Hello! I read your first comment shortly after you posted it yesterday, but I did not want to reply until I had the time to reread 'Shaadi' in it's entirety. Firstly, let me assure you that criticism of any kind is always welcome,and I am glad that you decided to let me know exactly why this story isn't working for you as opposed to leaving it midway without a word.
Secondly, the question of the plot, and the lack of intrigue and intensity therein is something that I'd like to address. I'm sure you know that this story was the result of a challenge which specifically stated that there would be no mystery, and no dark pasts.Once I came to terms with those limitations,I realized that this would be my chance to experiment, have some fun, and see where I could take this simple story of two different individuals coming together in an unusual marriage. That's how it started out, and that is exactly what it's meant to be. The fact that I had to move to a blog after three chapters hasn't altered any of that. I always have the entire story planned out before I post the prologue, and I am definitely not creative enough to change direction in the middle when I left the forum. So everything that has happened since that point has already been plotted beforehand, right down to the intimate scenes. I will freely admit that if this story was still on the forum, then those scenes would have been censored somewhat. But they would still exist, in exactly that shape and form. Arnav would still have interrupted that phone call in just that way, in fact, the excerpt scene was one that I had thought of way before I wrote anything down. The blog has given me the freedom to add more to those scenes that were already planned, that's all.
Coming to the characters themselves: Yes, Arnav is outrageous, because writing him that way makes me grin. It's not a very deep reason, but there it is :)
And Khushi's relationship with Payal is essential to the story-line, although I realize that this might be perceived differently by different people.
As I was reading 'Shaadi' again, I realized that their first kiss came in the fourth update, while the first intimate scene only came in the seventh. So I am finding it a little difficult to understand how this became all about the sex. I will not lie here, I like writing intimacy, and in this story of a newly wedded couple, I have the opportunity to indulge myself and explore new avenues that I might not have done in so much detail if I had still been on the forum.Although again, I do understand that some readers might have issues with reading detailed intimate scenes, and I warn people of upcoming mature content to forestall this problem.
Having said all that, I know that it is your prerogative to criticize, comment, or stop reading, and I respect that. I'd like to thank you for continuing this story until the seventh update, even though it wasn't really to your taste. Thank you for reading my earlier works too, and I'd like to end this by sincerely hoping that if I ever write another story on ArHi, you will decide to come back and give me another chance.
Until then, take care and thanks for the feedback!
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