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Vector-borne diseases in Canada will continue to see rising cases with warmer weather

Experts share their thoughts on how climate change affects Canada's insect population.

In Canada, vector-borne diseases have always been a problem, but in recent years this problem has been exacerbated due to climate change. These insects (or “vectors”) need warmer weather to thrive and with climate change affecting so much of our way of life, we need to anticipate how these diseases will shape our future. 

Dr. Victoria Ng, a senior scientist and epidemiologist at the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), specializes in mosquito-borne diseases, particularly those seen across Canada.

In Windsor, she will be starting a new program in collaboration with the University of Windsor Let’s Talk Science using Let’s Talk Science volunteers, mainly students from the University of Windsor. The program is currently PHAC-led, and still undergoing some developments, but it will essentially give children between grades five and eight the opportunity to build insect traps that will be used to capture mosquitoes that will then be sent back to PHAC for testing. A presentation aspect will also be used to educate the children on mosquito-borne diseases and how to prevent yourself from getting sick. 

“We’re having meetings [now] to talk about the logistics, like the presentation that we’re giving to schools,” Ng says. “We’re doing pre-tests of the presentations at the meetings and talking about the logistics of how we get those samples from the kids to the schools, from the schools to the universities, from the universities to the lab.”

But trapping and studying mosquitoes isn’t entirely new. The mosquito surveillance program, launched in 2020 in Essex County in Windsor, Ont., by the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit has workers deploying mosquito traps to monitor how far certain species have spread across the county. They are specifically looking for the species that transmit diseases.

The need for these mosquito trapping programs is simple: the warming climate has made it easier for insects to reproduce in Canada and worldwide, increasing the chances of spreading vector-borne diseases. 

One of the most notorious examples of vector-borne diseases is Lyme disease, which has seen a growth of over 19,000 cases across Canada between 2009 and 2023, according to a report from the government of Canada. Caused by the bites of black-legged ticks infected with the disease, the growing cases are attributed to hotter summers and milder winters, which prolong a tick’s lifespan, allowing them to thrive and reproduce in areas they previously couldn’t. 

However, these are not the only insects that pose greater risks to people with the warming climate, and Lyme disease is not the only sickness Canadians need to worry about. Public health and infectious disease experts are working to prepare Canada for an insect invasion that is already partially underway. 

Central and eastern Canada, specifically regions where the climate is generally colder, are now experiencing warmer temperatures and more precipitation at times of the year when the region is historically cold and dry. This change allows insects like the ticks that cause Lyme disease to thrive and reproduce, but it also allows other insects like mosquitoes to do the same. With an extended lifespan due to this warmer weather, the disease pathogen inside the vector spreads to other mosquitoes in the area. According to a report from the Climate Atlas of Canada, Lyme disease and West Nile virus are the greatest threats to Canadians' health at this time because of the way these vectors can continue to survive when they should be dying off. 

For example, reported West Nile virus cases have been spotty over the years, experiencing large growths in 2020 with 166 cases, but dropping back down to 45 cases in 2021. A 2022 map of Lyme disease risk areas also highlights the growing presence of the disease in southern Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia, and most areas of New Brunswick. 

Ng explains how she notices a pattern of warmer weather speeding up the development of vectors like mosquitos, in turn causing the disease pathogens they carry to spread faster.

“But the environment and climate is just one part of the ecosystem,” she says. “I don’t think we can say climate change is the only cause of the expansion of potential vectors and potential increases in human diseases. It’s all very complex and intertwined, but I think climate is one key factor.” 

She lists increased travel and increased urbanization as other potential factors of mosquitoes’ growing presence across Canada, noting that while there is no one answer for why vector-borne diseases are seeing a growth in the population, there are likely causes. Other experts share similar opinions.

Dr. Heather Coatsworth, a chief research scientist of field studies at PHAC, spends her time in the National Microbiology Lab working on studying vector-borne and zoonotic diseases. She mentions the surveillance wing, where scientists study mosquitoes and ticks, examining them for pathogens that can cause human disease. She is also intimately familiar with the history of some of these vector-borne diseases and how they began trickling into Canada.

