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cosmiclove-heavenstruck · 4 months ago

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rating each era at the eras tour cause i'm bored as fuck let's gooo

LOVER

song choice(s) ★★★★☆

outfits ★★★★☆

performance/dance ★★★★☆

visuals ★★★★☆

→ song-wise i'm missing some of the fan-favourites in the lover set, but it does work super well when performing. the outfits are almost perfect, i'd give 5 stars if every jacket looked more like the black and gold striped one. the opening performance is crazy good. i'm torn on visuals because the ones in the very beginning/during cruel summer aren't my favourite but the lover house makes sense and its super summery.

FEARLESS

song choice(s) ★★★★★

outfits ★★☆☆☆

performance/dance ★★★★☆

visuals ★★★★★

→ the song choices are perfect, they capture the era the best even though it's the three most popular. but they just work perfectly. some of the dresses are super cute, but i have to take points off for the noodle and the tiger stripes dresses because these are just not it for me. performances are super cute, i love when her whole band comes out. the gold sparkles and the guitar on the stage are also perfect.

RED

song choice(s) ★★☆☆☆

outfits ★★☆☆☆

performance/dance ★★★☆☆

visuals ★☆☆☆☆

→ i love red but it's one of the weakest sets in my opinion. first of all, where are the classic songs like red or state of grace? i like the 22 performance, wanegbt is fun to scream but i could've done without i knew you were trouble and instead have the title song on the set list. all ten well could be shorter, or at least let the outro go into the speak now intro. the 22 shirt is cool as a callback and a fun costume; the bodysuit and the coat are fine. now for visuals... why do we start with balloons instead of red autumn leaves?? it makes more sense for 22 but come on! the snow during all ten well is nice though, otherwise the set is just.... well, red.

SPEAK NOW

song choice(s) ★★☆☆☆

outfits ★★★★☆

performance/dance ★★★☆☆

visuals ★★☆☆☆

→ look. i like enchanted as much as the next person but where is long live? it should've been a permanent song, i'd even make long live the standard song and make enchanted the intro. the ball gowns are mostly perfect, i have some i personally don't like but if i were taylor, i'd want to go through as many princess dresses as possible. the dancers are cute. visuals... eh, i'm not a fan. the flowers look a bit cheap.

REPUTATION

song choice(s) ★★★★★

outfits ★★★☆☆

performance/dance ★★★★☆

visuals ★★★★★

→ the song choices are on point, i think the whole stadium freaks out everytime ...ready for it? starts playing. and hey! look, a new bodysuit has slithered out! the microphone is ironically still a red snake. i like the bodysuits, they match the vibes. the performances are cool, especially with all the old taylors in the boxes. these are some of the best visuals – i mean the snake and the heels and the beat? amazing!

FOLKMORE

song choice(s) ★★★★☆

outfits ★★★★☆

performance/dance ★★★★★

visuals ★★★★★

→ maybe i am a bit biased here but this is clearly my favourite set. they really worked with the potential and i love the folklore cabin and the evermore piano. song-wise i am mourning the one, tolerate it and tis the damn season, but i love the august/illicit affairs mashup. i feel like she included illicit affairs for me personally AND i wish other sets also worked with mashups. the folkmore dresses are amazing, especially the old ones. i'm not a fan of the bright colours, they don't fit the whimsical aesthetic i think, and also rip to the beautiful bronze evermore dress. the tolerate it performance was superior, but i also love the witch dance for willow and the fan interactions.

1989

song choice(s) ★★★★☆

outfits ★★★★☆

performance/dance ★★★★★

visuals ★★★★☆

→ i know a lot of people were disappointed about the song choices at first here, but i gotta say the whole stadium is up and dancing whenever 1989 starts. this only loses a point for bad blood because i do not like that and i think the fire/pyro show ruins the otherwise great visuals. i mean, the rest of the world was black and white, but we were in screaming colour??? i prefer the new outfit sets to the old ones, though i don't like some colour combos (warm and cool parts work best together here).

THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT

song choice(s) ★★★★☆

outfits ★★★★☆

performance/dance ★★★★☆

visuals ★★★★☆

→ i'm gonna say it, down bad has some of the best visuals on this tour and should be played fully! the other visuals are obviously a callback to the music video which i like, i think they've done a great job at matching it to the songs – but the icdiwabh visuals are the most stunnning. i saw the first second of those on a livestream and just knew. outfits are cute, i only really dislike the font on that dress. the performances for icdiwabh, down bad and tsmwel are my favourite i think.

SURPRISE SET

outfits ★★★★☆

performance ★★★★★

visuals ★★★★☆

→ the surprise song dresses keep getting better and better! i prefer the bright coloured ones and i think it's so cool to see how they've adjusted the dresses for taylor to fit more easily (like the sleeves). i could watch just taylor and her little instruments for three hours. she's so fun and the surprise element sure adds to that. i gotta give a shoutout to the piano decorations – so cute! and the transition with the waves into midnights stays so so cool. (notice how her dresses make her look more and more like a fish, i fear she's changing into one the more she jumps)

MIDNIGHTS

song choice(s) ★★★★☆

outfits ★★★☆☆

performance/dance ★★★★★

visuals ★★★★★

→ the perfect ending to the show. i'm only missing yoyok but looking at the pop synth dance performance we got going on, it just doesn't really fit and would take out the speed. i'm torn on the outfits. the t-shirt dresses are cute, but the more they add the more confused i get. also where's the og bodysuit? the cutout/sixpack one looks really weird. performance wise i'm just gonna cite lunch and say you need a seat i'll volunteer. the visuals are super cool, i love the monster-taylor destroying the city and the lavender haze clouds.

OVERALL

song choice(s) 3,4 ★

outfits 3,1 ★

performance/dance 3,8 ★

visuals 3,5 ★

→ red really drags this down but other sets are almost perfect for that so yeah. i feel like outfit and visual wise other people would rate them higher. but apart from the critics i truly love the show and how they've put it off. let's hope for at least a combined yeehaw-high-school set once debut tv comes out – taylor would just have to add a little cowboy head to her outfit!

#this was just for funsies #taylor swift #the eras tour #ranking #do one as well if you like

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jonnysinsectcatalogue · 3 years ago

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Cicindelinae Twelve-Spotted Tiger Beetle - Cicindela duodecimguttata

Happy Lunar New Year! It’s not often this blog celebrates an occasion like this (usually it’s just the change of seasons or other specific days), but if the days align, I’m happy to make this a habit. As we enter the year of the Tiger, this week there will be 2 posts based on the namesake of this new year! And so, today we return to an insect that best exemplifies a tiger’s ferocity, hunting prowess and fearlessness: a mighty Tiger Beetle! While they lack the tiger’s stripes (and a thick fur coat) they more than earn their name from their predatory habits of spotting prey with their huge eyes, chasing it down with alarming sprint speed and then slicing it up with their sharp, sickle-shaped mandibles! They are both quick in the air and on the ground making photography difficult, but not impossible. It’s quite simply remarkable! Not merely because of their speed, but also since the run undeterred by difficult terrain such as the gravely road shown in some of these pictures. It may only be in short bursts, but that dash is more than enough to corner and catch an unsuspecting insect in much the same way a tiger would lunge after a large mammal! Well, within reason: there is a difference between active hunting vs. ambush hunting, and Ground Beetles aren’t much for ambushing.

With terrain in consideration, I do remember that the Beetles pictured here tend to use their sprinting ability more on the wooden bridge, while those on the pebbled sections of the gravel road preferred flying away from the camera. Seems these hardy joggers are also aware of the problems terrain can bring to the hunt. Not only are these insects carnivorous as adults, they have a vicious streak in their larval stages as well. Given that their metamorphosis to maturity can take 2 years, that’s a whole lots of insects to eat. If you find yourself digging in Tiger Beetle territory, you may find their grubs. While tough to identify with specificity, the grubs of Cicindelinae (the subfamily) are easy to know for sure as they have large heads relative to body size and a hooked “humpback” 5th segment on their body with they use to anchor themselves in soil or (possibly) to snatch up insects. The larvae spend their lives underground, only venturing to the surface if they need to relocate from their deep burrow. In a few years, they can successfully hunt and pupate their way into adulthood, rewarding them with longer teeth, a hard shell and swift wings! Pay close attention to those lustrous shells, as those will give you your first clues as to what Beetle you’ve found!

Pictures were taken on September 11, 2021 near Kleinburg village with a Google Pixel 4. Coming on Friday, another insect with aspects of the tiger in honor of this new year! What could it be?

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blackypanther9 · 3 years ago

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Part 64 - Another Dimension…

The metal footsteps were accompanied with some words. But it sounded like gibberish… Not really a language. Soon there appeared a little group of 5 people, dressed in armor only.

“What are these ?”, Loki asked you in a whispering tone.

“I am not sure… Give me a second…”, you whispered back, trying to remember.

What ? How else do you think you stayed sane by all these Dimensions, Universes, Timelines and other Existences, all these damn years ?

“What do you mean ? Don’t you know them ?”

“Loki…I have other problems. Like…not going insane by all the different Existences and Timelines, that I have to take care of. My brain is deleting or hiding these memories and I will only get them back when I am in the said Dimension. Now give it a damn minute, okay ?”, you whisper – huffed out annoyed.

“Sorry… But that sounds pretty brutal…”

“A small price to keep your Sanity…”

The dressed people were blue, had yellow glowing eyes and a bit of yellow here and there on their armor. Their face was shadowed in utter darkness and not to see. Their helmets had almost the same horns as the Einherjar’s helmets had.

Then it came back like a flash. You smirked and turned to Loki fully.

“I know where we are. This is, in the normal world, aka. your Dimension, in Midgard a Video Game called ‘Mini Ninjas’.”

“So we are in a Game ?”

“No. This one is real. I said in your Dimension on Midgard it would be a Game. But we are INSIDE this Dimension and for that it is more real than you think. This one has a long history and we are still on war against the Ninja… This one is not a child friendly one.”

“Child friendly ?”

“They made that Video Game for little kids and for that very harmless. No blood, no gore, nothing.”

“Oh.”

“Yup.”

“And here it is different ?”

“Pretty much.”, you said, shrugging your shoulders.

You then threw a rock at a tree opposite you and one of them yelled something gibberishly and ran there, alarming the others and they also ran over.

"Who is the bigger one ?"

"That is the leader of the group. He is a Captain."

"Oh...So the highest rang ?"

"No. The highest rang would be the Master, who is the "Evil" Samurai Warrior. And his right hand is the General."

"Who is the General ?"

You were very silent at that.

"Me.", you then said.

Loki stared at you in shock.

"Then why are we still up here ?"

"Just give it a minute, will you ?", you hissed.

Soon they returned to marching up the way.

You climbed down with Loki after that and stood behind them.

“I am not making us known, because you are a Human here. No Magic, nothing. They just react to their own kind and hate Humans. Get it ?”

“Why though ?”

“Because, in this Existence, these Samurai are nothing, but animals, that got made stronger.”

“How…?”

