Cynthia Zhang should be writing!

🚨SPECIAL ISSUE alert!🚨

SINNERS, SAINTS, AND HAINTS will open from August 20th to August 31st, for *reprints only!* Guest editors: @edenroyce.bsky.social and Shakeema Smalls. The movie Sinners elevated a genre Black creators have anchored for decades, and we want to show those stories some love!

صورة لانس الششريف و اولاده

This is my last will and testament. If these words of mine reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice. First of all, may the peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you. God knows that I have exerted all my effort and strength to be a support and voice for my people, ever since I openeo my eyes to life in the alleys and neighborhoods of Jabalia refugee camp. I had hoped that God would prolong my life so that I could return with my family and loved ones to our original hometown of occupied Ashkelon (al-Majdal). But God's will was greater, and His judgment is binding. I lived the pain in all its details, and I tasted the pain and loss repeatedly, and despite that, I never hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without falsification or distortion. May God be a witness against those who remained silent and those who accepted our killing, and those who held our breath and whose hearts were not moved by the remains of our children and women, and who did not stop the massacre that our people have been subjected to for more than a year and a half. I commend to you Palestine, the jewel in the crown of Muslims, and the heartbeat of every free person in this world.

I commend to you its people and its oppressed young children, who did not have time to dream and live in sa 2/3 and peace. Their pure bodies were crushed by thousands of tons of Israeli bombs and missiles, torn apart, and their remains were scattered on the walls. I advise you not to be silenced by restrictions, nor to be held back by borders. Be bridges towards liberating the country and its people, so that the sun of dignity and freedom may shine on our usurped country. I recommend my family to you. I commend to you the apple of my eye, my beloved daughter Sham, whom I did not get to see grow up as I had dreamed. I commend to you my dear son Salah, for whom I wish to be a support and companion until he grows strong, takes away my burden, and completes the mission. I commend to you my beloved mother, through whose prayers I have reached this point, whose prayers have been my fortress and whose light has guided my path. I pray to God to comfort her heart and reward her on my behalf.

I also commend to you my lifelong companion, my beloved wife, Umm Salah Bayan, whom the war separated from us for many days and months, but who remained faithful to the covenant, steadfast like an olive trunk that does not bend, patient and content, and who carried the trust in my absence with all strength and faith. I advise you to rally around them and support them after God Almighty. If I die, I die steadfast in my principles, and I call God to witness that I am satisfied with His judgment, believe in meeting Him, and certain that what is with God is better and more lasting. O God, accept me among the martyrs, forgive me for my past and future sins, and make my blood a light that illuminates the path of freedom for my people and my family. Forgive me if I have fallen short, and pray for mercy for me, for l have kept my promise and have neither changed nor altered. Don't forget Gaza... Do not forget me in your prayers for forgiveness and acceptance. Anas Jamal Al-Sharif 06.04.2025

🇵🇸Translation of Anas’s last testament:

Read every word and feel it

Anas was the voice and eye of Gaz@, Anas was a father, a journalist who did his job with pride, Anasa always risked his life to deliver the truth to everyone, Anasa did everything to deliver what is happening to his people,

⚠️To Whom It May Concern, The occupation is now openly threatening a full-scale invasion of Gaza. For 22 months, the city has been bleeding under relentless bombardment from land, sea, and air. Tens of thousands have been killed, and hundreds of thousands wounded. If this madness does not end, Gaza will be reduced to ruins, its people’s voices silenced, their faces erased — and history will remember you as silent witnesses to a genocide you chose not to stop. Please share this message and tag everyone who has the power to help end this massacre. Silence is complicity.

Heartbreaking. Anas Al-Sharif posted this 1 hour before being assasinated tonight.

“If this madness does not end, Gaza will be reduced to ruins, its people’s voices silenced, their faces erased. Please share this message & tag everyone who…has the power to end this massacre. Silence is complicity.”

Cynthia Zhang is a part-time writer, occasional academic, and full-time dog lover currently based in Los Angeles. Her novel, After the Dragons, was published with Stelliform Press in 2021, and was shortlisted for the 2022 Ursula K. LeGuin Award in Fiction as well as the 2022 Utopia Awards in the category of Utopian Novella. Their work has appeared in Translunar Travelers Lounge, PseudoPod, Kaleidotrope, On Spec, and other venues. Cynthia’s recs: The West Passage by Jared Pechaček Thyme Travellers, edited by Sonia Sulaiman

In addition to reading this story in the pages of FF#25, you can also find out why Cynthia recs work by @vandroidhelsing.bsky.social and @soniasulaiman.bsky.social

And, why not grab an ebook copy of After the Dragons from @stelliform.press shop (on sale!): www.stelliform.press/index.php/pr...

My first LA story after living here for seven years, and it’s about how expensive this city is (still very true)

RFK Jr. backs down all the time when he gets push back, so if anyone wants to call, here's the HHS number 1-877-696-6775.
I'd also call your senators/reps as well.

A screenshot of our Payhip store's landing page. Book titles, with the first row featuring Demon Engine, Darknesses, Eusect and Love/Aggression. All books right now are 50% off.

To celebrate June's nomination as a Lambda finalist for Love/Aggression, we will keep our sale going on Payhip for now. 🎇 You can grab many of our titles for cheaper, and a couple of them for free! payhip.com/tRaumBooks

An anthropomorphic credit card wearing sunglasses walks into a storefront that features the Itch.io logo. A worried cashier stands behind the counter. Caption (from the credit card): Nice little platform you've got here. Be a shame if something happened to it."

