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lucarionite9364 · 2 months

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Khaotic Turn of Events

Havik x Reader Ch 1

(Slow burn Childhood friends to enemies to lovers)

CW: fight scenes (not graphically typed yet), eventual fluff/romance/smut, I’ll mark more as I post more.

Word Count: 4183

A/N: this is a reader insert into MK1 story mode/plotline. This, things might be different but that keeps it interesting :3

I also posted this to Ao3, so feel free to check it out there too!

There once was a boy you knew. He was erratic in behavior and even more unsteady in personality. Always covered in scratches and scars, you helped him when no one else would. Regardless of his nature, he was your best friend. He stuck by you growing up, and you both evolved into harborers of chaos. You both despised the disgusting, fascist rule of Seido, and wished to liberate its people.

This way of thinking got you both into insurmountable amounts of trouble. Your parents, not wanting you to stray from the goodwill of order, had said that night that you stay away from the boy. You were utterly crushed. He was the only friend you had, your confidant, your equal in matters of mayhem. You sought out the dark haired boy and told him you were forbidden from ever seeing him again. Enraged by your parents' idea of control, you both cursed Seido’s regime, and decided to run away together. Being young and dumb, neither of you got very far. Orderrelm’s guards had found you at your parents' request, and had you sent home.

They decided that you could only learn the right path where he could not find you. As such, you were sent to Earthrelm, to begin anew, and unlearn your heinous ways of disarray. You were enraged, not because you were being sent away, but because you never could say goodbye to him. He was crushed when he heard that you were gone. He was told you had resented his ways, and that was why you had left. He was wholly crushed. You were his only friend and he had come to find out you had not loved him at all. He vowed that he would not only seek his vengeance on Seido, but on you as well. With each passing day his resentment grew, and with each passing day, you yearned to be by his side once more. The boy you grew up with, and had come to love with all your heart. That boy’s name was Dairou. . .

You could still picture his face in your mind. The dark hair that always fell over his eyes. The big smile he always wore even in the face of injustice. His cute nose that had scrunch lines from his expressiveness. And those eyes. Those deep, beautiful eyes that always looked upon you with adoration when nothing else was right. The carefully preserved image of him danced around in your head, frequenting your dreams. It was almost as if you could still hear him calling your name.

“Y/N. . .”

Dairou?

“Y/N.”

Dairou, is that you?

“Wake up Y/N.” The voice faded into one that was not his.

What?

You shot up from your sleep to hear, “Wake up! We have training–” SMACK!

“OUCH!” You cover your head in pain as you look to see who you just headbutted. Kung Lao is keeled over on the floor holding his own head in discomfort.

“A simple ‘good morning’ would have been just fine ya know.” You scramble out of bed to apologize but end up falling on top of the monk. He lets out a wheeze as the wind is knocked out of him. You shout out apologies as you get off him and help him up. He remains clutching his stomach as he talks.

“Sometimes your chaotic nature isn’t the greatest thing ever.” Before you can ask what that means, he is quick to shoot out, “No offense.” You simply roll your eyes and tell him to get out so you can get dressed for the day.

When was the last time I had dreamed about him? Why now? I can’t be distracted. Not when the tournament is coming up.

You splash cold water on your face to snap you out of your daze, but you still see his face. Those piercing black eyes gazing at you. Wishing you were still here. After a few seconds you realize you’ve been staring at your reflection in the mirror. Looking at the dark circles under your eyes, you think Kung Lao could have given you a few more minutes of rest. Chuckling to yourself, you head to your wardrobe to pull out a fresh training uniform. You get dressed quickly and pause as you look down at the bracelet you always wore.

It was a handmade bracelet you and Dairou made for each other when you were young. It is crafted from various ribbon, string, and beads you found. It’s not pretty, but that is what makes it more special to you. You both weaved each piece together with no regard for the final product. As such, it is a colorfully chaotic accessory you both swore to never take off. It represents your bond, no matter how chaotic the world or the outside may be. In this case, the outside being the unsightly bracelet. Smiling to yourself, you put your hair out of your face and made your way to the training grounds.

--Today is a big day; the day Liu Kang chooses his champion for Earthrealm. --

You find Johnny and Kenshi first. The former has his phone out while recording the latter’s training warm up. Kenshi maneuvered his sword with such grace and expertise. If you ever learn to use a katana, he will be the man you'Il go to for sure. It seems Johnny hasn’t noticed your presence in the training ground. Or if he has, he finds his phone more interesting, though, that’s not likely knowing him.

You look around for Kung Lao, only to find he is nowhere to be seen.

Hypocrite, he tells me to be at training and yet here he is, not here. Typical Kung Lao fashion it seems. As his whereabouts remain a mystery to you, you turn your attention to the friendliest of them all, Raiden. Although, it doesn’t seem like he will be so friendly with the monks sparring with him. Giggling, you walk over to where he is about to begin his training.

“Mind if I watch Raiden? I promise to only observe this time.” You flash him a smirk, knowing you truly wouldn’t do anything. . . This time. He's quick to respond, “Only if you promise NOT to trip me this time.” You snort, “Oh come on, it was only one time. Alas, I promise, I will just watch. Orderrealm's honor,” you hold up your right hand in mock honesty. “You hated Orderrealm,” he deadpans. You roll your eyes and smile as you push him into his sparring circle. You take a seat on the edge of his ring, keeping a good distance so you don’t get in the way.

Raiden gives the signal to begin and a group of eight start circling around him. Wiggling in anticipation, you eagerly await when the first monk will strike. A brave soul takes the first jab, trying to catch him off guard. He easily deflects the attack and finishes him with a swift hit to the sternum. Another comes from behind for a side-kick. Letting out a gasp, you almost think he had a shot on Raiden. Foolish are you to think that would get him. He deflects both the kick and the oncoming jab; returning the actions with a jump-kick to the face.

You cringe internally as that had to have hurt. He ends up in a fighting stance immediately. Ready for the next attack. His attention shifts behind him as the next challenger goes for an easily blocked punch. With a second punch blocked, Raiden grabs and twists his arm out of the way and lands a harsh kick to the face again. He goes back to the middle of the circle and presumes a defensive stance. Raising his hands in the air, he circles them around to signal the end of the session.

Watching his form is mesmerizing, he trains endlessly and it shows in his perfected stance. You let out loud applause at his show of skill. He smiles at your praise, then turns his attention to the approaching Kung Lao. “Way to show up to practice Lao.” You give him a smug grin until you notice the most peculiar hat in his hands, “What in all the realms is that?” He is quick to respond, “I was practicing. I was practicing making this beauty.” Raiden chimes in, “That is not a good idea.” “It is genius, Raiden.” Leo retorts. “I agree, this is an excellent idea. The chaos that will ensue is sure to be good.” You grin while reaching to nab his hat. He pulls it away from your reach and continues on. “The next time we see Sub-Zero, I will have to thank him for inspiring it.” He finishes by running his fingers across the bladed edge of the hat. Hissing in pain, he seems to have cut himself.

“See? It won’t be effective.” It was at this time you notice Johnny had been recording Raiden’s training and this interaction the whole time. Kung Lao rolls his eyes as he prepares his impromptu demonstration. He flings his hat at the wood training dummy in the training grounds and it slices it in half with ease. As the hat comes back around like a boomerang, Lao catches it, spinning it on the tip of his fingers. You look upon his act in awe as Raiden looks more shocked than anything. “Maybe it's too effective.” He states bluntly.

Kung Lao simply puts his hat on and smiles at proving him wrong.

“We just need to get on with it. We’ve been cooped up here for months.” Johnny says, walking up to where you are. “I can’t base a cinematic universe on Outworld’s monsters and magic if I don’t ever see them. You roll your eyes, “It hasn’t been that long Johnny. We will see all the fun and madness eventually.” “Says you, you’ve seen it all before.” Scoffing, “Have not, just because I am not from Earthrelm doesn't mean I have been to Outworld.” He was about to retort, but Kenshi walks up and speaks instead.