“The Samurai Warrior has Magic, called the Kugi Magic. It is very old Magic. And used wrongly the whole world gets into chaos. Too many Humans killed our kinds just for the fur or something else. My kind is gone… I am the last one of them here. A Tiger, with black fur and white stripes. They killed my family just for the fur… I am the only survivor. Many of us suffered the same, just not being threatened to be extinguished. Still…we were desperate and helpless. And then HE came and gave us a stronger body. But after a few hits…we transform back to what we were before. Just animals. We try to avoid it.”

Loki stared at you.

“That is deep…”, Loki said.

“I know. But that is why we hate Humans.”

“Wow…”

You only nodded but then froze. Loki looked at you worried.

“What is it ?”, he asked.

“Turn around.”, you said.

Loki turned around and now saw the same thing you saw. The Samurai spotted you and stalked closer to you.

“Well shit…”, you cursed.

“Shall we run ?”

“Nope.”

You were suddenly engulfed in light and then were a black Samurai, with yellow glowing eyes and yellow parts on your black armor.

(I know not the best, but hey !)

You were a bit bigger than the Captain and as the Samurai saw you in your Samurai form, they stopped and stared.

“General ?”, the Captain and the other 4 little Samurai asked.

Loki just heard gibberish, you didn’t. You understood them.

“What is it, Captain ?”, you taunted.

“Who is that Human ?”, one of the smaller ones asked and pointed at Loki.

“That is Loki. He is not from this Dimension. We need to talk to the Samurai Warrior. We search something and maybe he can help us.”

“Are you sure he is safe ?”, the next from the smaller ones asked in distrust.

You looked at the second little Samurai.

“I am sure. He hates hunting and killing animals. Since he was a kid he hated it.”

“And he wasn’t lying ?”, the third asked.

“He wasn’t. I know when he lies. I am friends with him since we were children in his Dimension.”

“I guess we should trust him. The General never lied before. He is clean.”, the forth said.

“I agree.”, the Captain said.

Soon the other three also agreed. You turned to Loki.

“What have you talked about ?”, he asked.

You transformed back and looked at him.

“They trust you, doesn’t mean that you can do whatever you want. We will go to the Samurai Warrior. It will be a long journey, so buckle up.”

“How long will the journey be ?”, he asked.

“Long. We are halfway through, but we will need a few more days to be there.”

Loki gulped.

“That is a bit long, don’t you think ?”

“In your world just passed 1 minute…”, you deadpanned.

He stared.

“Wait, WHAT ?!”

“Time works differently everywhere.”, you said shrugging your shoulders.

“That is all you can say to that ?!”, Loki screamed in shock.

“What else do you expect of me, Loki ? I work with all of this for many, many, many Millennia.” , you said bored.

Loki stared at you in utter shock.

“I am not disturbed anymore…”, you said and then went to the team of 5 Samurai.

Loki was rooted to place and stared at the trees in utter shock. How many years did you have this burden already ?

That was the only question Loki had in his head. How long are you burdened with this already ?

“You coming, Loki ?”, you called.

As Loki turned around he saw that the group of 5 and you were already leaving. Loki fastly ran next to you.

“Are they accompanying us ?”, he asked you.

“Yes they are. It is their responsibility to get us there, safely.”

“You sure they won’t kill me ?”, Loki asked you scared.

One of the little Samurai turned around and gibberishly said something to Loki. It sounded angered.

As it was done, Loki looked to you.

“What did they say ?”

“If you don’t shut up and accuse them of bad things, he will gladly kill you.”, you answered him.

Loki stared at the little Samurai.

“I am sorry, if I angered you with my words.”, Loki said.

Again gibberish.

“Whatever, dumbass.”, you said, chuckling.

Loki stared at you in shock and then at the little Samurai that turned back around and marched with the rest again.

“Harsh. Little, but very mean…”, Loki whispered into your ear.

You laughed.

“Typical little Samurai. They always have a big mouth and are pretty fearless, while the Captain is a scared – y cat. As soon as he has just one of his group left he is already running away from the enemy and screams for help like a little girl.”, you said laughing.

Loki looks at you and then at the Captain that looked down in shame for a minute.

“Why was he created like that ?”

“It wasn’t supposed to be, but something went wrong and the Samurai Warrior can’t fix it anymore.”, you explained, shrugging your shoulders.

Part 65

Masterlist with all Chapters of this Story click here !

#Marvel #Thor #Loki Odinson #Loki Laufeyson #Loki x Reader

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nitewrighter · 5 years ago

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Gency Week Day 5: Aurora

Me, making yet another Baihu/Valkyrie AU that has absolutely nothing to do with that smut I wrote 2 years ago: I just think they’re neat.

Skyrim-ish Fantasy AU where Mercy and Genji might as well be airbrushed on the side of a van.

With special guest appearances by Rime Sigma and Rime Sombra.

----

The Valkyrie held her heavy-bladed staff aloft, its blades spiraling around a small sphere of yellowish light illuminating her path through the ice caves. Only the most fearless of adventurers made it this far into the mountains of Thornspire, and only the madmen ventured this far into their caves. Her eyes flicked around warily at the flickering lights against the icy walls of the tunnels. It was deathly cold, and she had her large wheat-and-ivory colored wings folded about herself as a feathery cloak for warmth. She heard some pebbles scatter around a corner of the ice tunnel and her breath caught in her throat. She dimmed the light on the end of her staff with a whisper and did her best to make her footsteps as silent as possible. Distorted by a pane of thick ice, she made out a dark quadrupedal shape. Her body tensed, but she edged forward, rolling her grip on her staff. she saw the dark shape round the corner and she moved to raise her staff defensively, but glowing ice blue eyes caught her in their sharp sights and the great creature pounced with a rumbling snarl in its throat. It apparently caught sight of her weapon as its great paw pads made contact against the handle of her staff, shoving it against herself as she tumbled backward with its great weight and momentum. Mercy grunted as her back hit the ground, and her eyes opened to see a silver and black striped face and great white fangs inches from her nose. A tiger, far larger than any natural tiger had any right to be, rumbled over her, its massive paws pinning her to the floor of the tunnel.

Her breath fogged out of her with alarm before she furrowed her brow at the tiger.

“Don’t scare me like that!” she scolded and the tiger pulled its paws off of her staff, rearing back onto its haunches at her voice, “I thought you were an owlbear!”

“I thought you were a draugr,” said the tiger as whorls of icy blue light spiraled around it, coiling tight and shrinking its form until they disappeared in a flurry of blue-white sparkles, revealing a scarred man in fur-lined silver armor straddling her.

“A draugr!?” Mercy said, insulted, as she sat up, “You’re a tiger! You can see in the dark!”

“Your wings were folded in! It was instinct! And for the record, splitting up at that last fork in the tunnel was your idea,” said Genji, folding his arms. Mercy cleared her throat and Genji realized he was still straddling her. “Oh--um,” he stood up and held a hand up to her, helping her to her feet.

“Well, at least we know the fork just rejoins,” she said, looking down the tunnel.

He looked at her, “I don’t like the smell of this place,” he said quietly, “Are you sure the amulet of auroras is in here?”

“The strix said it would be in the deepest cave on the highest peak. I’m pretty sure this is the right cave,” said Mercy, flicking a magelight back onto the end of her staff, “What do you smell?”

Genji sniffed the air suspiciously, his pupils slitted with shrewdness. “I... I don’t know,” he said quietly, “But I don’t like it.”

“Maybe you’ve been here before!” said Mercy, shouldering her illuminated staff and continuing down the tunnel.

“Maybe...” said Genji, walking after her with one hand on the hilt of his sword.

“Are you all right?” she glanced back at him.

“I’m fine,” he said a bit stiffly.

“Genji,” her shoulders slumped with concern.

“It’s just--we’ve been adventuring for a few months, right? We work good together, right?”

“A skilled swordsman who also happens to be a giant tiger is pretty handy to have on your side in a fight,” said Mercy with a slight smile.

“I like who I am with you--I mean, who I am now! Is it that necessary to find out who I was before that?” said Genji.

“You were nearly dead when I found you. For all we know you could still be in danger from whatever put you in that state,” said Mercy, “And it could be a whole new adventure! What if you have family worrying about you right now?”

“You want to meet my family?” said Genji, tilting his head. Mercy reddened and her shoulders bunched up slightly as she pivoted on her heel to face him.

“You should want to meet your family,” said Mercy, playfully poking two fingers against the visor of his helmet.

“Tigers are solitary,” said Genji, putting his other hand on his hip.

“Right, you just keep me around because you want to eat me,” said Mercy with a smirk, continuing down the tunnel.

“Don’t tempt me,” said Genji, walking after her with a grin and a slight rumble in his throat.

“You’ll have a lot of plucking to do,” said Mercy, readjusting her wings on her shoulders.

“And you’re probably gamey anyways,” said Genji, strolling up next to her, she snorted and elbowed him but her snickers quickly faded away as the tunnel opened up from a narrow pathway of ice into a massive stone corridor with buttresses intricately carved into the likenesses of dragons, tigers, eagles, and wolves.

“...looks like we’re in the right cave...” said Mercy, brightening the magelight on her staff to get a better look at the corridor. There were empty sconces on the buttresses and a great empty brazier midway through the grand hall, but Mercy seemed more interested in the frescoes on the wall, leaning her magelight closer and squinting at them. There were lines of ancient writing long forgotten hewn into the stone, but being unable to read them, Mercy just squinted at the carvings, depicting four figures.

“Eagle, Wolf, Dragon, Tiger,” said Mercy, she looked back at Genji, “Tiger!” she said, pointing to the tiger carving while grinning at him.

Genji looked at her a little helplessly.

“This doesn’t... make you remember anything?” said Mercy, still pointing at the carving, “Nothing at all?”

Genji shook his head.

Mercy sighed, “I suppose it’s probably just coincidence, then...” she murmured.

“It’s probably more like what you said when we met. I’m just a druid,” said Genji, “Lots of druids probably take the shape of tigers. They’re strong. It’s practical.”

“None of the druids I know,” said Mercy, walking on.

“...oh,” said Genji. He squinted at the tiger carving in the light fading with Mercy’s distance. “You know, this might not even be a tiger. There are wildcats everywhere, it’s not necessarily--” He absentmindedly touched the tiger carving and flinched back as it took on the same ice-blue glow as his eyes, “Um... Valkyrie?”

Mercy turned around and gasped as the entire frescoe set itself ablaze in a blue glow.

“I thought you said you couldn’t remember any spells!” said Mercy as the blue light flared along all of the frescoes’ outlines.

“I don’t!” said Genji as the light bounced from the wall to one of the sconces on the buttresses, then sprang like a fish from sconce to sconce, lighting up the entire corridor in a ghostly blue light.

“Genji, you’ve definitely been in this place before,” said Mercy.

“We don’t know that for sure!” said Genji on reflex.

The little blue blaze bounced from the last sconce in a high arc and hit the brazier at the center of the room, blazing into a great blue fire. The great fire in the brazier spiraled and curved like those same silvery lights around Genji when he shifted from tiger to man.

“Get behind me,” Genji spoke on reflex, stepping in front of mercy.

