “guy” too instead of their real name, and occasionally he even calls animals and inanimate objects “guy”. Calgary has an excellent memory in recalling sights and sounds. Calgary is cared for by his father Edmonton.

  • Campbell

Campbell is Judique’s first bandmate. Genial and peaceful, he performs with Judique and fellow fiddler Lime Hill at ceilidhs around the city. He is easily irritated, however, and he becomes dreadfully angry if he is pushed to his limits, shouting noisily, cursing and slamming his fist down on hard surfaces, like a table. He has a noticeable Cape Breton twang when he speaks, just like his fellow fiddlers. Campbell is always looking out for his bandmates and encouraging them to fiddle as much as their talents have blessed them with.

  • Campbellton

Campbellton is a soft-hearted young Canadian Boy. He is often seen laying down on his stomach with a kind look on his face. When he speaks, his voice is sweet, rich in endearing terms – especially the word “dear”, which is his favourite. Campbellton loves it when miserable Canadian Boys and Girls come up to him, meaning he can soothe them with his caring nature.

  • Charlottetown

Charlottetown is a gregarious young man. He is the one who always gets the other Canadian Boys at the breakfast table, and the one who loves to have a little chat with his buddies before they go to sleep at night. He comforts his pals when they are feeling down, and he cares for them when they are sick. Charlottetown is very brave – his catchphrase is “I’m Charlottetown Belvedere, I ain’t afraid, I’ve got no fear.”

  • Cheticamp

Cheticamp is a 26-year-old Acadian man. He wears a traditional Acadian costume decorated with the tricolour flag and golden star pin badge. He is bilingual, speaking both English and French, and frequently blending the two languages together when he speaks to create the distinctive Acadian patois. Cheticamp loves consuming Acadian delicacies, thinking of this cuisine as his ‘patriotic grub’, which makes him feel very proud of his Acadian heritage. This pride of old Acadia, its people and culture also shows through his clothing.

  • Chicoutimi

Chicoutimi is a milkshake vendor. He runs a stall at the Canadian Park, and he blends only the finest organic ingredients for his milkshakes and smoothies. He is fluent in both English and French like most French Canadian Boys in Canadian Boys, speaking English to Anglophone customers and French to Francophone customers. He often mixes the two languages together when he speaks. Chicoutimi has a canopy on his stall which he can lower down to continue conducting business when it’s raining or snowing.

  • Churchill

Churchill is an explorer. He wears a brown leather jacket with fleece made from polar bear fur, and he often goes out in winter when there is lots of snow, so he can learn about what goes on in the city and its natural habitats during the colder months. During the rest of the year, he visits the House of Winter at the Canadian Seasons Centre to continue his ‘winter studies’. Churchill gets around the city in winter on his snowmobile, which can navigate even the snowiest or iciest of roads thanks to the grips on the base.

  • Clarenville

Clarenville is a 15-year-old boy. He has a very sweet nature and speaks with a kind voice, using lots of endearments when he speaks. In the summertime, he is frequently seen at the Canadian Park snuggled up in his sleeping bag with his girlfriend Miramichi, enjoying the warmth of the sun shining onto his face and blissfully humming to himself. Clarenville loves the sweet scent of flowers in spring, often giving a bunch as a gift to Miramichi to show her how much he cares for her. He lives with her at their home in the northeast of the city.

  • Cobourg

Cobourg is a black wheelchair-confined 13-year-old. He is cared for by his parents Port Hope and Grafton, and he does not speak. Very unreliable, he has a variety of habits like making weird noises, spitting and dribbling all over himself, and flapping his hands crazily. He wears a tea-towel around his neck to mop up saliva. Cobourg relieves himself in his trousers frequently, so his parents need to change him regularly. He is tube-fed on skimmed milk powder blended with water. Cobourg puts a heavy burden on both of his parents, but at the same time they care so much for him.

  • Consort

Consort is a librarian. Daily, he takes books from his patrons to either lend them out, renew the lease or check them back in for somebody else to borrow. If someone is doing research – whether for their study projects, field trips or just out of personal curiosity – he will offer them guidance in finding the right shelves and resources for the subject, extracting the appropriate information, and referencing for essays, theses, dissertations and other literary works. Though he may seem cold and hard-hearted on first impressions, deep down he genuinely does care for those who use the library and see it as a valuable community asset. Consort shows a concern for the rise of electronic books and reading devices, claiming that nothing can ever compare to the feel of paper, the true portability of a print book, or the hard work and rewards that come with traditional methods of researching.

  • Coquitlam

Coquitlam is a swimmer. He visits the Canadian Leisure Centre daily to have some ‘aquatic fun’, and he loves it when the big waves are activated and everybody tries to get out of the way, but they end up getting knocked back down into the water. When the weather is warmer, he goes swimming at the beach, often having friendly encounters with marine animals such as whales, dolphins and even sharks. Occasionally, especially in the summer, he goes to the Canadian Water Amusement Park. Coquitlam warms himself up in winter by visiting the Canadian Hot Springs, which pack a pleasant heat even in the coldest of weather conditions.

  • Cranbrook

Cranbrook is a peaceful young man. He loves to relax in his ‘sweetheart’ armchair that he treasures so much, keeping a collection of books by his side so he can delve into a “good old story”. He drinks a lot of tea as it is his favourite beverage, and he likes to dip biscuits into his ‘brew’ then munching away on them pleasantly. Cranbrook enjoys the sensation of soft things, and he often strokes his pillow, greatly pleasing him.

  • Dawson City

Dawson City is a First Nations Canadian Boy. He pans for gold in the water bodies of the city – he has struck gold on a few lucky occasions – and kills fish to eat raw. He sometimes even kills seals and walruses for raw consumption. Dawson City carries a silver-headed spear to kill animals and dig for plants, fungi, historical artefacts and precious stones and metals.