“That’s why you’re here?” He looks annoyed, rightfully so at the next thing that leaves the actor’s mouth. “Liu Kang said that this gig would change the arc of my life. That’s how it gets done. My ex will rue the day she gave up on me.” Kung Lao just crosses his arms as the rest of you roll your eyes. Kenshi sarcastically says, “So selfless.” Johnny isn't having any attitude so he shoots back a quip of his own. “Oh please tattoo, you’re just here to get your sword back.” You chuckle at their petty squabble. Raiden is quick to diffuse the argument, “We all have our reasons for being here. Some better than others,” he looks from Kenshi to Johnny at that last part, “But we are not here to fight among ourselves. We are here to fight for Earthrealm.”

You think briefly about your reason for being here. You were stranded in Earthrealm, and given the opportunity to fight for yourself by Liu Kang. Being at the Wu Shi for most of your life, you now see the kindness of him taking you in. You still can’t help but wonder how things could have been had you stayed in Orderrealm. If you stayed with– BWONG! The sound of the gong snapped you out of your mind, and the others out of their disagreement. You hear Johnny remark as you fidget with your bracelet, “It’s about damn time.”

Liu Kang walks out from the canopy and begins his announcement, picking up where your conversation left off. “And today, one of you will be chosen to fight for it at the tournament.” You all look a little confused until Raiden speaks up. “Only one of us, Lord Liu Kang? Isn’t Outworld fielding several champions?” “The tournament’s rules give the host realm that advantage. And it is Outworld’s turn as host.” He states. You let out a huff, “Well that sucks.” Raiden turns to glare at your remark, but Johnny distracts you both. “You know, I don’t know why I’ve never asked this, but uhhhh, what’s our record at this tournament?”

“Earthrealm and Outworld have long been evenly matched. But Outworld is gaining strength. Should it win, its more militant factions will be emboldened.” He says with a stern expression. This confuses you, and Raiden voices your concern. “I thought you admired Outworld.” “It is a place of great knowledge, wealth, and beauty. But our realms do not share goals and beliefs,” he steps from the canopy and continues walking, “We coexist peacefully because Outworld respects our strength. Should we show weakness, our rival will become an enemy.” using a more grave tone at the last half, this causes a shudder to run down your spine.

Kung Lao is proud to chime in, “I will not lose, Lord Liu Kang.” “First,” Liu Kang starts, “You must win the right to represent us. Whichever one of you outlasts the others will be chosen.” He sits down on his chair and the monks kneel on the ground behind him. You all look around at each other in anticipation. Excited to earn the right to become the champion.

“Y/N,” he starts, “It is with a heavy heart that I say that you will be unable to become our champion.” Your heart sinks. “But Lord Liu Kang, I have been here the longest. Why am I unable to be your champion?” You nearly yell, but you contain your disbelief to a more respectful volume. The hurt you feel is evident as Liu Kang continues. “It is not because you are not good enough, you are one of my most skilled warriors and I could not be prouder of you.” You almost let out a tear at his appraisal. “Then . . . why?” You take in a shaky breath. He looks at you softly. “It is because you are not of Earthrealm descent. You are from Orderrealm. That is why you are not permitted to participate. I am sorry.” You look down at the ground. Head spinning as you take in his words.

Kung Lao places his hand on your shoulder for comfort. Liu kang’s words make sense, but it still hurts that he had not told you sooner. “I understand, Lord Liu Kang.” You bow as you walk over and kneel beside him next to the other monks. You wipe the frown off your face and shout, “May the best man win!”

“Raiden,” Liu Kang calls, “Step forward.” The mentioned man steps up and bows his head, lifting it as Johnny calls out, “Good call. Cull the weak first.” He smirks at Raiden. “You shall face him, Johnny Cage.” Liu Kang states with a bored face. This warrants a snicker out of you and Cage glares at you. Kenshi chimes in, “Ready for your close up?” Kung Lao and Kenshi both back away as the two fighters take their positions. “All right, let’s do this. But remember, farm boy, I'm a global martial arts icon,” he waves his arms out in show, “I don’t think you can handle this much boom.”

Liu Kang rolls his eyes at Johnny’s air of cockiness. The fight begins and ends almost as quickly as it started. Johnny was overconfident and Raiden had dedicated himself to this fight. Raiden desired to prove himself worthy of the title of champion, and Johnny could simply not handle his abilities.

Raiden helps the star off the ground and the latter quickly retreats, with Kenshi taking his place. You look at Johnny and whisper to him, “So much for all that boom, huh?” He just frowns at you and looks to the next fight. You wonder how this fight will turn out as Kenshi has more experience in real fights than Raiden.

The fight lasts longer than the previous encounter. They trade blows more effectively, but alas, Raiden comes out victorious. Raiden had shown that he not only had the heart, but the nerve necessary to emerge victorious. Kenshi stands and they both bow in respect for the other. Liu Kang announces that we can rest and that Raiden will face his final challenge this evening. The anticipation can be felt by the final challengers: Raiden and Kung Lao.

“You did amazing, Raiden!” You slap him on the back lightly. “Thank you, I tried my best.” He gives you a warm smile. You pull him into a side hug, which he gladly accepts. With an unsuspecting smile on your face, you creep your hand up to his hat slowly. “I was shocked how quickly you beat Johnny, it was incredible.” “You give me far too much credit.” He shoves you away and makes a quick grab for your hand, but you were quicker to pull the string attached to your finger away. Your yo-yo yanking the hat right off his head and directly onto yours. This leaves Raiden spinning after his hat.

“I expected you to notice my hand sooner.” You take the hat and spin it upside down on your finger. This makes the other men laugh and Raiden’s dumbfounded face. He tries to make a grab for the hat, but you move out of the way. You release your yo-yo, which you named Reaper, to wrap around Raiden’s arm, and pull it back quickly to make him spin around. He takes this chance to sweep your legs and snatch the hat as you fall to the ground. OOF, that knocked the wind out of you.

He reaches out an arm to help you up, but you grip it and pull him down to the ground with you. He chuckles out, “Enough with the yo-yo pranks.” “Aw, but they’re so much fun for jokes.” You give and fake pout as you both stand up. “At least for now,” Kung Lao says, “He needs to be at full strength if he even wants to think about beating me for the title of champion.” “Ever the humble one I see Lao. Nothing like Raiden who toots his own horn everyday.” You say with utmost sarcasm.

“Very funny Y/N.” Lao huffs. However, Raiden cuts you both off, “I will have to agree, I will need my strength for tonight’s fight. I must rest up. It would be wise for you to do the same Kung Lao.” He gives a stern look to the hat wielder. “Fine, fine. We will see how the best man is tonight.” With this, you all go your separate ways in preparation for this evening's big event.

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It’s night when you all gather again for the final fight. The two farm boys have been kneeling in front of each other for several minutes, silently awaiting their command to begin. You stand behind the rows of monks next to the swordsman and the Hollywood star. The former set of boys calmly arise. Looking at each other like they both need this chance, but only one can emerge champion.

“Fifty bucks says Kung Lao wins.” Johnny quips with a smirk. “Make it interesting, bet me Sento.” Kenshi replies, but Cage is quick to answer back, “Not on your life.” “Guys. Calm down. They both have a strong chance to win. Let’s see how this unfolds, hm?” You break up the fight and get them to chill out. With this, Liu Kang arises from his seat as he introduces the match with great authority.

“Raiden. Kung Lao. The winner of this match represents Earthrealm against Outworld. It is a grave duty, not to be undertaken lightly.” The atmosphere grows more serious than before. Everyone pays close attention to his words as he continues. “You may step back now and suffer no dishonor.” The look of determination in their eyes grew as he finished his preamble. “I choose to fight, Lord Liu Kang.” Raiden proudly claims. “As do I.” Kung Lao follows. Liu Kang looks upon his warriors, “Then may the best man win.” He bows in respect to them individually. He returns to his seat to wait for the action to begin.

“Concede, Raiden. You have never beaten me. That won’t change today.” “No? If the monks have taught us one thing, it’s that the only constant in the universe is change.”