“Tiger of the West Wind! Light-footed Dancer! The hunter in the snow! Our brother has finally returned!” a mischievous voice bounced off the walls of the corridor before the flames in the brazier spun themselves into the shape of a blue-skinned white haired woman donning clothes spiked like icicles, her arms thrown up into the air with grandeur. She opened her eyes and gave an unimpressed look to Mercy, “...and his guest, I guess,” she said with a shrug and an obligatory gesture at Mercy.

“...Brother?” said Genji, helplessly.

Mercy gave him a ‘Are you kidding me’ look and Genji immediately regretted saying ‘We don’t know that for sure.’

“Man, the Eastern wind really did a number on you, didn’t he?” said the blue-skinned woman, hopping down from the brazier, “I guess that’s the only way one of us would be caught dead hanging around with an einherjar groupie, huh?”

“An einherjar what?!” Mercy’s feathers fluffed out with fury.

“The Valkyrie is my companion,” said Genji, “She rescued me. I would ask that she be treated with the same respect you’re showing me.”

“We’re winds, we don’t show respect. We blow on kings and paupers alike,” said the blue-skinned woman with a shrug.

“’We?’” Genji repeated, “I’m a wind?”

“I just said you’re the West Wind! What kind of brother are you!?” said the blue-skinned woman. She studied Genji’s face. Genji looked blankly back at her. “You don’t remember me? At all?! Dragon of the South Wind? Bringer of the Autumn frost? Tree shaker? Ship-breaker?!”

“I--Um... You seem very memorable?” said Genji.

“Ugh,” the South Wind slumped her shoulders with exasperation, “Maybe the North Wind will know what to do with you,” she said before snapping her fingers.

“Wait--” Genji and Mercy started at the same time but suddenly they were caught up in a great spiraling flurry of silvery snowflakes until they found themselves in a vast and bleak icy throne room. Seated upon a throne of glassy black ice was a broad-shouldered man with shoulder-length white hair, pale blue-gray skin, a hawkish nose, and those same ice-blue eyes as Genji. Around his neck, a bright amulet glowed in green and blue and pink.

“...the amulet,” Mercy whispered to Genji, and Genji could only dumbly nod.

“North Wind!” the South Wind threw up her arms, “Bone-chiller! Swift-flier! Our brother has returned!”

“Brother,” said the man on the throne, “It’s been too long.” He gave a cold glance at Mercy standing next to him. “And who is this?”

“I am the Valkyrie Mercy,” said Mercy stepping forward, “Genji and I have been trav--”

“Genji?” said the North Wind, looking around, “Who is Genji?”

“...I’m Genji,” said Genji, “Well, that’s what I call myself.”

“A name?” the South Wind snorted and burst out laughing, “You gave yourself a name!?”

“Am I... not supposed to have one?” said Genji.

”Winds have no need of such things,” said the North Wind, with a scoff, “Then again, you always were difficult. Even now you seek to bring your paramours into halls forbidden to them. ”

“Para--” Genji started and then gave a glance back to Mercy.

“Oh--we’re not---” Mercy started, reddening.

“Could be worse,” said the South Wind, who had apparently made her way behind Mercy and was now unfolding one of her wings, “Could be a garden-variety mortal.”

Mercy yanked her wing out of the South Wind’s grip and the South Wind put her hands up in a playful ‘I didn’t do anything’ gesture before nimbly bounding to the side of the North Wind’s throne.

“I meant no offense,” said Genji, “As we were saying the Valkyrie rescued me when I was severely injured and near death, but... when she healed me I had no memory of who I was before. Legend says the Amulet of Auroras could restore people and things to states once lost. We came here in the hopes that it might restore my memory.”

The South Wind snorted incredulously. “The amulet can only work its magic once every thousand years! You think we’d use that kind of magic just because you and East had another little squabble? You fight all the time!”

“So it was the East Wind that did this to me,” said Genji, looking down.

“Where is the East Wind?” said Mercy, looking around.

“You will teach your guest to hold her tongue--” The North Wind started.

“She is my companion,” said Genji, “And I would ask that myself. Where is the East Wind?”

“Out,” said the South Wind with a shrug.

“Out... where?” said Genji.

“Where he pleases,” said the North Wind, examining his claws that glittered with that same black ice as his throne, “As is his nature.”

“Well, perhaps he can be called here?” said Mercy.

“No one summons the winds,” said the North Wind.

“Did you not seek me out when he returned and I did not?” said Genji.

“No,” said the North Wind.

“Did the East Wind face any punishment for the harm he inflicted?” said Mercy.

“Why punish what is well within our nature?” said the South Wind.

“Your fights are your business,” said the North Wind, apparently bored.

“...you didn’t know where I was, you were in possession of something that could help me, but you didn’t look for me?” said Genji.

“You’re a Wind,” said the North Wind with a toss of his hand, “You didn’t need my help. You found your way back.”

“I was scared and lost and lonely for months!” said Genji.

“Because you were among mortals,” said the North Wind, “You contracted their mannerisms like a disease. Fear, loss, loneliness,” he gave a derisive glance to Mercy, “Attachment. Even now your line of questions is inane.”

“You didn’t understand how above them you were,” said the South Wind with a shrug, “How above them we are.”

“How are you above them?!” said Mercy.

“We’re the winds,” said the South Wind with a laugh, as if Mercy was speaking nonsense, “We have power they can only dream of.”

“Power does not speak to worthiness,” said Mercy, her grip tightening on her staff.

“You will not speak with such insolence as long as you are a guest in these halls,” said the North Wind.

“Valkyries,” said the South Wind pityingly, “Always getting so worked up and weepy over mortals. ‘Worthiness’ is a term those same mortals invented to cope with their own weakness.”

“You know nothing of worthiness! Mortals are good and kind to each other because they have so little power! Because it’s all they can do in their power to try and make things easier for each other! That is not weakness!”

“Silence your guest,” said the North Wind, looking to Genji.

“She speaks the truth,” said Genji, “Besides, I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”

Mercy huffed and rolled her eyes.

“Then apparently East’s lesson didn’t sink in,” said the South Wind, needle-like fangs growing in her mouth.

“Genji--” Mercy said his name in warning.

“Winds don’t have names!” said the South Wind, silver-blue light spiraling around her and concealing her form.

She’s transforming, Mercy realized, Like Genji.

The mass of spiraling light suddenly lunged at them and Mercy stepped in front of Genji and caught the newly-transformed Wyvern’s teeth on the handle of her staff before the South Wind could bite into her.

“Genji, just get the amulet!” said Mercy, smacking the Wyvern’s head a side with a hard swing of her staff.

Genji gave her a single nod and drew his sword, charging toward the throne, only to be knocked back by a massive chunk of ice, his sword clattering to the side of him.

“Well you may have forgotten us, but you haven’t forgotten your impertinence,” said the North Wind, pushing up off of his throne.

Genji pushed up from the floor and took the form of a tiger, charging the North Wind again, this time nimbly dodging the hunks of ice being thrown at him and springing with fangs bared. The North Wind caught his teeth on his black vambraces and furrowed his brow at him, before casting Genji off and taking the form of an eagle, sweeping up and out of his reach.

“Valkyrie!” he called to Mercy. Mercy was parrying the fangs of the South Wind with her staff, but she managed to look at him, “Switch?!”

Mercy’s eyes flicked up to the eagle flying overhead and she gave Genji a nod before Genji sprang onto the South Wind’s back, slashing at her wings as she struck at him like a snake with her long neck.

Mercy’s wings kicked a puff of diamond dust up off the floor as she sprang up into flight towards the great white-plumed eagle with glowing ice-blue eyes. The eagle screeched and dove for her, talons outstretched, but she narrowly dipped out of the way. She blocked his talons and razor sharp beak with short motions of her sword. She looked at the glowing amulet around the eagle’s neck, and her brow furrowed. She fastened her staff at her back and drew her sword. He dove for her and clawed for her but she swept out of his grasp every time. She was honestly a little surprised at how easy it was for her to anticipate his moves.

Winds can’t be summoned or commanded, she realized as she swept in close to the eagle and a fierce little grin lit up her lips as she darted up past him, But anyone whose spent their whole life flying knows how to change with them.

She turned sharply in mid-air and slashed hard at the eagle’s back with her sword. The North Wind let out an earsplitting screech that had the high howl of the wind across the sea and twisted in mid air. Mercy seized the amulet with her free hand and cut it loose with her sword. The Eagle screeched again with a fury and beat her hard with its wings before clawing its talons across her forearm as she dealt a retaliating slash across its breast feathers. The wound did not bleed but glowed with that same icy blue as Mercy tore herself away from the Eagle. The North Wind screeched a final time before it lowered itself to the ground, silver light spiraling around him as he retook the form of a man, slumped over on one knee, panting hard.

“Genji!” Mercy called and Genji glanced up from the South Wind to see Mercy holding the amulet over her head.

The Tiger and Wyvern were twisted around each other, both covered in bites and claw marks from each other, but finally the tiger had her pinned to the ground, his claws at her long neck, and from the floor, the South Wind saw the North Wind brought to his knees. “Yield,” snarled Genji.

“All right, all right, I yield,” said the South Wind, putting her hands up, “Not even the amulet’s worth getting knocked in the head and ending up as dumb as you.”

“Genji, catch,” said Mercy, tossing the amulet over to him. He caught it and turned it over in his hand. It seemed so large and glittering around the North Wind’s neck, but in his own hand it seemed hardly bigger than a large coin, but Genji could see the greens and pinks rippling through the dark, round stone. He worked to re-tie the cord Mercy had cut.

The Valkyrie held a hand out to the North Wind, moving to help him to his feet. “I apologize,” she said, “But... perhaps once he has his memories, we can all better understand each other.’’

“I will say we have underestimated you, Valkyrie,” said the North Wind, tracing a hand over the slash wound at his front and sealing it with a line of ice, “But no boon is taken from the wind without cost.”

“What?” Mercy started but she looked at the hand she had extended to the north wind. Her fingers were turning blue from the tips as white frost feathered out from her arm. She stood up and found with a horror that she couldn’t bend her arm. “No--” she looked at the three slash marks the North Wind had made on her forearm and saw the red of her blood was black and glittering as blue spread out from the injury. Instinctively she brought her hand up to try and feel at the now completely numbed wound, but she saw with horror that blue was spreading from the fingertips of her other hand. She staggered back, feeling the cold freeze her shoulder solid, the frost spiraling over the steel of her breastplate, her legs numbed in place and her feet now frozen in place to the floor.

“Valkyrie!” Genji looked up from the amulet and rushed over to her.

“Genj--” she started, but the ice swept over her neck and her voice froze in her throat. Her lips were parted as they turned blue. Genji put his hands on her shoulders as her hair turned white and stiff, frozen solid. Her eyes were frozen open, staring back at him in fear and confusion. Her wings were curving around her protectively, each feather perfectly cast in ice.

“No...” Genji’s voice was hushed as he moved to touch her face but flinched back as a loose strand of hair broke away brittlely at his touch.

“In fairness,” said the South Wind, strolling up next to him, “I did mention the North Wind was also called ‘Bone-Chiller.’”

“Change her back,” said Genji, looking over to the North Wind.

