Culture

Overview

The culture of Ainslie is a Western culture, derived from western culture (particularly that of France and Britain) indirectly influencing the native inhabitants of Ainslie. Evidence of this can be seen through how the Ahnslen language has been developed. The Arnish sections of it suggest that there was British involvement in the formation of the language, although this cannot be entirely proved. The Entierre sections of it often sound French, because colonials influenced the language itself, and supported the more french elements to be included in the Ahnslen language.

Cricket is also likely to have been traced back to the Great Invigilation, as cricket was used as a medium to spread the faith of British missionaries to the local population. Ahnslens then increasingly supported the game of Cricket, and it quickly became the national sport.

The Karaiki-Novonen have been around since 18,000 years ago, and the symbolic connection of the tablelands to Ainslie has often been regarded as originating here. All electorates in Ainslie derived from the existence of city-states and the citystate representation scheme, which inspires the idea of individuals working within a group which underpins most Ahnslen schools of thoughts.

Unification in 1867 was a major indicator of growth in the sense of a national identity, as the citystates by then shared and adopted ideas from others and a singular Ahnslen identity emerged. The Arnish Empire continues to shape the identity of most Ahnslens, with their aversion to violent behaviour being a major part of the national identity. This may be a reason to why Rugby did not become popular in Ainslie, although it did in other Mesder nations.

Symbols

The current Ahnslen flag was decided upon in 1917, as the original yellow-red-blue design with the kangaroo was quickly going out of date and becoming a joke in the community. It took the extreme minority of the Irachi people to design the current Ahnslen flag. The grey represents the grey skies which often line the tablelands, but also the mountain ranges (this parallel can also be drawn with the gray skies representing the tablelands) which have protected us from external influences. The blue represents the oceans and the rivers which form such a large part of Ainslie. An assumption, particularly prominent in the electorate of Norlands, is that the blue represents the lakes. This is not true. The stars on the left hand side represent Kenaris, a constellation that Ahnslen seafarers (most notably the Ipachi) could use to find the direction back home to Ainslie.

Blue and grey are the national colours of Ainslie, with sporting teams often using the colour black as well. Ainslie also has many references in squares, parks, rivers and even electorate names back to the Arnish Empire. This is not in a spirit of celebration, but rather one of remembrance. The only references to the Arnish empire that are there for celebratory purposes is anything regarding the Burnett-Manning era, which paves the path for the current republic.

Language

Ainslie has two official languages, Ahnslen and English. Ahnslen is essentially a combination of the two languages most prominent at the time of unification. Ahnslen English is not a widely spoken form of English, but its sound is immediately distinguishable from others due to its unique accents, colloquial language and vocabulary. It follows British english rather than the American form.

Arts

Literature

Nature and society and their interaction were the two major themes of Ahnslen Literature. Another part of Literature is the act of poking fun at someone else, in a humourous manner often regarded to now as the act of ‘banter’ as shown by Gontwells Those people from Norlands (1886), a classic example of Arnish humour, and what appeared to be the Norlandic reply Out East (1889) by Frederique Gontreires.

Over the Mountains (1920), an early comedy newspaper, effectively shaped the modern Ahnslen literary identity. It painted Ainslie as an anti-war, pro-intervention, moderately protectionist state with a mixture of authoritarianism and liberalism. Over The Mountains often painted the contradictory nature of Ainslie in a humorous light.

The development of Ahnslen vernacular also owes itself to literature. He’s a seajumper (1944) poked fun at the Ipachi people, whilst Funare’s Hipdrink (1980) pointed to the inhabitants of Wesland.

Theatre

Theatre was not very widespread, but it typically followed Literature in its humour, format and appeal. In 1980, Wesland School of Arts opened, and since then has been the major institution for Theatre.

Architecture

Ahnslen architecture in modern times has been relatively consistent with popular trends, but some adaptations and styles have been created due to climatic and cultural factors. Up until the days of the Arnish Empire, tribes on Ahnslen land built wooden huts, due to the abundance of woodland. It was not until the formation of the Arnish empire that the full threat of bushfires was realised.

This bushfire threat called for a new style, and material of housing to be formed. The Arnish observed that fire slowed down and became weaker on a downwards slope. This meant that the Arnish people favoured building towns and cities, as well as houses near downwards slopes. This can be seen in the placing of Arnton, which is almost surrounded by downhill slopes coming into the centre of the city. This idea was also applied to houses, as the Arnish began to build partially submerged houses to mitigate the threat of bushfires. In the 19th century, at the time of the modern unification, houses which are closer to the trends of other nations in the Isles were built.

Notable Ahnslen features are the Oberré and Wagstaffen ‘Waggie’ style of housing. Iconic Ahnslen designs include the Hope Spire in Arnton CBD, the Burnett Bridge in Hauton, Dockland House in Wellington and the iconic Armet Estate in Borderton, which used the famous Oberré style.

Four main divisions of architecture can be defined in Ainslie. These are Traditional, Unification, Contemporary and Alternative Modernist.

