#And by that I mean that I am hyperfixating on Seduce Me Again

[barely-coherent]

Seduce Me Bros Trying The Period Pain Simulator

This has been my hyperfixation for over a week and I doubt it's gonna stop but also my body is mad I'm not pregnant so... Here, I guess.

James

I feel like he knows

He knows it's gonna hurt

But he has this sick sense of satisfaction

Knowing he can probably do better than his brothers

But he gets like 3 levels in and he's gritting his teeth and doing those really dramatic breaths

Save him

"I've read plenty, I'm sure this isn't as bad as it seem- ... I take back everything I just said. Dear, please, sweetheart, my love, no, I can't."

Erik

He probably tries to play it off

"Oh? Didn't take you to be one for pain, princess."

And then he's like curled in on himself

He does those like "I'm so sorry for every woman I've ever looked at" monologs

"This will be interestiNG!! Princess, I am so sorry that I ever doubted, oh God, any woman ever... They have to go through this... Every month?"

Sam

He's absolutely been laughing at his brothers

"It can't be that bad, drama queens. 10, immediately, I can take it."

He immediately regrets everything

Every choice he's ever made

He's doing that thing where he punches whatevers closest to him

He accidentally breaks a couple door frames on accident

Don't let him go to the roof unless you want your ceiling to cave in

"C'mon, level 10 immediately, I got this. OH MY- Holy shit, it's this bad? I'm gonna lose my fucking mind... WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS IS ONLY LEVEL 5?"

Matthew

Seeing Sam had him scared

He and Sam would bicker a lot but he knew Sam

He wouldn't react like that unless it was bad bad

He looks at you like "Please, I'm so sorry, please don't do this to me."

But just as you put the thing on he's already like "No, it hurts"

"It's not even turned on yet"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN"

You turn it on and immediately he's like "Every month?"

Bro probably tears up a little

He understands how you're able to handle Simon now

This is so much worse

"Oh no, please, it hurts... It's not even on? Why does it hurt already? OH SWEET MOTHER OF- And you feel this every month?"

Damien

I want to say he would be like "Anyway, I'm gonna be busy all day so you have fun"

And you're like "Read my mind again, I dare you. You're not getting out of this."

And he winces at each and every one of his brothers reactions

"Ready?"

"No"

"Good. Neither is anyone when it's the real deal."

You turn it on and he's just silent

He's probably the type to do that like hiding the pain via singing thing

Like the "Oh my god 🎶 This is so terrible 🎵 I have so much respect for you 🎶"

Let's be real, he probably cries

"I'm sorry for doing anything, don't do this to mE- Oh, God, hmm. Nope, no, I'm good, I understand. Please!"

-

They all probably get a tracker for you and stock the house with chocolate in the days leading up. Their wives also thank you when they find out why they know so much.

#mine.txt #seduce me the otome #seduce me #seduce me demon war #seduce me james #seduce me erik #seduce me sam #seduce me matthew #seduce me damien #void simps

[abeautifulblog]

talkin’ bout beta readers

@master-sass-blast​ writes:

okay but maybe to ask for the class: what if i don't find a beta reader because i feel like i am taking advantage of them and their work, because i can't/don't know how to compensate them properly and i don't want them to feel like i'm just using them and that i'm not grateful etc

I feel you, friend. ✌ I too am conscious of the fact that just because I'm super-invested in my fic, that doesn't mean everyone else will be too—but there will be some!

Beta readers aren't being “compensated” for editing your fic, but you're not being compensated for writing it either (and nor are the fanartists or the podficcers that follow). This is a labor of love for everyone involved, and you have to trust that beta readers are doing it because they want to.

And I think it's not hard to tell whether or not someone really wants to be beta'ing for you—when they're excited to talk about your fic and the source material for hours on end without getting tired or bored, when they can't get enough of discussing the minutiae of character motivations, or world-building ramifications, or spinning out headcanons. Those are the people I'm comfortable asking a lot from, in terms of beta-reading duties, because we're in this hyperfixation together.

But I am also quick to let people ghost me—when conversation drops off; when they start taking longer to respond to messages; when their comments and responses become more perfunctory, then I stop asking, and start shopping around for new betas.

(Which is why I am still so fucking baffled by the loss of Sasha 1 halfway through For the Asking—because we had been 1000% hyperfixating together, and then they disappeared overnight and I never heard from them again, leaving me genuinely wondering if they died.)

Anyway, if someone doesn't want to beta-read for me, then I don't want to keep them there. (1) Because I don't want to impose on anyone, but also (2) if they're not invested in your fic, then they're not going to be reading/thinking deeply enough to give you much good feedback.

And people's fandom involvement changes, their availability and free time waxes and wanes—even someone who was an amazing beta in the past may drop off your radar. Sasha 2 was the unsung hero behind the second half of For the Asking, but she's since moved on to Legend of Zelda fandom—I don't think she could hyperfixate on witcher shit now even if she tried. It's why she came back for a one-day victory lap to help me with “That Uncertain Season,” but she's not a beta for Song of Selfish Hearts. (Likewise, the beta readers from my ddads fic didn't follow me to Witcher fandom.)

~~

It is true that when you're first starting out, you may have to rely on betas who aren't super-invested in your story—getting a non-fandom friend to give it a quick read for typos and overall coherency, or asking around in a fandom discord to see if any strangers are willing to help. But I've found that the best place to find potential beta readers is in the comments section of your fic—by engaging with the people who are leaving keen, insightful feedback, who clearly enjoy thinking about your story. I've picked up several beta-readers that way, and I have used that trick to get myself invited to beta-read for fics I was in love with.

(“I am going to friend-seduce this author so hard,” I say to myself, evilly, as I sit down to write a comment that will knock their socks off.)

And in case you were wondering what beta-readers are getting out of the bargain:

I love getting analytical about narrative and storytelling. Bam. I'm a fuckin' nerd for it, that's my hobby right there. My fics, other people's fics, the canon, I will dissect the shit out of all of it. Trust me when I say that I am enjoying getting into the nuts and bolts of your story.

I get to read it before it's available to the public. I am still gleeful beyond belief that I got to read the entirety of In the Company of a Glacier (all 265k words of it) in one sitting, since even at coffee_mage's relatively brisk release schedule, the ending is still probably about a year out. (That said: do not be one of those people who volunteers to beta-read but then just fucks off after getting your sneak peek. That is rude, and you won't be invited back.)

I get to influence the development of the story. You ever read a fic that was so good, but fell JUST SHORT of what you wanted it to be? Missing a scene you wanted to see? Just didn't quite deliver the payoff you were hoping for, leaving you with a niggling sense of dissatisfaction? Good news! If you're a beta-reader, you can lean on the author to give you the content you crave. Because often it's just a matter of their vision not quite making it onto the page, or them not being certain that readers will want [whatever], and they will be happy to provide it if you assure them that no, no, we DEFINITELY want it.

Anyway, best of luck finding betas! It’s like making friends, but even easier I think, because you basically just go “hey fellow nerd, would you like to SUPER NERD OUT WITH ME?”

(And yes, if you see me being long and talky in your comments, I am absolutely trying to seduce you.)

#writeblr #beta reading #writing a thing