“I cannot,” said the North Wind.

“Asking the North Wind to un-freeze something?” said the South Wind, “Man, you really don’t remember anything, do you? Ah well,” she swung an arm around Genji, “On the bright side, you probably won’t even care about all this once you put the amulet on.”

Genji suddenly perked up. “It restores lost states...” he said quietly. He quickly tied off the cord of the amulet.

“Yep! Gotta say, I’m looking forward to you not being all... ‘Oh Valkyrie’ this and ‘Human lives have worth’ that,” said the South Wind, “And once you see the East Wind again--”

Genji looped the chord of the amulet over Mercy’s head.

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?” The South Wind blurted out.

Genji gave a somewhat confused look at the South Wind, then he realized that it simply didn’t occur to her that he might use the amulet for anyone other than himself.

“...I’d rather have her in my life than end up like you,” said Genji, looking between the North and South winds. Both the North Wind and the South Wind looked at him with complete perplexity. Pink and green lights bloomed out from the amulet and Genji took a step back as the lights rippled and flickered around Mercy, her braid thawing out and rippling as if she was underwater. The color returned to her cheeks and nose and lips, and her eyes rolled back in her head and her lids closed heavily as she swayed and sank to the floor. He caught her before she could collapse completely.

“Valkyrie...” he spoke to her gently.

“Mm,” she grunted sleepily and he exhaled with some relief.

He looped the amulet back over her head and tossed it across the floor to the North Wind. “It should be good in a thousand years.” He looked up from Mercy to the North and South Wind, “It’s... probably best if we leave.”

“You have no concept of what you’ve wasted,” said the North Wind, “Of what you’re giving up.”

“And I probably never will,” said Genji, hauling Mercy up from the floor and slinging her over his shoulder, “Farewell.”

----

Mercy awoke with her face half-buried in fur and the stars overhead. She grunted a little and felt something press against her cheek rhythmically. She lifted her head slightly and found she was draped across Genji’s back as he padded, in tiger form, through the snows of Thornspire.

She flinched to alertness. “Genji?” she spoke his name. His fur felt warm on the side of her face

“We’re safe,” Genji spoke to her gently, “About as safe as we can be out here.”

“What happened?” said Mercy, “Everything got cold...” she suddenly pushed up, “The amulet! Did you--?”

“I restored what was lost to me,” said Genji.

“So... you remember...?” Mercy’s brow crinkled.

“Absolutely nothing. And I’m fine with that,” said Genji.

Mercy’s eyes trailed out over the mountain peaks. . “So you’re not a druid,” she said quietly, “You’re the Western Wind.”

“What I am is an adventurer, like you,” said Genji. She could feel his voice rumbling up through his back. She trailed a finger down one of the stripes on his side.

Mercy pushed herself up to an upright position straddling his back like a horse. She swayed slightly with lightheadedness. “So you’re not staying with them.”

“I think I’ve found better company,” said Genji.

Mercy gave a slight chuckle before her eyes trailed up to the sky. Crowning the mountains were great ribbons of green and pink light amid a river of stars. She dug her fingers into the thick fur behind Genji’s ear and gave him a hard-knuckled scratch. A pleased chuff rumbled in Genji’s throat and she snickered a little. “So,” she said, looking up at the sky, “Where to next?”

#gency #gencyweek

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wherestoriescomefrom · 4 years ago

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Anyway I made a spotify playlist for Uprooted, for the harvest faire! It was really hard to find a balance between autumn emotions and light hearted music that talked about the death of the year and loss of childhood while also dealing with the themes of the forest and the wood and the battle. I’ve organised it according to the progression of the book as well as specific thematic build ups. There’s a symmetrical 50 songs!

Thank you to the Uprooted discord, you’re the reason this was manageable!!

Here’s a run down of why I picked the songs I picked:

1. Olsen olsen just felt like such a nice song to set the mountainous mood, that I thought it was a perfect setting establishment.

2. Song for Memory, Place We Were Made, Welcome Home Son, Tiger Striped Sky, Army, felt like songs that really fit with Agnieszka’s feelings for her village and hometown. Place We Were Made especially feels like an Agnieszka/Kasia song.

3. Shine You No More is an instrumental which just gave me a harvest faire vibe and an Agnieszka’s village vibe.

4. You’re My Best Friend, Travelling Song had such STRONG Agnieszka/Kasia vibes I just couldn’t help it. Travelling Song is in particular something for when they meet again post reaping, and they’re trying to save the village.

5. Invisible String - I don’t know who it fits but it just fits Agnieszka. Her bone with Kasia, with Sarkan, her village. @destroyerofthefreemarket and I had such a good time discussing which of the folklore songs we should put.

6. Hoax had an emotional core that reminded me and Carrey of Sarkan and Ludmilla a lot, and Hello My Old Heart just really feels like a Sarkan emotion while he trains Agnieszka and she’s out there destroying his library and he’s beginning to actually like this mess of a girl.

7. Midnight is a Baba Jaga song through and through. I thought it’s a good creepy interlude for when Agnieszka discovers her notebook.

8. I think Florence and the Machine’s whole discography is an Agnieszka mood but I picked Heartlines and What the Water Gave Me for her, for once she has learned her magic a little more, and especially for the time when she uses it to save Sarkan.

9. Wax and Wane really feels like a Kasia song, especially after she isn’t really sure whom she should blame for the way things turned out for her, and it has some strong magical elements that made me think of her being taken by the walkers.

11. Just like Florence and the Machine’s entire discography feels like an Agnieszka discography, Hozier’s entire discography really feels very Sarkan. I HAD to put Would That I, and Like Real People Do.

12. This one will be a little harder for you guys, but Bollywood is filled with music for men who fall in love with amazing, fantastical women. I really REALLY love Maerie by Palash Sen, and god if Tu Kisi Rail Si isn’t a mood. I wanted to include a song about trains anyway because I love trains and I am Indian - plus this is one of the most famous ghazals by poet Dushyant Kumar. It also felt like a really good yearning song for when Agnieszka goes to the capital. Here is a link for the translation of the song, and here is one for the ghazal. I don’t have a decent translation of Maerie, but it is about a lover remembering a beloved who is half magic if not more.

13. The Hanging Tree was for the haphazard horrible mission to save the queen. Call out post for prince Marek.

14. King is obviously about Agnieszka and Kasia escaping the capital trying to save the heirs. I wish I had a song for Alosha.

15. Dirty Paws, Fear, Sons and Daughters feels like a gathering forces for the battle.

16. Wild Blue Yonder and The Horror and the Wild - you know how I said Florence and the Machine is for Agnieszka, Hozier is for Sarkan? The Amazing Devil is for them both. Wild Blue Yonder is specifically for that sex scene.

17. Fear Not This Night and Fearless are more battle songs. And then all the songs betweenThe Mourning Tree and Devil’s Spoke are to set up some creepy tones for the forest.

18. Songs between mad woman and My Love Took Me Down to the River to Silence Me are Wood Queen songs!

19. Cradle Hill and Old Churchyard are songs about the Wood Queen’s sister and how she is urging the Wood Queen to forget bitterness.

20. Lovesong of the Buzzard seemed a nice song to taper of the intense battle feelings and talk about how Sarkan saves Agnieszka from the heart tree. And then The Woods was a good parallel to the previous song about the Woods, which was creepier. This one has a pleasant ending! Sky Full of Song has such a strong emotion of Agnieszka being tired after coming out of the heart tree, and when she holds his hand?? That feeling! That’s the one I was going for!!

21. Garden Song is so lovely, and it really does have a post-battle energy of Agnieszka, so I put that there.

22. We’re On Our Way has a nice Kasia feeling about it, where she’s figuring out what to do for herself and training with the prince and princess.

23. this is me trying was said by Carrey to be something that had a strong Sarkan feeling, and I really felt it when he comes back to the valley after leaving her for so many months. It felt like a post-everything song

23. Riches and Wonders was something I wanted to put, because livy ( @athenasdragon ) likes Eliza Rickman and I love the autumn feeling about it. It seemed like the perfect Harvest song, about the community you guard and protect.

If you guys want to include more songs, do let me know! I will happily do so. And thank you to @uprootedficathon for organising this year’s Harvest Faire! Do check everyone else’s entries on the blog!

#uprooted harvest faire 2020 #harvest faire #uprooted ficathon #uprootedficathon #uprooted

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pathofshadowsdiscord · 4 years ago

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RUINCLAN

└> 🎋🌱 ❜𝚛𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚎, 𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚒𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚎. 𝚠𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚞𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚘𝚕, 𝚍𝚊𝚖𝚙 𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚞𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑. 𝚠𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎..... ❜ 🍃 🐅

. . . 🎍 : ruinclan quick introduction .

╰┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┐

︿︿｡꒰ note ; not all RUC cats have these exact traits. it’s just a summary. ꒱ ┈ ❞

· · · · · · · · ·

ruinclan are a fierce abundant of cats. mostly seen as intelligent, adventurous, and unorganized, they have certainly earned a reputation among most cats; even tigers and other large animals—though, they have their reasons being this fierce; and that starts with the jungle.

the jungle is endless and complicated ;; with tangled brambles and ivy vines strewn all over, it’s certainly easy to get loss in, + the large squawking of the birds making it hard to hear. whilst the average cat may feel lost and confused with all the directions and smells—ruinclan calls it home.

large, jungle oaks loom down on even the largest cat—every predator, watching your every move from somewhere high up in the trees. -speaking of trees, ruinclanners have adapted to the harsh environment the jungle provides them with: and uses it as their advantage. strong hind legs and sharp claws are used for climbing the rough bark that lays on the trees, and ivy vines are used for transport when getting to places. it’s a dangerous place, for the fearless clan.

amusingly called “coastclan2” for this, ruinclan is as almost as good at swimming as the fierce tropical clan themselves-often diving deep underwater to explore the trenches and temples that have been flooded by the harsh rainwater that beats down on the jungle, making multiple floods and rivers all around the territory.

same with their temples, ruinclan cats are known throughout the Clans with their unique hunting techniques, streaking mud and placing leaves in their pelt to blend in the jungle;; as well as hiding their scents with the sharp watermint and fresh foliage that lays in the jungle. you best be sure that these jungleclanners get plenty of food everyday.

most clans think the average predator—,(such as tigers) are enemies in ruinclan, but thats the opposite. these jungleclanners are quite fond of the big cats themselves-earning them a reputation with the tigers, even recruiting them to their clan! though, it’s very unlikely.

the pelts of ruinclanners usually blend in with the large oaks and thick undergrowth, usually like: dark brown, brown, mottled, pale gray—and the list goes on! of course, not all ruinclan cats are like this, though. they have their own unique way of blending in.

the cats in ruinclan have rooted their loyalties in the fierce jungle, therefore a place in their clan. training is fierce and hard ;; making sure to get the best of the best in the clan. even if they’re one of the more smaller Clans in the territories, they sure are one of the most fiercest ones.

. . . . . . . .

