#wow what a spillage of emotions

[decantae]

A snippet from For Queen and Country that’s about a year old. The premise of this scene is Louise (radio personality and fledgling vampire) handling the aftermath of an on-air hijacking used to incite violence against the Other.

If you would like to be tagged in FQAC writing posts, please let me know - I lost my tag lists!

Word Count: 1,478

"That was the single scariest thing I have ever had to deal with on air," Louise said as soon as she tagged in her replacement. Even getting to her feet was a struggle with legs like jelly. Joe pressed a mug of hot coffee into her hands, and guided her through to the break room. "And that includes that one caller who phoned-in when he thought he'd committed a hit-and-run. Though it's a close thing."

Joe let her ramble until they were in the kitchenette. Several passing workers (including a few rubberneckers from next door's underground anarchist magazine) made reassuring comments on their way by, and Louise maintained a shaky public smile through it all, but once they were alone, she leaned heavily against the sink, mindless of spilled water soaking into the back of her faux fur coat. "I hope it's not a slow news day on the BBC. Or ITV. Or Sky News. That message does not deserve any more air-time than it's already gotten. Fuel to the fire. Did you get it recorded?"

Joe shot her a funny look, then head tilted to the side quizzically. It drove her to wonder if there was something on her face, and she bent down to check in the nearest reflective surface, the microwave door. It may have just been the dim lighting but she seemed to have adopted a pallor that even her make-up couldn't hide. Beneath red lips and blush she was chalky-white, reading to her eyes as an embalmed corpse ready for the open casket funeral. 

"Yeah, we got it. I'd advise you to slow down and breathe just a sec,” he continued, “but all the horror flicks I've ever seen suggest vampires don't need oxygen. Can't say I've ever seen one of your sort go into shock."

"It would be just my luck to be the first to do so," Louise said faintly. As much as she had grown used to life as a creature of the night, it felt no less taboo to be discussing such matters with a human –– even one in the pocket of the Collective, as Joe was. He had previously made it clear that he would never bring it up at work unless it was critical.

Silence reigned. She gulped down her coffee, which satiated a thirst, but not the thirst; the one that made the back of her throat itch, as if there were slivers of microscopic glass tuck in all the little fleshy crevices down her oesophagus. Her mind couldn't stop refocusing on the sensation, like worrying at a hangnail, or picking at a scab.

Her gaze slid to the fridge. "Joe," she began lightly, breaching a sensitive topic. "Do you mind if I—–?" "Oh, God no. Go ahead. You look like you need it, and, um, I'm anemic, so... Whatever you need to do." Her manager waved a hand and took up a position in front of the closed door, a guard against any curious colleagues. In the meantime, Louise descended upon the paper bag in the fridge like a bat out of hell, pausing only to rummage around in one of the cabinets for a reusable metal straw.

Drinking from the packaged blood inside was sweet, sweet relief after a long day, even if it was cold. (Still, after the DIY AB+ ice-lollies she'd attempted to make from last summer, anything was an improvement.) 

While Joe was purposefully fiddling with his phone as she sucked the bag dry, careful not to smear her lipstick, she allowed herself to muse what it would be like to drink hot, living blood. Apparently, according to some of her brothers and sisters in the Collective, it was easy to acquire a taste for the 'real thing'. When the man coughed uncomfortably, she averted her gaze.

Already, her throat was soothed and her frayed nerves were bolstered. If there were to be interviews for the telly, she thought she might be able to stand and do one of them now – or at least sit for it. "Right," Joe said, when her straw could suck up no more. As Louise moved on to slicing open the bag with one fang to get at the trapped liquid, he unsuccessfully masked a wince. It was just a bag. "This is a big old mess, and we're going to have to work overtime on working out a plan of action with the Collective. Take the night off, Lou." 

"What?" She looked up, and the blood in the plastic ran over and dripped down the corner of her lips. "No way. I haven't missed a day in four years and six months and I'm certainly not going to start now. That would be absurd." Something in Joe's eyes told her that it was a position he wouldn't budge from. "What is it?" "You know what? Make it a long weekend." 

