An Annual Earth Day Dedication

Words by Daisy Olyett / feature image by Kat Mallett Thursday 22nd April marks the 71st annual Earth Day, an event dedicated since its creation to the preservation and protection of the environment against looming threats such as climate change, pollution and deforestation. Whilst the very first Earth Day in 1970 was established in reaction  to the Santa Barbara oil spill the previous year, this yearÔÇÖs … Continue reading An Annual Earth Day Dedication

Time To Quit Queerbaiting

Disclaimer: This is explicitly an opinion piece. by Gabii Rayner Queerbaiting can be understood in two different ways; as the presentation of queer-coded characters/relationships without production teams overtly addressing or acting upon it, or as the promise for queer representation that ends up as a throwaway moment or something that ultimately doesnÔÇÖt affect the plot.  Regardless, queerbaiting is clearly (and has been defined as) nothing … Continue reading Time To Quit Queerbaiting

Bimini Bon Boulash: Taking The Fashion World By Storm

Words by Phoebe Bowers In this yearÔÇÖs RupaulÔÇÖs Drag Race UK we were introduced to two fantastic non-binary queens. One of which in particular stole our hearts and became an instant fan-favourite. This is ÔÇÿnot a joke, just a factÔÇÖ: Bimini Bon Boulash. The UK Drag Race star is now quite literally taking the fashion world by storm. At the end of March 2021 Bimini … Continue reading Bimini Bon Boulash: Taking The Fashion World By Storm

Read This If You Loved Bridgerton

We all know how popular the Bridgerton series was and if you are a book lover you probably instantly googled if the books were available only to find them sold out almost everywhere. Fear not! We have come up with a couple recommendations that will make the wait worth while! The Selection Series by Kiera Kass Words by Rosenwyn Dorrell I loved the Bridgerton books … Continue reading Read This If You Loved Bridgerton

An Interview with the founder of POM

Image courtesy of Thred MediaWords by Rosanna Lewis Vihan Patel is an events promoter turned entrepreneur who graduated from Cardiff University in 2020. HeÔÇÖs also the founder of POM, described as ÔÇ£the dating app for music loversÔÇØ. The idea came to him whilst he was running events in and around the city. The first lockdown then provided the perfect opportunity to focus on raising funds … Continue reading An Interview with the founder of POM

Still from The Florida Project

Colouring Cinema: Films With The Best Colour Palettes

The Florida Project (2017) By Coby Barker Sean BakerÔÇÖs The Florida Project tells the story of struggling single mother Halley, her  precarious six-year old Moonee and their life, situated just outside the utopia of Disney World, Florida. The camera shots guide us through a lens of childlike innocence highlighting dreamy pinks, the purples of their motel, the vibrant orange gift shop and the deep greenery … Continue reading Colouring Cinema: Films With The Best Colour Palettes

A wlw couple are set against a background of wavey lines in pink, purple, and blue

I Am Not Your Porn Tag – The Weight of Bisexual Fetishisation

By Rahima Bhatti ÔÇ£ArenÔÇÖt you a bit young for that girls?ÔÇØ A middle-aged man smirks at me at age 15, standing outside school, holding hands with my girlfriend. It makes my skin feel like itÔÇÖs going to turn inside out, but I just smile in hope that heÔÇÖll leave us alone. These experiences stick with you, they ingrain themselves in your consciousness, making every man … Continue reading I Am Not Your Porn Tag – The Weight of Bisexual Fetishisation

How to Start Reading Sarah J Maas

by Jess Macaulay. If you’re at all involved in the side of the book world where fantasy and romance exist or have found yourself on BookTok or even BookTube at some point, then it’s highly likely youÔÇÖve come across or at least heard of Sarah J Mass. A best-selling author with over 12 million copies of her books sold worldwide and translated into 37 languages, … Continue reading How to Start Reading Sarah J Maas

Grunge Fashion

Words by Suraya Kazzuz Define Grunge: A general term of disparagement for someone or something that is repugnant or odious, unpleasant, or dull; also, dirt, grime.  Or a style of rock music characterised by a raucous guitar sound and lazy vocal delivery. The story begins in an entirely unglamorous studio during the mid-1980s. A fusion of punk rock and heavy metal, the Seattle music scene … Continue reading Grunge Fashion