Ruinclan is a more.. hidden Clan—to say the least. The endless jungles are rooted into the soft, damp earth; an abundant of different unique animals that live in the jungle territory. The air is humid and always has the scent of freshwater, with plenty of springs that curve the edges of Ruinclans territory. Like Coastclan, these fierce cats are experts when living in the fierce jungle: from hunting in trees and then swinging from vines to get to each tree, they know it all.

It’s a shocking surprise, to newbies; seeing cats swing from vine to vine—as if they didn’t care they had a chance to be injured, but if you’ve been in Ruinclan long enough, you’ll know this is a daily occurrence.

Let the Jungle Cats lead you around their territory, the soft ground soothing to your paws as you’re suddenly placed in a bamboo forest; with the large poles jutting out of the ground, and the warm sun filtering in, dappling every single plant and foliage it can get its burning claws on. The light gets tinted green, as if you’re underwater. Cats are seen climbing the bamboo, nimbly running through the forest, their reflexes like a snakes’. There’s just so much to explore! Every little thing, every undiscovered place is an adventure to these Jungleclanners.

Having a laugh through the bamboo, you break free from its grasp; before stumbling across one of the many abandoned buildings that still stand today in Ruinclans’ territory. Ivy vines snakes its way towards the top, and the pearl-white walls are worn down to a dull white color. But still, the smile still stays clean on your face as you explore the place. Chirping finches and parrots echo in the building, and it seems like many things are being planted here. Take a trip deeper into the calming building, perhaps tame a parrot as well? The choice is yours, fellow traveler.

You find yourself deeper into the vast jungle, vast varieties of birds circling above as ferns are pulled back: revealing a large temple. The walls are crumbling and are thick with moss and thorny vines, but the great building still stands.

Cats are seen scattered around, some mottled, some pure white; the hallways of the temple introduce themselves to you—as if they’re inviting you to their mossy rooms. The temple is a never ending maze, always bumping into a new landmark. You see a flash of orange fur, with stripes, through the windows. Best not to go out alone.

Here, the forest is carefree and wild like Ruinclan, and nothing can change that.

. . . . . . . . . 🌴🌱

#warrior cats roleplay #warriors rp #rp #wc rp #warriors discord #warrior cats discord #warrior cats #ruinclan

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auburnfamilynews · 4 years ago

Link

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Time to Barn Hard

Here we go... With under 24 hours until the kickoff of Auburn’s 2020 season, the luminaries here at College & Magnolia offer their sage opinions on what Tiger fans will see tomorrow afternoon. Most of us see a close contest destined to give us that all too familiar fall Saturday heartburn but there are a few brave souls who are prepared to barn hard no matter what.

Auburn (-7.5) vs Kentucky (O/U 49.5)

2019 Auburn fans won’t recognize 2020 Auburn. Bo Nix is going to take a huge leap forward. His receivers are healthy for game one. Our fearless leader has finally found someone he trusts enough to manage playcalling duties. The defense will reload with All-Conference (and maybe All-American) talent. A talented (and deep!) group of hard-hitting running backs. Pre-season optimism has overwhelmed pre-game jitters for me. Look for Chad Morris to show off all his weapons Saturday. He has a tendency to put up a lot of points in his first game at a new school. Brace yourselves, Wildcats. Let’s barn hard, yall.

Auburn 48

Kentucky 14

-Josh Dub

I was talking with a friend of my wife’s the other day and she asked how I thought Auburn would do. I was raised by an old school Auburn fan who taught me to sandbag and say that we were just hoping that everyone buckled their chin straps correctly and that they just had fun out there. That was met with my wife telling her, I always do this. I responded by saying that I just lower the bar so that, when they win by 40 in a game I don’t expect, I get the rush of being a kid again and genuinely happy when Auburn wins.

That said! HERE WE GO!

Auburn has got stars everywhere on the outside and in the backfield but a bunch of green horns on the starting line on offense, so IF Chad Morris (or Gus if he is still calling the plays) can use quick screens and....this route called a slant...to hide the fact that the Auburn offensive line will look a lot like the French army circa 1938, then they might buy a few chances for Anders to kick some field goals.

On defense, you don’t lose D Brown and Marlon and get better. You probably don’t maintain the production you had last year on the D-Line. You can get back there, but that takes time and experience. That said, I am a bit more bullish on the defense as a whole. There is a ton of talent to go around on the line and the secondary and the Linebackers may be the best in the conference. Once again, the defense will keep Auburn in every game for the most part. And that new line will be tested against a really well coached, running offense that Kentucky brings to the Plains.

I love what Mark Stoops has been able to build in Lexington, and sort of done what Matt Campbell has done at Iowa State, that team you just don’t want to see cause they are scrappy and will take advantage of your mistakes. On the betting lines, I am staying away from this one with spendy cashy monies but with fakey non-existant moneies, I love the Cats getting a touchdown and a hook because I see this one being in the 3-4 range with Auburn probably winning, just based on history and going with my heart, but I could totally see Kentucky pulling this off as well.

Gimme Auburn over Kentucky 27-24 and the defense had to get a late stop to seal this one away. Nothing like a late missed FG to start that stomach ulcer.

(betting pick: UK and the points, Over at 51)

-Drew Mac

Auburn *should* win this game. Auburn *should* have the talent advantage. But hey, this is 2020. Who knows what havoc Covid will have wrought on install for any given team.

That being said, I trust Bo Nix’s development as a true sophomore. I think this Auburn team, while still going through some growing pains, will finally start to hit on explosive plays with a veteran WR corps. This Kentucky defense is not the one that one 10 games two years ago.

The only way things go sideways is if the retooled defensive line can’t stop the Kentucky ground game, which is an extremely valid concern. The Wildcats have three returning backs who combined for 1,900 yards and 18 TDs while sharing the spotlight with Lynn Bowden Jr last year, and Terry Wilson is no slouch. I think the Auburn linebackers are going to have to earn their keep as best LB group in the SEC here in week 1.

Auburn takes this one with some big plays through the air and a defense that bucks up in the second half. 27-13 Auburn.

-Ryan Sterritt

I’m a huge proponent of playing a patsy in week 1. In a normal season fall camp doesn’t really give a complete picture of how an offensive line communicates in real time, how well the quarterback has his timing down with his receivers, if the tailback has fumbling problems, mike linebacker being able to switch the defensive alignment based on tendencies, etc. etc. But if you can’t play a patsy I’m a huge proponent of playing a top 10 team who will keep you engaged without distractions leading up to kickoff and will tell you so much about where you can go from here. What you don’t want is a trap game in week 1.

Folks what we have here is a trap game in week 1.

We’re 14 points better than Kentucky. I genuinely believe that. Talent wise and coaching we’re at least 2 scores better than this football team at home. And it does not matter one bit thanks to COVID.

I am so concerned over what we’re going to look like out there considering how many guys were held out at various points of our extended fall camp thanks to COVID. Which wouldn’t be as big of a deal in a normal year, even though it would still be a big deal, but OH YEAH WE HAD NO SPRING PRACTICE. So in keeping with my tradition of being absolutely God awful at Barnin’ Hard, this tiger ain’t changing his stripes for this one.

Keys to victory:

- Stop a Kentucky ground attack with a defensive line that is fully capable of plugging the gaps and have your linebackers make plays in space. This will only work if our corners, who will be in a lot of one on one situations, make plays. Jaylin Simpson is the guy that will get picked on, and this is a fine opportunity for the redshirt freshman to get thrown into the deep end to see if he’ll sink or swim in his first meaningful snaps. If he can hold his own, we’re in good shape.

- Establish an intermediate passing attack early in this game. Keep their defense off balance early on the offensive script and allow Bo Nix and an offensive line that will struggle but has a higher ceiling than that of the last 2 seasons gain some confidence early.

- Get the fastest player in all of college football 10 touches/targets for the day. This one may appear in all 10 entries of “Keys to Victory” for our schedule this year. Scheme to get Anthony Schwartz the ball in multiple ways. And then scheme off of it to get other players in positions to be in favorable coverages.

- Rotate your running backs in a way that makes sense instead of giving the “guy with the hot hand” 25 carries. This running back room is deeper and more talented than it has been since the healthy parts of 2016/2017 for Pettway and KJ. Give these guys a chance to punish Kentucky’s defense with fresh legs for 4 quarters. Make them hate playing us.

- Oh, and finally, get some sound sleep and show up alert for an 11 AM kickoff. I don’t need to explain to any of you why this is obviously something we should all worry over.

All in all I think being at home does matter, despite 20,000 people in the stands. Traveling in these uncertain times has to account for something, right?

Auburn 27 Kentucky 21

-Josh Black

If the first few weeks of football are any indication, I’m expecting some low scoring sloppy games on Saturday. And while Auburn’s rivals have essentially “warmup games” to start their season, Auburn will play another ranked opponent in Week 1. That’s JABA right?

Anyways, I’m really excited to see this group of Running Backs led by Captain Shaun Shivers this season. I’m really excited to see Shaun get the opportunity to start and it’ll be interesting to see how many carries he and the rest of the RBs get on Saturday. This is an experienced receiving corps too led by Seth Williams, “Flash” Anthony Schwartz and veteran Eli Stove.

The biggest question to me (other than the offensive line) will be the defensive line as it’s hard replacing Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson. And we can all hope for better O-Line play this season and a more mature Bo Nix as he enters Year 2 as the starting QB.

As I said earlier, I’m thinking this is a low-scoring game and I’m a bit concerned about this one, with the 11AM kick and all but I’ll take Auburn in a close one.

Auburn 17 Kentucky 14

-Will McLaughlin

I firmly believe Auburn has a significant talent advantage at the skill positions in this matchup. Yes the Cats have an athletic QB, a strong stable of backs, intriguing WRs and a surprisingly good secondary but across the board I’ll take Auburn. However, it won’t matter if the Tigers lose the line of scrimmage battle which is way more likely than any of us wanna imagine.

As you have probably read, heard, seen by now, Kentucky has one of the best offensive lines in the country. This isn’t a group made up of 3-star kids with heart. Left tackle Landon Young was a 5-star recruit. Center Drake Jackson was a 4-star ranked as a top 150 player. Future NFLer Darian Kinnard was a 4-star recruit as well. This is both an experienced AND talented front who enjoy physically beating the hell out of their opponents. Everyone in the world knew that a run play was likely coming last fall and it rarely mattered. While I trust Rodney Garner & Kevin Steele to rebuild this front 4 for the Tigers, I am concerned about them being ready to go week 1. Even with Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson last year, Oregon pushed around the Tigers for one half. This UK OL is of the same calibre and it wouldn’t shock me if they came out the gate with similar success.

Then there’s the other side of the ball where the UK return plenty of experience of a solid front 7. However, they were actually pretty porous against the run last fall allowing over 5 yards a carry against SEC competition. The problem is I am not sure if Auburn is ready to take advantage. In most years, when I see a defense susceptible to the run, I expect an AU victory that borders on dominant. I just don’t know if the Tigers though will be ready to go on Saturday.

That’s why Anders Carlson will be the x-factor. I think Auburn’s offense will look disjointed but generate enough explosive plays to get into UK territory consistently. They don’t put the ball in the end zone as much as we would like but Anders knocks through 4 big kicks. The defense rebounds from a rough first quarter to limit the UK offense to only 2 touchdowns on the day. Auburn recovers a late onside kick to escape with a hard won victory.