"Did I do something wrong?" Louise asked, stunned. "I know I was a bit shaken by the whole thing, but I'm sure I'll be as right as rain tomorrow. Besides, I'd like to see Chris Moyles or, god forbid, Chris Evans do any better in that situation." Perhaps if she kept lying, one of them would scan as the truth. "Really, I'm good."

"Yeah, um, not to make this workplace discrimination or anything, but you're literally dripping blood on the tiles." Louise looked at the plastic bag scrunched in her hand, the trails of blood running down her arm, and then the circular splashes on the ground before tossing it into the rubbish bin. Joe continued with palpable uncertainty, gesturing to her chin and cheek, "And you've got a little bit of it on your face––here. And there."

She ran her thumb along the worst of it and licked it off. "Wow, I'm so sorry, Joe. I'll clean this up right away. This has never happened before..." As she reached for the paper towels, he stopped her. Finally, she recognised the twin emotions in his face that she had confused before: concern and apprehension. They did not seem so unwarranted now. 

"Don't worry about this, pet. It's only blood –– I'll handle it. Won't even write it up as a biohazard." Joe patted her on the shoulder as he moved to clean up, passing her a sheet of kitchen roll for her face. Though a slip-up of such a magnitude was unheard of for her, she knew to dab off blood like excess foundation rather than smear it, at the very least. It was times like these that Louise was reminded that Joe had been in the employ of the vampires for longer than she had been one. He must be used to spillages. "Do me a favour and head home."

Her protest was fainter this time; she could barely hear her own voice. "You said we're going to have to sort things out with the Collective..."

"And, tell you what, if you feel like calling up Queen or Kaminski or one of the others later on, you can do that. As long as you take a nap first." He shot her an easy grin. "Or have a stiff drink. When was the last time you had a Friday and a Saturday off?"

Louise hesitated, though she knew the answer. "Four years and six months..." "Exactly. Now go on, get. And if I see you in here tomorrow, I'm adding another day."

Louise nodded, and with one last check in the microwave door to ensure the blood looked enough like a student project rather than a murder victim, she left the kitchen area and On the Edge studio with great haste, only diverging from her path to pick up her Prada bag from the cloakroom. What could only be disassociation marked her exit: one moment her heels were clicking on the linoleum of the empty corridors and the next she was tripping over her own two feet on the tarmac of the parking lot.

It was only once she was in her car, a yellow Mini, that she closed her eyes against the sunlight. Joe asked a workaholic to stop working, and this was the effect. What else could she possibly do with her time? Message the bosses, that's it. Sliding her phone out from her bra, she scrolled through her contacts to ascertain who would be the best one to ask for guidance–– ––until, for once, she didn't feel like sorting it out immediately.

The best place to find a vampire was to show up at one of the clubs. Drinks were good, but it wasn't even midday yet. She could survive until they opened with a bath (plus bubbles) and some soothing music, but she hadn't been out on the town alone since her 21st, and given how bloody that night ended, she was not excited to relive the trauma.

Unless. 

#louise #my writing #original writing #writeblr #wips #vampire stories #amwriting #creative writing #fqac #vampire

[mickeygorgygil]

What is Art - really?

Before I write about New Media Art per se, it would be the best to deconstruct the concept. At the very core of New Media Art is "Art" - the traditional kind. Thus, it makes perfect sense to tackle Art first and foremost. What does Art mean for a multimedia student like me?

What does art mean to you?

First it cracks you open then it heals you. That's what ART is. It is not simply a tangible and sellable product or object, but a glorious and/or messy experience and a process.

It is one forms of therapy available to man. When you create art, you draw from you innermost thoughts and the most vulnerable parts of your mind's nooks and crannies. You access the ugliest parts of you to turn them into something beautiful.

My most favorite quote from a movie that defines Art is from Dead Poets Society (1989):

It perfectly encapsulates the essence of art. Although Art seems trivial for others and is not a lucrative field compared to STEM, Art helps keep us alive by giving us reason to survive and exist. Imagine a life without movies, books, series, and songs - won't life be so drab and monotonous? Is it a life worth living?

