#i wonder how the devs chose the birthdays

[milkcakejamun]

ShiVi X HP Crossover, Part I

“For the Japanese, who know so much and intuit more, human relations are predestined by a red string that the gods tie to the pinky fingers of those who find each other in life. Legend has it that the two people connected by this thread will have an important story, regardless of the time, place, or circumstances. The red string might get tangled, contracted, or stretched, as surely often happens, but it can never break."

----------Page Break -------------

His little finger interlocked with her own, “Did you really think I wouldn’t be able to find you?” He brought his other hand up to her face and gently caressed her cheek as she leaned towards him in comfort. “In any shape. In any form. In any world,” he whispered as his thumb brushed across her lower lip. “I will find you,” he leaned closer to her as she angled her body towards him, “because we are fated for each other.” — C. K. Rani

Raavi smiled as she lowered the book. Her eyes trailed over to the boy… no man, sitting right across from her. His hair was neatly combed and parted to the side, uniform was clean and well ironed, quills organized by size and shape of the tip.

He was Ved Pandya, and he was absolutely perfect.

As someone who believed in soulmates, Raavi knew that Ved Pandya was the one for her, perhaps from the moment she first laid eyes on him on Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross Station hugging his family. A warm feeling blossomed in her chest when she saw those happy smiles, and for the first time, she knew where she belonged… and that was with the Pandya family…

For that reason alone, she did her best to pursue a friendship with Ved, even though they were sorted in different houses, him in Hufflepuff and her in Ravenclaw. She would try to sit at his table, she would meet up with him after class asking about doubts, and she would try to be involved in whatever activity he was involved in (with the sole exception of Quidditch).

Slowly, but surely, her efforts paid off… Ved and her began a friendship in their third year of school, and now as seventh years, they were essentially inseparable. She knew every little secret of his, and he knew almost everything about her as well… and fairly soon, he would know the last truth she was hiding.

The truth that she loved him…

“If you spent as much time as you did watching me on your studies, you would’ve cleared all the exams with straight O’s,” she heard his soft murmur. He glanced up from his book with a frown adorning his face, and again, she was absolutely mesmerized by how good-looking Ved was… his soft eyes, the gentle curve of his cheeks.

She smiled lazily at him as she leaned over to close the book he was reading, “Grades don’t matter,” she stated as a matter-of-fact. Not when my goal is to be by your side anyway. “Not when I have a job, at least,” she mentioned with a smirk. The Pandya family already offered her a job after graduation, regardless of what her final exam scores were.

Ved rolled his eyes, “I might not mind, but my cousin—,”

Raavi scowled at the thought of working for anyone else other than Ved. Ved’s father, the sweet and charming Dev Pandya, would not allow her to work for anyone else. Most especially that “dreaded” and “tyrant” of a cousin… She’s never met that good-for-nothing cousin (and never even cared to inquire about him), but she knew he was not good news.

No man was good news when he sent her plastic lizards for her birthday… and that man even knew of her crush on Ved, as every birthday note included a small message of, “Do not even dare!”

Ansh Pandya… the beloved son of Gautam and Dhara Pandya, and the heir apparent of the wonderful Pandya Store… Someone with such a great legacy should have been a model citizen… instead, Ansh chose to be the bane of her life… the villain of her love story.

Even when he wasn’t there, he made her life miserable… suggesting Ved should get a girlfriend, and even offering a list of potential girls he could begin talking to…

“Let’s not ruin this afternoon by speaking about him,” she huffed.

“He’s not that awful,” Ved’s lips curled upwards in amusement. “He was the one to offer you a job, after all.”

And it was a halfhearted and insulting offer should she say so herself. Without even being there, he sent her an offer letter after Gautam Pandya made the initial offer. His letter claimed she would make the perfect addition to the company, as their next project was developing the operating system to their cell phone line. The Chipkali operating system… and as a “chipkali” herself, she would offer the perfect inspiration…

If he wasn’t related to the wonderful Pandya family, she would have throttled him years back when he sent her a toy lizard which came to “life” the second she touched it. The only good thing that happened with that was that Ved hugged her and stayed by her side the rest of the night.

“When you join company, you’ll understand,” Ved stood up and stretched. “His heart is truly filled with gold… and he honestly is the beacon of the family, especially after…,” he trailed off as his eyes were filled with anguish.

She swallowed, knowing to stay silent. A few years back, prior to Ved’s birth, the Pandya family suffered their greatest loss. They had been the most spoken about family, especially with the advent of their new wizarding products… a phone that rivaled the ones used by Muggles… computers that connected every aspect of the community… quills that were able to engineer anything from the imagination…

They had transformed the Wizarding World… and just as they celebrated their greatest success… the inventor of it all passed away…

“I wonder if he’s proud of us,” Ved murmured as he glanced out the window, gazing at the blue sky.

Raavi smiled softly as she squeezed his shoulder. She had never known Shiva Pandya… and she seldom hears of him as well since he always invoked the tears from the family. But she knew, that regardless of who Shiva Pandya was, he would be proud of Ved and Ansh…

Ved placed his hand over hers and turned to her with a soft smile, “Anyhow, it’s time for us to part,” he slowly packed up his quills and belongings into his bag as Raavi turned to him curiously. “Sruthi and I will be practicing today for the big game next week.”

Raavi had nodded her head… until he had uttered that vile name from his lips… Sruthi… the woman that Ansh had come up with. She had thought Ved would break the connection, just as he had done so with the four other women… but, after going out for butter beer once, Ved and Sruthi had hit it off. They had been speaking to each other much more, despite Sruthi being an entire two years younger. And even though they were in different houses, they practiced Quidditch together…

She wasn’t one to become mad with jealousy… but there was something in Sruthi that brought the worst in her… that made her worry about the future she envisioned for herself.

“I want to come, too!” she announced as she quickly packed her belongings herself.

“You?” Ved raised a brow. Raavi nodded her head, ignoring the bewilderment in his expression. Even after nearly four years of friendship, she had hoped Ved would’ve known. How relentless she could be. “You do understand we will be riding our brooms,” Raavi raised her brow as Ved continued, “Playing Quidditch.”

After a moment of silence, Raavi crossed her arms, “So?” She was fully aware that she could not ride a broom… however, that doesn’t mean her eyes were not perfectly functional. She could sit in the bleachers and shout whenever they became too close. “I’ll watch!”

He rolled his eyes as he motioned for her to tag along.

Grinning with pride, she skipped along his side, briefly glancing over at his profile every now and then, admiring everything she could about him. He was absolutely perfect for her in every way. He was just about an inch taller—so he wouldn’t have to bend down and hurt his neck whenever they kissed. He had the most impeccable fashion when they did not have to be in their uniforms.

“Are you excited to join the company?” Ved murmured as their hands brushed.

Raavi felt a gentle tingle go up her arms as a smile split wide on her face. She gently rubbed the area that had touched his hand. Nodding her head, she felt a warm flush come over her face, “Yes,” she breathed out. Working alongside him was a dream come true.

“Ansh is excited as well,” Ved brought his hand up to his mouth as he tried to hide his smile. Raavi raised a brow as she glanced over in his direction. “Wait… do you not know?” he began laughing. “Ansh will be your supervisor once you start working.”

Raavi’s eyes widened as she stilled to a complete stop. Ansh? My supervisor? She could only see a dark cloud over her head… They were never able to meet because he had chosen to attend Durmstrang (thank Somnath, otherwise they would’ve killed each other), but from the small tidbits she knew of him, and from the letters he had sent her, he would be a brutal boss.

“Ansh is not bad, Raavi,” Ved whispered. “He would never hurt anyone. Most especially you.”

Me? She scowled remembering all the gifts he had sent her over the years. The toy chipkalis, the dung bombs, packets of oils and masalas (though she had no understanding of why he would give her such a thing… she was an absolutely wonderful cook!). Not a single gift was sweet… and she didn’t even know what she did to deserve this! They hadn’t even met before!

Which was why she began sending him inappropriate gifts as well. From sending him acid pops, frog spawn soap, bulbadox powder… unfortunately, nothing terrible had happened to him.

“Raavi.”

She glanced at Ved as Ved reached out for her hand.

“You’re Raavi… anyone can fall in love with you,” he smiled at her softly.

Warmth blossomed in her chest as she followed Ved to the Quidditch field. Anyone can fall in love with me… her eyes zeroed in Ved’s back. Does that mean he actually loves me? A smile found it’s way onto her face. Then I don’t need to wait to confess? I can just do it right now?

“Ved,” she called out at the same moment Ved’s face brightened with joy.

“Sruthi!” he called out as the happiness fizzled out of Raavi.

She turned to Sruthi with a glare… She didn’t even exist a few months ago, but now, she became a mainstay, an unwanted third wheel, and despite all the hints she was giving Sruthi… that girl really didn’t understand.

“Ved!” Sruthi smiled as she ran over to him.

Ved pulled her into a hug as Raavi bit her lower lip, feeling excluded. In all her years of being good friends with Ved, he had never taken the liberty to hug her in such a manner. Is it because he thinks I don’t want to hug him? How do I let him know that I do want to hug him? That I want to do much more with him like hold his hands and go to Hogsmeade with him on a date?

Sruthi turned to Raavi with a small smile, “Will you be sitting on the bleachers?”

Raavi nodded her head slowly, wishing she didn’t have to sit on the bleachers. Wishing she could ride a broom just as well as Sruthi, if not better.

“Could you hang onto this for me?” Sruthi handed her a gold necklace with a small hourglass in the middle.

“Time turner?” Ved asked excitedly. “Aren’t they all gone?”

Sruthi nodded her head, “Yes, but,” she glanced at Raavi briefly, and Raavi quite honestly felt very insulted. She and Ved shared everything. How dare this girl treat me as the outsider! “My uncle actually works in the Ministry, and after I told him about how I wanted to take extra classes… he kind of gave this to me,” a warm blush colored her cheeks as Raavi scoffed in annoyance.

