Rivqa Rafael

I guess I'd better introduce myself then! I'm Rivqa, a psychologist, PhD student and lapsed writer and editor on Gadigal/Wangal lands. Most folks probably know me as a fiction writer but I haven't done much since I went back to uni in 2020 to speedrun a psychology degree.

A few days left on this month's collective fundraiser for our families in Gaza, and once again we're well short of our target. The occupation is squeezing hard again, and my dear niece Jana's birthday went unmarked for lack of funds. Please help if you can. https://www.paypal.com/pools/c/9t7UTRN2lP

This is the most beautifully cited reason to hate AI that has ever been written. I love this paragraph with a passion.

If I was unclear, this is; Authors, Visual Artists & Song Writers Internationally. If the data centre is in Australia; you'd be dependent on the opt out system working/ being enforced, for your copyright to be respected.

If you're starting to submit your stories, stop what you're doing and take some minutes to read this piece by @wiswell.bsky.social to understand more about your rights as an author and what you're usually selling when you're accepted. johnwiswell.substack.com/p/knowing-yo...

When Grammy-winning musician Rhiannon Giddens begins playing “Old Corn Liquor,” a traditional Black American folk tune, acclaimed Chinese pipa virtuoso Wu Man recognizes similarities to Chinese pentatonic music and spontaneously joins in. The joy on their faces says it all.

1395) Golembot. Has kind of an old-school aesthetic. Friends with Dreidelbot. Fluent in Czech, Hebrew, and Yiddish. #SmallRobotsRemonstered #Halloween

Racism is not a sign of low intelligence. Plenty of stupid people aren't evil. Plenty of smart people are very evil. Intelligence is not a moral signifier. Don't give racists an excuse by claiming they're racist because they're stupid and thus not smart enough to know better. They know better.

🧵 Also, the magical ritual for banishing demons* from the latrine? WASH YOUR HANDS. *germs

Five days left on the Lightspeed & Nightmare kickstarter, and they still need $10k to meet their funding goal! Love short fiction? Go pick up a subscription and help spread the word! www.kickstarter.com/projects/lig...

never the wrong time for this classic

Oh my: LibreOffice just made "no AI" one of their official features: blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/09...

One of the more inconsequential impacts of AI on me personally is a real reluctance to share any creative work. I've been getting into photography recently but do I want to post any of my pictures? What's the point of art that isn't shared, though?

Delightful also to hear real eagle noises. In movies eagles are always dubbed with hawks, since hawks found fierce and eagles sound like adorable squeakers.

This month's fundraiser closes tomorrow. Ibtissam's leg is thankfully healing well, but Jana just burned her leg while cooking for the family, and I'm worried about infection in the conditions where the family is living. Please chip in and/or share if you can.

I don't want to alarm anyone but we're getting close to the end of the month and this campaign still has a way to go

SUGGESTIONS: - Stop making the same mistake repeatedly - Please www.reuters.com/legal/litiga... www.theguardian.com/environment/...

What is consciousness? What is sentience? These are philosophical question that have been asked since the dawn of time. How lucky we are to live in a time where 7 people in Northern California realised the answer is “being able to predict the most statistically significant next word in a sentence”

The first two bullet points in the first screenshot seem to contradict each other. The audio "flows into a protected buffer" but isn't recorded? What's flowing, then?

Ahem. *gets up to podium* I have a book. You can buy it from me. It’s really good. Very good book. Lots of words. Short stories inspired by Palestinian folklore. Queer, and many people say the words are beautiful. Please buy. soniasulaiman.com/product/mune...

Sydney (and Australia) writer peeps: we're trying our hand at putting on a con for speculative fiction writers. Tickets will be live soon. scribes.com.au/consyderation/ Please share.

Describing his views as "anti-immigrant" is pretty mild IMO.

VACCINES CAUSE ADULTS

TELL ME YOUR 🏳️‍🌈QUEER SHORT SFF🏳️‍🌈 OUT IN JULY 2026!!! Originals only pls, up to novella in length, indie okay. Just reply with the author, title, and a link to read and/or buy and I'll get them on the list. Here's June's list for context & more info: www.patreon.com/quicksiprevi...

Hey yo any trans folks who wanna learn some Graphic Design basics of me up. I can't find you work, but I can teach you the basics and point you in the right direction.

Farewell today to the high priestess of polka dots, Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama (1929-2026). Her work was unforgettable and for her, a means to survival. It’s playful, psychedelic, compulsive, beautiful and slightly unsettling all at once. Into infinity and beyond Yayoi! 🔴🟡⚫️

From the same people who want you to be drawn and quartered for uttering the phrase “from the river to the sea”

For two years it was considered libellous to suggest that Hind Rajab was killed by Israeli military. This admission is part of a long-reaching pattern: deny the incident, muddy the waters, and then, some time later, and only with sustained pressure, admit to it. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

Hello, book people! I am the book content editor for Reactor Mag and I'm looking for sci-fi, fantasy, horror, romantasy, and speculative books coming out in 2027! If you have an adult or YA SFF/H book out next year (or publicist), share the link/info here!

Frogstomp by silverchair, but I'm of an age where cassette is more significant (Everything Changes by Take That)