And how right he was without even knowing it yet. You nudge Johnny on the side “Ever the eloquent man, hmm?” The actor had to stifle a chuckle, “If he could fight with words alone he could rival that of Liu Kang.” You can even see Kenshin smirk at that remark. You turn your attention back to your friends. You wish that they both could become champion, but you knew only one could emerge victorious.

You watch the fight unfold before you. They were both so quick on their feet it felt like watching a tornado. In Kung Lao’s case, he had a move that actually looked like a tornado. They exchanged blow after blow. Kick after punch after jab. Neither wanted to give up the fight. It was when Kung Lao slipped up that Raiden took advantage and was able to beat him.

Kung Lao sat on the ground, utterly defeated. “There is a first time for everything, Kung Lao.” Raiden helped his friend off the ground. The god stood from his chair, “Although you have all trained well, Raiden has excelled. The outcome does not surprise me.” You can only wonder what he meant by that statement.

Kung Lao looks distraught. “How could I have–” You placed a hand on his shoulder. He looks at you and you feel his hurt. He then turns to Raiden, leaving your touch. “Congratulations Raiden.” He quickly lowers his head at the new champion. Liu Kang held out a small box in his hand. “For the tournament, you will need this.” He opens the box, and inside is a glowing blue amulet.

Raiden takes the item from its case and studies it. There is lightning that can be heard crackling from it. Everyone was curious what it was. “Forged by the Elder Gods, it gives the wearer power over lighting and thunder.” When Raiden seems awestruck by the charm, Liu Kang continues, “Go ahead, try it.”

Raiden takes a breath and turns to face the large statue in the courtyard. He readies his stance as he gathers energy and holds the amulet up to wield its power. An immense stream of lightning bolts from his hand. Your eyes go wide in amazement. You had only seen elemental magic from Liu Kang.

It seems Johnny had also not seen such a thing before as he had his phone out, recording the whole thing. “Holy Ark of the Covenant!” He could only voice his wonder, as if his face was not amused enough.

Raiden stops his show of newfound power, “It is incredible, but is it necessary?” Liu Kang spoke, “In addition to possessing great might, the Outworlders you will face also wield great magic. The amulet levels the playing field.”

As Raiden contemplates the magic, Kung Lao comes up to him. “You must be careful, Raiden. You could get hurt. Even killed!” He had a worried look upon his face. Regardless of losing, he still cared a great deal about his friend.

“No tournament participant has ever been grievously injured or killed,” He attempts to comfort the new champion. “I would never send my champions unwittingly into mortal kombat.” Raiden nods in understanding.

“We leave in seven days for Outworld’s capital, Sun Do. The tournament will be held at the Palace of Empress Sindel.” “Wait, we are leaving for Outworld in a week? Are we really ready for this Lord Liu Kang?” You look at him with worry evident on your face. His gaze softens at you, “I trust that you are ready for whatever may face you all ahead. Have faith that all you have learned in your time here will not fail you.”

“How can you be so certain?” You ask the question on everyone’s minds. “Have confidence in yourself and your comrades, and the rest will fall into place,” This eases your concern slightly. “Now, you must all go rest. We do not have long before we travel to Outworld. There is more preparation and training to be done.”

You all head off to your rooms and try to sleep. For yourself, and you predict for others as well, the anticipation of the journey in front of you keeps your slumber at an arm's length. You can’t help but feel nervous, like something maybe not bad, but unexpected will happen. Whatever will happen, you will face it then. For now, you calm yourself down, and let your mind slowly drift off into peaceful sleep. . .

End Notes: I am potentially gonna add mini chapters where reader talks to some characters individually. I am doing this to add more substance to the story (which everyone already knows) and to add more originality to it. Please feel free to leave constructive criticism or feedback on my writing. I'll also try to keep myself consistent in writing/updating.

I’m also gonna try actually formatting it next time,, this looks like a hot mess😭

Have a swag-tastic day--

#mk1 havik #mortalkombat 1 #havik x reader #mk havik #reader insert #slow burn #mortal kombat smut #mortal kombat havik #mortal kombat #mk1 #mk1 2023

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alyxdefoisnthere · 8 months

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Mod D: This blog has so many trigger warnings I can't be arsed to name them, so for this reason PROCEED WITH CAUTION, now you can't say I didn't warn you because it's in all caps in my intro post so haha fuck you.

I am female unless I'm not, then I'm male unless I'm not, then I'm neither unless I'm not, then I'm both unless I'm no-....... In other words, I use she/he/they pronouns.

(Yoinked from @xdynomite )

MY FRIENDS!!!! <3

-@millie-of-imp (A SECOND MOD D BLOG?! WHAAAAT?!?!)

-@alastor-the-demon (my bestest friend in all of the 9 circles of hell, like a father to me :3)

-@alastorthisisthetea (married dad)

-@siempreminta (one and only mum, is married to married dad)

-@mcalastor (minimum wage dad)

-@leo-velaz (Father Leo <3)

-@sketchbuddies (sketch and crystal are my children)

-@stampy-offical (My future husband, come at him and you'll find your heart in his hands... Literally)

-@xdynomite (my Americunt™ boy, come at me hoe)

-@bachirathebumblebee145 (my IRL school pookie, follow her or I'll hunt you down)

-@possibly-astraeus (cool guy James :D)

-@kip-davis (fellow Brit)

-@ilovemydogrykersomuch

-@ducky-loyal-servant-of-lucifer (my child who's older than me, hurt them and I'll kill you)

-@autistic-katara

-@astro-raven-power (My lil sis)

-@king--of--ducks (Step dad Luci, married to minimum wage dad)

-@nerdyquestier

-@cursed-cat-alastor (my pet cat because i like cats more than dogs :3)

-@flowersbringsadness (my very precious pup)

-@cherri-is-bomb (big sis cherri)

-@weapon-collector-odette (sister)

-@hoshi-neko-hikari (my child, hurt her and I hurt your knee caps)

-@velvettefashions-official (same mod as miss Rosie)

-@vox-tv-demon (my father)

-@headlessdeaddancer (my younger brother)

EVERYONE ON THIS POST IS THE GOAT AND THEY NEED TO KNOW THAT, SPAM THEM WITH ALL OF YOUR LOVE....or else

go check everyone on this post out or i will personally come to your house an make a Ramsay level meal out of you

What is my goofy ass doing right now?

I am everywhere and nowhere at the same time heeheee

in other words, cus im me, i naturally had a strike of bad luck and can now only use tumblr at my friend's house or when she's with me

Mod Status: On my period and about to puke 🥰

My dad is a prick, fuck you

NOTIFICATION GOAL: More than 3, im not online enough to care, as long as my friends who talk to me in DM's regularly respond to me, im not fussed

OMFG I HAVE A SCHEDULE?!?!

Online whenever I can when my friend is with me or I'm with her (Thank you C)

MONSTER CAN COLLECTION LIST

-Bad Apple

-Pipeline Punch

-Pacific Punch

-Lewis Hamilton (special edition)

-Ultra Black

-Orange Dreamsicle

-Mango Loco

-Khaotic

-MXXD

-Ultra Strawberry dreams

-Original

-Nitro

-White pineapple

-Ultra rosa

-Ultra golden pineapple

-Aussie Lemonade

-Ultra peachy keen

ALL ABOUT ME, MOD D

My name is Alyx Danielle GH (not giving yall my full name lmfao), I go by Danielle both here and IRL. I dont like the name Alyx because I associate it with the trauma I went through as a young child and I hate the fact my PRICK OF A DAD chose that name. My dad is not a very nice parent, he told me I would be a druggie, alchie (alchoholic) and a slag by the time im 16, yeeeaahhh....real nice parenting. Im genderfluid, presenting as female, bisexual, my birthday is January 28th 2010 making me 14. I was born in a small city here in England and I am 3/4 Irish. I like to draw, read (I reccommend strangeways) and bake, I suffer with physical and mental health problems including Anxiety, ASD and ADHD. I dont like fakes, homphobes pedos, bigots, racists etc, so if youre any of these...BACK OFF OF MY SILLY AHH RP BLOG

ALL ABOUT ALYX

Alyx is alot of things, the first thing that will stick out is that she's a dark angel and resembles Alastor, they're best friends, not family, she has loads of brothers and sisters, her favourite is MJ, she has a husband (Stampy) and two daughters (Sketch and Crystal), they're adopted and she'd love a biological child one day, she herself is adopted and her mother is Dove with 2 baby sisters (Abigail and Catorina), she has quite a few fathers.....the first one she would go to is Leo, Vox, or Doves husband Alastor, she loves T to bits and if any harm comes ro anyone she knows, blood will be shed. She's mute so when she's communicating it's through a notebook and looks like "this"

VERY IMPORTANT

@leo-velaz is THE GOAT, Mod E very kindly runs my account if I'm offline for an extended period of time and I owe my entire account to them.