Auburn 26 Kentucky 20

-AU Nerd

Auburn at 11am.

Auburn in season openers.

Auburn as favorites vs hungry teams.

Yuck. I am finding it hard to Barn as hard...——record scratch—-

(The boys are back in town starts playing)

Just kidding!

The Boys are back!

Guys we are gonna kill em.

Auburn 34- Kats 24

-Son of Crow

Most of the time I have some idea of what to expect. There’s a gut feeling, an inkling, an intuition. Even days when I publicly avow a big win, and we end up losing, I realize that I knew it deep in my soul. This time, I have nothing. I guess that’s what 2020 will do to a man. I can’t pick this game with my heart or my gut, so I have to go with the limited knowledge that we’ve been able to glean from the practice fields. Somehow, Gus has kept it tighter than usual this season. He’s keeping spies, leaks, and COVID out of the fold.

It’s not a big secret that Auburn’s level of talent is superior across the board, but Kentucky might have the mix of experience to go along with its skill to make this a very scary opening contest. We’ve heard that the Wildcats’ lines are both going to be solid, and that gives us a flashback of what the Oregon offense was able to do for about a half last year in Arlington. Auburn can’t afford a slow start on Saturday, because we’ll be breaking in a new offensive line. Now, that might not be the worst thing in the world — our line last year was nothing much to write home about — but they started to get better down the stretch. That said, this year’s group might be more maulers than linemen. Sometimes you just need some dudes being guys up front to push people around. We might have that, thus the run game could come to life with a much more talented group in the backfield. Not to mention, Bo Nix’s sophomore development with a true quarterback coach could be something unparalleled.

Kentucky will give us a fight, but there’s no way I’m picking us to lose this game. It’ll probably be close, and uncomfortably so for a while I’d wager. Still, the home “crowd” and the overall talent win out in the end. I think someone else mentioned Anders Carlson being a weapon in this one, and I agree. I think he hits 3 kicks and Auburn scores 3 touchdowns. Tigers 30-21.

-Jack Condon

In our preseason predictions I pegged this as one of the three games that Auburn could lose, and had it at the top of my list as the one I’m most worried about. That may seem weird, but we really just have no clue how any team, including our own is going to look on Saturday. We’ve all seen how bad some of these other teams already playing have looked, and I guess people think that there’s no way their own team could look that bad, but I’m not so sure. That said, I believe this Auburn team has all the components necessary to be better than last season and thus easily handle a Kentucky team that is, well they’re Kentucky. The new look offense should give an older, more seasoned Bo Nix a chance to throw some higher percentage passes, we have an SEC caliber stable of running backs for the first time in a couple of seasons, and presumably a fully healthy group of receivers. The new-look offensive line doesn’t concern me at all, because, well, I’ve lived through the last two seasons. At this point Kevin Steele and co. have earned my utmost confidence that the defense will pick up right where they left off.

Tigers 37 - Cats 12

-AU Chief

Man alive I wish I wasn’t so worried about this. Kentucky is well coached. They know what they are, and they don’t try to do things outside their comfort zone. Their strengths could cause problems for us. And yet, Auburn has more talent. 2020 is going to be a weird year, but I think having better athletes is going to win out more often than not, because teams are going to have to keep things simple. I like everything I’m hearing out of fall camp. I still don’t know about that line though. I could see a backdoor cover for UK where Auburn has to recover an onside kick to clinch things. I could see a front door cover for Auburn putting the game away late. I’ll stay on the safe side.

Auburn 24

Kentucky 17

(Auburn wins, UK covers; under)

-James Jones

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wikitopx · 5 years ago

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Here are the top 500 Indian Names!

[toc]

1. Top 500 Indian Names for girls

Abha — Splendor, light

Aditi — Boundless, freedom

Aisha — Alive

Aishwarya — Prosperity, wealth

Akanksha — Desire, wish

Amala — Clean, pure

Amandeep — Peace

Amardeep — Immortal, light

Amarjeet — Immortal, victory

Anima — Minuteness

Anisha — Nightless, sleepless

Anjali — Salutation

Aparajita — Unconquered

Aparna — Leafless

Apurva — New, unpreceded

Aradhana — Worship

Archana — Praisin

Aruna — Reddish brown

Arushi — Hitting, killing

Arya — Aryan, noble

Asha — Wish, desire, hope

Avani — Earth

Azra — Virgin

Bala — Young

Balwinder — Strength, might

Bhavana — Producing, manifesting.

Chanda — Fierce, hot, passionate

Chandra — Moon

Devi — Goddess

Devika — Little goddess.