Know it alls… She hated those people the most, and this “using a time turner to take as many classes as I possibly could” was yet another reason for her to despise dislike Sruthi. She’s just a fifth year student! She has a few more years…

“And because it’s so precious, I can’t let anything happen to it, so Raavi di,” Raavi did her best to not react to the ‘di’ that was spoken. “Could you hang on to it as Ved and I practice?”

Before she could utter a single word, Sruthi placed the necklace in Raavi’s hands. Ved and Sruthi, then, both grabbed their brooms, heavily engaged in their own conversation. What surprised her greatly was the chemistry they shared with each other. Sruthi was able to touch Ved’s arm, and instead of shrugging her off, like he normally does, he just stood there, smiling at her and whispering something that made her laugh.

V-Ved?

Raavi swallowed as she watched them zip through the sky. Sruthi’s dark brown hair zipped across the wind, and for a second, Raavi’s heart wavered. All these years, she reassured herself that she was the most beautiful girl in all of Hogwarts—and her long list of admirers only made that so much easier. But as the sun shone on Sruthi… Raavi wondered whether she was truly beautiful enough…

Ved’s younger sister had taken a liking towards Sruthi as well… and Ansh… he was the one who suggested Ved speak to Sruthi…

N-no Raavi… you can’t give up. You’re Raavi! The girl who can make anyone smile and laugh. No one can hate you…

Raavi bit her lip as she quickly ran to the storage closet, picking up a broom for herself. It doesn’t matter if I can’t ride a broom… besides how hard can it be? Whispering a small prayer, she gripped onto the broom as she mounted it, and gently, she tilted the broom up, eyes widened as she slowly rose into the sky.

Taking slow, steady breaths, her racing heart slowly turned normal again as she stabilized in the sky, “I-I really did it,” she cracked a small smile, ignoring the drop of sweat that was forming at the side of her forehead. She let out a few airy laughs, “And it wasn’t even that hard,” she began laughing a little more comfortably. “I don’t even know what I was so worried about.”

She patted her shoulder with the hand that held the time turner, “G-good job, Raavi.” Her eyes briefly glanced down, getting a glimpse of the small architecture that was underneath her and she instantly regretted it. “N-no, no, no… don’t think about it. J-just figure out how to g-go forward.”

Swallowing, she raised her head at the same time she heard her name be shouted.

Oh bugger… the blood from her face drained the second she saw the bludger coming towards her. She brought her hands up to her face, feeling a searing pain pierce through her abdomen as she was knocked off her broom. Her nails dug into her palms as she closed her eyes, embracing her free fall.

This was certainty not the end she thought she would meet.

At least you’ll be remembered as the girl who brought a smile to everyone’s face… I wonder what Ved will think… will he remember me afterwards? Or will he forget about me, too…

Warmth enveloped her as her head was cradled. Instead of feeling a searing pain rip through her… she was held by someone strong… someone well-built.

V-Ved… did you catch me?

A waft of masalas and oils drifted towards her as she clenched onto the uniform with trembling hands.

No… it can’t be him… then who…?

Even through the dull pain that was throbbing at her head, she slowly opened her eyes.

Sharp facial features, long hair, dark, smoldering eyes… He was the exact opposite of Ved. Manly… terrifying… not at all her type. Heaviness fell upon her eyelids as her face fell on top of his chest.

Who are you?

[hollenka99]

Now That I’ve Played SoulScape...

This will be a spoiler review so please don't read this if you plan on playing the game yourself. Will naturally also contain spoilers for SeptiScape too so the same goes for that game as well.

General Comments

(This was originally all bulletpointed but I decided it was easier to read as paragraphs instead)

It's so good to see the -Scape (Scapeverse?) boys again. It's been over 2 years so their face design looks slightly different but that's expected when it comes to continual development as an artist. My favourite new looks are Chase, Marvin and Nega.

Also voice acting???? Hell yeah! Marvin’s expressions give me the kind of vibe that they were inspired by cat memes and his voice acting seems perfect for him. 

I was just wandering around the woods, exploring the area, when Angus makes a pun involving loss. It took me by surprise and I spent a full 10 seconds being super confused by this seemingly random comment before noticing the trees. Then I just wanted to flip my laptop. I can't remember if it was Dev Ritchy or Dev Blake who claimed responsibility but I want you to know I was glaring at my screen for a minute because of what you did. Have been lowkey wondering whether Lucky Luciano was there since this happened last night.

Straight up melted when Bing saw Angus in his true appearance and they started calling each other sunflower and angel etc. Their reunion during the good end and any/all interactions they have in this game send me every time.

I spent so long just wandering around Attitude City. Mostly because I was too dumb to realise the cliffs were to the side and you could get the bus to the skating rink. At least I got to explore the place thoroughly.

Loved seeing some characters from SPG making cameos. I saw Mack’s sprite and went “Surely not... oh my god it is!”. The dialogue with Billy where he makes references to chapter 1 of GITS were brilliant.

The only issue I had was in the church because for some reason it was super laggy and quite difficult to do anything in that room. But that it is just one small area that slightly dampened the experience. Everything else in the game ran smoothly.

Chad just showing up and being like "Well... how about I let someone of your exact description have all this weed of the dankest degree for free." was iconic.

Fuck Stacy. That's all I'm going to say. But it does go to show that men aren't the only ones who are capable of being abusers and thank you for showing that.

I had to take a moment when Jackie told his younger self that they were braver and stronger than they gave themselves credit for.

I am so glad Marvin has a friend like Beau who had his back while he was being taken advantage of. The world needs more Beaus.

I loved the art on Beau's cards. If it’s mentioned in the credits, sorry because I think I may have missed it but kudos to whoever designed those cards.

I could watch that empty room all day. I'm sure there might have been an easter egg if you chose to stay in the room multiple times but I didn't pursue it. Didn't even see Angus show up because I was anticipating a mild jumpscare from [OMITTED] so my hands were covering my face.

Not entirely sure what the cause of Emma's death is. When Henrik said he blamed himself, I originally thought he might have made the fatal mistake of letting a baby sleep in his bed. But I doubt Henrik would do something that dangerous, especially since he has a background in medicine. It's more likely to be an unfortunate case of cot death/SIDS, which just makes it sadder because sometimes that stuff can simply Happen and nobody is to blame, least of all the new father who simply left his daughter alone for a short while to get some sleep.

Bing's boss battle was so tough, I swear. He kept doing that attack where multiple people suffered a fair bit of damage. I lost to him once because I did not stock up properly. Classic case of not having enough BB when shops were available then not having access to shops when I did have enough BB to buy a bunch of white choc cookies and Jameson. 2nd time lucky though.

I found burn damage is your best friend with bosses. Now I will forever swear by this method whenever I replay this game.

I managed it on my first try but man, the fight between Anti and Angus was rough too. I couldn't get Angus' code manipulation trick to work with Anti so no burns to help me this time. Plus, the guy kept freezing time and healing himself like wow, who'd be mean enough to replenish their HP mid-fight. Anyway, it ended up being a case of them continually hitting each other with occasional misses and me feeding Angus cookies whenever his HP grew yellow.

When it came to the scene where Anti gets his souls back, I honestly thought Angus would give up his chance of feeling whole with nothing to fall back on because of the card Beau showed us where someone falls off a tower. I'm really glad Angus got to have a good ending too. Both he and Anti deserve to be whole and happy.

BAD END SEAN BAD END SEAN BAD END SEAN

No but seriously, I think it's really cool that both of the SeptiScape endings are canon. I have no clue who the shadow person could be but I am hyped to eventually find out.

I can't wait for EndScape to be released and we have literally only gotten SoulScape in the past 24 hours.

Angus and Anti

Thought these two deserved their own section since the game largely revolves around them and their conflict of wanting to exist but needing Posi and Nega to do so.

That first bit with Anti's horror world creeped me the hell out. It was after 10pm, maybe around 11 even. My room was completely dark except for my screen. I was so tense the whole time I walked around, incredibly wary throughout that section. I was living when Anti confronted Angus once you caught up to him. And when Angus went to find him in the woods near the campsite? My mind kept yelling 'ThisisbadThisisbadThisisbad' as we approached.

After that first bit, I looked forward to any Anti section because I love his character. He was completely justified in his motivations. I mean, Angus admits to stealing Nega as soon as he returns to his house with Sean after their fight in the first game. If anything, I'm surprised it takes him as long as it does for him to realise [OMITTED] is the true Anti.

I really liked the truth that it hadn't just been Anti that Angus affected when he grabbed Nega. There was also Henry and that universe's Bing, among others presumably. They all deserved a happy ending and it looks like they're getting it after all these years. I think it was very sweet that they threw Anti a birthday party as an epilogue.

Oh also, seeing the dynamic between Angus, Posi and Nega was really cool. They've obviously grown close to each other in the year that's passed since the events of SeptiScape. The souls admitting they felt returning to Anti was the right thing to do was the perfect kind of gut punch. You know deep down that they're right and Anti does indeed need them but at the same time you're going "Wait no, you can't leave Angus!"

All in all, I think the whole story arc concerning Anti and Angus was really well written. You want to dislike Anti because he's the antagonist to Angus' protagonist, an aggressive one at that. But you can't help siding with both of them.

Either way, I already said it this morning when I'd just finished the game about 15 minutes before but well done. You did yet another great job with this one. SeptiScape is one of my favourite games in general, I can tell I'll be replaying SoulScape several times like I have with the first game and I have no doubt I'll be here in 2-3 years gushing about EndScape just like I am right now.

Once again, thank you for creating these games. Now go grab a slice of cake, watch your favourite movie, put an album you love on blast... whatever it is that you do to treat yourself. You've all earned it.

#soulscape #power of friends games #soulscape spoilers #septiscape spoilers #probably missed a bunch of stuff but this is mostly what came to my head this morning once I finished #I am moving up north on Tuesday but I swear I will try write a couple fics this week #I was at church today and in Many Thoughts Head Full mode because of the game

[thenataliamarseille]

Hitched? | Discord

                                                            DISCORD THREAD

Who?: Natalia Marseille, Devin McGowen ( @deviniant ) When?: August 18th 2020 Where?: Orlando, Florida

Mentions: Nicola Sloane ( @nicolaeisms ), Traci Hendrix ( @traciisms ) Triggers: marriage, alcohol

MAJOR PLOT DEVELOPMENT?: YES. Natalia and Devin get hitched by drunken accident. Devin finally makes her decision on coming back to professional wrestling. 