(The above was yoinked from @kip-davis)

#pinned post #yes I do need a mosnter can collection #mod d rambles....for fuck sake

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satellite-starss · 2 years

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error jeeb doodle design✨

#satellitesart✨#oc jb #neonverse jeeb #sorry i haven’t posting much art recently:’))#utmv #undertale #undertale au #undertale multiverse #error sans #error variant #very messy lazy doodles #i named him khaotic #after the monster flavour xD

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stormkobra-5 · 2 years

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Escapade in Egypt: Part 1

Panic at the Pyramids

A Batons and Unicorns Drabble

Summary: When Steven is willing to battle his fear of flying in order to take little Amonet to Egypt, you immediately agree with him... Although it looks like the two of you have underestimated how much trouble a toddler can get into at the Great Pyramids.

Fluff, parental panic, Khonshu having grandparental panic, but don’t worry, everything’s fine

A/N: I’d seriously like to thank @khaotic-kris for giving me the idea of Amonet’s crib and mobile. My dude you rock. Also, I have never been to Egypt, although I do hope to go to college there, so... I know nothing!

Notes: The stuff that happens henceforth in these drabbles sounds unbelievable. But kids will do some stuff, guys, and if you’ve ever helped to raise one (or more) than you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Warnings: This story is rated 14+ for strong language.

______________________________________________________________

All Steven hears from where he sits taking notes from an Egyptology book is a loud, dull, thud from upstairs, followed by a crash and your loud, “Son of a bitch! Khonshu! I’m gonna strangle your emaciated zombie-bird ass!”

Steven knows you’re not too badly hurt, else he would have come running, but he can’t help but smirk a little to himself as he pretends to keep reading, retracing over the notes he’d just taken.

Before Amonet had been born, you guys had traveled from store to store looking for the right crib for your baby. Little did either of you expect Khonshu to pick it, when you had come upon a crescent-moon-shaped wooden crib. The god immediately showed his doting-grandfather side when you expressed your doubts, then going, THE CHILD MUST HAVE THIS CRIB! SHE IS THE DAUGHTER OF THE MOON GOD’S AVATAR! SHE WILL HAVE IT!

The good thing was, you kinda liked it, too, and Steven had just set eyes on an adorable star mobile that would go together perfectly with it, so that moon-shaped crib was bought.

Unfortunately, you both keep cracking your heads on it.

The frequency with which you do has lessened, since you both are getting used to it, but sometimes you’ll get so engrossed in baby Amonet that you forget there’s an overhang. Sounds like you knocked off the mobile, too.

Steven’s smirk turns into an amused smile as he realizes that while he himself has rarely caught him, you can never see Khonshu sometimes hovering over Amonet, cooing at her and shaking an Egyptian rattle over her, or even softly chanting Ancient Egyptian lullabies. For all intents and purposes, Amonet might as well be a newborn princess to a pharaoh, even though she’s never been to Egypt.

Steven’s eyes trail down to the picture of the hieroglyphs in the book. He’s alone in his mind right now-- Marc and Jake are both asleep, he can feel it, and Khonshu hasn’t yet made any appearances for the day. This gives him a rare moment of quietness to think, without any interjections. And he’s thinking, alright.

He drums the end of the marker into the tablet, notes forgotten. Amonet’s never been to Egypt. She’s never seen the pyramids. She’s never seen the tombs, or the ruins of temples, to Cairo. And yet her “grandfather” is the Egyptian god of the moon. Her father is his avatar. Gods, why hadn’t he thought of taking her there before?

But a trip to Egypt would be expensive. He’d have to pull on some of Jake’s money, which would be worth it. But a boat? The idea of being on a can surrounded by ocean for days is worse than being on an airborne can for a handful of hours. He’s so deep in thought that he doesn’t notice that you’ve come down the stairs with Amonet, that you’ve been saying his name and are coming up to him, concerned-- he doesn’t notice until you give his shoulder a nudge, making him jump.

“Geez, Steven, I’m sorry. You okay?“

Steven smiles-- the sight of the two people he loves most in the world always fills him with a sense of overwhelming joy. “Quite alright, love.” He eagerly takes Amonet from you and sets her on his lap. “Good morning, scarab. You slept late today-- no, no, don’t do that. Don’t chew on the pyramid.” Immediately, she’d grabbed the paperweight and had begun to gnaw on it, so he carefully pried it from her hands and gave her the Taweret plushie you handed him before plopping down in an opposite chair.

“What’re you thinkin’ ‘bout, Steven?”

He bounces her on his leg a bit. “...I want to take her to Egypt.”

Your entire head snaps up off your arms as you stare at him with childlike innocence. You’ve never been to Egypt. Or maybe you have, and haven’t been back in a long time. Or whatever. Like I’ve said before, I don’t know you. Anyway you stare at him like he asked you to marry him.

Which.

Honestly?

He’s been thinking about.

He loves you. He loves you more than anything in the world (except for Amonet). You have a daughter together that he cherishes more than life itself. Yes, he wants to marry you. And with how deeply tied-in to the Egyptian pantheon your little family here is, he wants to ask you with a ring made in Cairo. He’s been looking for a ring for awhile now, but he can’t find one for you. Maybe Cairo is the best place, like Khonshu’s been hounding him about.

You nudge him again, and he realizes that he hasn’t been listening to you. “Sorry, birdie. What’d you say, love?”

You reach over to ruffle his curls, which makes him smile fondly. “I said, are you serious? Like you really wanna go? We’ll have to use Jake’s money.”

“I don’t mind,” Jake said groggily, making Steven jump.

“O-oh, um... He says he doesn’t mind...”

“What about flying?” You asked, because you know that even with Marc or Jake fronting, Steven is terrified of flying. He’s scared of putting Amonet on a plane. He can’t sleep through a flight, either, because there’s no sedatives strong enough to put out all three alters, especially when last time it was tried he summoned the suit on instinct, snatched up Amonet, grabbed your wrist, and took you both to the car, where he decided you were gonna drive.

To L.A.

Steven took a deep breath. “...I can do it. Amonet deserves to see Egypt. She doesn’t need to be held back by my fears. If I can handle Harrow, I can handle...” He swallows hard, picturing the plane ricketing along the runway before exploding in midair. “A-a plane...”

Slowly, you beam. “...Alright then. I’ll start packing.” You lean forward to give him a kiss, then stand up. “If you wanna change your mind at any point, we can, okay?”

He nodded in understanding as you excitedly raced to the stairs, and when you looked back, Steven was showing Amonet the book he’d been reading. “Look, little scarab; you wanna see the pyramids for real? Each block weighs two and a half tons. That’s real heavy, innit?” When she carelessly smacks the page, he smiles with adoration, then moves on to start showing her hieroglyphs.

Your smile widens and your heart swells with love at the sight of your little family.

~***~

Marc sighed as the two of you approached the airport doors. “It was nice of him, really, for Stark to let us use his private jet. But why the hell do we have to navigate through the damn airport to get to it? Isn’t he rich enough to have his own?”

Maybe... he wanted it to have airplane friends? You suggest in ASL with one hand; in your other, you carry Amonet’s car-seat. Marc shakes his head at your antics. On one shoulder, he has your bag and his, which also contains Steven’s and Jake’s things, and on the other, he has Amonet’s bag. He uses one hand to hold your elbow, ensuring he has a hold of you and a protective eye on your daughter, and his other is occupied with the big roller suitcase you felt the need to pack.

