Hello, all!  TWExWY is a gift exchange running on AO3 through Dec 25.  There’s also @twewyss​ running on tumblr through gdocs, if that’s more your thing, or you could do both! Both is absolutely encouraged.

If you wish to participate in TWExWY, you will need an AO3 account. If you don’t have one already, you can send surskitty+twexwy@gmail.com an email and I can toss you an invitation.

 What sort of things are allowed?

Any fanwork for TWEWY, so long as it matches the tags your recipient requested!  This means that if your recipient requested Shiki & Neku, Writing, and Canon Universe, you have to write them a fanfic involving Shiki and Neku as friends or partners within the canon universe, without involving anything on their DNW (Do Not Want) list.   However, any other details they write in the Details box are a guideline, not a requirement.

The gift you create should be complete and consist of at least 300 words, a nice sketch not on lined paper, a set of five icons, or a 9-image moodboard.

Tags need nominating over here, on AO3, and then they can be used in your requests/offers!  Remember that on AO3, & is used for platonic relationships and / is used for romantic or sexual ones.

We have no restrictions here on what ships you are allowed to request or offer, so long as they involve at least one TWEWY character.  Please do not be a jerk about people liking things you don’t like.

Please also say if you are a minor so that people know not to give you anything NSFW.

What do I do if there’s stuff I particularly want/don’t want to make?

When putting in your offers, please list any special requests in the Notes for the Mod box. 

I’m really busy.  How do I drop out?

On AO3, in the top right corner, there’s a drop down menu if you click “Hi, Name!”  On that menu is “My Assignments.”  Please find your assignment for this exchange and hit the Default button as soon as you realise you can’t complete your assignment before the deadline.

Am I certain to get a gift?

So long as you complete your assignment, yes!  All pinch hits will be posted to the tumblr as they come up, and assignments are due over a week before all gifts are revealed, so that I can ensure that every person gets a gift. Gifts will not be revealed if anyone is missing theirs.

You may still get a gift if you drop out. Please remember to thank the person who made it for you!

What’s the schedule?

Sign-ups Close:  Mon 16 Nov 2020 08:00PM EST

Assignments Due: Fri 18 Dec 2020 08:00PM EST  

Works Revealed:  Fri 25 Dec 2020 08:00PM EST

Creators Revealed:  Thu 31 Dec 2020 08:00PM EST

this has 100% been talked about before but younger members of the lgbt community (especially on tumblr) NEED to understand that “gay panic” doesn’t mean “oh no i’m a teen panicking because i might be gay” it means “literal legal defense used in cases where a person has murdered someone upon finding out they were gay”

the gay panic defense states that if someone finds out you are gay you do not need to have threatened them, spoken to them, or even know of their existence- they now have the right to murder you under self-defense laws bc you letting them find out you’re gay antagonized and “panicked” them.

Only a handful of states have outlawed this horrific legal tactic. Ten have conclusively banned it as of June 2020, and 12 states have put the topic on the table for debate. 

The American Bar Association is staunchly in opposition to this discriminatory practice being used by legal defense teams. They published this helpful article last July that explains the legal ins and outs of it, its legal history, and some action steps to take if you want to get involved in making sure ALL STATES get laws on the books that prohibit the gay/trans panic defense.

Content Warning: The article mentions incidents of violence and murder against LGBTQ+ individuals, when it gives examples of high-profile cases where the gay/trans panic defense has been successful and unsuccessful. To go straight to the action steps, scroll to the bottom where you’ll find a list.

i’m so glad this post has been gaining traction and that people have been adding more information; the two overwhelming responses to this post have been “yeah, this refers to hate crimes and it’s not right to dilute that” and “oh shit, i never knew! i need to remember this!”

if you never knew the history of this phrase, it’s not a personal or moral failing. it’s just information that hadn’t gotten to you but is important to remember. follow the links. do your research. take action. 

For years now, former Archie Sonic writer Ken Penders has been most well known for his legal battles with Archie and Sega in which he acquired the rights to his characters and stories. Among dedicated Sonic fans, he’s also known for his bad tweets and strange art style.

You know what doesn’t come up as often? The actual content of his stories.

Sure, everyone vaguely knows the Archie comics are weird, and it’s easy to find goofy out-of-context panels. But that’s only skimming the surface. What’s up with the bizarre recurring themes in his stories? The obsession with asshole dads? The weird attempts at mature themes? Dingo firing squads executing civilians? A cartoon bee dying from eating an LSD-laced chili dog? Distasteful allusions to the Holocaust? Implications that teenage Sonic characters were having sex off-screen? Why did any of this happen?

Few can answer this, because few want to analyze over 100 issues of mediocre furry soap opera comics with bad politics. I mean, there’s no shortage of good Sonic comics you could read instead. Who would be stupid enough to do that?

Me. My name is Bobby Schroeder, and I’m stupid enough.

Five years ago, I started a blog to archive my journey through Archie Sonic. I jokingly gave it the name “Thanks, Ken Penders.” Now, in 2019, I’ve finally finished reading every issue the man ever wrote for Sonic the Hedgehog and its spinoffs. To close out this first leg of my journey, I’d like to take some time to summarize what the fuck is up with Ken Penders’ bizarre Sonic comics.

Read the full article on Medium

I’m in the process of setting this up, but it’s that time of year!  A TWEWY fanfic, fanart, and edits exchange with no content restrictions, open to all.  Please be polite about people requesting things you do not want to read.

Nominations: Open over here until October 17 at 8 PM EST.  This is how you add tags to be able to request them.

Sign-ups: Open over here until October 19 at 8 PM EST.

Assignments Due: December 14 at 8 PM EST

Works Revealed:  Christmas Eve 8 PM EST, assuming everyone has their gift in.

Creators Revealed: January 1 at 8 PM EST. This is when people find out who made a thing for them!

I stepped into a vampire convention!

Looks like that Lapin Angelique is really hopping. [Image: A screenshot from TWEWY, where outside of Shibukyu Main Store there are a lot of goths.]