Natalia

Nat had barely been able to take her eyes off of Devin whilst they were inside the performance centre. Even when people had come over to talk to the new face in the crowd, Nat was only really able to give them half her attention. She wondered whether this was how Devin felt when she saw her performing at the clubs back home in Kingsboro... She wondered what the words were to describe how she felt. Natalia was too proud, too stubborn to even allow anything remotely near that one four letter word to cross her mind and so instead she leaned into the physical attraction. The way Dev glowed up in the ring, the way she held herself like there was fucking no one who could drag her down... It caused fire in Nat's stomach. Anyone who really looked at how Nat was looking at Devin would know exactly the kinds of dirty things running through her mind, and she didn't care in the slightest. Natalia left the ringside a little early, heading out to the changing rooms to meet Dev there once she was done. "You're not kidding when you said the ring is your element," she smirked when the redhead walked in, her eyes practically fucking her as she looked her up and down. "You look good in that.".

Devin

almost four years out of the business and now....devin was back in the ring, not the wrestling ring at the toast, but the ring where she used to train and worked her way up to fame. she was with her people again, and training with the new wrestlers that were recruited. she opened up the session speaking to them and had a little promo class lecture at first before eventually hitting up the mat. these wrestlers were different from the ones she's training, they're already experienced, and she knew some of them years ago. she was in her old gear, too. just to get the feeling of it before she eventually appear on everyone's screens again. what made this different besides being back after such a long time, is that she's got natalia with her. someone who immediately came to mind when she got the call about going to orlando. she couldn't fly there alone, so she didn't hesitate on messaging her about it. she was back at the changing room after that hours long session and conversations with the higher-ups, staring at herself in the mirror when the dancer came in. "this place is kind of like home to me--my other home." she clarifies, looking back at her. "it's been years since the last time i wore this, still fits, by the way."

Natalia

There wasn't a doubt in her mind when Devin asked if she wanted to come down to Florida with her. The two had been spending a lot more time together recently, outside of the gym and Nat's work, and even that sometimes didn't feel like it was enough. She hadn't left the city since she arrived from France all those years ago, hell she had barely left Kingsboro, so the chance to go to one place outside of New York that had a great reputation for stripping other than Vegas... Of course she wanted to. Or, perhaps that was the excuse she told herself to cover up the fact she really just wanted to go because after spending almost every day seeing Devin in one way or another lately, going three days with nothing felt wrong. She smiled when Devin spoke about this being home, she felt that way about the stage. "You look at home here... In a real ring, with these people," Nat hummed as she came up behind Dev and wrapped her arms around her. "It fits you like a glove," she commented, planting a kiss on her shoulder. "You're going to take them all, Devin... Champion again..."

Devin

"it's nice to know that they still haven't forgotten about me." she chuckles lightly, shaking her head. that was one of those things she feared ever since she decided on taking a hiatus after her knee injury. she had to relinquish her title. devin, fortunately, during that time, has been living in kingsboro for months during that period, and it seemed like it was a nice place for her to settle down, recover, and decide on the next steps she was going to take. thus, after two years, the toast was born. it has been something she's clung on for a while, something that still had her committed to wrestling, training aspiring athletes and learning new fighting styles at the same time. "it's really nice, to have ya wit' me, lass." she turns her head to face the other, kissing the side of her head. "i'm goin' to tell them tomorrow, that i'm acceptin' their offer. right now....come celebrate wit' me? i got to catch up with some friends over drinks."

Natalia

"I think anyone would have a hard time forgetting about you," Nat smirks as she runs her hands up her sides. She can't help but notice how different Devin feels now, like this was the real woman. They were both performers, in their own way, and Nat knew that if she had to give up her stage it wouldn't matter what else she found... Nothing would be the same. There was nothing that lived up to the same feeling as the pole. She could tell Devin felt the same about wrestling. They could fight as much as they wanted to, Nat and Nic and Duke could give the redhead a good run for her money, but there was no story behind those matches. There was no limelight, no fans, nothing for Devin to really get her teeth into. It would be like Nat spending the rest of her days doing private dances; they were okay, but... They weren't the real thing. "I'm glad I came..." She chuckled before smiling as their eyes caught. Nat nodded when Dev spoke about accepting the offer. "Good... I would hate for this to be the only time I get to see you in this," she teased with a smirk before raising a brow. "If there is one thing I know how to do it's how to celebrate... Let's get wild," she laughed with a devilish tint to her eyes.

Devin

"most people....they do forget, in this industry.....i just want to make my mark when i first got here. i'm just glad the sentiments they have for me when i left haven't changed." devin gives her a soft smile. she turns to now face the brunette, wrapping her arms around her waist. it just felt natural, to have her there, to have her witness this part of her life. going back to orlando was nice, but she couldn't imagine going through this without her. though....it really did take a lot in her to admit to natalia that she was going to miss her if she didn't come with her. "it wasn't necessary to wear gears today, but i got a little bit too excited." she lets out a light chuckle. "i'm just gonna go get changed, then we'll meet up with them. though....how's....all this for ya, lass? yer okay doin' this with me, yeah?"

Natalia

"It didn't seem like it today... Everyone that spoke to me whilst I was watching you-- they spoke of how they miss you, and how much they want to see you back," Nat admitted, smirking a little as they spent a moment in each others' arms. Oh, the shit she would get for this if Traci or Nicola could see them now... She grinned when Devin said she got too excited, shaking her head a little as she looked down her outfit again before coming back up with a bit of a furrow in her brow at the redhead's question. "I wouldn't have come all this way if I wasn't okay doing this... The thing I would not be okay with is you turning down this opportunity I know you have been thinking about and that you want so badly... I want to see you do everything you want to do, Devin."

Devin

devin smiled hearing those things from natalia, and she could see how proud she is of her. that....somehow matters a lot to her, her support....being here with her. she was the only one she wants to get to see this. nobody else. they've already been teased on that mysterious group chat a lot, and she just doesn't care about it, not right now, at least. she was just happy to have her there. "i wore this gear because it was the one you chose for me the other day, i know ya'd love it." thank the gods they were alone in the changing rooms right now, because devin couldn't just get her hands off natalia. "thanks...for that little talk we had back at home. i really needed that." she admits. "ya wanna take yer lil' peeks while i change, huh?" she smirks at the other, wiggling her eyebrows.

Natalia

"You're beginning to know me too well," she laughed gently before kissing the other for a moment. Nat smiled when she pulled away, shaking her head a little bit. She knew that the decision Devin had made was a big one, life changing actually. But she had no doubts that it was the right one to make. This wouldn't feel as right as it did if it was the wrong decision, surely? "Honestly, I see you in anything black and leather and I lose my shit a little bit," she joked with a laugh before smirking at Dev's comment, trapping her tongue between her teeth and shrugging her shoulders cooly. "If we had enough time, I'd prefer to do it myself-- but I have no doubt we might get to that later in the night," she bit her bottom lip a little before finally pulling away to give Dev the space to change. Nat walked over to the mirror and adjusted her own leather, using the mirror to look back as Devin began to take her gear off.

Devin

"i guess i got to keep wearin' leather on television, then?" she grins at the other's words. "too bad you haven't seen me back at dorian's birthday, i was wearin' that leather other you would've love. but i know you were workin' that time--maybe one of these days...." she did pack a couple of leather outfits with her, knowing that besides the dancer would love it, that she'd be in a couple of interviews for the next few days. her management is really going to make the most out of her time in florida. "ya have me all to yerself tonight, lass. i promise." she kisses natalia's cheek before pulling away, grabbing her clothes from hours ago from her gym bag and quickly changing to it, though...she'd pause for a couple of seconds so that the other could look. once she's fully changed, it was her turn to hug the other from behind, kissing the back of her neck. "let's go?"

Natalia

"For the greater good, of course," Nat laughed before raising an eyebrow when the other spoke of the event she had missed out on. That was the trouble being a performer, the nights where there were parties were also the same nights where all of the money was made at work. "All to myself, hmm?" She hummed and bit down on her lip. "I like the sound of that," Nat mused mostly to herself as she looked over Devin's body. Would she ever get enough of it? She doubted it. Her eyes briefly closed when she kissed her neck, and she nodded. "I'm dying for a good drink now," she said before following Devin out of the changing rooms. "Where are we going?"

Devin

"as promised." devin takes her by her hand, instinctively intertwining their fingers as they've walked out of the changing rooms and of the performance centre with her gym bag slung over her shoulder, meeting up with her coworkers. "just this bar we used to go to a lot when we were still trainin'. there's other chain of clubs around there, too. we might go bar hoppin'." she's introduced natalia, which was a surprise for everyone, since the redhead hasn't really brought anyone to florida with her, until now. she just shakes her head at their reactions. they've agreed to just meet up at the place and everyone went to get their own cars. she tosses her gym bag at the backseat before getting in with natalia. "yer gonna love it there." she smirks at the other excitedly before driving off.

Natalia

Nat greeted all the others warmly, rolling her eyes and laughing along with the jokes that they made about Devin finally bringing someone to the ringside. Weirdly, she didn't mind the teasing, she didn't care about the comments that the others back home kept making in the group chat either. Nat wasn't exactly one for monogamy or being exclusive but, spending all of this time with Devin and coming here with her... It felt like it was where she was supposed to be in this moment. She knew she'd be feeling a bit lost in Kingsboro knowing the other was not there... That felt weird. The two rode across town to the bar, the group of them heading inside and starting the night as they mean to go on; with a few rounds of shots and within a few hours the table they were all sat at was littered with empty glasses. Nat had gone to the toilet, but now was coming back out, adjusting her jacket as she walked back through the now crowded bar to the booth, sliding back in next to Devin and practically straddling her lap. "You having a good time, mon cheri?" She cooed.