“With the increase in warmer weather, as well as other things like humidity and us getting a lot closer to animals in a lot of places, so increased urbanization has really driven the presence of the bacteria in a lot of other places to the point of endemicity, both here where I am in central Canada, as well as in eastern Canada,” she says. “And we’re seeing cases pop up slowly in western Canada as well.” 

Coatsworth also cautions that we can expect to see other tick-borne variants of diseases in the future. In fact, we’re seeing some right now with diseases like anaplasmosis, which also spreads through the infected bites of black-legged ticks. There has been an increase in human cases since 2014, mainly in the areas where Lyme disease cases are most prominent, due to the effects of milder winters. 

This pattern is seen with all insect vectors, as they are cold-blooded, explains scientist and University of Toronto professor Ian Crandall.

“If we have a warmer spell of weather, the mosquitoes’ biochemistry speeds up. And what that means is the time between when it hatches out of its egg to when it becomes an adult and becomes infective is slowed down,” says Crandall. “One of the effects of that is that then you get more breeding cycles, or more replication cycles in a given summer. And if that summer is long, it means you get more still.”

With the risk of vector-borne diseases increasing, experts explain ways to manage the risks with some common sense steps and mitigation strategies, both at individual and government levels. 

Coatsworth explains the simple ways to remain protected from ticks specifically, ranging from applying bug sprays to ensuring that clothing is properly covering your body. At a governmental level, certain provinces and municipalities have surveillance programs for ticks, which help them determine whether or not an area is safe for citizens to be outdoors in. Local public health messaging, like putting up signs reminding citizens to perform tick checks in outdoor areas where they could be at risk for insect bites, is also a large part of the mitigation process.

“Some municipalities will do their own mitigation techniques,” Coatsworth says. “They can put out baits in the population to deer or mice, which are similar to things you would give your dogs when they go outside as a measure to protect against ticks, to try and get the animal population to have a lower exposure to ticks as well.” 

For mosquitoes, mitigation tactics are similar. Ng talks about the difference between ensuring you are protected at the individual level and the community level. At an individual level, one can try to prevent getting bitten by mosquitoes by wearing brighter colours (mosquitoes are attracted to darker colours), or removing stagnant water from backyards, which provide a place for mosquitoes to lay their eggs. At the community level, there are programs created by PHAC that enlist citizens to collect mosquito samples that will aid scientists with ongoing research on mosquito-borne diseases, like the aforementioned mosquito surveillance program.

With Ng’s new study in Windsor, the education she and her team will be providing to elementary school children will further contribute to this research. In helping the children build these insect traps, she and the volunteers will be contributing to Let’s Talk Science’s 30-year history of helping get science programs into schools, something incredibly beneficial to these children as the risk of vector-borne diseases continues to grow.

As of now, there are resources online, mainly the government of Canada’s website, that can inform the public about how to prevent themselves from getting tick and mosquito bites, as well as helpful information about risk areas for things like Lyme disease. Having an understanding of how to remain protected from vector-borne diseases is paramount, especially as temperatures continue to rise. As they do, understanding what the future will look like is a tricky question. 

Experts know that the climate is warming and a result of that are changes to mosquito environments. Even a single degree change in their environment will cause changes in their biology and ecology, as well as how they transmit diseases to humans. Warmer temperatures, coupled with more frequent precipitation, will lead to an increase in the types of vectors that transmit diseases to humans. 

“With climate change, if in general, we see a much more warmer environment and more rainfall, we would expect that potentially we will start having the suitability for local transmission [of vector-borne diseases],” says Ng. “And so in terms of climate change, we expect to see some cases of local transmission for certain diseases, how much we don't know. But we suspect that that will happen and you only have to look to Europe or even the U.S. to see that that has happened.”

In terms of keeping the public informed of measures and programs dedicated to monitoring the spread of vector-borne diseases, many resources are available online. But Coatsworth tells me that on April 1st PHAC will be speaking broadly about the spreading cases of Lyme disease in Canada to better track and monitor them. 