Then again, he’s never traveled with his alter’s partner and their daughter, either. It’s always just been him, with hardly even one bag. He sighs again at the sight of the massive, congested crowd, tightening his grip on your arm.

Jake’s reflection in a passing surface held up a hand in suggestion. “Maybe if we set off a rapid-fire machine gun, it’d scare them all away.”

“We are not doing that, Jake,” Marc huffs.

Jake shrugs. “Just a suggestion.”

“It’s a horrible suggestion.”

You roll your eyes playfully, knowing Jake well enough to know that he’s probably offering a solution that involves unnecessary violence. How’s Steven?

“Well...” Marc glances toward a nearby window as you enter the airport, seeing Steven reflected back at him-- eyes wide, pale, looking like he’s ready to hurl. “You don’t have to do this, Steven. We could always--”

“I’m doing this,” Steven replies, as sternly as he can, “I’m not letting Y/N and Amonet go by themselves. Who would protect them? They need us. And... I want to be there when Amonet sees the pyramids. I want to show her the tombs.”

Marc nods, reluctantly. He can feel Steven’s tension, and it’s making him feel sick to his stomach. But he can also feel his determination to succeed. “We’re right here for you, Steven.”

You’ve reached the ticket booth, and of course you stand back; Marc takes care of everything, making you feel safe and secure. You’re led by a security escort to the tarmac, where Stark’s private jet sits ready-and-waiting. Marc still has a hold of your arm even though you’re far away from any crowds, and he keeps checking on Amonet. “Wish we could’ve taken Empress...”

Don’t worry, Marc, you say, and he wonders where the hell you get your confidence from. She’s got her grumpy grandpa, her parents, and her uncles to protect her.

“It’s not enough,” Marc insists as he gestures for you to go up the stairs first. He scans the tarmac, looking for any threats from his vantage point at the landing behind you. You don’t hear him mutter, “It’s never enough...”

Once you’re finally on the plane and have gotten into your seats, there’s a several-minute delay before the engines start. You jump, startled, when as soon as the plane starts to move, Marc slams his hands down onto the table between you despite having a seat belt. You raise your eyebrows at him. “Steven?”

“Nope,” He grounds out through gritted teeth-- he’s pale, and sweating, and his hands are shaking when he brings them up to his face. “Fuck, Steven... Calm down.”

“Real bloody easy for you to say!” Steven snaps, and it sounds like he’s fighting back a gag. “Oh, bollocks...”

All three alters, however, are now victim to the roiling stomach. Marc freezes up, trying to fight it-- and then he launches himself out of his seat and for the bathroom. You look after him, concerned, because he stays in there until the plane is airborne. He staggers out, and if there’s such a thing as airsickness, you’re sure he has it.

“Guys... you uh...” You turn, digging around in your bag as Marc sits across from you. He frowns when you offer him a couple of pills, but when he sees you sweetly smiling at him, he softens a bit. “It’s not sedatives, I promise. It’s just to settle your stomach.”

His hands tremble when he takes them from you, so badly that he can hardly put them in his mouth. He swallows them dry, because the thought of liquid makes his stomach churn again.

“Damn, Stevie,” Jake mutters from the buckle of a nearby seat belt, “If it’s this bad when you’re not fronting, I can’t imagine how bad it is when you are.”

There’s no response. In fact, Marc can hardly feel Steven’s presence at all. There’s a surge of panic. “Steven.” Nothing. Seeing his panic, you hand him a compact mirror out of your bag, and Marc immediately inspects his reflection. “Steven!”

“I-I’m here...” Comes Steven’s weak response, and Marc breathes a sigh of relief. “S-sorry, I just...” He’d curled up in the recesses of their mind, trying to distance himself from the terror of the flight. Marc can feel him now, but... just barely.

“Respond next time, Steven.” With some difficulty, Marc stands, comes around, and pulls you out of your seat. You don’t protest, although you’re confused, especially when he sits where you’d been. You understand a moment later, when he pulls you onto his lap and keeps an arm around your waist, putting a hand on Amonet as she dozes. “How’s this, guys?”

Steven’s come out a bit more, relaxing a bit with your presence there to comfort him. Even Jake eases up a bit, and Marc can’t deny that he feels immensely better as well. “Better,” Steven says, “A lot better. Just... stay like this for a bit, yeah?”

“Yeah, okay,” Marc says.

You lean your head on his shoulder. “We got you, Steven. Just chill throughout the rest of the flight, okay?” Marc snorts with amusement; you lift your head to give him a mock glare. “What?”

He can’t fight a smile. “Nothing. Just... you.” He presses a kiss to your cheek, which you return. Eventually, with you and Amonet so close, Steven is able to doze with the help of Marc and Jake, and so the nearly eleven-hour flight passes, if painfully slowly.

~***~

When you touch down in Egypt, Steven is fronting as soon as you’ve stepped off the jet. Immediately-- despite the fact that he’s carrying most of your bags-- he reaches over and unbuckles Amonet from her carrier, lifting her up and out and into his arms with a beaming grin. “Aight lil’ scarab; you ready?”

She baby-babbles excitedly, giving him a toothless smile. He kisses her cheek. “Yep, we’re gonna go see the pyramids!” Meanwhile, you’re pulling some of the bags off him, trying to take half the weight. Once you’ve done that, he pulls you in under his arm. There’s no trace of his former fear. His nerd mode has been activated. All the way to the hotel, he’s going on and on about Egyptian mythology and culture from ancient times, eagerly pointing to all the places on the map he’s planned for you to go to. Once actually in the hotel room, he takes Amonet to the window, where you can see the pyramids off in the distance.

Enormous orange-gold goliaths of stone, the great triangles take up the whole expanse of the horizon, set in the gold sands. It’s a beautiful view, and you take a picture from behind, catching both Steven and Amonet in the frame. He turns at the sound of your phone kshing, smiling when he realizes that you’ve taken a picture. “First picture of the trip, birdie?”

“Yep.”

Steven very carefully sets Amonet on the bed, waiting until you’ve got her before stepping away. “I’ll be in the loo for a sec, love. I’ll be right out.” He ducks into the tiny hotel bathroom, and you turn your attention to Amonet, lowering your voice so that Steven can’t hear you.

“Say it, sweetheart: can you say daddy?” You’ve been trying to get her to say it for days. You love Steven with all your heart, and you can only imagine how happy he’d be if Amonet’s first word was daddy, but, honestly? The two of you have been trying to get her to say something for weeks now, but all she does is giggle at your attempts and baby babbles at you.

“Say dad-ee.” You emphasize, but she only stares at you.

Come on, kid. You can do it. Your dad is Moon Knight! Your grandpa is Khonshu! Your mom is Skinchanger! You can do it!

But Steven’s out too soon, and you stop, disappointed. Steven’s so excited he doesn’t even notice your fallen expression, scooping Amonet up and rushing for the door. “C’mon, love! Let’s go see the pyramids!”

It’s a long, hot walk to the tour guide center, which is absolutely packed. And then, you’re walking the path with hundreds of other people, and Steven is absolutely beaming when he sees that Amonet is awestruck by the sheer size of the pyramids. He keeps a tight hold of her with one arm, and with his other hand, he holds your hand, entwining his fingers with yours and occasionally leaning over to kiss your cheek. He’s spouting off facts and lore and stories and you’re listening intently, because you rarely see him this excited.

Then things went downhill.

Literally.

Amonet dropped her blue Tawaret ball, and it went right under the fence. The thing bounced, all the way down the side of the little cliff and into the ruins below. “Oof,” You said, turning into a caracal cat without a second thought. “Again? Amonet, really girl. Keep a better grip of your ball.”

As a cat, it’s effortless for you to slip under the fence and traverse the side of the ruins and grab her ball. When you turn to climb back up with the ball in your mouth, Steven and Amonet are smiling down at you--

--until Amonet turns into a fucking scarab and buzzes easily out of Steven’s shocked grasp, flying up, up, up toward the top of the pyramid.

For a second, you’re both just standing there in shock. Did that just fucking happen?

Then you both scream (although for you, still a cat, it’s more of a wail), lunging for the tiny glittering blue speck that’s your daughter. Steven can’t jump very high, but Marc fucking kills parkour, so Steven lets him front. He even summons the damn suit so people will get out of his way.