The Asian Silver Screen: Campus Dramas

Mismatched┬á by Chahat Gandhi Mismatched is a coming-of-age romantic comedy drama based on the young adult novel When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon. Now in your typical college romance, itÔÇÖs the girl whoÔÇÖs hooked onto the idea of falling in love on campus and marrying her university sweetheart but Mismatched to be honest is the exact opposite. Starring Prajakta Koli as Dimple Ahuja and … Continue reading The Asian Silver Screen: Campus Dramas

Dead Game Franchises That Need Reviving

Words by Lewis Empson and Marcus Yeatman-Crouch There are some game franchises that release new titles annually like clockwork; Call of Duty and Fifa are series that drop a new title at the same time, every year, without fail, regardless of quality. However, some fan favourite franchises donÔÇÖt get to relish in this luxury, as they are relegated to fresh instalments that are few and … Continue reading Dead Game Franchises That Need Reviving

Unpopular Fashion Opinions

Words by Natalie Wilson Currently gripping the SS 21ÔÇÖ collections of the fashion world are both timeless and timelessly unpopular trends. I am very aware that in the period between submitting this article and its moment of publication, some of my most unpopular fashion opinions will have been forecast as ÔÇÿfashion forwardÔÇÖ in a TikTok. Inevitably, I too will succumb to this pressure of conforming … Continue reading Unpopular Fashion Opinions

Struggling to Study at Home? Here Are Quench’s Tips and Tricks

words by: Alexa Price Following Cardiff UniversityÔÇÖs decision to make all students partake in online lessons at the beginning of the year, I have actively been making decisions to try and ensure that my studying habits are much healthier than before the pandemic. These unfortunate circumstances have made me realise the importance of having a specific, tidy, space dedicated to working and studying. Without clutter … Continue reading Struggling to Study at Home? Here Are Quench’s Tips and Tricks

Our Favourite Foreign Festivals

Image by Danny Howe Festival Internacional de Benic├ássim – Spain Words and images by Hope Docherty Benic├ássim, or the glorious ÔÇÿBeniÔÇÖ takes place in shocker, the town Benic├ássim. This music festival is held in Valencia, Spain every July for a full week and hosts thousands of festival lovers from across Europe. The first ÔÇÿFIBÔÇÖ took place in 1995 with a focus on rock, pop and … Continue reading Our Favourite Foreign Festivals

Overshadowed: Covers that Trump the Original

Image via Alex PayneWords by Harvey Palmer, Abi Edwards, Meg Davies and Alex Payne Covers are a classic way of breathing new life into an existing song. We’ve chosen some of our favourites that have experienced renewed success once covered, and listed them below! Nirvana – The Man Who Sold the World (originally by David Bowie) On December 16, 1993, NirvanaÔÇÖs iconic ÔÇ£MTV Unplugged” session … Continue reading Overshadowed: Covers that Trump the Original

Behind The Lens: Musicals

by  Abi Edwards ItÔÇÖs no secret that musical theatre has played a paramount role within the arts industry, being a popular form of entertainment for many generations. My earliest memory of experiencing a musical was watching the Disney film Mary Poppins as a toddler, and I played it so much that I eventually wore the video out. Most of us are familiar with musicals, and … Continue reading Behind The Lens: Musicals

LGBTQ+ Beauty Brands to Support

Words by Dominic Bramley-Carr Openly queer-owned and queer-targeted businesses are few and far between, especially in the typically conformative beauty world. A lot of the time, queer people are brought to the forefront by brands alongside Pride palettes, normally for one month a year. However, weÔÇÖve compiled a list of amazing LGBTQ+ beauty brands, many of which aim to fight stereotypes and redefine the beauty … Continue reading LGBTQ+ Beauty Brands to Support

Censoring Sexuality

Words By: Abby Allen Header Art By: Human Rights Watch ÔÇ£Happily ever afterÔÇØ. Three words we all grew up reading, hearing, and watching. But who were we looking at? Did they look like us? For the LGBTQ+ community, this question is answered with a resounding no. Media censorship has always been a site of controversy within any society, but when it comes to LGBTQ+ content, … Continue reading Censoring Sexuality