“There are all these viruses and potential parasites floating around, and it would be nice to say that we had them all under control and knew everything about them, but every time you turn around, you sort of discover a new virus,” says Crandall. “You can’t look for it unless you’ve got the tools, unless you know about it.”

[azaleayoung-blog]

Affording the Arts in Toronto

Eight ways to experience Toronto’s painting, pottery making, DIY craft making and more on a budget.

As a multicultural city with an expansive art scene, Toronto has quite a number of artistic experiences and activities to offer for tourists and residents alike. Whether that comes in the form of exploring different art and history museums, attending painting sessions at art studios, or even doing something completely different, there are always new things to do around the city. Unfortunately, not all of these experiences are accessible to different groups of people, particularly students. 

With rising costs in almost every industry in the city, it can be difficult to experience everything its streets offer. But if you’ve only got a small budget (or no budget at all!) the experiences and activities listed below might be able to give you some inspiration on what to do when you’re feeling artistic.

#1: Charlotte @deconstrut - DIY Jewelry, Fashion, Design

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A post shared by Charlotte (@cheerscharlie)

Charlotte shares a photo of the bow-shaped rhinestone earrings she made.

(Source: @deconstrut via Instagram)

Charlotte (@deconstrut), known to her followers as Char, is a Canadian social media content creator most popular for her styling and fashion videos. They showcase her different skills, whether it’s creating DIY jewelry—one of her most popular and pinned videos is her tutorial on how to make shimmering rhinestone earrings—sewing and crocheting outfits, creating felt patches, or nail polish art, her content is perfect for aspiring designers. She mostly focuses on showing her followers how she styles the outfits she creates, but there are plenty of sewing videos, as well as jewelry tutorials, although these are not as popular as her clothing videos. Still, if you want to see how she makes daisy chain rings or strawberry earrings that are perfect for spring, her TikTok page can get you started. She even has a separate website, titled “deconstrut” where you can read tutorials on making your own DIY design patterns.

#2: Clay With Me - Paint Your Own Pottery

Clay With Me is one of the best spots to go to if you’re interested in making your own pottery, whether you’re a beginner or a more experienced guest. Known as “Toronto’s Friendliest Pottery Studio,” they have locations at King St. W and Dundas St. W. The studio offers different workshops for various activities such as hand-building clay and wheel classes (note that these classes are more expensive), as well as paint-your-own pottery nights, where guests can book an hour-and-a-half painting session and choose a piece of pottery to paint and decorate. There’s a base fee of $15, plus an additional fee based on the size of the piece of pottery you choose to paint. The pottery piece fee starts at $5 for a small piece and grows from there. For those with a smaller budget, this is one of the best places to go for pottery painting, but if you want the painting without the pottery, the next experience is for you!

#3: Pinot’s Palette - Open Studio Freestyle Painting

Also located at Dundas West is Pinot’s Palette, a painting studio that offers all kinds of guided painting sessions, as well as freestyle ones. With its friendly and bright atmosphere, Pinot’s Palette is accessible to all age groups and painters at all levels. While some sessions are more expensive than others, similar to Clay With Me, the guided ones—like this Toronto Skyline at Sunset one—are around $45, and the freestyle ones are around $25. Labelled as ‘open studio’ these paint sessions are more casual, with a professional artist available to guests only for consultation and advice, leaving individuals to paint whatever they want! You can drop in for a session during a two-hour period where you can choose to paint either a small canvas or upgrade to a larger canvas (doing so comes with an additional $10 fee), but if you want to paint something different, it’s perfectly fine to bring in clothing or drinking glasses instead. Allow your inner artist to shine through in whatever piece you want to paint, and embrace the creativity that comes with it. 

#4: Reminiscent Candles @_reminiscentco - Candle Making/Candle Hacks

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A post shared by Reminiscent ☁️ (@_reminiscentco)

Alyce Whitenect’s Reminiscent Candles shows her Instagram followers how she makes the whipped wax she adds to the top of her candles. 

