Offer to beta for round one!

[casemod]

If you need a little help in fine-tuning your gift, this is the post to find the Watson to your Holmes (or the Holmes to your Watson—who wouldn't want to be Lucy Liu?)!

This is the beta post for the 2025 round of Casefic where those interested in providing support can pin their details to our metaphorical noticeboard. Support can include brainstorming, offering critique, canon-checking, fact-checking, tips on structure, language issues, looking for specialised knowledge of various kinds, sense checking that something makes sense, visual effects for comics, audio effects for podfic, and some casefic solving.

Participants and non-participants are welcome to volunteer to beta.

Quick links: Tagset · AO3 app · Sign-up summary of requested fandoms

I've provided an optional template to fill out below, which you're welcome to add and subtract details from:

AO3 name:
Best contact method(s): Please only include details that you are happy to have public.

Fandoms:

Specific topics of expertise:

Mediums: We allow comics, fic, and podfic in this exchange, so please specify which medium(s) you're comfortable working with.

What can you beta?: This is a good opportunity to include content (smut, graphic violence, etc.), length (the minimum is 3k for fic, 10 panels for comics, and various lengths of time for podfic).

What will you not beta?:

Preferred file formats: Would you prefer to beta in Google docs or PDFs? How would you like audio files to be sent, if you have any preference?

Availability: This is a good place to mention if you're okay with being contacted five days out from the assignment deadline, your turnaround times, i.e. will it take you a week to review? Is it dependent on the size?

<B>AO3 name:</b> <B>Best contact method(s):</b> <B>Fandoms:</b> <B>Specific topics of expertise:</b> <B>Mediums:</b> <B>What can you beta?:</b> <B>What will you not beta?:</b> <B>Preferred file formats:</b> <B>Availability:</b>

If you're interested in contacting someone offering to beta, please do so at their contact methods to preserve anonymity. Please email gumshoeagency@gmail.com if you need to get in touch with me to ask any questions.

I stole the base of this from fffx and yuletide ♥.

Comments

[smallhobbit]

AO3 name: Small_Hobbit
Best contact method(s): initially by DM on Dreamwidth

Fandoms: Sherlock Holmes (ACD); Cadfael; Agatha Christie; Discworld; Inspector Alleyn; Jeeves & Wooster

Specific topics of expertise: SPAG, Britpick (will specifically Britpick if you have another regular beta if needed), continuity

Mediums: fic

What can you beta?: most levels in my given fandoms

What will you not beta?: I'm not keen on graphic sex or violence, but will consider. No incest

Preferred file formats: word doc, gdocs

Availability: By the end of June since I never know how my weeks will work out. Basic 'one run through' britpick one week before deadline.

[lazyfish]

AO3 name: Lazyfish
Best contact method: Discord, same username

Fandoms: MCU, Harry Potter, 9-1-1, Scooby Doo; I'm also happy to read canon-blind if characterization help is not something you're looking for!

Specific topics of expertise: SPAG, continuity, story structure.

Mediums: I'm most comfortable with fic but can also do comics if you're looking for help with the story and not the art composition. I don't really know how one betas a podfic, but if you're a podficcer who needs a second set of ears or otherwise knows what you're hoping to get out of a beta, I will endeavor to help with that as well!

What can you beta?: I'm fine with betaing almost anything! Turnaround time for longer works will obviously be longer but I have very few hard lines. I might ask you some questions if your story contains certain themes so I can ensure I'm in the right headspace for them, but I can't think of any dealbreakers. :)

What will you not beta?: See above!

Preferred file formats: Google Docs or Microsoft Word preferred for fics; for podfics, either direct upload to Discord or Google Drive if the file is too big; for comics, PDFs!

Availability: Generally I'll need around one day for every 5k words you want betaed. This may vary slightly depending on my other obligations, etc. etc. but if you need a quick turnaround for a particular reason let me know and I'll do my best :)

[endlesstwanted]

AO3 name: endlesstwanted

Best contact method(s): email (chasingconcerts/gmail.com), discord and Tumblr (endlesstwanted on both)

Fandoms: (from the summary page, A-Z) 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020), Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Chicago PD (TV), Criminal Minds (US TV), Elementary (TV), From (TV 2022), Hawkeye (TV 2021), High Potential (TV), House M.D., Jurassic World Trilogy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Murdoch Mysteries, Original Work, Teen Wolf (TV), The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV). I can read canon-blind if no characterization assistance is needed!

Specific topics of expertise: brainstorming, SPAG, continuity, story flow, characterization, and canon-compliance check for most of the fandoms above (feel free to ask!)

Mediums: I have more experience with fic, but I can beta comic and podfic too if help with the story is needed.

What can you beta?: Any rating and any content as long as I get a list of warnings (if any) beforehand.

What will you not beta?: Nothing; as long as I get the warnings, I can deal with anything.

Preferred file formats: I’m cool with anything that can be shared via Drive or email: GDocs or Word for fic, any image format or pdf for comic, and podfic in whatever format the creator works with.

Availability: I’ll be more free from RL studies from May 22nd, though I don’t mind being contacted sooner. No maximum words/leng for works, for fic I can beta ~5k a day depending what’s needed. Turnaround time will be longer for longer stories, but I work well with deadlines (yours!), and will try my best to accommodate for short-notice beta requests.