Notoriously, birds have terrible eyesight, and a bug is far too slow, so you turn into a cheetah after a few moments, bounding alongside Moon Knight, eyes on Amonet.

CATCH THAT CHILD! Khonshu roared, but you couldn’t hear him, I SHALL KEEP CLOSE TO HER, BUT I CANNOT CATCH HER MYSELF.

People, at the sight of Moon Knight and a cheetah rushing for the pyramid, screamed and got out of your way in a panic, which is good, because it gives you a direct path.

Moon Knight is fast as he ascends the massive blocks, but you’re faster as a lion, jumping easily from block-to-block. She could get squished. She could get eaten by another bug. She could get eaten by a bird. Oh my god why the fuck did she inherit my powers.

“Of all the powers she could’ve gotten,” Marc growled as he lunged up onto another block, “She had to get yours.”

UP HERE! Khonshu started waving him down, from his place perched near the top of the pyramid. SHE’S A GECKO NOW, AND I’VE CONVINCED HER TO LOOK AT THE VIEW. HURRY, BEFORE SHE BECOMES BORED!

Marc relays the message, and the two of you reach the designated spot that Khonshu kneels over. With his healing armor, Marc isn’t fazed at all by the devastating climb, but you have to lay there, panting heavily. Between you is Amonet as a tiny green gecko.

Steven fronts again, suddenly Mr. Knight. “Alright, little scarab.” Amonet’s tongue flicks out. “You’ve had your fun. Come on, now, back to a human, yeah?” Luckily, she’s only a baby. She can’t hold another form for as long as you can. Her minutes of chaos have made her tired, so she does as her father asks and returns to human form. You shift so that you’re laying in front of her, keeping her from rolling off. Steven pets your head, settling beside you. “You gave us quite a scare, sweetheart.”

She reaches for him, and he goes to pick her up...

“Daddy!” Ok, so maybe it’s not exactly “daddy.”

But it’s really fucking close.

Your head shoots up off your paws, ears pricked. Steven has frozen, glowing eyes wide. “W...”

“Daddy,” Amonet repeats, reaching for him impatiently.

You and Steven are still stunned, and then Steven tears off his mask and unleashes a loud cheer, pulling Amonet up into a hug. There are tears in his eyes, and you turn back into a human so that he can pull you into a hug. “She said it! She said it, Y/N! She said her first word on the Great Pyramid of Giza!”

“I know! I know! Say it again! Say it again!”

Amonet was actually belly-laughing at the reactions of her parents. At your prompting, she does say it again, and when you two cheer and shower her with kisses and praise, she belly-laughs harder.

OF COURSE SHE SAID HER FIRST WORDS HERE, Khonshu said, like you’re both idiots for being so surprised and excited, IT IS A PLACE OF GREAT IMPORTANCE, THEREFORE A FITTING PLACE FOR SUCH A MILESTONE, ESPECIALLY FOR THE GRANDCHILD OF KHONSHU.

The three of you stayed up there for awhile, laughing and hugging, even staying to watch the Egyptian sunset. Watching over you was Khonshu, who wouldn’t admit it, but he was proud.

~***~

The next day, you’re surprised when Steven wakes you up at the crack of dawn. Amonet is still asleep, and he’s fully dressed. You lift your head, groggy; there’s a certain kind of light in Steven’s eyes, one you’ve never seen before. You reaches forward, caressing your cheek and resting his hand on your neck. “I’m gonna set out a little early today, birdie. I’ve got some things I wanna look at...”

“What kinda things?” Even for Steven, this is unusual behavior. And you’re still half-asleep, so...

“It’s a surprise,” He answers softly. He leans forward to kiss you tenderly. “I’ll be back before noon, love. I promise.”

With Steven leaving, you sit up, determined not to leave Amonet unguarded. He quietly snuck out, down to the streets of Cairo, which was just waking up. He felt the presence of Marc, keeping alert, and Jake might as well have been rubbing his hands together eagerly. “Aight, Stevie-- no budget! Pick whatever you want!”

“I’ve got a pretty good idea,” Steven answered him, “The problem is finding it...”

“We’ve got your back, Steven; we know what you’re looking for.” Marc promised, and Steven caught a glimpse of him smiling in a nearby window. “Now go find our girl’s engagement ring.”

______________________________________________________________

Thanks for reading!

Taglist:

@dameronsknight

@sylkisdagger

@atzlena

@pastel-0-princess

@gucciboots

#steven grant x reader #moon knight #oscar isaac

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tervsh1ma · 3 years

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random kenma hc’s that i have

-he loves cherry pull apart twizzlers and he once ate an entire pack and everyone was super shocked considering how small his appitite is.

- he hates shots/needles so it’s really hard for him/ to get him to go to the doctor.

-despite hating needles he has a tattoo of a cat on his upper shoulder that he got after he graduated.

-his favorite monster energy flavor is khaotic.

-he has a calico cat named sushi.

- when him and kuroo got engaged, he was the one who proposed.

-instead of a regular house key, his and kuroo’s are calico cats.

-his animal crossing avatar his a cat.

-shoyo bought him an orange cat for his birthday.

-he saw the movie “cats” the first day it was out.

#kenma hcs #kenma kozume #haikyuu!!#hq kenma #hcs

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khaoticlife3 · 5 years

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My Khaotic Life

Hi there! I'm Kay! That's not my real name though. I use to write a blog about my life a long time ago, but I stopped. Lately I decided to start again.

You see, my boyfriend got a new job last November, as a long haul truck driver. And I HATE it. When he decided to apply for this job, he didn't talk to me about it first.. Needless to say, I was pissed.

It took me a while, but I eventually got on board with it. I mean, it's what he wants to do, and I've always promised to support him no matter what. I just wish it wasn't for something taking him away from home.

I've never been much on being alone. Not even as a teenager. I hated being home alone and I still do to this day. So him being gone two weeks to a month...it's hard. It doesn't help that we live a good distance away from any of our family.

Lately, I've been a little depressed about him being gone and I remembered that writing use to help me. So here I am. Ready to write (well type) my heart out. Maybe it'll help again.

So here goes nothing.

#truckerlife #trucker girlfriend #lonely #long-distance #gone #alone #depressed

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hetmusic · 8 years

Photo

A conversation with Strong Asian Mothers

Strong Asian Mothers are a London trio consisting of Kalim Patel, Josh Stadlen and Amer Chadha-Patel and over the past year, their music has been blowing up online, thanks to a mixture of pure energy, creative madness and numerous genres influences. Of course, the HumanHuman community had a head start thanks to The Undscvrd who unearthed this alternative project two years ago following a support slot for past successful discovery Jungle.

The band recently released their debut EP, Lynx Africa, which includes singles “Out Of Love” and “The More That I”, plus newer cut “Stay Down” and “Megabucket” that was resurrected from a previous project. If you like music to move to, then you’re really going to like Strong Asian Mothers.

Would you like to introduce yourself and what you do in the band?

Kalim: I’m Kalim Patel. I sing, I play keyboards and I shake a bit of tambourine.

Josh: I’m Josh and I play drums and that’s about it really! We all produce and songwrite in equal thirds as well, so I’m also a producer and writer.

Amer: I’m Amer, I also play keys and tambourine. I also play samples on the SPD and a cymbal.

K: A single cymbal.

A: Singular! I dance and sing for parts of the songs as well when I’m not playing anything.

Let’s talk about your band name, which is rather brilliant in itself and rememberable to say the least. Tell me, what’s the origin story behind it?

A: So, Khushi [Kalim] and I grew up together and both of our mothers and a lot of our friends’ mothers were part of a group of young, gunslinging, Asian women in London, either divorced or single or slightly left-field of the norm in the 80s and 90s.

J: Independent women.

A: Independent women, yeah! We grew up in a group of wild, free-thinking children with wild, free-thinking Asian mothers. It was a solid matriarchy. When we formed the band we decided to honour that by naming it after them.

K: It was his girlfriend who came up with the name.

A: My Suki came up with it, yeah.