(Source: @_reminiscentco via Instagram)

Reminiscent Candles (@_reminiscentco) is run by Alyce Whitenect, a New Brunswick-based candle maker who started her business during the COVID-19 pandemic. All of her TikTok content is geared towards showing her audience the new and unique kinds of soy candles and wax melts she makes, ranging from sweet raspberry creamsicles to festive crushed peppermint. Not only does she show viewers how she makes them, but she also uses special techniques like adding whipped toppings to candles. While most videos are about creating these candles, she also has quite a few where she gives viewers some insight into what a day in her life looks like, along with some tips for aspiring small business owners. There are quite a few on “candle hacks” as well, including a very helpful one on how to fix candle tunnelling. She also has a website titled “Reminiscent” where you can purchase the majority of the candles and wax melts she features on her channel. It’s a good account to keep an eye on if you’re interested in trying to make candles yourself, or if you’re trying to get in the market for selling them as well.

#5: Bata Shoe Museum - General Admission

Although it’s not very well-known, the Bata Shoe Museum is a “shoe-in” for Toronto’s most unique museum! Over a thousand shoes and shoe-related artifacts are displayed in the museum’s permanent exhibition, “All About Shoes,” available for guests to view every day of the week. Tickets for students are available for $8, with this price granting you access to three changing galleries plus their permanent exhibition. Exhibitions that are on now consist of: “Dressed To Impress: Footwear and Consumerism in the 1980s,” “In Bloom: Flowers and Footwear,” and “Obsessed: How Shoes Became Objects of Desire.” You can wander around the different galleries and admire the history contained in each pair of shoes. For example, if you’re interested in floral patterns and beading, the In Bloom exhibit features these Peranakan mules from Southeast Asian Peranakan wedding garments, but if footwear from the ‘80s speaks to you instead, the Dressed To Impress exhibition showcases these Italian Gucci loafers. All the exhibitions are worth the journey, and you may even see your own shoes reflected in the countless pairs at the museum.

#6: Charlene Wong @allstylelife - DIY Arts And Crafts

Charlene shows her TikTok followers how she makes these simple pink Valentines-themed snacks. 

(Source: @allstylelife via TikTok)

Toronto-based social media content creator Charlene Wong (@allstylelife) has a number of different DIY activities that you can easily do from home. While she started her account by posting content about health and exercise, now most of it is targeted toward themed holiday creations. Most videos show her preparing different foods and creating small projects for Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day. If you want some inspiration for your next Halloween costume, you can look to her 2023 fortune cookie costume, or if you want to paint something, you can check out how she transformed some cheap plastic Dollarama pumpkins into terracotta pottery barn ones. If you’re more interested in Christmas instead, she has plenty of activities to try out involving the holiday, from showing her audience how to elevate their Christmas present wrapping to painting candles (although really you can do this at any time during the year). Most recently, she has quite a bit of Valentine’s Day content posted. If you want some cute pink candy popcorn, chocolate-dipped pretzels and Oreos, or Timbit pops, look no further than some of her most recent videos. 

#7: Anice Jewellery - Your Design Workshop

Create-your-own jewelry store, Anice Jewellery, has been around for over 10 years, offering guests a variety of services. These are mainly geared towards couples creating wedding/engagement jewelry, but it’s a memorable experience if you’re interested in booking something with your friends or a larger group too. The larger your party, the less expensive the cost, with a party of four to six people being the sweet spot—each person pays $50 plus material fees. Although this experience is the most expensive on the list, I think it can work well if you want to celebrate a birthday or a special occasion with friends. Blending creativity with fashion, it’s a way for you to decorate your body with charms and memories that are meaningful to you.

#8: Joy Of Dance Centre - Thursday Workshops

Last on this list is Joy of Dance Centre, a dance studio that offers different dance workshops throughout the year. From group ballet to Irish step dancing workshops, there is quite a list of classes to choose from, but the Thursday workshops are the ones where guests can enjoy a new dance form each week. Adult tickets cost $15 for an hour-and-a-half-long session with a different instructor based on what kind of dance style is being taught that week. There is no obligation to attend every single class, as you can book an appointment each week for whatever class you’re interested in. These workshops are an excellent way for beginners interested in dance forms to learn with the guidance of a professional. Whether you go alone or with friends, this is a way for you to feel in sync with your body, moving to the beat of your own drum. 

