College is easy, most of the time. As long as you keep yourself fed, show up to classes every once in a while, and don't help your former best friend through a rough night of over-indulgence and then accidentally imply you're exactly as much of a party animal as she is, you're good to go.
But if you're like Button Mash, and you're dumb enough to do the third thing, you can get through it no problem. All you have to do is go out for fraternity rush week, pretend you're not a socially stunted dork in front of the hardest-partying guys on campus, and keep faking it until you make a girl you've had a crush on since middle school think you're interesting enough to actually be interested in.
It'll probably work out fine. And it definitely won't teach Button exactly who he really is, or who Sweetie Belle has always been, or what both of them could maybe be for each other. Because that would be complicated, and college is supposed to be easy.
A romantic comedy about college, identity, and discovering the second thing through the first one.
I’m torn between my interest in Wet Lad’s writing and the visceral dislike I have toward Button Mash on a basic, conceptual level.
...Yeah, I’ll give it a shot.
Oooooh, Button and Belle are cute together! Really love when they talk with each other.
Button Mash, master of comforting words.
This is scratching a deep-seated introvert itch I thought I'd gotten rid of by now. Very fun.
Alienation of inhuman spaces, love it. Same vibes as benches designed so it's as uncomfortable as possible to actually sit in them.
+10 for the DH Lawrence story!
oh no i'm relating to the gamer
Ah, yes, another example to point to to prove my theory that Aquaman has the midas touch of writing.
Well, goddamn, Aquaman is still around. I'm gonna have to check this out.
And yes, college dorms are garbage tier and the two semesters I spent in them were some of the worst times of my life.
It's going to be a very bumpy, awkward road before either of them realize they don't need to conform to what society expects of college kids. But I am so here for the ride.
Also, Button's plan totally would have worked if he'd been living in an engineering dorm like I did. There were literally so many nerds running around that I could host Magic booster drafts just with people in the building. Dozens of people showed up for weekly Legend of Korra watch parties.
A pretty mellow opener, but a solid foundation. Given the premise and your earlier stories, I can only expect this to go absolutely over the top. Looking forward to this one!
So the void beyond thought and memory is filled with the Bee Movie script. Seems legit.
I've never actually seen the bee movie. But I have been blackout drunk exactly once, so I guess I can say I've seen bits of it.
Great chapter. I know I said it last time but I'm very much relating to the gamer right down to not knowing what the hell a fraternity rush is. My school was so lame, it didn't have any frats. And thank God.
Why the fuck are you putting a human tag if it is equestria girls?
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because they're humans?
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The tag equestria girls already makes that clear, people only use the human tag for an HIE fic anywhere else, and it's redundant
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then say THAT instead of just being a dick about it without even making your point in the first place
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I didn't think I'd need to explain something so obvious, but yes maybe I should have done that.
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even if you didn't "need" to, and even if it *is* obvious, what benefit would there possibly be to phrasing it in such a rude, abrasive manner? Next time just make the correction, and preferably more politely, and you should see a warmer response
I can already tell this is going end with them collaborating on a song about overcoming their insecurities and/or their relationship. I can taste the sugar already.
this is really good
So that's why poker is fun! I still don't have the skills to play, but now I want to spectate more
Outstanding chapter, loved every bit of it
Made an entire poker match last 9000 words. It flew by so fast. Incredible writing
"You can certainly try"
this man DMs
Absolute standout chapter. I've never played poker or D&D and only know a bit about how they work, but you blended the two of them together into a such a narratively important, stand-up-and-cheer moment. Couldn't look away.
another certified hood classic. love every chapter of this story
Excellent song choice.
Though Buble's version just isn't as good as Simone's.
NOOOOO
props to Case and Source for NOT being massive assholes and putting Al in his place like he deserves
homeboy button facing the overthinking insecurities that many go through. splendid chapter
Even if what Al said about Sweetie is true, so what? Casual sex and a romantic partnership are completely different. If anything, Button should be happy so long as Sweetie is. That's love. Then again, I don't think either of them are mature enough to realize that yet.
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At the risk of getting a tad spoiler-y: Button's anxiety here (to be expanded upon in the next couple chapters) mainly stems from not seeing himself as a desirable/worthwhile partner for someone who's an "adult" emotionally, rather than any specific "adult" thing Sweetie Belle may have done on her own. Little bit of little-kid-skittishness about sex in general too, for sure, but one of the main things this story's about as a whole is how self-loathing can affect the ways you interact with the world and view other people.