K: From the first moment I heard it, I was like “yep!”

It’s good that she’s finally being credited!

K: She’s been credited in every interview!

A: And they cut it out every time.

That’s about how you two met, but how about all three of you?

J: Kalim and I went to sixth form together. We used to play in a rock band, and we were doing that for about seven years before we cottoned on to the fact that it wasn’t going anywhere. We stuck with it for quite a while, but yeah, when these guys started up Strong Asian Mothers, I wanted in! When we were in our old rock band The Mercers, there was one summer where we were going to do this hip-hop project. We planned to write four or five hip-hop tunes and then - rap! It was going to be a joke, like a parody, but then…

K: That’s how some of the best things begin, as a parody.

A: That’s how this band began, as a parody, we’re not a real band!

J: So then I did a remix of “Fat Bottomed Girls” by Queen, played it to Kush and Amer and they were like, let’s play this in Strong Asian Mothers. Then they asked me to play for them, and that was that!

I can imagine working as a trio involves plenty of compromise, but have there ever been any clashes over what you wanted the band to sound like?

A: [Laughs] every day!

K: That’s part of what makes us who we are, it’s the collaboration.

Yeah, and you said that you each take a third of everything.

J: Well, not always. We don’t always try to make sure that everyone has an equal third in every single song. We all write equally and for any song that is mainly from one of us, there will be another that is mainly from someone else. It all evens out. Yeah, there are clashes, but it’s healthy clashes.

A: I think we made a commitment to be part of a project where everyone is equally represented, so whether someone is a songwriter or someone is a frontman, it’s all irrelevant because every single thing that comes out of this project represents all three of us. It becomes a question of signing everything off as a trio, so even if Kushi writes a whole song, whether we’ve had any influence, we then decide if it’s something that actually represents us in a way that we want it to. I think that makes it better, because we only bring stuff to the table that we feel is appropriate. That comes from knowing these people for like fifteen years and more!

“I think we made a commitment to be part of a project where everyone is equally represented, so whether someone is a songwriter or someone is a frontman, it’s all irrelevant because every single thing that comes out of this project represents all three of us.”— Amer from Strong Asian Mothers

I guess that collaboration is why people might struggle to pin down a genre, because there’s so many different influences.

A: Yeah, definitely! But we love that.

K: Definitely, definitely.

J: All three of us have our own passions, especially music that we’ve grown up with and love. Amer in particular has the most ridiculously vast taste, like metal, which Khush and I don’t really like, but Amer loves it! Whereas I grew up listening to jazz, so I have this perverse jazz side of me that occasionally rears its head. Khush likes Top 40 pop music.

K: Yeah, I like the Now That’s What I Call music hits. Number 24, 97… you know all the legends like Britney, Christina Aguilera, Boyzone.

A: [Constant laughing] yeah, yeah, we’ve all got pretty eclectic tastes.

J: Amer definitely has the most eclectic.

A: It’s not a skill, it’s a flaw. This is not a competition!

What do you guys think about the music industry’s need to label and categorise everything?

K: It’s think it’s sick, man! I love that shit. Actually we did get a good genre description the other day.

A: From The Most Radicalist.

K: Hip-hop alt-pop. It rhymes as well! I think that’s the only genre I’ve ever heard that I’ve been satisfied with.

A: Yeah, we’ve been described before as alternative pop or chill electro...

I think it’s quite far from chill!

A: It’s very far from chill electro! On that subject, I think it’s kind of sad that everything has to be pigeon-holed, but everyone sees that for what it is.

J: I think it’s fine, because ultimately people are listening to the music and the genre that you’re labelled with becomes immediately irrelevant.

A: We usually just make up a new genre for every song.

K: We once told a group of people we met that we played “armchair stack”, which was just a phrase that we had invented. They were like, “we love armchair stack!”

A: Why did we invent that...? Oh yeah, we had loads of amps on an armchair once, so we made up armchair stack.

K: From that day on we lost faith in human nature.

A: What would you call us if you had to describe it?

If I had to… alternative dance-pop. Maybe!

A: Alternative dance-pop, add it to the list guys!

I find it really interesting, because so many bands seem to hate genre labels these days, but it’s good to see that you’re just embracing it and saying “give us whatever you’ve got!”

A: Yeah, we’ve only had one that has summed us up, and the other attempts haven’t quite. I think that’s because we know our sound is kind of all over the place, but in a good way, so nothing can really hurt us. It’s like if someone was like, “they’re goth clash!”, we would just be like, “Er, okay.”

J: I just don’t think it matters! If you feel that strongly about it, then maybe that’s because you have some kind of insecurity about your music being generic.

K: Burned up!

A: Woah, Josh is bringing the fire to the fans!

K: No, no, it’s exactly the thought that went through my mind as well.

J: For example, if we were making music that was quite derivative of Mumford and Sons and people were saying it sounds just like that, then I would be pissed, because I’d be like “oh it’s true, dammit!”

K: Yeah, or if you’re making indie-rock and everyone was only saying indie-rock, then we wouldn’t want to be that. I always find it quite interesting, just any attempts to put any genres on us. It doesn’t really bother me.

J: Also, most importantly, I don’t think it ever affects us and the way that we look at our music.

A: I was going to say, and it’s kind of a cliche, that we literally write most of this stuff for ourselves. That’s literally how it started. At no point we were like, “this is going to be a hit, so we’ve got to go in this direction with it.” It’s hard enough for us three to say it’s done, so by that point, it is whatever it is. There’s loads of tracks that clash with each other, but it works.

“At no point we were like, ‘this is going to be a hit, so we’ve got to go in this direction with it.’”— Amer from Strong Asian Mothers

You’re writing this project for yourselves, but have you been involved in other things before?

K: Oh yeah, well I’ve got a solo project, called Khushi Music.

A: Khushi’s coming back in a big way by the way. I’ve heard the new material, it’s utterly inappropriate for our band, but it’s great for him.

K: And Josh produces...

J: Yeah, I do a little bit of production for other people. I have a solo production project in an embryonic state, that will probably never be played to any other human ears. Other than that, there was The Mercers, that indie-rock band we used to be in. I also used to do session work as a drummer for other artists.

A: I’ve mostly been in wedding bands. I’ve played in like three wedding bands in my life, and they’ve all been amazing! I’m actually a filmmaker, that’s my job. I’ve been doing that forever, that was my career path, but music was always my passion. I’m also an actor, I’ve been in a lot of things, like small bit parts and commercials. Basically, fingers in pies.

K: He’s also a phenomenal DJ! AKA Chocolate Susan.

I haven’t noticed these little nicknames!

K: Yeah, so I’m K9, Khaotic, Kali-P, K-Twizzle.

A: They’re all variations of hip-hop names. Our wannabe hip-hop alter-egos! [Towards Josh] here we have Rogan Josh, Josh Posh Beats, J-Dillaworth.

J: That’s because my middle name is Dillworth.

A: I’m Chocolate Susan, Amer-change-your-life, Amer-millionaire.

K: Do we have to go on with those?

I think I’ve got enough! Strong Asian Mothers has been going for longer than your online presence would suggest, as two years ago, you played with Jungle. How did that come about?

K: I think that was just through our booking agent.

J: That’s decent knowledge by the way!

A: Yeah, on HumanHuman the first post is like two years ago talking about the Jungle gig and they’ve been tracking us since then.

So, what was it like to play with Jungle?

A: Well, we actually played after them.

J: Yeah, they were supporting us, technically.

A: They were amazing and we loved it, but then we had to go on after them which was terrible because they took all their lights away, so we had to go on a really empty stage and play not as famous music. It was really fun though.

Well more recently, we’ve been hearing “The More That I” and “Out Of Love”, but do you have a favourite track from the new EP?

J: “Stay Down” for me, personally.

K: There’s a video for “Stay Down” with a fifty-piece choir in it which we’re really happy with. There’s also a song on the EP called “Megabucket”. [To Josh] so, “Stay Down” is your favourite?

J: I think so, although “Megabucket” has a special place in my heart because it was originally a song that was played in a different band a lifetime ago. I used to play in a jazz hip-hop fusion band.