Devin

the two had become inseparable the moment they got to the bar, ordering bottles of lager and whiskey for them to have, at least until the night ends. devin caught up with her coworkers about what has happened with all of them for the past few years, her friends eventually getting together, some of them moving to other companies, starting their wrestling schools....her starting her own gym at kingsboro....she's kept her hand on natalia's knee the whole time, also while bragging about how she's one of her greatest students at her fight training classes. they separated for a while when the woman went to use the restroom. "the best time, lass...." she whispers, wrapping an arm around her waist while she downs the rest of her beer. "they've told me there's this new bar that opened while i was away.....want to come there next? s'still early...."

Natalia

Nat had started to get to know some of the other people that they had gone out with, talking to them about what she did and finding that common ground in the fact they all were entertainers and performers even if they had a different stage and rulebook. She was glad that prior to this, she had found some of Dev's older videos, it meant that she understood some of what they all talked about when they began 're-living the glory days', though Nat made an effort to point out she was sure the glory days were still ahead of Devin rather than behind her. Natalia hummed a moan when Dev's arm wrapped around her waist, eyes flicking down to her mouth and then her throat as she watches her down her beer with a smirk. "Me too," she smiled as she used her thumb to catch a little liquid that had escaped the corner of Devin's lips, bringing it to her own mouth and sucking on it just a little with an 'innocent' look. "I want to be wherever you are going to be-- wherever you want, they are all new bars to me," she laughed. "You're right, it is far too early to call it a night and go back to the hotel-- we are celebrating after all... Where is this place? It's close?"

Devin

devin watches as the dancer catches the beer that managed to slip from her lips with her thumb, chuckling when she sucks on it. she didn't mind the fact that people are watching them, that her friends have practically gone quiet and now have their eyes of them. she slides one hand up to the back of natalia's neck and gently pulls her close for a brief kiss. "then let's go to that new bar they've been talking about then--we only have to walk a few blocks from here." she grins, tucking her loose hair behind her ear. she takes the last two shot glasses on the table and hands one to the other to drink.

Natalia

Nat could feel the other eyes in the back of her head, could hear the smirks on their faces. But, she didn't give a fuck. She was never one to hide her intentions, never one to tone herself down in front of other people and tonight was no exception. She hummed a little moan into the kiss, head tilting to one side briefly as Dev's hand brushed down her neck. "Sounds good, baby," she smirked, shaking her head to push her hair back before taking the shot from Devin and raising it in the air. "To fucking Orlando!" She shouted with a laugh, causing a big cheer from everyone before she bent backwards, and took the shot to the applause from the others.

Devin

the redhead downs her shot at the same the as the other did, looking up at her with a smile on her face. natalia never fails to be the life of the party, and it's one of devin's favorite things about her. on stage or off stage, she can just get people around her going. "to orlando, baby." she whispers. not long after the group was out of the bar and now heading to a new one. she was just intrigued why are her friends won't stop talking about the place. well, it must be a really good bar. they entered the place and it was a little bit quiet than their usual type of bar, and there's definitely a mood that she couldn't define it yet, and she might've have a little bit too much to drink already, but she liked the place. more sets of drinks after one person walked up to them and said something that she didn't quite catch, so she just nodded and said "yes."

Natalia

It wasn't until the got outside that Nat realised just how much they had had to drink in the first bar. That realization didn't stop her from continuing on with the night though. The group of them laughing and chanting and joking as they walked the few blocks between bars before eventually getting inside this other one. It was no-where near as busy as the first one, and Nat was sure there were more sober people here than drunk people but fuck it, they were having a good time and that is all that mattered. At least it was to her. Natalia bought a round of drinks for everyone, handing them out and then got the bartender to line up enough shots on the bar for one each. "We go down the line," Nat laughed as she lined everyone up to start. Just as they finished, someone came up to them and honestly at this point Nat couldn't quite understand them, but she was up for anything. "Sure," she said after she heard Dev say yes.

Devin

a drunken chuckle leaves devins lips at her friends cheering, not even understanding what they were happy for in the first place. "i guess....we gotta participate for whatever this is?" she takes another shot of tequila and grabs for natalia's hand to hold as they were lead away from the bar to what looked like....a stage? they booth stood up there front and center, and was handed two rings. two silver flat bands. she shrugged, showing it to the other. "i've had a lot to drink...but lassie...ya look wonderful tonight." she whispers to the other as the man who invited them to whatever this is stood on the other side of the stage. devin mindlessly puts the band on natalia's ring finger, nodding at his word. "yes....mhmm....yes..." she smiles at the other.

Natalia

"We just signed up for something?" Nat laughed as she took Dev's hand and fell against her a little bit. "You know if they're going to make us fight, I'm not going to go easy on you just because your friends are here," she teased with a grin as they were led up to a stage with some other guy that she didn't recognise. Nat blinked a few times as a couple of silver bands were held out in front of them and tried to keep her concentration in the room, but she'd caught Devin's eyes and honestly she was lost in them. She was so fucking beautiful, and powerful, and in every single way Natalia's equal. Nat just kind of assumed that this was some kind of tradition of wrestling, of new partners of fighters. A right of passage maybe-- Devin seemed to know what she was doing as she slid a ring onto her finger and honestly Nat just wanted to grab hold of her and kiss her right now so she quickly did the same thing. "Not as stunning as you, Champion," she smirked, stepping in and bringing their bodies closer together. "Yes, sure-- yes," Nat spoke to the other guy, wondering what the hell he was actually talking about and why everyone was being so loud around them. They all started chanting 'kiss' and well, Nat was always one to please the crowds so she jumped up into Devin's arms and locked their lips.

                                                   TIMESKIP

Devin

all could devin remember throughout the night besides enjoying drinks with her friends is her little moments with natalia. holding her hand, taking shots with her, sharing some laughs....and kisses. the rest has been a put blackout. wait....they've put rings on each other? and kissed? on stage? she doesn't even remember how they've made it back to the hotel. she wakes up with the dancer is her arms, a murderous headache, and her phone blowing off from the bedside table. she carefully slips out of her embrace and picks up the call. "he--" "did you just get fucking married last night?" "did i what?" she looks at the ring on her finger then natalia's. "that was just an act, for sure." "no, that wasn't! that was a legit officiator, dude. oh god--you got shitfaced, didn't you?" she hangs up, not even bothering to answer the question. "nat....lassie...you gotta wake up..."

Natalia

Nat stirred when she felt the arms unwrap from around her, and it was only really then that she noticed the pounding in her head, the way her eyes were fucking stinging. Were they back in the hotel room? She had no fucking idea what happened last night, the only thing she can really remember was walking between on bar and another one. Natalia rolled over and pushed her face into the pillow with a groan as she heard Devin talking on the phone, something about an act. Must have been something to do with work. Then, when she said her name she could tell the tone behind it was nothing to do with work. She groaned again as she rolled back over, pushing another pillow underneath her head and slowly opening her eyes, squinting and moaning as the light hit her green hues. "Good morning--" she sighed out, running her hands down her face. It was then that she felt something on her finger that wasn't usually there; a ring on her wedding finger. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I'm married into the world of wrestling now?" Nat asked sleepily before sitting up further and glancing to her nightstand where clearly she'd made one good choice last night and had left out a glass of water which she picked up and downed. "How in the fuck did we get back here in one piece last night?"

Devin

what the hell did they do last night? how the fuck did this all happen? "about that...." devin started pacing around the room, running her fingers through her hair. how is she going to explain this when even she doesn't have the idea of how this all happened? she runs her fingers through her red hair, picking up her phone once more and this time...she goes on her social media. her twitter.....her fans are tweeting her photos of her and natalia last night, putting rings on their fingers...smiling at each other, and a video of them kissing with everyone else cheering. how come her friends hasn't stopped any of this? "i gotta tell ya somethin' lass...." she takes a nervous sigh. "you and i.....we got married last night, apparently. it's.....it's all over social media. and that--that wasn't just any fake officiator. that was.....that was a legitimate one." she puts both hands on her face, feeling another wave of her headache. she doesn't know what to say next or what to do, she was just plainly scared....scared of the other getting so mad at her for this.

Natalia

Nat felt the mood in the room shift to this uncomfortable energy that she just knew something was wrong. "About that?" She questioned, eyebrows raising as she pursed her lips. Her head hurt so much, but she had to concentrate on what was happening. Nat's face was a picture of concern when the other spoke about having to tell her something. "Are you hurt?" She asked, worried that they had done something stupid and she had hurt herself. This was not the time for Devin to get an injury. But, when the redhead continued-- fuck this was so much worse and Nat's face fucking dropped. "What?!" She spat, pushing herself up and out of the bed, it wasn't until she did that that she realised she was completely fucking naked. She groaned and picked up a t-shirt from Dev's suitcase and threw it over her head. "What do you mean it was a legitimate one? We were in a fucking bar, Devin!" She half shouted, not really wanting this conversation to be carried through the walls but then she realised Dev had said something about social media. "The fucking world knows about this?!" Nat pushed her hands through her hair, pulling at it as she began pacing. "What the fuck!" She ranted. "Devin-- what the actual fuck!"

Devin

the wrestler just threw her phone to the solo sofa, a low groan escaping her lips. "i don't know how the fuck all of this has happened, nat..."she sighs. "the bar we fucking went to has a wedding officiator hired. that's what fucking special about it--some people recognized me and the other last night and took photos and videos of the thing, they--it's spread social media like wildfire." she takes the phone from the chair and sits down, reaching for the bottle of water that was on a the table beside it and then hands it to the younger woman, before noticing an unfamiliar folder. "i can't--i can't believe this either." she takes the folder and opens it, seeing a certificate which seemed to have both of their signatures. "i uhm-i'm--i don't remember how the fuck this has happened, nat....fuck...we were supposed to just..." she tugs on her own her, once again groaning. "i'm so sorry...i'm fucking sorry, nat...."