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Restore Point: a unique, original new addition to the sci-fi cyberpunk genre

The film challenges its audience with difficult ethical questions to ponder long after the credits have stopped rolling.

Robert Hloz isn’t new to the filmmaking game—he has already directed three projects, and his latest, Restore Point, is a fast-paced sci-fi thriller that keeps you intrigued in this world and these characters until the end. The film examines themes surrounding capitalism and even comments on the justice system. When the film concludes, the viewer is left with one important question: what will our own future look like?

Set in the year 2041 in Central Europe, we follow Agent Em (Andrea Mohylová), a detective on the police force who is investigating the terrorist attacks of a group called River of Life. They do not use or believe in the resurrection technology of Restore Point, which allows a person to come back to life if they have a backup version of themselves saved. People who use this technology have to back up every 48 hours to protect themselves from death.

When Em hears about the murders of David Kurlstat and his wife (Matej Hádek and Katarzyna Zawadzka), she is reassigned to that case and eventually comes to discover how the terrorist attacks and the couple’s deaths are intertwined. She finds out that David, a prominent researcher at Restore Point has come back to life via a saved backup of his brain and body from six months ago, and the investigation turns into a manhunt for his murderer, Viktor Toffer (Milan Ondrík). 

When Em and David inevitably find Toffer, he reveals information about Restore Point that leads them to uncover the secrets the corporation keeps hidden. It appears that in a world where humanity has beaten death, there are still greater threats lurking.

The worldbuilding is reminiscent of other sci-fi cyberpunk-esque films but produces an original concept with the idea of the Restore Point system. For a film set in the year 2041, this world almost seems accessible today, even though it’s still 18 years away. The reasoning for this is simple. In an interview with CanCulture, Hloz said that he wants viewers to see the idea of this technology in its early stages. 

“These first users are used as test subjects,” he said. “We wanted [the technology] to feel new, the same way it will feel new for the audience.” Hloz also adds that because he wanted the technology to feel very new, the time frame was potentially going to be earlier than 2041. “We were having discussions about whether [the film] should be even earlier, like maybe 2038, but it felt too close,” he said. 

Besides fleshing out the technology, the characters are also fully developed, and each has their own ambitions and struggles. The main character, Em, is a character that demonstrates this very well. The audience can clearly see why she is invested in the crimes that have been happening, and how her past has played a large part in bringing her into the police field. The beginning of the film, in particular, shows the audience why she has become more reserved and quiet but puts on a strong facade. Her grief over the people she has lost is carried with her, and Mohylová does an excellent job of showing the audience this when interacting with characters like David, as they bond over the loss of his loved ones.

The film presents interesting questions about the value of life and death, and how they operate in this world. When asked about the technology’s ability to bypass death, Hloz talks about how the topic plays into the overarching message of the movie. 

“Where is the boundary [between] how we should feel safe and how should we feel free?” He said. “It starts an interesting debate.”

Hloz adds that because of the technology people are simultaneously free but not free, since they spend so much time thinking about the system keeping them alive and restoring their backups to really enjoy much else. 

“It gives you this amazing safety but at the same time, it takes away your freedom because it constantly reminds you that you can die at any moment, and you should do something against that,” he said. “It gives you this extra layer of stress.”

Since the Restore Point technology imposes a new set of rules for humanity, the themes that Hloz discusses here spark a compelling debate about how ethical this technology really is in the hands of humans. It’s up to viewers to decide for themselves where they stand on such a heavy question.

Restore Point presents a dark and immersive world not unlike our own, potentially giving us a glimpse into what our future can look like. It offers its audience the chance to become intrigued with its technology and new rules, putting a spin on classic dystopian and sci-fi films while giving us something unique. The end of the film also asks the audience to think about how our justice system works, and whether or not the conclusion for some of the characters is justified.

Although Restore Point is not as dramatic or fast-paced as others in the genre, it’s still a fun time if you’re looking for an adventurous movie that captivates you from the start and leaves you questioning your own mortality.

[azaleayoung-blog]

What is dark academia and what does it have to do with social media?

A deep dive into the genre and why it has become so popular.