Furthermore, most people consider art as what they traditionally see in galleries, such as those painted by dexterous artists. Personally, however, art is not limited to what can be perceived visually. It is more of a feeling evoked by a created/produced work of a man.

Given that personal conception, what I treat as the strongest forms of art are poems, prose, music, and films. When I chance upon certain written words, songs, and films that tug my heartstrings or get me analytical and appreciative of that particular art's technical aspects, I consider them as art.

What is your experience of art?

One of the reasons why I am here taking Multimedia Studies is due to my affinity towards movies, music, creative writing, vlogs, TV series and graphic design - all of which I treat as art.

I know for sure that I have more of an artistic brain than of a scientific one. I mainly turn to art as a hobby and therapy, specifically through creative writing.

It is by stringing words altogether that I can tame the chaos within me.

Whenever I get all consumed with the flurry of school activities and life troubles, there's always this compelling force from the universe for me to write.

No specific subject, just arbitrary spillage of my thoughts at the moment.

I write when I badly want to forget something yet I also write when I want to immortalize a certain moment. My works and pieces aren't worthy of any literary award. But I know they're special. Because through writing I'm given a sense of creation — a key to the doorway of something great, something big, yet something... simple. It is in simplicity that we find beauty.

Writing as an Art

I express the artist in me through writing. Since I was a teenager, I've grown to love words and expanding my vocabulay. Before the advent of social media, reading novels is how I past the time.

Unlike movies and paintings, there is nothing visual about writing, making it not the most overt type of art out there. However, its strength lies on its ability to create worlds, reify a feeling, express a throusnd emotions, and paint a picture through merely utilizing words.

I have this habit of pouring all the ink of my soul for someone before I decide to depart my chaotic land of feelings for them.

I write when I'm elated and over the moon. I write when I'm dejected and down in the dumps.

Before I hit the hay, I have this habit of looking back at my creations from the past to remind myself how I felt then. "Wow, was I 'this' in love?" "Wow, this actually happened?" "Woah. I made this. "

"This composition still makes sense and relevant after a year." Like a first-time mother, I become proud of my creations for I was the one who actually gave birth to them. There are some babies of mine which a beautiful; there are some which are not and would not like to see again. Nevertheless, I'm equally proud of all of them. 'Cause they are my legacy that life can't take away from me.

Sample works

#whatisart #whatwritingfeelslike #writing #write #art #writing about writing

[simply-shakera]

Caribana Without The Parade

Happy Toronto Carnival Weekend Everyone!

Wow - for the first time in YEARS we had no parade because of lockdown restrictions due to COVID-19. When this decision was announced in March I did not know how to feel. Disbelief was the most prevalent emotion.

Here’s the thing, Caribana without the parade is my pretty much my life. The work I do with Carnival Spice calls for me to be immersed in Caribbean Carnival 365 days a year so I did not think the cancellation would effect me greatly as it did. Kudos to all the promoters who offered alternatives to fill the void… I saw a Zoombana, Quaranbana and festival organizers even hosted a Virtual Road. I know this sounds terrible, but I chose to take a nice long nap on August 1st. I was completely overwhelmed with emotions and could not bring myself to do anything else. I did have a glass of wine and played some Voice to sooth my soul (add the song ”By Any Means” to your playlist). Although logistically, the parade itself can use a LOT of work, those who self identify as Caribbean or those who annually play mas feel a massive sense of pride in anticipation of this weekend. From revelling in the streets... to getting your hair/nails/lashes done and seeing your completed look carnival morning... to running into celebrities/friends/coworkers/exes etc on the road… to hearing YOUR SONG for the first time behind a big truck and going OFF… my song would have been anything on the “Yuh Bad” or “Caution” Riddim! The level of excitement is unmatched; arguably comparable to your wedding day or christmas morning…sigh..

To be clear though, the anticipation for Caribana weekend goes far beyond the fetes, costume pick up and walmart selling Caribbean based products at the front of the store. IT’S A CELEBRATION OF CULTURE, FREEDOM, UNITY, BLACKNESS, TOGETHERNESS, SOCA, FAMILY, FRIENDS, BODY-POSITIVITY, DANCEHALL, MAS, CHUTNEY, WELLNESS, LOVE, THE CARIBBEAN.