Natalia

Nat's head was spinning. Her entire fucking world felt like it had just been turned upside down and she had no idea how to react because... No, she wasn't even going to think of it like that. "Oh, right, so your 'friends'," she did some airquotes, "took us there because they know this? That there is a wedding man there? What the fuck is he even doing in a bar?" Nat asked before taking the phone from Devin, probably a little too aggressively and scrolling through the Twitter feed. It was fucking everywhere, it was trending. Nat's hands were shaking as they gripped around the phone and she almost gave into the urge to throw it against the fucking wall as it continued to buzz in her hands with notifications for Devin. Then she saw the certificate and the phone just dropped to the floor. This wasn't a joke. This was-- this was real. Natalia began ranting under her breath in French as she paced around the room, walking over to the mini bar and grabbing a glass before pouring some whiskey into it. She didn't give a fuck how hungover she was, she needed a drink.

Devin

"i didn't know, alright?! i haven't been here for four years..... i'm sorry--i...i'll deal with this." devin doesn't even know how to deal with this in the first place. how come her friends didn't stop them last night? how come that everyone just went with it? god....she could remember her face, though....natalia's drunken, but beautiful smile. she remembers them putting on rings....kissing in celebration....that seemed to be a nice memory to have, especially with the dancer. but this just....she couldn't explain it. she can feel how angry she is. how she gripped on her phone, how she reacted seeing the certificate, and now the rambling in french. she couldn't blame her. "nat..." she stands up and walks over to her, taking the glass and bottle of whiskey away. "let's just--let's talk....about this. see what we could do....i can call my publicist right now and have the posts and the articles dealt with--and see what we can do next--what do you want to do next...."

Natalia

“A publicist can’t fix this!” Nat protested, breathing out sharply and groaning when Devin took the drink from her. It was probably a wise decision from the gym owner but, Nat just had no idea what to do or what to think. “It’s the internet, people don’t let anything get erased anymore...” For years, Nat had stayed clear of social media, not wanting to give her Mother the satisfaction of knowing what she was up to and where she was. It was only last year she even got a Twitter, to be able to help the club grow. She took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I just— I never wanted to be fucking married, Devin... I hate it. The whole concept of it is just... Old. Pointless. It’s an expensive bit of fucking paper and silver,” she pointed to the ring which she had no idea why she was still wearing. It felt wrong to take it off though. “I don’t agree with anything it fucking stands for— I don’t need a big, expensive diamond, or a signature on a piece of paper, or witnesses and vows to fucking prove to you that I love you—“ Wait... Had she just... Did she just say that? She froze, and swallowed thickly, eyes quickly dropping to the ground.

Devin

"we can at least--at least let this shit die down, my publicist can do that." natalia was right. even though they could have every picture or video of their....of their wedding posted online, the people already know what's happened, it's all over the news, her management probably has known this right now. she never wanted to be married either, she doesn't imagine herself with the ring and all that shenanigans involved....i don't do those kind of stuff, natalia. not this i--" she wanted a drink herself, but she knew that's probably the worst thing that she could do to herself right now. she was about to speak again when the other continued and said the word she never thought she'll ever hear from her. love.....love? "you....you....what....lassie?" she closes a little bit of distance between them and cups her cheek with her hand, pleadingly looking into her eyes.

Natalia

She had no idea what to do, she had no idea if saying it again would make everything a hundred times worse or better. This was a fucking shit show, and she wanted to start running and never look back but she also just couldn't turn her back on this. On Devin. "I--" She swallowed and shrugged her shoulders a little. If anything, Nat was not a liar, she couldn't say that she hadn't meant those three words because that would be just that; a lie. "Don't make me say it again," she utterly quietly as her eyes slowly came up to meet Dev's. "Does that make this even worse?"

Devin

she could see the worry on the woman's face.....how lost she was for moment...she takes her hand and kisses her back of her palm. devin was....she was a bit surprised that she isn't the only one feeling this, this thing for natalia. she's dismissed it a lot the moment she realized how closer and closer they've gotten for the past couple of months. "i...i heard it loud and clear.....i just wanted to make sure." the wrestler then shakes her head at her question. "no....not at all....i..." she rests their foreheads together. "i could say i feel the same, a mhuirnín..." she stares into those eyes. "i...i love you, too."

Natalia

What was happening? How did they get here? From training partner and client to... Wives? They'd known each other for a few years but all of this really had happened in less than six months... What was next? What should they do now? Then their eyes caught again and this time it was different, there was something else there and it was infectious. Then Devin said those words too and... "Don't," Nat closed her eyes tightly, her hand coming up between them and she loosely placed it over her lips. "Don't say those words to me unless-- you really mean them..." She asked quietly before she felt that lump in her throat swell again and the pain behind her eyes push into them as they watered. "I don't know how to do this..."

Devin

devin had this sad smile on her face. she understood natalia's reaction to this right now. "i mean it...." she quickly reassures the other. "we don't....we don't have to say it, but just know that it's true." she pulls the woman close for a hug, resting her chin on her shoulder. "i don't know how to do this either....but we....we have to do this, together, nat." she slowly back them to to their bed, sitting down and pulling the other to her lap. "we can just....we'll figure this out together. what we need first is to.....to make this shitty hangover go away...."

Natalia

For some reason, what Devin was saying, what had happened last night... It made her heart hurt, and she couldn't figure out it was a good or a bad pain. Nat had never wanted to fall like this for anyone, she had never wanted to question her ways, or change a part of who she was. Though, she knew Devin would never ask her to or even *allow *her to change anything about her, or her job, or the way she was with others. But, at the same time she... Didn't mind it. She knew that Dev was right, that they would figure this out and they'd do it together. She nodded as she let the redhead pull her into her lap. "You have never said anything more right..." She groaned when Dev brought up the hangover again. There was so much more they needed to talk about about this but-- not now, not when they were both so fragile. Nat glanced to the alarm clock on the bedside table. "And fairly quickly, don't you have an interview at 12? It's 8 already..."

Devin

"i uh....right now, you just have to rest. i'll call room service, then take care of us--i can fit everything in four hours. do you want to stay in the hotel for the day, or do you want to come with me at the performance center?" she had so much to do today, and probably have a lot of people to answer anything. her management is going to want answers. she needs to call her publicist, but right now, taking care of natalia is her very priority. she nuzzles her face on the dancer's neck. "i just....i'm still sorry....for ruining your experience. i wanted you to have a good time here in orlando, with me. you can rest, i'll get something for you hangover and do whatever you want. then....my team's probably going to be here."

Natalia

"You need to take some pain killers for your head too, some electrolytes too..." Nat replied quietly as she practically collapsed into Devin's arms. She was tired. Emotionally, and physically from last night. There was a lot she had to think about, a lot that they both needed to think about separately and then come back together and talk about. This was going to be fucking long, and probably messy at points... But, right now, Devin was right, they just needed to clear the hangover. Get through today. This was going to be the hardest one. "I think if we-- if we are seen together today after that... Everyone is going to be looking for it, it's going to make that worse," she pointed to Dev's phone that just was basically non-stop buzzing on the solo couch. "If you need me to come, I will but... I-- I don't think it's a good idea personally, not until you speak to your management..." Nat sighed softly before leaning back, and gently bringing Devin's head up so they could look at each other. "We are still here... We can still have a good time... This is just--" she shook her head, there weren't really any words for it. "Don't carry this blame all on your shoulders, I clearly had to say all those things too... This isn't your fault... Okay?"

Devin

"i'll be alright, nat....i promise." devin has to probably talk about his with her team and then her management when she comes there today, because this is a lot to handle right now. she needs her people to help her and natalia figure out what to do next. and yes--seeing them together in public wouldn't be a great idea. though....it's a good thing that the performance center isn't somehow a public place, it's only a place exclusive to employees and them wrestlers. she wouldn't want her to be away, but at the same time, it's still natalia's decision that devin wants to go with. she reaches her phone from the floor and basically uninstalls her social media applications. and then sends a message to her team to come a little bit later, before putting it back on top of the bedside drawer. "alright....alright." she leans closer and plants a soft kiss on her lips. "if i ever need to come to the PC alone with my team today...i'll just come back here, to you, early. they won't be here in an hour or two." she cups her cheeks, staring deeply into her eyes. "we're going to deal with this, together, a ghrá."

#discord #hitched? #c; devin

[kajalyashvardhans]

tum hi aana | self para

general notes; i took out some of the overly negative things about her self harm because i just didn’t feel right with that but hopefully this suffices for now.

When Kajal Malhotra had last seen her first love Devraj—he’d told her to forget about him. He’d looked her in the eye and told her that she should forget about him and everything they shared as if it meant nothing. He told her over and over again to be happy with her husband, to be happy with her future…if only he knew what was destined in her future. And for Kajal, more than the fact that he didn’t want to speak to her parents, it was the way he’d told her to forget everything that made her feel like she was nothing important for the man she’d married and given her heart away to. It wasn’t true though and she knew that in her heart of hearts. There were often times that she wondered if he even remembered her, if he sat there looking out at the rain, or watching a woman walk by in a yellow saree and thought of her, or maybe it was when he had aloo ke parathe, she just wanted to know that he still thought of her in a way—and yet, she would never find out.

But those thoughts were gone as quickly as they came. Devraj had been the love of her life, and for five years she’d gotten the chance to thrive with his love, she’d felt beautiful and wonderful and she’d wondered if he ever understood his importance in her life—it wouldn’t surprise her if he didn’t. After all, that was the only possible reason he could end their relationship and beg for her to go get married again. But didn’t he know—she was already married to Dev, and when she wore her mangalsutra or had sindoor showing in her parting—it was all in his name and nobody else’s. She may have married Aditya Singhania but her heart had belonged to Devraj always. But she’d done as he asked—she’d tried to live a happy life with this man her parents had found for her. Aditya was truly the perfect husband and while that should’ve pleased her—it only made her feel a bit guiltier because she couldn’t be his perfect wife. He respected her, and he was always patient with her but when she had moments of disappearing from the household, and heading out without a word—he’d still dealt with that despite her knowing how wrong she was in doing these things.

Kajal had gone to the hotel Devraj had snuck her into after their marriage, hoping to find his friend again, hoping to see Dev again but it hadn’t happened. Instead—she was left feeling like not only a horrible wife, but even a pretty terrible human being. She was married to someone and yet her heart still yearned for the man who’d been her first everything. Perhaps it was that negligence on her part that led to her losing that man, losing that amazing man who’d done all he could to give her a happy life.