Dark academia has recently been seeing a growth in popularity across social media, with its aesthetic being displayed in movies, television shows, and primarily novels. 

The year 2020 marked some significant changes in our media landscape. That may seem like a bit of a nonpoint, but the rise of TikTok coupled with the number of people inside due to pandemic restrictions saw an irreversible change within popular trends and aesthetics.

In the literature community, one such trend was the rise of dark academia. Though the subculture primarily exists online, the term is slowly creeping into the mainstream.  In 2022, it was defined by Collins Dictionary as “a social media aesthetic and subculture concerned with higher education, writing and poetry, the arts, and classic Greek and Gothic architecture,” which is somewhat of a broad interpretation. To uncover what makes dark academia such an appealing genre today, one needs to trace back its history; starting with, perhaps most famously, The Secret History by Donna Tartt. 

Published in 1992, the novel is what some point to as the first dark academic novel. A pioneer of its time, it is still quite relevant today — it can almost always be counted on to be present on #BookTok recommends tables at bookstores. Set at a fictional college in New England, the novel follows a group of students studying ancient Greek. The narrator, a student who joined the group after its initial formation, unveils how one of them was murdered by the group’s original members. As far as dark academia goes, it’s got it all — murder, Greek aesthetics, a fancy, secluded college. Unsurprisingly, many elements of Tartt’s magnum opus can be found in other books within the genre.

One of the first notable pillars of the genre is right in the name — academia. These novels typically take place in an academic setting; whether this is at a private boarding school or around a college campus. Still, dark academia wouldn’t exactly be academia without some form of academics. Typically, these characters are often studying Ancient Greek, Shakespearean theatre, or English literature — fields that are, for lack of a better word, pretentious. These topics are absolutely for everyone but are not necessarily accessible things to learn about and interact with, or make a living out of. This does not necessarily mean that if a character is studying one of these topics the novel they are in is a dark academic novel, but a character’s field of study, such as these examples, will often add to the atmosphere of dark academia. 

A significant number of these stories see characters marked by tragedy, mystery, or both at the same time. Whether that involves crime (see If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio) or a mystery to solve (see Truly, Devious by Maureen Johnson), the characters are typically caught up in a problem larger than themselves, like solving a murder (or, in the case of The Secret History, getting away with one). 

Some authors have utilized the genre and its traits to call out and criticize these academic settings which have been historically open only to white and rich individuals, see Babel by R.F. Kuang. 

The novel is set in 1828 in Britain and follows Chinese-born Robin who is forced to give his help to an institution that will only use his work to further their goals of colonization. At school, he and members of his friend group continuously face racism as students of colour. Although Robin is a member of this school community, it is clear that many do not want him there, and he, like many of the other students of colour, are viewed as disposable.

As Lenore Sell puts it in her article Beyond the Aesthetics: An Introduction to Dark Academia, “Some of the novels blame elitist structures at educational institutions for the ensuing destruction, or even a dysfunctional academic landscape as a whole, although this connection is not always the object of overt criticism or satire.” 

For example, in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, the characters are not directly opposed to their wealth, but Wilde uses them and their lifestyles to highlight the inherent lack of morality present in these structures. This novel is an interesting case as it holds elements of magical realism and gothic literature as well as dark academia, but its traits allow it to somewhat fit into both genres.

As more dark academic books continue to be published, their popularity seems to grow. However, sometimes what its readers are chasing is more of a feeling or an aesthetic than quality literature. 

Dark academia is directly linked to an old-fashioned kind of style, with modern technology rarely, if ever, appearing in many of its most famous works. The fashion choices of the characters—such as blazers, woolen sweaters, tweed patterns, and just generally darker colour palettes—all contribute to the finely curated aesthetic of dark rooms, classic novels, candles, and typewriters. Sure, these things are all technically dark academia-inspired, but they do nothing more than just scratch the surface of what the genre purports to actually be about: learning, higher education, and literature. 

A genre based purely on its aesthetics and vibes might at first seem to be only superficial and provide no substance. It can, however, encompass an idea or way of life that some crave. Sell writes in her article, “The rise of dark academia can be an expression of the longing of younger generations for a lifestyle temporarily or permanently inaccessible to them.”