Facing backlash and mounting pressure, Mastercard denies responsibility for adult content bans — despite evidence and industry responses suggesting otherwise. Your calls are working. Keep it up.

buff.ly/PF3MTZj

A white banned says FEED GAZA in front of a digital drawing of red poppies with black and white details and green leaves in front of a blue sky with clouds

List of resources in the thread ❤️🖤🤍💚

It's Bandcamp Friday and we are raising funds for the World Central Kitchen's efforts in Gaza. This shirt is ONLY available today. All profit from sales of any items on our Bandcamp today will be donated.

My every-couple-months reminder: FF is always bringing in new submissions readers. Details in the quoted thread!

This page has a big button for you to email 20+ customer service departments at once with an (editable, if you like) prewritten letter. You can even do it from your phone! There's zero reason to not be participating in the pushback on this.

Buy Cat Cross a Coffee Become a supporter of Cat Cross today!

Posting this for my friend and fellow artist and former zine collaborator Cat --he's raising $ for August rent. It's currently at 36% funded and needs $544 more to meet the goal.

The deadline is tight, but it's very doable! Please donate if you can!

ko-fi.com/itskyatto/go...

ALU founder Chris Smalls to be released from Israeli detainment. Smalls was beaten and jailed in inhumane conditions for trying to deliver baby formula and medicine to starving people in Gaza on the @freedomflotilla.bsky.social

Expected to arrive back in the US on Friday.

illustration shows the outline of a soaring bird, filled in with the colors of the queer and trans pride flags. text over the top reads "QUEER GAMES BUNDLE."

✨ It's finally time. The fifth Queer Games Bundle is live now. For $60 (or $10+), get over 600 games, TTRPGs, zines, and more. Support over 300 queer artists for their survival and future art.

itch.io/b/3062/

Palestinian families like Hossam's are being starved to death in Israel's genocidal famine & siege. There isn't even food for animals in Gaza. Please help by sharing & donating if you've anything to spare:

The WaPa headline says: 60,000 Gazans were killed. 18,500 of them were children. These are some of their names. Then follows an enormous list of small print names

Thousands of small print names interspersed with some photos of some of the child victims

NEW: 18,500 children have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.

The Washington Post has just published every single known name.

A seminal moment.

When he reached the Israeli prison, U.S. human rights defender Chris Smalls was physically assaulted by seven uniformed individuals. They choked him and kicked him in the legs, leaving visible signs of violence on his neck and back.

When his lawyer met with him, Chris was surrounded by six members of Israel’s special police unit. This level of force was not used against other abducted activists.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalitions condemn this violence against Chris and demand accountability for the assault and discriminatory treatment he faced.

At the Israeli prison, US human rights defender Chris Smalls was physically assaulted by seven uniformed individuals. They choked him and kicked him in the legs.
We condemn this violence against Chris and demand accountability for the assault and discriminatory treatment he faced. #BreakTheSiege

Heat Death A newsletter about yesterday, tomorrow, and all the crises in between.

Hey, writers! We're commissioning guest essays at HEAT DEATH. We want to showcase your weird deep dives into history, ecology and culture, and intersections between them. We pay a $75 honorarium per piece, edit carefully, and you keep all rights.

Pitch me at aelbein@gmail!

Tachyon 30th Anniversary: Smart Speculative Fiction for Everyone Elevate your home library with the Tachyon 30th Anniversary Bundle and help support the Electronic Frontier Foundation with your purchase!

Tachyon Press is doing a Humble Bundle deal for a whole bunch of their titles, including A Stranger in the Citadel, and Runes of Engagement by me and @daveklecha.bsky.social, so pay what you want and get a ton of amazing books!

www.humblebundle.com/books/tachyo...

Call call call. Visa is literally begging us to stop calling and send emails. Calls cost them way more money and they can't use key words to filter them out

home by the rotting sea is deindexed & now in breach of the updated guidelines of itch, not because it's porn (though my porn comics are flagged also), but because the story explores sexual assault. you should care about porn as well, of course, but we intuitively get the flagrant wrongness of this

WCK can use your donations. They are on the ground in Gaza, doing what they can in the face of a staggering and ongoing crime against humanity.

NEW: In the past 45 minutes, 16 drones spotted over the Handala Gaza aid flotilla, per Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

The flotilla – carrying 20 people including Amazon labor organizer Christian Smalls, EU MP Emma Forreau, actor Jacob Berger – aims to bring food, medicine, formula, and more to Gazans.

ALL communications with 'Handala's crew have been jammed. We lost all contact with our crew, and there are multiple drones near the vessel. Which means they could've been intercepted or attacked. Check the next slides to help >

We need you to pressure for the safety of our crew. Tag and message your government representatives and local media to pressure Israel to let 'Handala' to, and guarantee a safe passage to Gaza. Keep your eyes on the tracker on our website.

#AllEyesOnDeck: ALL communications with #Handala's crew have been JAMMED. We lost all contact with our crew, and there are multiple drones near the vessel.
Keep your eyes on the #FreedomFlotilla tracker. Tag & message your governments & elected officials! freedomflotilla.org/ffc-tracker/

Donate to Hot meals 4 Starved Palestinian Kids in north Gaza, organized by Hani Almadhoun Do you know what it’s like to watch your family starve? I do. My… Hani Almadhoun needs your support for Hot meals 4 Starved Palestinian Kids in north Gaza

The Gaza Soup Kitchen run by Hani Almadhoun and family is currently feeding 3000 people a day under the monstrous conditions of the engineered famine happening before our eyes. You can help feed at least a few people. Please donate: gofund.me/e37b4bae

🚨🚨🚨 Indie website itch.io has just rolled out a major shadow ban of NSFW content. This drastic escalation in censorship already seems to affecting trans authors.

TRANS AUTHORS ON ITCH: Please check you pages.

I am going to report on this TONIGHT. To those affrcted, DM me with any info.