She’d been five months pregnant, showing a little bit too when she’d heard the devastating news. Aditya Singhania had been in a terrible car crash and had died on the scene leaving her alone and broken. Was it her? Was she a curse to the people she cared for? Because despite not being able to love Aditya, she had grown to care for the man through the course of their marriage—he was a good person and despite knowing her truth, he’d still accepted her and loved her. Kajal had chosen to meet him before their marriage, telling him everything; how she fell in love, how she crossed a lot of boundaries placed on women before marriage and how she’d ultimately chosen to be tied to him in a type of wedding that had just them and God as their witnesses.

Aditya had listened to everything; he’d not said another word and chose to tell her one thing after she was done. “Toh? Yeh sab jaan ne ke baad tum badal nahi jaati mere liye Kajal.” And it was those words which had been her support through the course of their marriage, allowing her to even becoming pregnant with their little one.

But as soon as news of Aditya’s passing hit her—Kajal had been unable to care and support her child. She’d neglected food and rest, and chosen to do everything possible for Aditya and his aged parents. They’d treated her so well, that she couldn’t ever abandon them. Only once she’d miscarried her child, their grandchild, they realized her life could be different. She was still quite young and it was keeping that in mind that both sets of parents decided that Kajal should go back to her home, to live with her parents and so she did. She still cared for Aditya’s parents, tending to them whenever she could, and even listening as they told her she was still young and she should get remarried. She didn’t tell them the truth, that she felt she was a curse that no one should have in their life…but it was the truth. Devraj had left her, and circumstances had caused even Aditya to leave her…why should she subject anyone else to that fate?

No—Kajal Malhotra was destined to a life alone. She’d tend to her parents and she’d be the ideal daughter and daughter-in-law but she couldn’t be the woman she once was. Something inside of her had shattered. She’d lost everything in a couple days of each other and still—she cried over the loss she’d suffered over seven years ago. She cried about her loss of the man who had made her happier than ever before.

Kajal Malhotra was still madly in love with Devraj but she prayed for his happiness instead of her own. She prayed for his family instead of her own. She prayed for his love instead of her own. She prayed for him instead of for herself. She wanted to know that he was happy and living a good life. But she didn’t know if she’d ever find that out—not when he had eliminated any form of contact with her.

Well—not every form…she’d seen his brother; at least she thought it was his brother since the man had come to her, a box of in his hand—his name eerily familiar to what Devraj had said his younger brother’s name was. And every year there were always gifts on her birthday—but never any address or name. Even after she’d returned to her parents’ home, her in-laws stated that they found a gift for her on their doorstep every single year and they’d usually send it to her. Every single time Kajal had opened those gifts—she’d felt him, as if he was around her but he never was and she was beginning to wonder if she’d ever see him again in her life.

If it was from him, if he was the one giving her gifts, year after year, she wanted to tell him to stop…all she’d wanted was him. And at this stage in both their lives—she was sure he was married and his wife would not be happy with him constantly thinking about Kajal and sending gifts every single year for her.

The rains were falling once more and as she remained there on the terrace of her home—she couldn’t help but be whisked away to those memories, of their first time in the rain, of the time he’d come to meet her on this very rooftop and the debauched acts they’d indulged in. she couldn’t help but allow the rain to envelop her as if it was her Devraj’s arms—wrapping around her so tight that she finally felt at peace.

#self para #( paragraphs )

[calistapledger]

Challenge 1: Something Bad Is Happening

[A/N: I’m pretty sure everyone knows this but I was in Aussie for the whole of Challenge 1 so I didn’t get to rp properly but before I left I did a few with my friends so I decided to write a little something to explain Cal’s absence. Special Mentions: @ariciaeast @isabellafaulkner @debbieker @devonmuerner @madelynknightoftheselection @emmalynatwood @theiahuntley @aikoellis]

Something was off when I entered the Dining Hall for Breakfast the following morning. The chirping of girls seemed quieter than usual. I knew there were going to be elimination after the interviews but I was so wrapped up in how my first meetings with the Royals were I forgot to pay attention to those who might be leaving. Thank goodness Prince Dom was making the official announcement.

“Good morning, ladies I hope you are enjoying your breakfast. As you all may know, I have made my first round of eliminations. The following girls who have been sent home are…” I tuned out because none of these girls made an impression on me until he spoke of Margarita and Même. The former was on the plane with me and I was in awe of her grace and class. I could have learnt a thing or two from her. Même, on the other hand, was living in my Hall up until today and she was highly amusing with all her ostrich war stories. They will be missed. Aside from missing the two girls, it was odd but I felt neutral about not being eliminated. I'm far too stubborn to be kicked out early on.

“In order to celebrate your arrival, and your survival of the interview round, my family is hosting an elegant ball in your honor. All the Selected are invited, as well as everyone in my family.” I tuned back in when I heard the words elegant ball. I dropped my cutlery, causing a ruckus. I turned deep red when I heard everyone turn to me. Everyone soon forgot about me when they exploded into pockets of conversation. I caught words like dresses and accessories, and automatically my instinct kicked into overdrive. I needed to start preparing. What dress shall I wear? What shoes would I wear with them? Accessories?

“Whoa.” I say, trying to get my mind to stop racing. Since when did I care about how I look? This Selection is really getting to me. Well I had no time to think about that now, my drive to win overthrew my previous lack of care for my appearance. The gears were turning and churning within my mind. I started to formulate a plan for the Ball. I excused myself from breakfast, since I was done eating and vaguely told my friends I’d see them later. As I walked back to my room, I assessed my position with the Royals.

I would say that my first meetings with Prince Dom, his sister and cousins went well - save for Prince Percy. I planned to avoid him at all costs because he wasn't my biggest fan and the feeling was mutual. I tasked myself to talk to their parents. I mean if I end up being Queen, I want Prince Dom’s family to like me. I had been working on Princess Lillian’s birthday gift so that should win some points with her. I needed to stand out and for that to happen, I needed the perfect dress. At that moment, I walked into my room and my helpers were there as always. I practically ran into their arms.

“Miss, you really must stop doing this.” Isla reprimanded with a light voice. Paris and Valencia giggled from behind her. “I can't help it, Isla. You are my saviours. Which one of you is a seamstress?” “I specialize in your clothes, Miss.” Isla responded while the other two chimed in, “I'm good with hair.” “I do makeup.” Valencia and Paris say respectively. Brilliant, I had the whole team at my fingertips. I relay my plan and we get to work.

While Isla worked on my dress, Valencia picked out various curling irons and Paris chose the perfect shades of foundations, eye makeup and lipstick, I was preparing conversation starters. A great Queen was a good conversationalist. Despite all the planning, a lot of the factors depending if the Royals liked me. I hated that I couldn't control it. My eye twitched at the thought. To distract myself, I left the conversation starters at my desk and wandered down the Hall to invite my friends to be my ‘dates’ to the Ball. All of them were rather busy so it went down pretty fast and all of them said yes. I officially had 8 dates - Dev, Izzy, Debbie, Aricia, Theia and Aiko from my Hall along with Maddie and Emma from the neighbouring Hall - for the ball.

Get on my level, Prince Dom. I thought to myself amusingly. Then again the man initially had 35 dates coming all the way to Angeles for him.

Finally the time came for get ready, Isla sat me down and the girls got to work. I wasn’t allowed to look until they were done with me which was a drag but when they did the big reveal, it was worth it. Sure I had to lean really close and activate the zoom feature on my shades to get a vague glance at how I looked but I could see how perfectly Valencia had curled my hair down to the last strand, my makeup was applied professionally and I almost cried at the sight of my dress. I didn’t need my aids to see how jaw-droppingly exquisitive it was. It was a deep red-violet strapless mermaid dress that ruffled out at the hem. Isla decided that I didn’t need any flashy accessories so we settled on a single chunky diamond bracelet after my birthstone.

I felt so powerful in my dress, like I could do anything. I was ready to take down a man.

***

“Girls you all look so wonderful in your pretty dresses!” Devon was kind enough to describe our friends’ outfits and I gasped at how wonderful they sounded. I was thoroughly blown away by the ambience of the Ball and my friends’ dresses. Sure, they were a blur of colours but they were still breathtaking. We went around complimenting each other, this is the type of interactions we should have within the Selection. Building up each other up rather than tearing each other down. After our love fest of telling each other how much we loved each other’s ensemble for the night, I asked everyone how they felt after the eliminations. Both Maddie and Izzy were relieved but still nervous of being sent home. They were really sweet girls, it would break my heart if they were sent home. I shared the sentiment out loud,

“Aww you girls, I would lay down my life before I let you get sent home. I don't know what I'd do without you, you all have made me feel so safe.” Maddie awwed before we transitioned to talking about Izzy's mom who threw a fit when she was Selected. We shared a sad moment when we started talking about Maddie’s mother. Everyone hugged Mads at that point and I have never been more proud to have these lovely girls as my friends.

“Well, let's talk about happy things to enjoy the ball!” Debbie inputs and I offer to get drinks which wasn't the best idea. Aricia offers to help me out. We go over to the drinks table and we take a tray and start piling on. Aricia gets distracted by the music being played, I let her be hypnotised while I carefully took the drinks. Well I wasn't careful enough because I turned back to my friends when I knocked into someone. I was going to apologise but it spilled all over me.  I was motified, I didn't want to smell like wine when I danced with the Prince.

“Lady Ledger?” Of all the times, Captain Costas shows up now and causes the spill. Why do bad things always happen when he's around? I simply ignore and reach for the napkins on the table to dab stains away but this proved to be hard because the Captain stopped me.

“That's a cheese tart, Lady Ledger.” I stop short and huff, I was too stubborn to ask him for help but I didn't need to because soon enough I felt soft pressure wiping away at my dress. “Thank you.” I mumbled as I munched on the tart. I felt so incompetent but also touched at his gesture. All thoughts of that disappeared when I sunk my teeth into the soft cheese. It was rich and heavenly. I was in love and moaned. I heard an awkward clearing of the throat. Oh, I completely forgot about the Captain. “I'll leave you two alone.” He chuckled before bowing and walking away. I nodded my thanks before I turned to Aricia. I heard the shift in her face as it was pulled back. She had a mischievous smile on her face.