This longing could especially be felt by those who are unable to afford post-secondary education, or those typically excluded from higher academic circles. Attending a post-secondary institution comes with a sense of community, particularly for those who live on campus and broaden their experiences by participating in new activities and meeting new friends. These institutions, while being flawed, are incredibly important because of this, as they provide something that many of us want. Following this logic, it’s possible then, that the boom in dark academia’s popularity was a result of people longing for these institutions that were closed during the pandemic or are unavailable to so many people. 

Racism and class inequality contribute to the lack of diversity seen in higher academic settings, particularly because of how expensive post-secondary education can be. It’s why turning to social media to fulfill these dreams is easier for many.

Katie Xu (@katiexsocials), a TikToker who posts about building your personal brand and learning how to market yourself, posted a video on TikTok’s ability to foster human connections, stating, “People on TikTok are connecting to people. When I see someone on my For You page, I listen to what they have to say … I’m listening to them as a person, and I’m trying to understand them as a person.”

While she does not make any reference to dark academia, her idea has merit because of the way platforms like TikTok are designed to make sure you interact with people who share the same interests as you. Social media itself is perhaps the largest and most influential community there is, so for individuals to turn to that at times of uncertainty and find solace in a niche like dark academia is reflective of the weight the genre held then and still holds today.  

Currently, TikTok has over four hundred thousand posts under its dark academia tag, based on videos about the aesthetic and the books that fall into its category. While the majority of the hype (at least in my opinion) has died down a bit, it is still a genre that is very much relevant outside of social media. For example, outside of the literature community, other mediums have used the dark academic aesthetic to tell stories, such as podcasts like The Alexandria Archives or The Magnus Archives. The aesthetic is also present in TV shows like Wednesday or A Series of Unfortunate Events. It can even branch out into music with a more recent example being Taylor Swift’s THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. 

But to bring it back to literature, one of the most recent books on the scene is Curious Tides, by French-Canadian author Pascale Lacelle. 

The novel has all the most familiar trappings of a dark academic book, but with a magical twist in line with stories in the fantasy genre. Set at a fictional college, the protagonist has to investigate the secret society that seems to be connected to her classmates’ mysterious deaths. Only, these deaths of which she is the only survivor have left her with heightened powers. Similar to Babel, this blend of a different genre with dark academia prolongs the genre’s lifespan and takes it to places it has not traditionally been. 

Like all other trends, the dark academia one will most likely not have wide-ranging impacts outside of its small niches, but I’m talking purely about its aesthetic sense. In the literary market, it looks like there are still plenty more stories to tell that can deviate from the traditional dark academia novel while still using its most popular elements.

[azaleayoung-blog]

Is Creativity Dying In Hollywood? Canadians Share Their Takes

A look into originality in the film industry and the growing presence of remakes and adaptations.

In a world becoming increasingly dominated by AI technology that can produce virtually anything from movie scripts to artwork, originality is growing rarer. In one of the latest TikTok trends, people are asking AI to create artwork for them, but ‘make it more,’ and in other experiments, the technology is generating entire movie outlines. The concept of originality is directly connected to the creative industries, and we rely on them for a lot of the content we consume. In particular, the film industry has been fighting a battle for creativity as the Writers Guild of America (WGA) reached a deal for better working conditions, higher pay and protection from the usage of AI on scripts. The protection from AI is essential, as screenwriters do their best to develop original ideas and material—but how original are some of these ideas?

Hollywood is no stranger to the occasional remake or adaptation of a particularly beloved film, but lately, they have been on the rise. According to a report from Radio Times, there has been an increase in the number of sequels and remakes created since 1993, with a 700 per cent increase over the past 25 years. This indicates that there has been more of a reliance on content that audiences are familiar with—whether that is material adapted from books, comics, or even older movies that have been rebooted. 

John Tarver, a film professor at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), argues that these stories we are so familiar with are relatively all the same at their roots.

“I think a strong case can be made that there is no such thing as an original story idea,” he said during a phone call. “There’s so many things that influence the stories that we want to see, and that filmmakers tell.”

