Tada! The latest chapter of Mutual Benefits is now posted! I hope you all enjoy it.

From this point forward I’m going to be talking about the chapter, which includes spoilers. Go read it before reading the rest of this blog, this is your only warning!

So, in this chapter specifically, there was a bit of a tipping point. Chapter one was basically the introduction, chapter two was the tease, but chapter three actually introduced an actual sexual activity between them, as well as Taylor doing anything sexual that clearly had an eagerness or enjoyment factor to it. Maybe she enjoyed sending the picture, maybe she just saw it as a favor. In chapter three, the element of ‘doing something together’ was introduced, and that means it needs to be suggested.

Initiation is kind of hard to write, mainly because my style of doing it is very unconventional. In my real life, I’m very blunt and to-the-point, and will communicate openly my sexual desires with people (in context, I don’t just walk up to my friends going, “Hey, I’m horny, wanna help me with that?”). Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been in a multitude of different situations where sexuality was brought up, but the fact that that’s my default is something that can’t be overlooked.

In a lot of my heterosexual/straight stories (since all but one have been heterosexual so far), I’ve noticed I kept up a pattern of girls coming on to boys. In Being More Social, I believe all three of Adam’s love interests came onto him, including the shy reclusive Megan. In the latter half of The Good, the Bad and the Molly, same thing. The ending of Amy’s Fantasy, Panopticon, When in Toronto… It’s clear I have a pattern.

I don’t know what that pattern serves. Maybe it’s something I personally find hot in my subconscious, or maybe it’s because I care so much about consent in particular that I always want to make it crystal clear the girl wants it and it’s not just a male power fantasy. Either way, I really wanted to avoid the trope of “confident sexy girl clearly comes on to nerdy stuttering guy” because, if nothing else, that’s just Being More Social’s demographic.

The result is what you read in chapter three. Both of them clumsily talk it by each other, and Taylor is just as hesitant as Quinn, but goes for it only because she knows he won’t be that bold twice. I didn’t want any one person to dominate the other – I wanted to focus on a sort of equal wanting. An exchange of mutual – well, yeah, you get what I mean.

At any rate, the new poll will go up tomorrow for patrons. Somehow, I have a feeling that MB chapter 4 will be what people vote for, but who knows. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I’ll talk to you all next week.