The first notable period of architecture was in the 17th and 18th centuries, as the Arnish empire endorsed the beginnings of the Oberré style of housing, in order to cut costs and resources after large and frequent bushfires wiped out many Arnish settlements. The next waves of architecture came in the unification times, where the new nation embraced the two traditional styles of housing, as well as very much forwarding housing designs and plans very similar to nearby nations, and the regional trend. This new Ahnslen nation, forged between an alliance of goodwill and development between various city states meant that new settlements were being established.

Particularly on the southern floodplains of Ainslie, near Wagstaffe a new style of architecture was formed. Richard Staffen and Mark Wagsten pioneered the building of settlements on floodplains, which was a rarity before their times due to these adverse conditions. Staffen and Wagsten created homes which were elevated off the ground by concrete or wooden stilts, depending on the wealth of the future home owners. This ‘Wagstaffen’ style became very popular in the south. This created an entirely new and innovative form of architecture, which was disconnected from the northern and western traditionalist designs. The Wagstaffen ‘Waggie’ design maximised outdoor space, with houses often being single storey on unusually large blocks.

As the decay and presence of natural disasters began to destroy the traditionalist ways of old, the new nation set forth on a journey back to its roots. Oberré style houses were being built once again in the highlands and tablelands.

As the 1950s approached, Arnton, a small city of 1.2 million, was faced with a very large problem. Arnton was the capital of the nation, yet was significantly underdeveloped except for the northern districts. As the previously mentioned factors became very obvious in Arnton, the decision whether to renovate or rebuild was at the forefront of the government’s agenda. Up until the 1990s, the decision was to renovate these structures. Early in the 1990s, a new force entered the socio-political domain. A new religion spread across the nation, and new ideas, a renaissance of ideas to be exact, was sweeping the nation. The architectural movement of Alternative Modernism began in Ainslie.

Alternative Modernism sought to blend the modern ideas both domestically and internationally with the unificationist and traditionalist ideas of the past. Here we see a picture of a street in Arnton, where the early unification style of houses is combined with more modern nature-centric ideas.

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Outside of Arnton, The Oberré style gained more interest, as it was approached by Alternative Modernists who combined modern architecture with the unique and traditional style of the past. These houses to this date are still quite common in satellite towns of rural towns and cities, as well as more sparsely populated communities in the centre and north of Ainslie.

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This is a house overlooking Highland Ridge in Ainslie, which has a strong Alternative Modernist, Oberré influence.

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Visual Arts

Visual Arts in Ainslie became post prominent from unification onwards, as famous artists like Isabelle Benire, Cameron Cerent and Benjamin Lenette leading the way for Ahnslen art. The Art Centre, in Hauton, was a major art school in Ainslie which produced prolific and famous artists such as George Rowanton, who produced Continuity (1976), which is held in the Lecaren Gallery in Hauton.

Nature is also a major theme in Ahnslen art, especially photography. Nature photography and painting dominates the nation's art scene. A major Ahnslen landscape painter was Liam Ardai, who painted Prospect (1984),

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And Burbank (1987)

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1DkzausPFh8/maxresdefault.jpg.

Cinema

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Music

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Television

Experiments in Ainslie regarding televation began in the late 1930s and television was launched in 1953 in Hauton, with colour TV arriving in 1971. The Atvie awards are the major annual awards.

Locally produced content is a major part of Ahnslen TV, and Ahnslen content is broadcasted world wide. Successful local programs include Man vs One Hill, which features young, mostly incapable, Ahnslens who attend to climb this hill in Ainslie in which they have little likelihood of actually doing. Most shows are centred on nature such as Bin Chicken Gone Wild, in the early 1970s, which featured a Borderton Ibis which was domesticated yet still mischievous in a small fictional Ahnslen village. A major international export in the naturist area is Charles Winthrop, a famous natural scientist who has featured on Natiere for over two and a half decades. A criminal drama, Destined, is also popular on many channels around TWI. The crime cross diplomacy show franchise, FedCor is a unique yet popular series which delves into the fictional lives of federal corporals, and is a mixture of a criminal, diplomatic and political drama genres.

Ainslie's news media coverage is widespread and international in its nature, with four major media companies. There are no public broadcasters, but the government holds sizeable stakes in most media companies, especially Highton Media.

The major broadcasters are Nerne, Terkine, Arendai (In its international and domestic form), Deuse, Bordire and Fentren. Crosstar TV, Kenaris and Crenine are the three major pay TV services. Arendai is the major Ahnslen news outlet and is a major media network in The Western Isles, with a large foreign viewership

The Ahnslen Content Guidelines require all channels and services to have an annual minimum of at least 60% of locally produced content available for viewership between 6am and 1am the next day.

Religion

Ainslie has no official state religion, and the Ahnslen Constitution combined with the majority belief of Ahnslen people prevents the establishment of one. According to the most recent census, 58% of Ahnslens identified as Whindist, a progressive form of Christianity. This amount has been kept stable, or marginally increasing from time to time. Low levels of immigration into Ainslie stops any major shifts in this. Politicians are not to publically and openly reveal their religion whilst in office, although church attendance is allowed. They also are not allowed to serve as ambassadors of religious organisations whilst in office.