Diksha — Preparation for a religious ceremony

Dipa — Light, light

Dipali — Row of lamps

Dipti — Brightness, light

Disha — Region, direction

Divya — Divine, heavenly

Diya — lamp, light

Drishti — Sight

Durga — Unattainable

Esha — Desire, wish

Ezhil — Beauty

Fariha — Happy

Gauri — White

Gita — Song

Grishma — Summer

Gul — Flower, rose

Gulbadan — Having a body like a rose

Gulrukh — Rose faced

Gurdeep — Teacher, guru

Gurmeet — Friend

Hema — Golden

Ila — Earth, speech

Inderpal — Protector of Indra

Indira — Beauty

Indrani — Queen of Indra

Indu — Bright drop

Indumathi — Full moon

Isha — Master

Ishani — Ruling, possessing

Ishita — Supremacy

Jaswinder — Fame, praise, glory

Jaya — Victory

Jayashri — Goddess of victory

Jyoti — Light

Jyotsna — Moonlight

Kajal — Lotion for the eyes

Kala — Art form, virtue

Kali — The black one

Kalpana — Imagining, fantasy

Kalyani — Beautiful, lovely, auspicious

Kamakshi — Love, desire

Kamala — Lotus

Kamani — Desirable

Kanchana — Golden

Kanta — Desire, beautiful

Kanti — Beauty

Karishma — Miracle

Kashi — Shining

Kaur — Princess

Kavita — Poem

Khurshid — Shining sun

Khushi — Happiness

Kiran — Dust

Kirtida — One who bestows fame

Laboni — Beauty, loveliness, charm

Lakshmi — Sign, mark

Lalita — Playful, charming, desirable

Lata — Vine, creeping plant

Lavanya — Beauty, grace

Lila — Play, amusement

Lilavati — Amusing, charming, graceful

Lina — Absorbed, united

Madhu — Sweet, honey

Madhur — Sweet

Madhuri — Sweetness

Mala — Necklace

Malati— Jasmine

Malani — Fragrant

Mandeep — Mind, intellect, spirit

Manjeet — Victory, conquering

Manju — Lovely, beautiful

Manjula — Pleasing, beautiful

Manjusha — Small box, small chest

Maya — Illusion

Mina — Fish

Minali — Fish catcher

Mira — Sea, ocean

Mitra — Friend

Mohini — Infatuating

Mridula — Soft, delicate, gentle

Mukta — Liberated, set free

Nalini — Lotus

Namrata — Bowing, humility

Nandita — Joy

Nasim — breeze

Nasrin — Wild rose

Navdeep — New, fresh

Navneet — Eternal

Neha — Love, tenderness

Nida — Call, proclaim

Nikita — House, habitation

Nila — Dark blue

Nirupama — Unequaled, matchless

Nisha — Night

Nishat — Energetic, lively

Nitika — Guidance, moral conduct

Nitya — Always, eternal

Nur — Light

Padma — Lotus

Padmini — Many lotuses

Parvati — Of the mountains

Prachi — Eastern, ancient

Pratibha — Light, splendor, intelligence

Pratima — Image, likeness, reflection

Pritha — The palm of the hand

Priti — Pleasure, joy, love

Priya — Beloved

Priyanka — Agreeable, amiable

Puja — Honor, worship

Purnima — Full moon

Pushpa — Flower

Rachana — Creation, preparation

Radha — Success

Rajani — The dark one

Rajkumari — Princess

Rajni — Queen

Rani — Queen

Rashmi — Ray of sunlight

Rati — Rest, pleasure

Ratna — jewel, treasure

Reshmi — Silk

Reva — One that moves

Richa — Praise, verse, sacred text

Rina — Melted

Ritka — Movement, stream, brass

Ritu — Season, period

Riya — Singer

Roshan — Light, bright

Roshni — Light, brightness

Rupa — Shape, form

Rupinder — Greatest beauty

Sabeen — Follower of another religion

Saira — Traveler

Sakshi — Witness

Sandhya — Twilight

Sanjana — Uniting, joining

Saraswati — Possessing water

Sarita — Flowing

Savitri — Relating to the sun

Shabnam — Dew

Shahnaz — Pride of the king

Shailaja — Daughter of the mountain

Shakti — Power

Shakuntala — Bird

Shanta — Pacified, Calm

Shanti — Quiet, peace, tranquility

Sharmila — Protection, comfort, joy

Shashi — Having a hare

Shikha — Crest, peak

Shila — Conduct, disposition, character

Shivali — Beloved of Shiva

Shobha — Brilliance

Shreya — Superior, best

Shweta — White

Shyama — Dark, black, blue

Siddhi — Accomplishment, success, attainment

Sima — Boundary, limit

Sita — Furrow

Sitara — Star

Sneha — Love, tenderness

Sona — Gold

Sonal — Good color

Sonam — Virtuous

Sukhdeep — Pleasant, happy

Sulabha — Easy, simple, natural

Sultana — Ruler

Suman — Well-disposed

Sumati — Wise, good mind

Sunita — Well-conducted, wise

Suniti — Good conduct

Sushila — Good-tempered, well-disposed

Swapna — Sleep, dream

Swarna — Good color

Tanu — Slender

Tanvi — Slender woman

Tara — Star

Tejal — Brilliance, splendor

Thamarai — Lotus

Trishna — Thirst, desire

Uma — Flax

Upasana — Worship, devotion

Urvi — Wide

Uttara — North

Vaishnavi — Belonging to Vishnu

Varsha — Rain

Vasuda — Granting wealth

Vasudha — Producer of wealth

Vasundhara — Possessor of wealth

Veda — Knowledge

Vidya — Knowledge, science, learning

Vijaya — Victory

2. Top 500 Indian Names for boys

Abbas — Austere

Abdul — Servant of the powerful

Abhay — Fearless

Abhijit — Victorious

Abhilash — Desire, wish

Abhinav — Young, fresh

Abhishek — Anointing

Adil — Fair, honest

Aditya — Belonging to Aditi

Adnan — Settler

Agni — Fire

Ahmad — More commendable

Ajay — Unconquered

Ajit — Invincible

Akash — Open space

Akbar — Greater, greatest

Akhil — Whole, complete

Akshay — Undecaying

Ali — Lofty, sublime

Amandeep — Lamp, light

Amar — Immortal

Amardeep — Immortal

Amarjeet — Victory, conquering

Amin — Truthful

Amir — Commander, prince

Amit — Immeasurable, infinite

Amitabh — Immeasurable splendor

Amrit — Immortal

Anand — Happiness, bliss

Anbu — Love

Anik — Army

Aniket — Homeless

Anil — Air, wind

Aniruddha — Unobstructed, Ungovernable

Anish — Supreme, paramount

Ankit — Marked

Ankur — Sapling

Anuj — Born later, younger

Anup — Watery

Anupam — Incomparable, matchless

Apurva — Upreceded, new

Aravind — Lotus

Arif — Learned, expert

Arijit — Conquering enemies

Aritra — Propelling

Aruna — Reddish brown

Arya — Aryan, noble

Asad — Lion

Ashwin — Possessed of horses

Asim — Boundless, limitless

Aswathi — Sacred fig tree

Avinash — Indestructible

Azad — Free

Azhar — Shining, bright

Aziz — Powerful, respected, beloved

Babur — Tiger

Bala — Young

Balakrishna — Strength, might

Balwinder — Strength, might

Bilal — Wetting, moistening

Chanda — Fierce, hot, passionate

Chandan — Sandalwood

Chandra — Moon

Chandrakant — Beloved by the moon

Chetan — Visible, conscious, soul

Chiranjvi — Long-lived

Darshan — Seeing, observing, understanding

Dayaram — Compassion of Rama

Dev — God

Devadas — Servant of the gods

Dhananjay — Winning wealth

Dharma — Law, duty, virtue

Dhaval — Dazzling white

Durai — Chief, leader

Durga — Unattainable

Eshil — Beauty

Farhan — Happy, cheerful

Farid — Unique, precious

Ghulam — Servant boy

Govinda — Cow finder

Gul — Flower, rose

Gurdeep — Teacher, guru

Gurmeet — Teacher, guru

Hardeep — Lamp, light

Hari — Brown, yellow, tawny

Harsha — Happiness

Harshad — Happiness

Harshal — Happiness

Hasan — Handsome

Hassan — Improver

Imtiyaz — Distinction

Inderpal — Protector of Indra

Indra — Possessing drops of rain

Indrajit — Conquerer of Indra

Isha — Master, lord

Jagit — World, universe

Jahangir — World conqueror

Jaswinder — Fame, praise, glory

Javed — Eternal

Jaya — Victory

Jayanta — Victorious

Jayendra — Lord of victory

Jayesh — Lord of victory

Jaywant — Possessing victory

Jitendra — Conqueror of Indra

Jyoti — Light

Kailash — Crystal

Kali — The black one

Kalyan — Beautiful, lovely, auspicious

Kamala — Lotus

Kanta — Desired, beautiful

Kanti — Beauty

Karan — Clever, skillful

Kavi — Wise man, sage, poet

Khan — King, ruler

Khurshd — Shining sun

Kiran — Dust, thread, sunbeam

Kishor — Colt

Krishna — Black, dark

Kshitij — Born of the earth

Kuldeep — Lamp, light

Lakshmi — Sign, mark

Lal — Boy

Lochan — The eye

Madhu — Sweet, honey

Madhukar — Bee, honey-maker

Madhur — Sweet

Mahendra — Great

Mahmud — Praiseworthy

Mamun — Trustworthy

Manas — Mind, intellect, spirit

Mandeep — Mind, intellect, spirit

Mani — Jewel

Maninder — Mind, intellect, spirit

Manish — Thought, wisdom

Manjeet — Mind, intellect, spirit

Manu — Thinking, wise

Maqsud — Intention, aim

Maruf — Favor, kindness

Mayur — Peacock

Mitra — Friend

Mitul — Measured

Mohandas — Servant of Mohana

Muhammad — Praiseworthy

Mukul — Bud, blossom

Murad — Wish, desire

Murali – Flute

Murugan — Youth

Nadim — Drinking companion

Nagendra — Lord of snakes

Nanda — Joy

Narayana — Path of man

Narendra — Lord of men

Nasim — Breeze

Navdeep — Lamp, light

Navin — New

Navneet — New, fresh

Nikhil — Whole, entire

Nilam — Dark blue, sapphire

Ninad — Sound, hum

Niraj — Water-born

Nirav — Quiet, silent

Nirmal — Clean, pure

Nishant — Night’s end, dawn

Nishat — Energetic, lively

Nitin — Guidance, moral conduct

Nitya — Always, eternal

Nur — Light

Padma — Lotus

Pallav — Budding leaf

Parminder — Highest, best

Partha — Son of Pritha

Prabhat — Shining forth, morning

Prabhu — Mighty, powerful, master

Prabodh — Awakening

Pradip — Light, lantern

Prakash — Light, bright, shining

Pran — Breath

Pranay — Leader, guidance, love

Prasad — Brightness, clearness, graciousness

Prasanna — Clear, bright, tranquil

Prasenjit — Conqueror of an expert army

Pratap — Heat, splendor, glory

Pratik — Look, appearance

Pravin — Skilled

Prem — Love, affection

Punit — Cleaned, purified

Qasim — Share, Divide

Radha — Success

Rafiq — Friend, gentle

Raghu — Swift

Rahul — Able, efficient

Raj — Empire, royalty

Raja — King, ruler

Rajani — The dark one

Rajendra — Lord of kings

Rajesh — Ruler of kings

Rajib — Striped

Rajnish — Lord of the night

Rakesh — Lord of the full moon

Rama — Pleasing, beautiful

Ramachandra — Moon

Rana — King

Ranjit — Colored, pleased, delighted

Rashmi — Ray of sunlight, rope

Ratna — Jewel, treasure

Ravi — Sun

Ravindra — Lord of the sun

Rishi — Sage, poet

Rohan — Ascending

Rohit — Red

Roshan — Light, bright

Rupinder — Greatest beauty

Sachin — True, real

Samir — Wind, air

Sandip — Blazing

Sanjit — Complete victory

Sanjiv — Living, reviving

Saral — Straight

Sardar — Chief, leader

Sarvesh — Ruler of all

Shahid — Witness

Shahjahan — King of the world

Shahnaz — Pride of the king

Shahzad — Prince

Shakti — Power

Shandar — Fabulous

Shantanu — Wholesome

Sharif — Eminent, virtous

Sharma — Protection, comfort, joy

Shashi — Having a hare

Shekar — Crest, peak

Sher — Lion

Shiva — Benign, kind, auspicious

Shresth — Most excellent, best

Shrinivas — The abode of Shri

Shrivatsa — Beloved of Shri

Shyama — Dark, black, blue

Shyamal — Dark, black, blue

Siddhartha — One who has accomplished a goal

Singh — Lion

Sonam — Virtuous

Subhash — Eloquent

Subrahmanya — Good

Sudarshan — Beautiful, good-looking

Sudhir — Good

Suahil — Level, even

Sujay — Great victory

Sukhbir — Pleasant, happy

Sukhdeep — Pleasant, happy

Sultan — Ruler, king

Suman — Well-disposed

Sumantra — Following good advice

Sumit — Well measured

Sunil — Good

Suraj — Sun

Surendra — Lord of gods

Surya — Sun

Sushila — Good-tempered

Swapan — Sleeping, dreaming

Swapnil — Sleep, dream

Swarna — Good color

Tamanna — Wish, desire

Tushar — Cold, frost, snow

Uttara — North

Vasu — Bright, excellent

Vijaya — Victory

Vimal — Clean, pure, spotless

Vinay — Leading, guidance, modesty

Vipin — Forest

Vipul — Large, extensive, plenty

Vishal — Wide, broad, spacious

Vishnu — All-pervasive

Vivek — Wisdom, distinction

Yash — Fame, praise, glory

Yasir — To be rich

Zafar — Victory

Zahid — Pious, devout

Zahir — Helper, supporter

Zaman — Time, age, era

Zawar — Pilgrim, visitor

More ideals for you: Top 100 Korean Names

From : https://wikitopx.com/name-meanings/top-500-indian-names-712009.html

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epiphanylore · 2 months ago

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#taylor swift #taylornation #swiftie polls #the eras tour #taylor swift polls #ttpd #fearless taylor's version #fearless tv #fearless

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shogetsus · 6 years ago

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Stripes of Auburn, Eye of Sapphire

14. Masamune

Read on Ao3 | Read on FFN | Masterlist

Summary: “Pah! What are peasants but tools for your lord! It’s my decision when and where your worthless lives end!” And somehow, the man makes it even worse.

The comment makes Masamune’s blood boil in indignation, the coil in his gut tightening, threatening to snap in any moment. However, he does his best to remain collected, a dark chuckle leaving his lips as a cold smile finds its way to his face.

“Well, there we go…” He says low, his fingers finding purchase on the handle of his sword as he turns to the daimyo, a certain craving within him dangerously close to clouding what’s left of his rational senses. ”Looks like you’re not fit to be a leader.”

Spoiler alert! - Masamune’s route.

Masamune

Their ride becomes much more amicable after Masamune manages to redirect the lass’ distress elsewhere, racing under the twilight sky and the sparkling stars, offering quite a memorable display for the two of them alike. Basking in the fact of being able to make Mai relax around him, he keeps a casual and easygoing chatter on the rest on their way north; the noticeable fresher air from the region reminding him of home.

For some reason, the farther they ride and closer they get to the intended destination, Masamune can’t help thinking more and more about his people up in Oshu, even more so as they pass through a couple of familiar roads he’d been wandering about with Kojuro and the rest twice or thrice in the past.

Could mother be still troubling her maids with more of her extravagant requests? Hopefully his cousin isn’t sleeping on the job just yet, and keeping a watchful eye on what remains of the construction of Aoba Castle as Masamune’s left it before departing to Azuchi. He better would be, although it’s been some weeks since I left. And Shigezane even has two eyes!

A delicate hand waving in front of his face prompts him out of his reverie. “Ah, good, you’re still here,” The Princess sighs in apparent relief, tucked in his arms, “For a moment I feared you might have dozed off and we’d be riding to the middle of nowhere,”

“Mmh, that doesn’t sound so bad, kitten,” It’s almost impossible for him not to tease her a little, with those feline amber eyes staring at him so curiously, “Weather’s certainly nice for a quick nap, and you look like you’d make a very pretty pillow…”

The lass gives him a blank stare, clearly trying to figure out whether he’s kidding or not. “I was just about to ask if you’re okay in the head for even considering sleeping atop a horse, of all places,” She snorts in disbelief, “But then I remembered you have a tiger for a pet, so…”

“Yeah, I know. I can’t help being too cool,” Masamune guffaws, leaning down and rubbing his face against her copper mane, turning a darker shade of red and brown where the faint light of the sunset doesn’t reach it. “But mmh, this is a very soft spot, it’s so tempting. Why don’t you wake me up when we get there?”

“Wha—? Masamune! Are you for real?”

The Princess’ face turns into a clear picture of utter panic, “Alright, alright, it was just a joke!” He opts on to take some mercy of her, “It’s a shame though, but we’re here already,”

The residence of daimyo Yoshitoshi comes clear to view, yet suspiciously there’s closer to no people around to meet them, the clattering of hooves the only source of noise. Not a single worker around. This man must be expecting us, for sure. His small troop lead by Kojuro is a shadow further past the twilight horizon, catching up not long after as expected, despite Masamune’s intense pace.