We Can’t Get Enough.

Even if you don’t play mas, it’s a weekend to just be proud and cultivate joy.  Most have celebrated this period from the were toddlers and hope to pass the traditions on to their children. 

Caribbean heritage and history is also deeply connected to the participation in Caribana weekend. The parade was gifted to Canada from Trinidad in 1967 and has grown to be one of the largest festivals in North America. The date of the festival also coincides with the the emancipation of enslaved people from Africa.

Since I cannot share photos of myself taking a nap. Here are 5 Toronto Carnival Experiences I would like to highlight

1995

Little Miss Shakera, always dancing… even at this age. My mom’s workplace was a sponsor for the “Kiddies Carnival” (now called Junior Carnival) that took place in Little Jamaica on Eglinton West. The good ole days!

We were offered costumes the morning off but my mom had already picked out my outfit that’s why it doesn’t even match the costume! LOLOL… I remember this day like it was yesterday. I danced my little heart out so much joy and pride. Was even featured on CITY PULSE… talk about a foreshadow!

2007

This was my first time playing mas as an adult. "Jamaicans don’t play mas” - or so I thought. During university, I met a trini dawlin, named Akeisha, who put me in a costume for the school’s talent shot. I was SO shy that I wore the costume with black yoga pants. She then challenged me to play mas in the Caribana - THE REST IS HISTORY.

I had no idea what I was doing but I still came hard. Matching shoes and bags; The shoes gave crazy blisters because the spray paint made them hard. The fabric on the bag was meant to be sprayed so the paint transferred on my skin! Lol. And are you seeing this eye make up? I believe this eye shadow that I had no idea how to apply cost about $40 and I used it once! The costume was made well though. I still have it and it is perfect condition. The bra was 3x too big because I was scared of spillage. At the time I was a B cup, lol - the nerve!

2011

Back in these days when you modelled for a Toronto mas band, you could select any costume from the launch to wear on the road. However, the costume was the one I modelled and I fell in love with it the moment I put it on. It literally set the tone of the rest of this carnival season. This was my favourite Caribana to date. I even remember the song my section crossed the stage too: “ADVANTAGE” by Machel Montano. The stage was EPIC! Lost my rag, an eyelash, and broke my purse. It was perfect. I loved theme of the band too - everyone looked wonderful. We were on the road for hours. What solidified this magical experience happened the following morning. I woke up to the news that my photo was on the cover on the Toronto Star… and not just any photo. The photographer captured the euphoria I felt - crossing the judging stage!

2012

This pink costume was one of my faves to wear but I did not get many photos in it. I also paired it with nude fishnets before it was a trend in Toronto. Unfortunately this was not a good carnival year for me. I am sharing so you will take caution in the future. Scorching hot temperatures mixed with our band not having enough food and water led to me having extreme hit exhaustion. My symptoms were so bad that I had to leave the route early. Friends, although you have paid for food with your costume, do not rely on your band to feed you. Always have a hearty meal before you leave home. The day can be very unpredicatable and your safety is most important. Set yourself up for success. Ensure you are on top of hydration and vitamins leading up to the parade (and afterward of course.)

2016

This year was super fun. I worked a lot of promo events for the costume and did a lot of press with Carnival Spice. Plus, I had about 30 people from the #SpiceFam playing mas with me. Most were playing for the first time (something I cherish greatly). We were in different sections but arranged for everyone to be in the same band. It was also a year that I wore a wire bra for the first time. The ultimate highlight was two fold - one was performing for Kes the band and two was thiefin’ a wine on Kees on the road (member that Michelle???? Woyyyyy)

BONUS

As I was preparing to publish this blog I found out that Carnival Spice is trending #1 on TIK TOK via the #Caribana hashtag.

Pretty cool

You can also check out an interview I did with Kiss 92.5, Breakfast Television and the Toronto Festival Committee.

Breakfast Television: Moving in the Morning

https://youtu.be/Go7ZpURAiLE

Toronto Carnival Festival Committee

https://youtu.be/l53DvpbDaqw

Kiss 925 Interview

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDMWVwwnd-q/.