Recent rifts between Christian churches has had a major impact on the nation, with Whindism emerging victorious from the rifts which have formed in recent history. Church of Ainslie (The Arnish Church) was the largest denomination until the early 2000s, when Whindism surpassed this. The Christian festivals of Christmas and Easter are both obeserved in Ainslie, and charitable organisations are allowed to be formed on the basis and perogative of religion. However, in contrast to many other developed nations, religion cannot be attached to public services, like hospitals or schools.

Whindist organisations such as Whinin aims to develop and support young children all over TWI to 'win' at life and improve their own livelihoods as well as those around them.

In the census, Whindism is removed from Christianity. Whindism is increasing in Ainslie still, whilst christianity is falling. However, these two trends don't appear to have a very strong correlation with each other.

Public Holidays

A major part of Ahnslen culture is the protection and expansion of the public holiday calendar. These public holidays are often regarded to as 'bludge days' by the populous. New Year's Day is a public holiday, the day in which Ainslie unified is also celebrated (24 June), Empire Remembrance Day (12 July) is observed, and Commemoration Day (8 September) is observed in honour of those who have died for the protection of Ainslie.

The Christian festivals of Easter and Christmas are public holidays in Ainslie. Worker's day (colloquially known as 'welfare for all' day) is observed on different dates in different elections.

Cuisine

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Food

Beverage

Clothing and Apparel

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Sport

Many Ahnslens are very passionate about sport, and it is a major part of culture regarding both spectating and particpation. Cricket is a year round sport in Ainslie, which has a large following. Football (Soccer) is also a popular winter sport. Most children and teens play one of these two sports.

Ainslie's successes in sport are a major source of pride for Ahnslens. Famous sportspeople like Justin Kerven, Thomas Revara and June Kent remain in the cultural memory of Ahnslens and have been awarded high civilian honours, respect and public status in the community.

Cricket

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Folklore

Ahnslens stories and legends place a cultural significance on nature and defying the odds. This is almost a universal theme across all three groups (Irachi, Welling and Arnish) This can be seen through the portrayal of Marra the Settler, a Welling tale about early settler interaction with the Arnish.

Militarily, Ahnslens take a relaxed, but committed role for their nation. Stories of defying the odds through bravery and lack of planning from foreign commanders is a common part of Ahnslen culture. From this idea, the identity of the 'battler', was forged. Bravery, commitment, determination and a relaxed approach is at the centre of military culture. Despite common belief, there is not a large drinking culture in the armed forces.

Attitudes and Stereotypes

Critics and scholars have regarded the Ahnslen Culture as an 'absolute mixbag of cultures which somehow created a singular identity'. The identity of Ainslie is filled with contradictions and this highlights the nature of the cultural influences. Gaelitic and Islander influences, as well as those of the three major ethnic groups of Ainslie created Ainslie as it is today.

The phrase 'Deck Chair Club', often used in when referencing Ahnslens collectively, highlights their generally relaxed nature, often combined with a sense and nature to critically observe things, hence the term 'Deck Chair'.

"Mateship" is the cultural code of conduct, particularly regarding the inclusion of other Ahnslen groups, stresses equality and friendship between the three groups. This was a major cultural initiative during the times of unification onwards.

An aspect of this culture is the act of shortening names, which may be seen as an act of belittlement, but rather one of affection and acceptance into the group.

Ahnslen society does not have a large amount of respect for the hierarchy. Ahnslens are expected to behave humbly and with humility, not placing themselves above others. If someone does this, the likely response is that they will be cheekily criticised by the nearest 'mate'. People who are narcisstic are generally criticised, being referred to as 'stuck up' or 'upward sinkers'. They may also be regarded to as 'Openers', referencing the often arrogant nature of cricketers who start at the top of the batting order. Often the only sense of superiority you will notice is when children refer to authority figures such as "Sir" or "Miss".

There is a large distrust of politicians and businessmen, due to this idea of mateship and the 'deck chair club'. These two ideas mean that politicans and businesspeople have to constantly reassure their citizens that they are in the right on matters.

The notion of "givin em a try" is centred on this idea that everyone is born equal, and people should be able to access opportunities equally. This idea is often exploited by politicians, receiving large amounts of criticism from their constituents for this.

Nationalism and protectionism are also strong attitudes in the nation. The idea of nationalism manifests in a more introverted manner. If someone is able to work, they should do it for the nation and for their family. Another major idea is one of "big guy coming to take ya". This is centred on the idea that larger forces keep trying to take things from community and the people as a whole. Throughout modern diplomacy, this 'larger force' has often been regarded to as the Mesder, so Ahnslen diplomats are normally very careful and reluctant to enter into agreements with Mesder nations because of this cultural idea and its association with the Mesder. This protectionist idea has often been put away to the side in order for progress and continual economic growth to happen.

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