Aisling Chin-Yee, a Canadian producer, writer and director echoes this statement. “There are always original ideas, and there are no original ideas,” she laughs over the phone. For her, originality is important because of the unique and diverse stories that can be inspired by it. “We need to keep reflecting the society and culture of this time. The world we’re living in now is not the same as the world was 15 years ago.”

Being able to retell a familiar story that has an original concept and storyline is what stories like Robyn Hood do. The Canadian show’s premise is based on the old English legend of Robin Hood, an outlaw who steals from the rich to give to the poor. In the TV show, Robyn is a Black woman who, along with her hip-hop band, The Hood, goes up against the property developer trying to tear down the apartment Robyn and her community live in. While certain story elements will be familiar to viewers, and the storyline is the same as the legend at its roots, the TV show presents this story with a new perspective. Arguments can be made that this is what true originality is.

“Worrying about originality is not really helpful,” said Brett Caron, a Canadian screenwriter, during a phone interview. “You just want to focus on telling a good story.”

Stories that come from perspectives other than the highly popularized white, Western idea of filmmaking are slowly but surely climbing their way into what our society views as the standard for films and TV shows. For example, the UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report shows that 64 per cent of films released on streaming services had casts that were made up of 30 per cent minority actors, but only 57 per cent of films released in theatres showed this same diversity. It is a small step for Hollywood in terms of embracing diversity, but a step that solidifies a place for marginalized voices and unique stories.

Robyn Hood shines a light on the experiences of minorities, and how they are forced to live in a world that, at times, doesn’t seem to want them there. In the show, the residents living in Robyn’s apartment building are seen as obstacles for the property developer to remove, instead of actual human beings. This is different from other remakes or adaptations of Robin Hood, as it shows its audience a systemic problem that minorities have been facing for decades. The best thing about stories like Robyn Hood is that they bring awareness to these issues within our society while presenting them in a way that makes it easy for audiences to understand the message producers and directors are trying to convey.

Bea Santos, a Canadian filmmaker and actress, says that the same types of people have been telling the same types of stories for so long, which is why diverse perspectives must get to share their own stories.

“I think if different voices are given opportunities, we’re going to get out of this rhythm of making the same story over and over again,” she said during a phone interview.

When remakes are done in the way Robyn Hood was, it creates a significant story while also providing the audience with a new perspective. This can be said about many remakes or adaptations, especially when these new perspectives highlight minorities. Excellent examples of these are films like the 2023 adaptation of The Little Mermaid, which recasts a Black woman as Ariel. This was the first time a live-action Disney princess had undergone a race swap, and while some people were not happy with the change, the movie did relatively well, giving young Black girls a princess they could identify with. 

The 2018 adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians, which was adapted from a novel focusing on Chinese Americans, was part of the first major representation for the Asian community. Never before had a rom-com focused entirely on an Asian and Asian-American cast, and the film later became the highest-grossing rom-com of the 2010s. By producing remakes and adaptations like these, audiences can recognize beloved original stories presented in new and distinctive ways. 

Chin-Yee says that new filmmakers can reinterpret and reclaim stories that have been told from one predominant view and perspective. This allows us to re-contextualize stories. 

The connection between what is a “good” film and what is original isn’t so black and white. Some original stories aren’t the best but some remakes are. What makes one better than the other isn’t whether one is original, but whether it tells a story that resonates with audiences and brings to light a new perspective. 

“There are so many remakes of cult classics that probably did better at the box office than the original did because (the originals) weren’t nearly as satisfying,” said Caron. “2018’s Suspiria is, in my opinion, much better than the original.”

Certain story tropes and themes can be told again and again, but what matters is how the story is told, and the depth that is added to a story the audience is already familiar with. One thing that can be agreed upon is that the content of the story and the message the audience remembers is what has always been the most important, regardless of whether or not the story is a remake or adaptation.  

“It’s not so much that originality itself is important, it’s that changing the paradigm to get originality (is),” said Santos. “If the goal is to be original you don’t have to start with that, you can start with giving other people chances, and things will become original.”