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He carried it. It was death. It was despair. It was freedom. It was pain.
 It was life. An eclipse at noon. It killed. It saved. Evil hid behind it.
 Goodness wept before it. It marks our graves. It marks our foreheads. It is ours to bear. We wear it around our necks.
 We trace it over our hearts. Our fingers borrow its shape—for luck.
 Or a lie. We hide it behind our backs to escape a promise. It is misunderstood.
 It is blamed. It is dismissed. It carries a burden
 beyond t

there is a flea by your collar i’m sure of it waiting and waiting for opportunity to strike have you read the flea? would you know what i meant if i told you that we could hold no guilt no shame no sin for the flea should not either? would it be so bad if i touched you? i’m watching your pulse under your skin skimming your collar the flea is eager to bite have you read john donne? would you know what i meant if i told you i’d let it bite me too so our blood could be mingled

I hate the beast. It makes me feel weak. It does not make me feel strong. I rise to fight it yet again, but I am met only with myself on the battlefield. This is much like staring into a mirror, but I wait for the reflection to change. It cannot just be me on the other side. Fool. So here I am. Clammy hands, tight chest, intermittent breath, raging headache, and a mildly sore stomach. The signs of a true hero. Let me raise my sword with dignity and lash down at what makes

Let me tell you a tale of a woman with a magic ring. Our tale starts in Ireland, in a small remote fishing village, sometime in the seventeenth century. In this quaint village, we are drawn to one particular man: Richard Joyce. Particularly, we are interested in following the events that occurred on one dreadful day; Richard was captured by swash buckling pirates after their savage ransacking of said village, and taken aboard their gruesome ship, to sell off to those rich en

Contributor Alicia King contemplates the profound beauty of symbols employed in Medieval Ireland as a reflection of her experience during the Irish Heritage School’s (IHS) Monastic Midlands Field Anthropology Summer Program. When you think of Ireland, I am guessing a few things that come to mind: Guinness, four-leaf clovers, Spice Bags, Normal People by Sally Rooney (and by association, Paul Mescal). I would bet that the small, unassuming town of Birr is not on that list. How

Contributor Georgia Sullivan examines the value we place on aesthetics and whether we’ve been trained to develop a more refined ‘taste’ or have simply given in to overconsumption. At 15, my friend group delved deep into the world of YouTube influencers and the aesthetics they displayed in perfectly curated Instagram photoshoots. Our social lives became living for the next photo. We were in awe of Instagram influencers like Aspyn Ovard, who conveyed an earthy-toned bohemian li

Editorial Assistant Navdha Thakker reflects on the simple yet poignant symbol of everlasting connection that transcends space and time, for feelings that we all recognise and revel in. People have always wanted love to mean more than a coincidence. Maybe that is why the Red String Theory has lasted so long in the imagination; because it turns longing into something elegant, something almost sacred. Somewhere, invisibly, two people are said to be connected by a thread. It may

Editorial Assistant Amy Shelton writes a snappy style guide to reference when feeling stuck and uninspired by the online trend cycle. With the internet feeding us the fashion of the elite, influencers and ‘cool girls’, it is easy to be sucked into the endless cycle of constant new trends and sameness. Right now, there are a few fashion pieces considered ‘in’: split-toe shoes, ‘Clean Girl’ makeup and hair, and low-rise jeans (as an androgynous teenager, I love the low-rise, ba

Editor-in-Chief Chantelle Mackintosh examines where book-to-screen adaptations miss the mark in casting characters accurately, reminiscing about her childhood love for Rick Riordan’s best-selling series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. As an avid reader of the entire Percy Jackson franchise, I was, of course, severely disappointed by the films. Teenage me couldn’t properly articulate what annoyed me most about it, other than that it was just all wrong. The plot changed and d

Editorial Assistant Jordan Jayanthi recaps the highlights and surprising underdogs of the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer games which are currently enrapturing the majority of the globe Every four years, billions of people around the world stop to watch one sporting event: the FIFA World Cup, the biggest international football tournament that brings together the best national teams across the world. The tournament began in 1930, with the inaugural competition played in Uruguay fro

Section Editor Siya Pujari dissects how the attack of a man in Belfast has caused the previously simmering anti-immigrant discontent present in Northern Ireland to infiltrate the global discourse with Irish citizens’ violent outrage and protests On 8 June 2026, a Scottish man by the name of Stephen Ogilvie was allegedly attacked by Sudanese man Hali Alodid on Kinnaird Avenue in Belfast, Northern Ireland. This brutal attack has left Ogilvie with significant injuries, blinding

Editorial assistant Amy Shelton reflects upon the damaging standards of living that have been forced upon women in Afghanisation in the past five years under the ruling of the Taliban. It has been nearly five years since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021. The Taliban have enforced laws that have harmed women and their quality of life. This includes banning women from secondary and higher education, work, political institutes and sports. This means that Afgha