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Ah, that makes sense. Poor guy thinks he's not good enough for her.
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even with that in mind, there is a limit to all things. if Al is hyperbolic then whatever, but if Sweetie was really running through guys, it is definitively a problem for any self respecting individual, as with any financial or time investment you make on something, you want to know its history to see how well worn, damaged or whatever it is to determine if its worth it
It's been fun seeing the whole cast sans Button receive a new dimension these last couple chapters. Well... Sweetie's isn't very fun.
I remember the sexual dynamic between guys and girls in high school and how upsetting it was even for my closeted self--the idea that every girl who participated in sex was a slut, but that her willingness to put out was somehow also the core measure of her worth. The "lock that can be opened by many keys" metaphor in particular got tossed around a lot.
(in uni I was in a program whose male population was 95% button mashes, Woodys and crescents, and the girls in my class all knew their worth, so thankfully that sort of talk disappeared then)
I wasn't expecting this story to explore this topic, but I'm glad to see that you're not holding back. I wonder if some deep-seated misogyny on Our Hero's part will be coming to light.
the idea presented in the previous chapter comes to life. not many can deal with someone being that particularly active, i know i probably couldnt have the guts if it was a girl i knew in my childhood and all of that. interested to see how it unfolds
A haunting twist. The realisations through 'late to the event' post-update messages on a phone are truly a gutpunching way to realise. Her repeated missed calls, that goes for the heart. As a friend put with something else "Spears to the heart". Poor Sweetie.
But Button, you are hurt, you know don't know what its doing yet. You've got some thinking to go through my boy. Because what he thinks is true sure isn't what I believed happened (or, if I may be a little cheeky, not even what some other comments may be thinking).
Check that post upload date, Button, you may have some new evidence as to the true nature of this thing turning up. Sweetie Belle knew Al when they spoke before. She already disliked him. ("It's more than he deserves" or something to that effect). There is history there, and Al knew her off the bat too. He got beaten by Button, and then he got pulled up by Case. He can't go at Button directly, so he's taken the most hideous option of all. Revenge of a sort that is more horrid than most, to post his own 'damning evidence' attacking an innocent's character from things mistakenly done in confidence, before she knew what kind of abhorant person he was and left that guy, I'll bet.
What a genuine vile piece of work. Logic would say, go right to her, be there for, and the moment you get a chance, contact Source. But Button's head is elsewhere right now in its own problems, and my great worry... and prediction... stems from that what Al's done to Sweetie here, puts him in a position where he feels he must take a date to a place and meet the very man who did that to her. The man he's just been told he needs to cozy up to or he'll lose his (believed to him) fragile social worth he's gained. That's a choice where trying to have your cake and eat it is going to lose the one that matters most to you.
We have our big conflict of choice now. That's for sure. Time to choose what really matters most. We all know the answer, but it's oh-so-easy to sit, type and be logical, and so much harder to bear in mind how someone that age and caught in the winds of social worry really thinks. Low self-esteem and anxiety are a nasty combo. Maybe not this exact situation, but I've been there, and there may be some rough seas till he realises some life lessons.
Harsh, more cutting than I expected this story would go, but damn, that sent me for a loop of hollow stomach feeling last night. Now I'm anxious for that follow up, as much as I am fearful for it.
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In a follow up to my own train of thought really. Something observed about Button is how much he (rather understandably) sees things from his own flaws. That of course is the viciousness of what he struggles with, entirely understandable, it directs flaw and problem and failure at himself. It's been his flaw throughout the entire story, overthinking how whatever he does could be bad for him.
But this? This now? There is going to have to be a rapid re-evaluation of who's troubles he needs to focus exclusively on for the time being. And part of that worry in my last comment is after so much time building self defeating habits, that could be a recipe for a real problem. There's a minefield of 'letting his own worries about stepping out of KPZ line hinder his doing the right thing by Sweetie' ahead ready to blow up in his face here if he doesn't get his mind focused right.
Thankfully, we've also seen he is capable of avoiding this. Him standing his ground against Sweetie even being frustrated and angry with his attempt to keep her fleeing the stage was a glimpse that he is capable of putting aside his own worries and recognising it. It's been some time since I've pulled for a character to make the right calls. Especially one so relatable in occasionally eerily accurate ways of how overthinking, self-defeating assumption and anxiety work and feel.