“So who was that?” Her tone was suggestive, that confirmed my guess that she was grinning mischievously. “No one important.” I say clipped, trying to put a stop to all talk of him.   “Well, he was looking at you like you were pretty important.” This girl was too much but I loved her all the same.  I picked up another cheese tarts. These were literally made in heaven and I can't believe I've been deprived of these treats for 18 years.

“Ugh, he is incredibly insufferable.” I chewed angrily, thinking about how he almost ruined my dress but I remembered Isla mentioning that it was waterproof so I suppose it won't be too obvious. “Uh huh…” Aricia wasn't having any of it. It was odd to hear her so sarcastic. “He seemed interested, is all I'm saying.” I frowned. “Um I have one word for you, Ari: TREASON!” I was caught off guard at how loudly I said that and I was surprised no one heard me. I took another cheese tart; they calmed my nerves.

“I like how your first protest was treason rather than not being interested.” My cheeks flushed, I could feel every vein in my cheeks pounding against the skin. “Shut up.” I mumbled before making my way back to my friends. I delivered the drinks with ease and held a separate tray with cheese tarts to myself. I needed that boost before I went to ask Prince Dom, it also helped that Aricia had picked up iced coffee and the girls and I were getting high on caffeine. This was going to keep me up all night. I started chatting like a nutter, talking to Maddie and Emma about improving their camera technology. We went on for while about how nervous they were about asking the Prince to dance and I told them I’d put in a good word.

I went on my way to ask him when there was a sharp pain piercing through my lower abdomen. I doubled over, clutching my stomach. What the hell? I also had the urge to vomit. I had to leave, I didn’t want to dance with the Prince only to puke on him. I found the nearest helper and told her to tell my friends and anyone else who needed to know that I was indisposed. I gritted my teeth, pushing through the pain as I made my way up to my room. I practically staggered into my room and fell face flat onto my bed.

“Miss!” Paris exclaimed as the two other came rushing to my side. I tried to wave them away but I had the intense pressure in my lower abdomen, I instantly knew what had happened. I rushed to the bathroom to relieve myself. I let out a long sigh after I took care of my problem. I was such an idiot. I was lactose intolerant but could still take dairy in moderation but I forgot to control my intake with the cheese tarts. I was now paying for it. I was exhausted from relieving myself and decided to take the night off. I’m sure I won’t miss much. I dismissed my helpers and retired to my bed early. Just as I closed my eyes and was about to doze off, there was a soft knock at the door. I was too tired to get it myself and I was sure it was probably one of my friends coming to check on me.

“Come in.” I say weakly. My guest came in and gasped. His scent was unmistakable, as a Captain he had to keep a clean shaven image so he mostly smelled of his aftershave and old books. “Whoa, I forgot how beautiful you looked tonight...” I wanted to take down a man tonight and I did. It was just the wrong man. I tried to snap him out of his daze with my sharp tone,  “Is there something you wanted, Captain?”  “Um I brought some seltzer water to settle your stomach, Lady Aricia said you weren’t feeling well.” He placed the bottle on my night stand and I gestured to him to take a seat. What was up with him today? Helping me with my dress, now complimenting me and bringing me seltzer water to make me feel better, something was definitely up. Then I plotted the murder of Aricia. What part of treason did she not understand? Of course I wasn’t interested in him...

“Aren’t you supposed to be guarding the guests of the Ball?” It made me feel better that I could still be a smartass even when I was ill. I heard him rolling his eyes. “I have more than enough men stationed at the Ball.” “Don’t come running to me when you’re fired for not doing your job, Captain.” I say snappily before turning away to sleep.  

“Alystair will do just fine, I was hoping we could start over.” Now I sat up so quickly, I started to experience vertigo. I was confounded, he wanted to start over? I weighed the pros and cons of being friends with the Captain of the Guards. It would be extremely useful, he most likely knew the Palace like the back of his hand and it was old so perhaps he could show me around the secret passageways to help me navigate the Palace even better than before. I would also be extra protected and most likely get immunity if I ever chose to get up to mischief at the Palace. I gave him a thoughtful just to tease him out before I held out my hand.

“I would like that, Alystair.” I ignored how perfectly our hands fit together when we shook on it. He made last checks on me; making me drink some of the water to settle my stomach and asked if I wanted a cheese tart to make me feel better. “NO!” I yelped and he raised both hands up in a mock surrender. I explained how that was exactly what got me sick earlier and he nodded sympathetically. “Good night, Lady Ledger. I wouldn’t get fired now, would I?”

“Yes go do your job, lazy bum. Also if we’re going to be friends,  you can’t keep calling me that. I’m not my mother, Calista will do and if you’re nice, Cal.” “Good night, Cal.” I liked the way he said my name, I felt like I could trust him and he had proved it thus far. I bid him goodnight and fell asleep.

Maybe I won’t kill Aricia after all.

#Challenge 1 #The Ball #But not really #Because I got sick on cheese tarts #But I made a new friend yay #Something Bad Is Happening

[ddrkirbyisq]

Well, it could have been worse.  I could have spent =more= than 2 hours thinking about the past instead of sleeping... ===== Yesterday was a really interesting day...I had a really hard time getting out of bed for some reason, and fell pretty soundly asleep during the morning train ride as well.  After getting off the train the city was oddly quiet in a way that made me wonder whether there was some holiday going on that I was totally unaware of.  I was feeling pretty cranky too, for some reason, imagining negative scenarios in my head, as one is prone to do when feeling grumpy.  Maybe I just have some sleep to catch up on. Feedback has been coming in for our game, Raven Delivery Service, and people have been liking it!  I'll try to do a post-mortem post about it, as well as just advertise it via posting in general so we can get some more plays. Aivi & surasshu are performing later this month at Fanime!  What a pleasant announcement to hear -- it actually makes me quite excited to go.  Steven Universe is also getting an official soundtrack release next month -- about time!  More importantly, I overheard that their next original artist album has a name, "valk hollow"?  That's actually more exciting than anything, as you know the main reason I'm a fan of aivisura is because of their debut album "The Black Box".  I am not-so-secretly hoping that once they release their next album I will be able to do a full remix album of their works again, as I did with "Love Everlasting".  That album was one of the most interesting and rewarding projects that I've undertaken as a musician and I'd love to try something like it again. Big dance is also coming up this Friday!  Everyone should enter the dance contests, especially the ambi ones! Looking back at my records, here were the themes for those years, to help people remember: 2011 was Firefly 2012 was Star Wars 2013 was Last Airbender 2014 was Game of Thrones (2015 was a Little Big Dance) (2016 was a Little Big Dance) 2017 is Back to the Future (old-timers will remember some other ones, like pride and prejudance, etc) Remember, Little Big Dances do NOT count as all-nighters! (since they didn't last all night, of course)  So this'll be my 7th Big Dance, but my 5th all-nighter.  Hopefully it'll be fun, despite the fact that I've been shying away from people interactions lately.  I was half-wondering whether I should take a page out of the past and try and compose a song real quick for big dance so that Richard could play it.  But I don't think that will happen, hehe.  Not ruling it out as a possibility though -- inspiration could strike at any moment!  It would actually be pretty cool to start a tradition of writing a new dance song every year for Big Dance specifically.  Maybe! Speaking of dance music, next month I'll be going to a ballet performance set to my Celestial Melodies album!  Super interested to see how that will be, and never thought as I was writing it that my music would ever be used that way.  This is also a good point for me to try to design some (long overdue) business cards.  Hopefully I'll be able to use the All in a Day's Work 3 artwork, as that has become so iconic to me, but perhaps there are other options as well.  I'll have to decide what urls to put on there as well -- probably ddrkirby.com and ddrkirbyisq.bandcamp.com for sure, but I should really clean up the ddrkirby.com landing page.  I guess if I make a more proper landing page for ddrkirby.com I can just feature that, DDRKirby(ISQ), my name, and possibly a contact email (?) and have the landing page direct you to everything else.  More work that needs to be done!  Looks like a lot of designery work is in my near future... My birthday having passed now, I decided to go ahead and order a whole bunch of stuff online as I was in need/want of quite a lot of things here and there.  Yesterday those shipments finally started to get to me, so I now have an anova sous vide machine, a whetstone for sharpening my knives, a jaccard meat tenderizer, a mortar & pestle, new earbuds, a car vent mount for my phone, and a zojirushi vaccuum-sealed food container.  I also did a ton of grocery shopping last night, so I basically have a ton of new stuff to play around with and eat, whee!  I'm pretty excited about all of the items, haha. The Risk of Rain devs are apparently working on RoR2, in 3D??? (using Unity, as of course is the trend for everyone and their mothers now)  That's...cool, I guess?  Of course, it's still a project early in development, so it's barely even worth thinking about when or whether they'll finish, but...I guess that's cool?  It's not the most -exciting- thing because I don't think 3D is really necessary, or even a boon to the gameplay, but maybe they are just trying to take a page out of Overwatch and such games.  It makes me a little sad for my pet project Zenith Fighter which I abandoned, which was aiming to be an arena-style game with platforming and RoR-style abilities, as well as a bunch of upgrades. Speaking of pet projects, Rhythm Quest is on very shaky footing now as I haven't touched it in so long.  I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but the fact that I'm not regularly working on it is a red flag and I wonder whether it will actually become a thing, or whether it's not actually exciting anymore.  We'll see I guess, but for now I am going to remind myself that the reasonable thing to do is not to worry about it because I have other projects that are more pressing -- namely, finishing up my Sentience album, designing the business cards and redoing my landing page. Speaking of my Sentience album -- it's getting close to being complete!  I'll probably aim to do one or two more songs and then package it all up for release.  Very exciting to be doing another original artist album that is getting a full physical CD release, especially since this one has such a strong theme and could be called my first ever "concept album", I guess. I've been continuing to make my way through Hyper Light Drifter, which has still been great!  It's cool that, just like with Shovel Knight, I feel much more well-versed in the sort of "vernacular" of its level design, and am starting to really become familiar with where to look in order to find hidden areas and secrets.  I'm currently in the last of the four main "areas" (at least, that I know of!), though the game has made it very clear that even when I've beaten the boss there I will have to do quite a bit more searching and exploring. ===== I told someone recently that while many people find themselves needing to let go of their past before they can move forward, I find myself unable to move forward if I feel like I am letting something go.  I've been asked before just =why= the past is so important to me and there are many reasons -- I think loss is painful, letting go is painful, I'm strongly motivated by nostalgia and memory, I would much rather stick to what I know than embrace new experiences, I value lasting connections, I genuinely want to believe that things will last, etc. -- but in the end the answer basically is just that's the way that I am and I have learned that that is the way it has to be.  After many years of questioning myself and my feelings toward the past I came to a realization that even if it "slows me down", connecting with my past is ultimately something that I just have to do, out of necessity.  And if I try to avoid it and break free, I would only end up circling back again and not moving anywhere at all -- because "breaking free" is something I would never want in the first place.  And that is the reason that I can be so sure when I tell people I will always be here.  Always and forever. ...or at least, that's what I'd like to think.  After all, the girl of the stars also chose to leave her tower.  The story of the star and the girl is one that is incredibly important to me because represents a central conflict in life that I must always come to terms with.  The fact that "always" is not forever, and that despite my feelings and intentions, in the end I must accept that I cannot bring the past forward with me, and that I =must= by the nature of life move forward.  It pained me a great deal thinking about how the girl left the tower.  It still does, and always will.  But it's something that I need to understand too.  I think in the end, sinking deep into memory, holding traditions, treasuring artifacts, and "living in the past" are all ways of coping. Who can say where the girl is now?  But no matter where she is, the tower and the star will always be an important part of her.  Maybe she will be able to come back to the tower someday.  Maybe she will be able to see the star again someday too.  But even if she does not, it will still be in her memory, as something precious and treasured.  In the same way, my friend Kiki is someone who is always on my mind when I think of the past.  My relationship with her, in many ways, represents my relationship with the past, and that is a reason why it has always held such significance to me.