#caribana #toronto carnival #carnival spice #covid 19 #soca #caribana 2020 #toronto carnival 2020 #quarantine

[galrakythel]

voltron s8 liveblogging

episode 1:

well...here it goes...the last season.

no more predictions to look forward to, unless they do a spinoff

i hope they do a marmora spinoff, but we’d never get that

i almost wish they’d done a different opening for the last season

pidge’s pigtails

hunk’s parents are too cuteeeeeeee

allurance! allurance! allurance! i’ve been waiting for this! allurance! allurance! allurance!

yoooo as honerva taken over the galra

romelle! good job getting allura to go on a date with lance!

colleen colleen i love these mama bears

coran is such a clown i love him

allura and pidge omg 

keith’s peptalk is so good

honerva is badass i can’t

“allura, i love you” - lance, the smoothest motherfucker

kolivan smiling is the best thing i’ve ever seen

episode 2:

honerva you tried

this poor woman is searching for her son

this bitch gonna get her fucking cat

you get your cat honerva

omg they knew they were pregnant omggggg

so lotor is mad old

the galra are just space vampire cats

all that quintessence just to keep these two beautiful jackasses alive

little lotor is so cute. i feel like all he wanted was parents who gave a damn.

honerva is so fucking messy lmao

this reminds me of the legend of korra where for all of the last airbender, the fire nation was bad but then tlok for two seasons the water tribe was iffy. now the alteans are bad after the galra. i wonder how allura (and romelle) will deal with this

lotor tried

and i’m damn sure that haggar knew that she was honerva the whole time. she kept getting visions yo

this was a heavy episode

episode 3:

tbh i’m not sure how i feel about atlas and the other pilots

like i say full well that I don’t want a spinoff about them

wowwwww lahn is acting like an ass

part of me wishes that keith looked more galra

allura tries to empathize with everyone but they always throw it back in her face

is this creature ranveig was making?

i think it is

wow it’s actually really intelligent holy shit

ranveig what the hell did you do

keith saving the day and saving all galra like a good boy

was that acxa

listen if i can’t get sheith, i need acxa x keith bc they are so cute together

STOP SPLITTING UP! HOLY SHIT!

all those alteans are being super dumb

episode 4:

i’m just patiently waiting for more acxa

and krolia and kolivan, please

oh shit

what happened to olkarion with honerva’s craziness

giant space bees

that sucks, i mean honerva just totaled that entire planet

if she wants to destroy voltron, why not just go after voltron

i love how pidge and allura are different sides of the same coin. they both can do something “magic-like”. allura can tap into quintessence energy and pidge can access olkarion’s energy. they can both siphon and exchange with this type of science-y magical energy. it’s something the other paladins can’t really do. i think with pidge’s connections to forests/nature/etc. she can do this type of magic energy anywhere. as long as it’s a terrestrial planet of course

i mean the alteans may be a victim of honerva’s madness just like everyone else, but they literally went to another planet to destroy a people (the olkari) that never hurt them. i’m sry but they are the villains in this arc. you could have questioned lotor (AND HONERVA) like romelle did. you could have been eager to question and learn rather than be manipulated. you could have thought for yourselves instead of reacting like a hivemind. honerva keeps talking about how the galra are inherently evil, but here she’s doing this kind of shit. she’s a hypocrite, but she’s my hypocrite.

this season is comprised of a lot of flashbacks

...i want an acxa flashback

episode 5:

ACXA!!!!!!

ACXA WORKS ON THE ATLAS!!!!!!!!