Editorial Assistant Shreya Arora shines a spotlight on the Australian-born talent that have risen through the ranks and centred themselves firmly on global stages watched by all A new generation of Sydney’s creative scene is reaching global audiences through film, television and digital media. An emerging local star is Macquarie University alumnus Josh Heuston, whose series Off Campus has attracted a global audience. Growing up in Sydney’s west, Heuston began filming lifestyl

Editorial assistant Maryam Bokhari explores the revival of conservative party One Nation in the Australian political arena and the possible reasons behind this seemingly newfound popularity. One Nation is rapidly rising in popularity across Australia. According to a recent survey included in the Australian Financial Review, One Nation has surged to 31% of the primary vote, ahead of Labour, at 28% [1]. On 9 May 2026, One Nation’s David Farley claimed a historic win in the NSW

Welcome to Grapeshot’s newest subcategory: The Staff Spotlight! This will be a space for us as students to highlight our favourite staff members across the university. So for our first spotlight, join me in meeting some of the best minds of Macquarie’s Literature and Creative Writing department! Professor Louise D'Arcens, Discipline Chair of Literature and Creative Writing, (she/her) Tell us a little about yourself both within and outside a university setting. I am the curre

ARIES 21 March - 19 April Fiery, fiery, Aries, your confidence usually precedes you in a room, but this month, someone will actually make you shy. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is let yourself blush. TAURUS 20 April - 20 May Sometimes it’s okay to take a break from the constant yearning and pining; try to focus on yourself a little this month! GEMINI 21 May - 20 June It’s time to be honest with your lover and more importantly, with yourself… those fake orgasms aren

Deputy Editor Niamh McGonnell-Hall bids her farewell to Grapeshot and leaves you with one final Niamh’s Reads My dearest readers, the time has come for me to say my goodbyes to this wonderful magazine. Whilst it is a bitter moment, I shall try to focus on the sweetness and on all the amazingly creative people I met along the way. I wanted to do something slightly different for this final instalment of Niamh’s Reads, and give you all a list of my most treasured reads, from any

Contributor Jaydee Lourens presents to you some blush-worthy ballads by Sydney artists Put on your headphones and blush to some local Sydney artists - Xo Jaydee If I Could Make You Dance- Civic Video A Heart Like Yours- Camino Gold I Might Fall in Love- Surf Trash Sadie- The Rions I Want You- The Buoys Colin- Lime Cordiale California Boys- ILUKA Calling Out Your Name- Velvet Trip Be About You- Winston Surfshirt Lover- Matt Corby by Jaydee Lourens

Contributor Deanna Arudselvam delves into the dazzling and raunchy ton in Netflix’s Bridgerton & how conversations of sex shine through The series Bridgerton represents a thrilling representation to audiences of how television can challenge the taboos and the uncomfortable nature of talking about sex. This reinforces how despite being a regency era historical fantasy, this systemic structure of power reinforces what we see today involving young people's need for transparency

Editorial Assistant Katrina Wang, is acing Life and sets out to redefine love, success, and self as an ace person "… and they lived happily ever after." Happy fairytales always end up with a happy ending, don't they? The brave knight rescuing a princess, a horrible curse broken by a dashing rogue. Fairytale re-tellings also follow that someone finally, after much trial and tribulation, finds their one. ‘The One.’ Maybe they were lesbian knights, sent out to fulfil a quest and

Editorial Assistant Alicja Krotofil examines the idea of unrequited love as a universal experience and uncovers why we feel this way For our annual sex issue, I wanted to explore the theories behind that all too familiar feeling that we all know: unrequited love. We see it in movies, we read about it in books, we feel it ourselves, but where does it come from, and why do so many of us indulge in it when we know that it can only end in pain and heartbreak? If you’re unfamilia

My first crush didn’t sit next to me in class or pass me a note at recess. He lived in a labyrinth, wore eyeliner, and hung out with goblins. I was very young and completely in love with David Bowie as Jareth in Labyrinth. It wasn’t just the hair (though, objectively, the hair did a lot). It was the presence. The confidence. The way he filled a room with total authority. There was also the ballroom scene: the music swelling, the masks, the glitter, the feeling that something

Editorial Assistant Martha Florence critically examines the illustrious author Ali Hazelwood’s male main characters and their spicy skill sets Content warning: explicit language and themes In this year’s sexy Blush issue, I thought I’d spend some quality time with Ali Hazelwood’s MMCs [Male Main Character]. I might be pushing the limits of culture rewind, seeing as Hazelwood’s books have been published in the past five years. More like a cultural look over the shoulder....

Repeat Offenders Section Editor Juliette Allen delves into Netflix’s Heartbreak High’s upcoming finale season and it’s refreshingly honest takes on growing up & hooking up Promo Still 2022- 2026 (Cr . Hannah Carroll Chapman) Another sex issue is underway, and it comes with the best possible timing! Blush’s article submission deadline coincides with the titillating Heartbreak High’s third and final season coming out on Netflix, and it’s set to be a chaotic and fun-filled journ