  • Deseronto

Deseronto is Toronto’s father. He wears glasses and carries a dark walking stick with a blue rubber bottom. He knows, along with his wife Napanee, that his son is famous because of his dancing and singing talents. Toronto often comes to visit him and Napanee at their home, and Deseronto says he is very proud of his son, thinking of him as a ‘gift from God’ who has come down to Earth to entertain people with his songwriting and choreography. Deseronto loves to listen to the radio with Napanee, and if one of Toronto’s songs starts playing, he whispers to her that it’s their much-loved son expressing himself with his creative talents.

  • Digby

Digby is an angler. He always carries his ‘beloved’ fishing rod about with him, and he goes fishing daily at water bodies around the city. Most of the fish he catches are common species such as cod and trout, although occasionally he catches exotic fish such as catfish and clownfish. Digby carries a mini-book entitled ‘Fish of the World’ in his left jacket pocket for quick and easy reference and identification whenever he goes fishing. Digby has photographs of him carrying special ‘new catches’ and trophies gracing his bedroom – he feels very proud of all the angling he’s done over the years.

  • Doaktown

Doaktown is a young grape cultivator. He lives in a big barn-like house beside the Canadian Vineyards in the southwest of the city, and he picks juicy grapes off his trees every day, storing them in wooden barrels to prevent spoiling. He believes in growing produce as organically as possible, so he does not use any harmful chemicals or genetically modify his crops, and he ensures he is paid a fair price for each bunch of grapes. His grapes are sold at stores and markets across the city. In addition to grapes, Doaktown also makes juice, jam, raisins and wine, although ironically he is teetotal. Doaktown enjoys the scent of freshly-ripe grapes and grapevine leaves, and he keeps some stuffed under his pillow to sniff the sweet aroma.

  • Don Mills

Don Mills is a deaf wheelchair-confined 20-year-old. He cannot hear at all, nor can he speak, so he communicates using sign language. He always has an annoyed look on his face. Don Mills relieves himself in his pants frequently, so he needs regular changing. He is tube-fed on skimmed milk powder mixed with water. Don Mills is very fickle, spitting and dribbling all over himself, jerking and wriggling about in his wheelchair and flapping his hands uncontrollably. He wears a tea-towel spread across his lap to soak up saliva. Don Mills exhausts his father greatly, but he also cares a lot for him as he is his son.

  • Dorval

Dorval is Laval’s father. He cares for his daughter when she is at home, showing her a lot of affection. He understands that she loves Montreal and wants him as her boyfriend, but he also understands that Montreal hates her endlessly chasing him, causing him much distress and crying. So he tells her that no matter how much persuasion Laval tries out on Montreal, he will never want to be her boyfriend. This upsets Laval a lot, making her cry too, but Dorval says she should accept Montreal’s choices and let him live his life. He speaks both English and French, often blending the two languages together when he speaks. Despite Laval’s mischievous antics, Dorval loves her greatly, and she says the same to him.

  • Drumheller

Drumheller is a geologist. An avid excavator, he spends warm days outside in vast fields, at the beach or on a mountainside digging for precious stones, ores and fossils. If he finds any valuable spoils, he gets overcome with excitement and goes all out to try and attract as much attention to his ‘epic finds’ as possible, sometimes resulting in selling the artefacts to museums or other cultural institutions. Because of spending so much time out in the sun, he has developed a slightly dark tan. Drumheller acts as a villain for the show because of his desire to race for treasures before his competitors and earn as much money as possible from pawning them off, leading to him being branded as ‘the new Fredericton’. He does not like to see others making discoveries of their own, and he will always try to get the credit for it even if he played no part at all. Drumheller has been known to dig under people’s homes because his metal detector or geological surveys of the surrounding area told him there was something interesting hiding there, causing much anger and annoyance to the residents.

  • Dryden

Dryden is a survivalist. He wears a bulky puffy blue jacket and a pair of wool-lined leather boots and carries a pickaxe for hanging onto mountainsides, breaking rocks open and uprooting trees for lumber and firewood. Through lots of camping excursions out in the wild, he has learnt to forage for wild fruits, angle for fish and boil a refreshing cup of tea using just water over a log fire and freshly-picked tea leaves. For something meaty, he goes hunting for big game like deer, moose and pheasants. In winter, he gets around on snowshoes, skis and his trusty snowmobile while his jacket, thick trousers and boots keep him pleasantly toasty, and he melts fresh snow and ice to use for water. Dryden does not fear nature – he says that because people spend a lot of time in technologically-advanced urban environments, they have become somewhat reluctant to re-engage with the natural world – and he feels a sense of inner peace when it’s just him, the fire crackling away, and the water bubbling as it flows out across the land.

  • Dunville

Dunville is a slightly elderly Irish-Canadian fisherman. He lives aboard a big houseboat docked at the beach beside the Canadian Meadows in the southeast of the city, and he goes out to sea daily to catch some fresh fish for sale at market, practising sustainable fishing techniques. Dunville is very kind. He speaks with a sweet voice, using a lot of endearing terms like “dear”, “sweetheart” and “my pleasant little b’y”. In addition to fish, he catches crabs, lobsters, oysters, clams and mussels. Dunville has an adult son named Harricott, whom he shows a great deal of affection toward.

  • Edmonton

Edmonton is Calgary’s father. He loves to make his son laugh with his great sense of humour, and because Calgary is so obedient, he rarely gets angry. He is somewhat obese because he eats a lot of fast food, such as burgers, pizza and fried chicken. Edmonton loves to play the ‘Tree Game’ with Calgary, where he pretends to be a tree and Calgary tries to climb up him, often falling, with laughter and lots of utterances of “guy”.