ACXA IS SUCH A PEANUT I LOVE HER SO MUCH!

her cute ass hornssssssssssss

is this zethrid and ezor?

nevermind, i guess

these pirates yo, they need to leave

they have a vendetta against keith

what they hell

it’s gotta be zethrid or ezor

knew it it’s big zee

ezor fucking left zethrid are you serioussssssss wait what

ezor my sweet angel with the eyepatch. she must have been doing undercover missions

it’s good the girl gang is back together, even if narti is rip

episode 6:

honerva is really going this far

omg slav

what the hell is honerva fucking planning

i still don’t get her or lotor tbh

at least zarkon was concrete in what he was after: immortality

right?

honerva just seems like she’s after revenge at this point and that’s it

like where is the woman who was in love with science and the secrets of the universe

zethrid is a good guy now yay

yo that olkari who is mad mischievous is so cute

UNLESS SHE WANTS TO GO INTO THE RIFT AGAIN

or just rip spacetime bc she’s a petty bitch

TIME SPILLAGE

yo all these planets are just dying bc honerva is crazy and petty

JUST TO GET LOTOR OUT omg

“something’s not right” no shit bitch

wow honerva what the hell. he isn’t your son if he’s brainwashed

omg it’s a new castleship????!

episode 7:

he’s so cuteeeeeee. he’s recording everyone

this is so funny

omg he’s getting a cooking show

bae bae is too cute, fucking recording everything

is this this season’s filler because it’s good

space dogggggg

that was an intimate hugging scene

KOLIVAN omgggggggg i love you

i love how everyone aboard the atlas as a thing, a job, a hobby

this documentary omg

allura/lance. allurance!!!!!

hunk is the real MVP omg

he made them desserts!

this was a really good episode

episode 8:

holy shit we’re finally seeing that thing again

part of me thinks that those monsters are controlling honerva too

ALLURANCE!

omg that thing is fucking messing with her

coran is so weird

colleen is the best

allura see through that lotor bullshit

it’s trying to brainwash you

now it’s gonna do lance bullshit

ALLURA JFC

episode 9:

oh allura no

lance is pissed and so am i

gotta be proactive, even if its a whack ass plan

now it’s allura who is being used by honerva

i don’t like this plan

i don’t like this plan but i believe in you, allura

why was keith left behind?

it’s the old paladins

jfc allura in berserker mode

oh i get it. honerva trapped their soulssssss

omggg they meet the other paladins

omggggggggggggg allura and alfor reunited

episode 10:

alfor talks sense

this is one bad trip tbh

it sucks that keith can’t have zarkon with him, that he lacks that connection besides the fact that they are both galran

keith fighting zarkon is so important, he’s the leader zarkon couldn’t be

#keithforemperor2018

omg zarkon uncorrupted

zarkon is such a jock i love him

wow honerva’s ultimate goal is just so asldkjadlksdjsakd idk

“...took you into the mind of a psychopath” - zarkon talking about his wife to keith

damn zarkon

episode 11:

dont trust that wormhole

but honerva looks badass in her armor

if you hate the galra rn why the hell did you marry zarkon, honerva?

eleven episodes and i still don’t have closer with the blades

that’s a lot of people in one cell

COMMANDER OZAR YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!

OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

so altea and daibazaal were in the same star system!!!!!!!!!!!!

ALLURA JUST FUCKING TAKE THE ENTITY OUT OF YOU NOW

i’m so tired of these bloody alteans tbh

idiots omg

i love honerva as the villain though

i just think that allura acts out of character sometimes. like she comes off as the most level headed but will be the first one to be ruled by emotions. she should have never taken on the entity

episode 12:

merla was her name. wow. and they just killed off a big name like that

it really honerva versus shiro. i’ve been waiting for this yo

SHAY REAL MVP

the six of them omg i’m in love with this show

KROLIA AND KOLIVAN YAY

that young sendak aljsdlksajdalsdjoiasdjaslasjclkasjl?!??!?!!?

this reality yo

lotor knows that isn’t his mom holy shit

episode 13:

last episode i’m gonna cry

yo this bitch cray

this is wild

pure wild

they’re trying to talk her down omg

*snorts* honerva omg calm down

WHATasdwlakjsdlkasjdlaskdjsaldkjsaldkasjdlksadj

wHAT IS GOING ON

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON

OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

I DONT KNOW IF I LIKE THIS FOR REAL

keith is emperor omggggggggg he’s gonna be the leader

wowwwwwww

lance omggggggg

that ending yo

#voltron liveblogging #voltron spoilers #*mine #s8