=====

I actually feel significantly better today.  Maybe all I needed was to feel like I am paying my respects to my memory...

(More to come later.)

#Blogger

[meanwhileinoz]

10+ People Shared Small Lies That Escalated Really Quick And Became Part Of Their Lives

Telling a lie is never worth it.

You are going to get caught eventually. If you don’t, however, you will have to live with that lie for the rest of your life. This is what happened to the following people. They might have thought “what harm can one innocent lie do?” Apparently a lot.

#1 Guess that is your name now.

My husband’s best friend has a 6 year old daughter that I see often. When she was almost 3 she babbled something to me (I think it was “My friends here!”) and my husband interpreted it as “My friend Steve!” and started calling me Steve in front of her.

Now her whole family call me Steve when she’s around, and she still believes that’s my name. For clarity, I’m a female and my name isn’t anything close to Steve.

–rebel_nature

#2 At least they got free dinner.

I didn’t want to go to dinner with the gang from work, including my boss, so I told them I was having dinner with my wife and her parents. Of course, It was lie.

I get home, wife wants to go out to dinner. So, we head to the restaurant, and just as we’re getting near the door, I see the work gang with my loudmouth boss all piling out of their cars. What are odds of us picking the same restaurant? Shit. Busted.

There was an old couple walking into the restaurant in front of us. I held the door for them, and insisted they join us for dinner. They were quite perplexed, but accepted my offer of a free dinner.

It was the most uncomfortable dinner ever. They had no clue who we were, none of us had any shared interests… they rushed through dinner, thanked us, and got the hell away from what I’m sure they thought were a couple of weirdos.

–disgustipated

#3 Happily pay full price?

I became friends with one of the managers at Panera. One day as I was giving a cashier my order, he told her to give me the same discount as they give to firemen, police and paramedics, i think.

He just chose this discount as it was an easy button to push on the register. Well this cashier really thought I was a fireman. I’m not. So for the next two years this cashier gave me the discount.

Even if she wasn’t serving me, she would go out of her way to tell the cashier that was helping me, “He’s a fireman, give him the discount”. It snowballed into such an awkward situation that I didn’t know how to get out of it. Luckily that cashier eventually transferred to another store and I now happily pay full price.

–Steve0512

#4 You can never lie forever.

Living in a College Town, every year around spring graduation there’s one or two “I’m here to see my kid graduate, but I haven’t been able to locate them” families. Usually kids that stopped going, pocketed their parents money, and/or just gave up and couldn’t handle telling the family.

It ends sadly sometimes.

That’s a big lie/deception to deal with and maintain. It almost always comes to a head.

–YunalescaSedai

#5 Well, you’re not technically lying?

When I was 14 years old I played with a group of other kids on stage during the 2008 Hawaii International Ukulele Festival. Jack Johnson was performing and we were behind him strumming along.

Hundreds of us. This story has turned so thoroughly into-I played on stage side by side with him just the two of us- that I can’t correct people anymore and just shamefully accept the oohs and ahhs when it gets retold.

–Axinyew

#6 You have to lie to your boyfriend’s mother.

Once my boyfriends mom asked me if I liked their bathroom soap. It’s lavender, I don’t like lavender. But I decided to tell her “I love it, it smells so good!”

Now I have an endless supply, she buys me some all the time. It’s too sweet to tell her the truth, so I just keep it to myself and use the mediocre-smelling soap.

–Llebanna

#7 Name change? No worries!

Back in High School, someone in my freshman English class thought he heard someone call me Louis, so he started calling me Louis. Not really a friend, just someone I spoke to on occasion.

Now high school me thought he was just him trying to be funny, and didn’t care to correct him and he continued to call me Louis and whenever I heard him call for me I responded.

It wasn’t until our last week of senior year that he stops me in his tracks and goes. “Someone told me your name isn’t Louis. Is your name Louis?”

“No.”

“I-I’ve been calling you Louis for 4 years! I thought that was your name!”

–Zytherious

#8 Sorry but you got played.

My first relationship. A few days in, then-girlfriend tells me she isn’t ready to go public just yet and if we could just pretend we weren’t together for a few days then she would be ready.

Six months later, I had lied to so many people for her I can’t tell whats real anymore and any time I asked her if we could stop because it was messing with me she refused and argued her way out of it.

Looking back on this fucks with my head to this day. Amazing how much things like that can snowball.

–Terminator_t101

#9 Well, he was certainly polite.

Not me but my Dad. We moved and he was convinced the postman’s name was ‘Ger’ as in short for Gerry. He greeted him by it, nearly every day for about 10 years. We even gave him a Christmas card which he displayed down in the sorting office.

Fast forward and we have a temporary post man, my Mum asking him after a few weeks ‘When is Ger coming back?’ This was met with stunned silence and a puzzled look, with a resounding ‘Who is Ger? No one works in the locality by that name’

Turns out, his name is Declan and he was too nice to correct my Dad for close to a decade.

–Parmersan

#10 Sometimes you have to sacrifice your tastebuds for love.

When I was little, my grandma would make me these horrible frozen chicken tenders filled with cheese. They were just god-awful. Because I am a good grandson, I told her that I loved them.

From then on, every time that I visited her, she would cook me those abominations. Even when I was in graduate school, I would go visit her and for one meal, I would have to slide those gross things down my gullet.

Every time I would say, “Thanks! I love them!” The things we do for love…

–the_planes_walker

#11 Isn’t that illegal?

I was looking for a job and I didn’t want to be a fast food manager anymore so I fluffed out my resume with computer skills I didn’t have. I was contacted by a recruiter who asked me some questions to gauge my abilities and I straight googled the answers as he was asking them.

When I went to the interview, the boss had all of these circuit boards sitting all over his desk. I recognized them as Raspberry pis from Reddit. So I asked what he was using them for. The rest of the interview was just this guy bragging about all of these projects he had going on.

He might as well have been speaking Greek. I just feigned interest and said wow a lot. I’m hired. Who knows how this shit happened but I have literally googled every problem I have been given. Day 543, they still think I know what I’m doing.I’m making 1.5 times what I was making as a manager. I have a GED for chrissake.

–realitygenrator

#12 Although you got a cute duck out of it.

told my parents i bought a duck when I was 20 to tease them. I found a picture online of one and sent it to them. Sadly, they believed me. They got overly excited about their “grand-duck” and told my whole family.

I ended up buying a duck…

–ThePolishFish

#13 Yeah, he just moved…for forever.

I did online homeschooling for a few years and there was a forum where you could socialize with other students enrolled in the school. During this time I was big into making music on a DAW I had downloaded.

I didn’t know how to play any instruments, but I could still download different drum beats and guitar riffs from the dev’s website. I shared a few songs with my fellow “classmen” and told everyone that I could play guitar and had a friend that tracked the drums.

Eventually people started asking me for guitar lessons or more songs. I couldn’t keep up the lie so I told them that my friend moved to Africa for a missions trip and would not return for the foreseeable future. But everyone in that forum thought I could play guitar. I couldn’t, and still can’t play to save my life.

–Primitive_Teabagger

#14 Such a good friend he is.

A new coworker of mine tried downplaying his birthday and eventually after me hounding him about why he didn’t like celebrating, he eventually told me in confidence that his best friend was killed on his birthday and he hates thinking about it.

Fast forward 8 years — this guy and I had become really good friends. Best friends. Lived together at one point. He was accepted into my friend group and I always made sure to downplay his birthday (his is 4 days after another friend) so we just did a group thing and never made a big deal about it.

Finally someone got brave enough and wanted to talk to him about it, and he laughed and had no recollection of telling me that and said he was probably just screwing with me. He always wondered why no one wished him happy birthday.

–jackrack1721

#15 It seems harmless enough.

I moved to a new city, and got a new dentist. For some reason, the guy thinks I used to see him at his old practice in a town I’ve never lived in. I corrected him a couple times, but he just keeps bringing it up, so now I just kind of roll with it.

He asks after my parents, which is easy enough…but we’ve had all kinds of conversations about local restaurants I’ve never been to and other random stuff like that.

–Davran

http://ift.tt/2y3EVdW

#ENTERTAINMENT