Huh, that went better than I was expecting. Both Button and Sweetie handled the situation about as well as they could have, given the circumstances. They're more mature than they give themselves credit for. Alas, they still have Alkaline to deal with. Fortunately, the solution to that is simple: ignore him. Bullies thrive on attention, so you give them none. Sometimes that leads to escalation, but if he makes a scene here, Case will kick him out.
My fears were (somewhat) misplaced, and despite a "You went to sleep without calling her?! You idiot!" opening, well done to Button. He handled his error, his assumptions, and the task that he had to do with his usual will to, as you have said, 'saddle up'. It might suck, but you do it anyway. And as expected from last chapter, of course it was Al's doing. The added tweak about that she'd been drunk though...oof. Big oof.
I didn't expect us to be through the morning after, The Talk™, and into the party in one chapter, but that's a momentum build there, very well done, and I'm delighted to see Sweetie Belle being an absolute determinator badass who is recognising the worth in standing up to this too. And, I think, seeing that this isn't a one way street, and Button needs help from her as much as she needed him to listen. Her part in this chapter was immensely satisfying in her response. It didn't undercut the impact this has (the door messages were a very powerful touch) on people, but let her be in control of her own response. Her being the one to ask Button to go was the perfect way to handle. If he had directly asked her, it would have been...awkward.
Which had been my fear as evidence in my last comments. No way could he have asked, and that turned to her strength when she was the one who did. Excellent writing move.
Lastly, I highly appreciate that the supporting cast from those like Source aren't "ignorant of events for plot reasons". While not so much on screen, their impact is vast in handling the fallout of that horror show, and is another great touch to ensure the world around them acts separately as well. (I had wondered why he hadn't noticed on his phone the night before, but his focus was on Button, I highly doubt he'd pay attention to his phone buzzing a bit when he's trying to help out a faltering, upset friend, until it was too late to contact him.)
excellent responses to a very murky situation. communication is key in these situations and the troubled feel and the big reveal of everything and how it is handled was written nicely! i always check the 3 day intervals for this story and im always captured by it every time
I'm digging the Kim Wexler & Jimmy McGill vibes
Additional Note: I advise people go re-read Chapters 1 and 2. Damn they get recontextualised a lot after this one.
And a fervant hope that Al isn't just 'seen off' but is actively exposed for the vile piece of crap he is.
I cannot express how much I love this story.
A hell of a moment. Some additional reveals about the leak that continue to make it more agonising (the implication of what exactly it had in it has only gotten more horrific in each chapter since via the language used evolving and being more specific) but... Sweetie. Damn, Sweetie! A badass warrior striding in is a great simile, she might take time to build up to it, because thats only natural to feel that way, but when she goes to war, she just comes off as unrelenting. Even if she doesn't believe it.
The reminder of the texts was great, lovely touch, and solidifies this was never just Button's story. He and Sweetie have had concurrent stories this entire time, and it makes their friendship/relationship/chemistry all the more special. Neither is the 'hero' here (much as Button tried after they'd already won, silly boy) and both play important roles in supporting one another... even if it took them both time to realise.
And well, I wished Button to avoid the minefield in handling the aftermath two chapters ago. Then it happened. I wished Al to get called out in front of everyone and exposed last chapter. Then it happened.
So now I shall wish for something altogether more simple and needed for my heart. A good, long hug between those two, and hell, a wish that he gets one from Source too, he's earned it. Let's hope I'm right again.
Lovely stuff.
That was so great. I am terrible at predictions, but I will hazard a guess that Alkaline just took KNZ down with him in one sucker punch.
All my yes. All the build up was 100% worth it. This is great, love it. Absolutely amazing 10/10
This, this is the line. That's the "if you know it, you know" line of this entire chapter, and the total switchchange on when you just...know.
The abject 'every boy dreams of it' outcome for college, and yet a thing for so few. As achingly fantastical for story fun as it is wholesome and splendidly 'real feel' at times. Question and question back, we've all been there. It's enough to make anyone wish they had a friend since early times to gradually fall in love with as they get older. How joyfully, pleasantly, wholesomely perfect.
But to a more important, more real point than heartfelt fantasy, hearing so many characters refrain the same thing about the fear everyone feels is just a very affirming, reminding moment that there is no 'normal' where we know everything, even much later in life too after college/Uni is done. A lot of this story is written with a lot of relatable familiarity, that's for sure, and it is regularly its strongest element.
This story will remain in my top 5 to ever read on this site.
Boy am I glad I'm not this age anymore.
Ah fuck I kinda wanna be this age again.
Good End.
And a good ride.