Did it have a name?

J: Erm, yeah… it had a name. We were called the J H Collective and we had a rapper and horns and it was jazzy.

K: Josh is a recovering jazz addict.

A: Can you say which famous people were in your band?

J: Yeah, we had Michael Kiwanuka playing guitar for us, Mark Crown who now plays trumpet for Rudimental, and rapping we had Jack Hughes and Street Journalist, who is now an actor in the Lion King on the West End. But yeah, “Megabucket” was one of that band’s favourites and it became something much better. It has found it’s home and it’s a beautiful thing to see that track released into the world finally.

A: You were so happy with that. It’s like nine years old that song. I think “Megabucket” is my favourite too.

I would say that my favourite is “The More That I”.

K: Mine too.

Yeah! Well for me it comes down to how the words add to the overall rhythm of the song, they’re snappy. I was wondering, does one of you take the lead with lyrics, or is that a collaborative process?

J: At the moment, most of the vocal content is from Kalim, although we’re all branching into writing vocals and lyrics, but Kalim has the most experience as a singer. [To Kalim] sorry, I’m speaking on your behalf!

K: It’s fine. On that point, it’s a funny thing for us because having being influenced by so much hip-hop, but feeling it might be awkward for us to rap… In “The More That I”, there’s an influence in terms of the importance placed on rhythm in the melody.

A: In “Out Of Love” too. It’s basically secret rapping.

“Out Of Love” is a song that seems to be about a break-up and all the feelings surrounding that. Why do you think that music so often comes back to this idea of falling in love, falling out of it and everything in between?

K: Because in our sheltered Western lives, it’s the most intense thing we will go through.

Woah, that is one quote right there!

A: That’s it, cut it there!

J: Anything you add to that is going to be an anti-climax.

K: True, true. It’s really easy to put down the feelings of love, but it is an intense thing that we all go through as human beings.

A: It’s also a really easy thing to feel comfortable to write about, because you know that people will understand. It’s a human feeling, and that transcends all creed, race, religion. You’re not putting too much on the line by singing about a subject that everyone can experience.

K: I guess it’s also different from a classic break-up song, which are like “oh fuck, my heart’s broken, I miss you.” I guess this is celebrating the other side of break-ups, which can be quite liberating and energizing. It can be a new chapter and a new lease of life if you’ve left a relationship that you felt was no longer right for you. There’s that side of break-ups too, which isn’t that commonly talked about.

To move on to something a little less intense, how on earth did you convince your mums to do the Mothers Interview?

A: Our mums, and this is something we learnt from the interview, they represent us quite easily, a little too well, and that was an embarrassing revelation for me! My mum couldn’t fucking wait. Straight on there, she was like “oh yeah, I’ll do that!”

J: I was absolutely convinced as soon as the idea came up that there was no way I was going to get my mum to do it. Since I’ve known her… [laughs] which is most of my life! She’s always hated having her photograph taken, but as soon as I mentioned it she was really up for it and she ended up being a star! She was amazing.

K: She’s an undercover comic genius!

J: What was the amazing quote? I think it was when the video came out and we shared it on Facebook and my mum saw it, she showed my dad because he doesn’t have Facebook.

A: Then she sent me a private message!

J: Yeah, she sent it to Amer, she didn’t even tell me! She sent Amer a private message saying… [starts laughing] my dad’s called Godfrey by the way, as a prerequisite to this story.

A: Josh’s mum messaged me saying, “Love the video. Thank you so much! Godfrey is tickled pink. You’re brilliant. Shout out to Amer Chadha-Patel and his tight swags.” [all three burst out laughing]

I also really, really loved the debate over plug-ins!

A: That was a last minute thing, so the way we did that is that we interviewed ourselves, transcribed the answers and gave it to our mums to just be us. We only gave them couple of things to talk about, but they ended up getting into an argument anyway!

It was pretty convincing! On that point, how do you think things like plug-ins and digital audio workstations are affecting the sound of current music?

K: In many ways it democratizing it, because otherwise it means you have to wait until you have loads of money behind you to get into a studio.

J: It levels the playing field, doesn’t it? Everyone is now releasing music in the same way.

K: As long as you can afford a laptop, because that’s not everyone, but it’s definitely more than can afford a studio. It also gives people more time to experiment and play around with sounds, because in a studio you have this fixed time where you have to write music mainly in the rehearsal room or on the run. Whereas now, you can construct it bit by bit and experiment. I think it’s an exciting new chapter.

A: It’s also teaching me to respect simple songwriting, because there’s so much on offer that I can kind of freak out with all the plug-ins and we have so many samples. You just have to remember that as long as the chord progression is good, and the lyrics and melody works, then everything else is just filler. You have to start with something good. I was listening to Q-Tip the other day, who I really love, and thinking this is so simple and really good. Or I’ll get in the car and I’ll be listening to J-Dilla with an amazing drum production and a really simple guitar line, and the only thing on top of that is vocals. In comparison to our music, it’s so simple! That is totally achievable with what we have, without any need to go as far as do. Learning to reign it in a bit has been the most valuable lesson for me. I can go fucking mental! And I have done, there’s so much stuff on my computer that’s just not for anybody. It’s basically the ramblings of a madman who likes metal and hip-hop.

J: As a production-based trio, it can be overwhelming and you can become obsessed with becoming a really technically accomplished producer and learning all the ins and outs of your DAW. You can get really hung up on that and it can become really problematic, because you stop focussing on what’s really important and start trying to sound like Flume and produce like Hudson Mohawke. I was recently reminded by a friend that the most important thing is to have really strong core content. The source material that you’re working from, whether that’s a really strong sample or chord progression or melody or vocal idea, that’s the most important thing and everything after that is filler.

A: On the flipside, and as the least technically adept musician in this band, I have an instinct for music and I really like it and I can write chords, but I’m not the best musician, but I’ve been able to get very, very far with DAWs. I’ve been able to achieve stuff with my computer that is remarkable for someone who can’t actually play music very well.

K: That’s a good point, because it’s also enabled me to do things I couldn’t have, because I’m not a technically advanced musician either. There’s a long-running condition in popular music of not technically advanced musicians just doing their thing, but it gives them their own style.

A: Like Michael Jackson.

K: Well, not really, he was a very technically advanced singer.

A: But he couldn’t really play any instruments, but he would write whole songs in his head. Imagine what he would have done if he had Logic!

I think it was really interesting that you’ve all said you have to find a balance between technicalities and sticking to your original goal. Referring back to the Mothers’ Interview, Amer’s mum outlines your aim as “to form a band where you could play at a party with relative ease and people would dance regardless of knowing it”.

A: You’re quoting my mum!

K: That’s the genre label we want, dance regardless.

Has that goal been achieved?

K: We’re on the way to achieving it.

A: No, I think we achieved it. I think we achieved it very early on, and we’re on changing our tune a bit. This band started with a few hip-hop beats Khush had written and a few instrumentals from me that we thought would be good to put on a backing track and then we could just take some top-line melodies and a couple of keyboards to play live. At that point, the sole aim was to make music for parties. We had no idea what we were, we would just dance along! That was the essence of dance regardless. Since then we’ve grown exponentially as actual songwriters.

J: I don’t think that’s our sole ambition anymore, to turn up at a venue and make people dance.

So, you’ve gone past the initial goal now?

J: Well, I think we’ve just adjusted what we want. That’s still definitely an important angle, we don’t want to turn up to gigs and play music that doesn’t move people in a physical way. I don’t think we’ll ever write any kind of music that doesn’t achieve that, but our aim includes other things now too.

A: That will always be an element of our songwriting, for the foreseeable future. We’re not likely to go in and write an acoustic song. Well, we might do at some point, but we’ll know if it’s right or wrong for the project, because we might not be defined by the idea behind the band which is to play boisterous party music.

For my last question, where can people go dance along to your music next?

A: We’re doing Secret Garden Party on the 22nd of July. Also Bestival, Cirque Du Soul, El Dorado Festival.

K: Anyone who lives in Beirut, we might be playing there too.

https://humanhuman.com/articles/interview-strong-asian-mothers

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