Hideyoshi and Ieyasu take some time, though, arriving with matching scowling faces. “Damn it, Masamune! I told you not to go off ahead on your own!”

He shoots an apologetic smile, not truly reaching his eye, “Hah, sorry, sorry, force of habit.”

“You’re so lying about being sorry.” Ieyasu rolls his eyes in feigned annoyance but doesn’t bother mentioning any further.

At his side, Mai seems to hesitate for a moment, “Um, don’t want to point out the obvious but, is this place supposed to look this… empty?” Concern narrows her face, appearing to shrink and sink further into the saddle.

The hairs at the back of Masamune’s head start to itch, watching Kojuro and his soldiers glance suspiciously at their surroundings, hands on their scabbards and ready for anything. Guarding the sides of his two associates, they all stop before the gate to the palatial residence.

“We’re not leaving this place until we get him to confess. Agreed?” Hideyoshi says firmly, waiting for the rest to agree before dismounting and making their way inside.

With some luck on their side, they manage to find an attendant, being led into a spacious hall where the daimyo in question appears to be awaiting them. The arrangements and decoration remarkably contrast the view outside, prompting a disapproving frown on Masamune.

The farms are empty, but the palace reeks of incense. This daimyo better has some good explanation for that…

Despite being in charge of the mission, he opts for Hideyoshi to do the talking for the moment. “Now tell us, Yoshitoshi, is what you wrote in this letter true? If this is all a misunderstanding, we can pack everything up and leave your place right now.”

To upscale their annoyance, the daimyo keeps his lips pursed tight. “We’ve got reports that you’re exploiting the populace by seizing their funds. What were you doing to do with all that money?” Ieyasu steps forward, face hard as stone, “Buy weapons for your revolt, maybe?”

And yet, Yoshitoshi remains stubbornly silent.

Masamune huffs, “This is taking forever. I say we kill him.” He puts on a deadly serious look as he goes for his sword.

His threatening jab appears to work, the daimyo immediately breaking his silence. “It’s all true! Everything I wrote in that letter is true!”

Hideyoshi curls his hands into fists, knuckles going white with indignation. “That’s a start. Now tell us, why have you betrayed our lord?” He snarls.

“I only swore to lord Nobunaga because I believed my true lord was dead! But Lord Shingen Takeda is still alive!”

A tense silence falls over the hall, the three warlords stammering in sheer surprise at the statement. Ieyasu’s hand goes for his kodachi in a clear act of reflex at the mere mention of the dreadful name of his rival, Masamune struggling to keep a straight face and Hideyoshi all but utterly failing to do so, going white as a ghost.

“Not just him, but Kenshin Uesugi as well. He’s been sheltering Lord Shingen.” Yoshitoshi continues, his words escaping him one after another, “I was loyal to him before Nobunaga! I’m simply siding with my proper side!”

Lost for any coherent sentence, Masamune first glances at Mai—most certainly the less stunned of them all; why is that?—before fixing his eye on Ieyasu; the more knowledgeable among the group regarding ominous rumors about the Takeda clan. One of his emerald green eyes twitches ever so slightly, gaze unfocused, appearing to ponder the severe implications of the daimyo’s confession.

“So it is true…” Doubt lingers in Ieyasu’s murmur, a hard frown narrowing his face.

“You may be shocked, naturally, but it’s the truth,” The daimyo insists on his version of the events, growing more confident for reasons unbeknownst to Masamune. “Perhaps it’s time you three reconsider where your loyalties lie. Nobunaga is weak! He’s no match for the two of them!”

Even with not facing them on the battlefield, Masamune’s no stranger to the battle prowesses of the Tiger of Kai and the Dragon of Echigo in the past, deeming the two of them among the fiercest rivals in the land. Regardless and despite Yoshitoshi’s claims, this isn’t particularly the first time they’ve heard said murmurs of Takeda or Uesugi coming back from hell, leaving it so far to one of many ghost stories, with little space for some credibility.

To some extent, Masamune genuinely wishes for those stories to be true—the mere thought of dueling such bold commanders stirring deep into his soul. On another hand, having two of Nobunaga’s opposers arising once more on such close regions to his homeland makes him grow concerned for Oshu’s current welfare.

Not long after, Hideyoshi’s composure comes to a dangerous breaking point, “… Are you satisfied with those being your parting words?” Standing up, his face is hard as iron, and Masamune struggles to recall the last time he’s seen him just about to burst in rage, “Because nothing else you will say matter when you’re executed in front of our lord for treason,”

“N-not if he and you are utterly crushed first!”

And then he whistles, signaling dozens of armed men and swarming in from every entrance, surrounding the room. The invigorating feeling previous to facing a challenge course through Masamune’s veins, pumping in anticipation as a lopsided grin narrows his face.

“Um, guys? I have a bad feeling about this.” Concern laces Mai’s voice, tucking herself closer between him and Ieyasu.

The small number of troops Masamune’s brought leaps to their feet and draw their own weapons, Kojuro showing himself at the front. It’s clear they’re outnumbered, yet no northerner would find that troubling in the slightest, blazing determination burning in each one of his men’s eyes—a fact Masamune takes sheer pride of.

“Nothing to worry about, lass,” He says casually, fingers itching on one of his katana.

She seems to find his words hardly reassuring, though. “Shouldn’t we, I don’t know, run?” She mumbles anxiously, low enough for only him to hear.

“Don’t be ridiculous, there’s no reason to run.” Flanked by three commanders and a fearless troop backing them up, Masamune doesn’t have any qualms for the Princess’ wellbeing, “But watch your head, though. Wouldn’t want it to go flying off your shoulders…”

Yoshitoshi comes to a stand, more poised after most likely considering himself at an advantage. “I’ve been told you would be coming here, so I prepared to deliver your heads to Lord Shingen as a gift.” The group of armed, angry soldiers inch toward them, threateningly closing in.

However, the evident hesitation plastered all over the daimyo’s men makes Masamune grow skeptical, his brows knitting into a frown. “You there! Yes, you,” He nods towards one of them, a lean and short young boy. “You’re cowering. Are you in this fight to win or not?” On his periphery, Hideyoshi shoots Masamune an alarmed glare, but he ignores him, “You’re holding your sword all wrong. You’ll die too fast that way. Is that what you want?”

The mention of death makes the boy alarmed, stammering. “W-who’d want to die for a man like Lord Yoshitoshi?” His voice quavers, sword visibly shaking in his hands, “I was forced to come here! He said I needed to fight for him or he’d take my land and kill my family!”

Several heads turn to the daimyo, all but demanding an explanation to such preposterous act. At Masamune’s side, the Princess’ face scrunches in sheer indignation. “He takes the whole rice crop too, leaving us with nothing to eat.” A taller enemy soldier follows, “He torments our women and children, and lets thieves steal whatever little we have left!”

“Y-yeah, some daimyo! You’re the worst!” Spits a third man.

Slowly yet consistently, more men rally up to protest, “We’re not going to give up our lives for you!” Concludes another soldier, inspiring almost half the group to join Masamune’s envoy and turn on Yoshitoshi; their swords noticeably steadier as they point at their Lord.

Mai snorts darkly at the sudden turn of events. “You guys should meet my father. Never underestimate a worker if you know what’s good for you…” She arches a brow, her lips curling into a sly smirk.

“Your father must be a very cool guy. I’m starting to like them as well…” Masamune agrees wholeheartedly.

Ieyasu can’t seem to hold his grumbling any longer. “You know you made it harder to pick out whom to fight, right? You just had to step in…”

Technically, he’s not wrong, but Masamune doesn’t feel apologetic in the slightest, just shrugging nonchalantly. “All I did was giving these guys a little nudge in the right direction.”

“Pah! What are peasants but tools for your lord!” Yoshitoshi glares at his subordinates, face scrunching in anger, “It’s my decision when and where your worthless lives end!” And somehow, the man makes it even worse.

He thinks his people are tools, huh? The comment makes Masamune’s blood boil in indignation, the coil in his gut tightening, threatening to snap in any moment. However, he does his best to remain collected, a dark chuckle leaving his lips as a cold smile finds its way to his face.

Through his periphery, Hideyoshi shoots him a dubious look, “Hey, Masamune—“ But whatever protest he’s about to voice doesn’t stop him from finally drawing his sword, leaving its sheath with the same familiar noise that makes his blood pump excitedly.

The Princess takes a precarious step back at his menacing stance, gladly so. “He’s just confessed to treason, right? And as he says, it’s one’s lord who determines whether you live or die. Those are his rules.” Masamune points out, “And we were told to take whatever measures we deem necessary.”

Truth is, he’s been wondering if they could talk their way out of a conflict in the first place, yet the daimyo has just made it quite clear how that wasn’t about to happen. If that pointless revolt would have been about protecting his people, Masamune would have no issues going easy on Yoshitoshi; but it’s preposterous to consider having an honorable fight with such a bastard, who only appears to be looking to satisfy his personal greed and ambition.

I’ve got no pity for a man like that.

And so, to make it precisely clear, he points his sword at Yoshitoshi’s head, ready to kill. “If you want to live, drop your weapons and go back to your farms now. As for everyone else, make one move and you die.”

The hall falls silent, Masamune’s threat sinking in; the only sound being from the lass as her breath hitches, stumbling upon Kojuro. Yet his single eye is utterly fixed on the daimyo before them.

“What are you doing!? Strike back!” Yoshitoshi’s frightened call has little effect.

“As much as I’d love to take you all on—and I would win, mind you—it’s time to choose a side,” Masamune grins in a challenging manner, taking a step forward, “We don’t have 500 years! Do you really want to die for this guy?”

“Don’t listen to him! Go get them!”

One man takes a hesitant swing and Masamune parries his weak blow, knocking his sword away with ease before his elbow connects with his head. “Follow Lord Masamune! Don’t fall behind!” Kojuro rallies the troops, not needing to glance at him to see the proud smile in his face.

“Y-yeah! Let’s do this!” A farmer appears to grow more confident, joining the Date soldiers and raising his sword.

Another soldier rushes to Masamune and he knocks him out just as easily as he did with his first partner, his brows knitting into a frown. Any unnecessary deaths on either side are going to cause resentment once this is over. The conscripted fight those who’re willing to serve Yoshitoshi, yet regardless, they’re all from the same land. He had created an untenable situation, not caring about the pain it caused.

Masamune focuses his eye on him. The best way to end this is to capture him quickly.

“Prepare yourself, Masamune Date!”

“Out of the way.” He growls menacingly, unwilling to budge. A taller man comes at him, and he could see he’s prepared to fight and die. He strikes him in the leg—a fast, effective way of incapacitating anyone—the warrior collapsing to the ground in pain. Stay right there and you’ll get out of this with no more than that.

One after another, enemies come at Masamune; Ieyasu and Hideyoshi stepping forward to assist in no time. However, after he manages to disarm and knock another man, he dares to throw a glance behind his shoulder, his breath hitching as concern courses through.

Where’s Mai?

Daimyo: Honorific for a Japanese feudal lord. Kodachi: Small or short tachi (sword).

A-N: To make it known, I'm kinda starting to diverge from strict canon at this point and adding some more depth to some other arcs I think it fits better this 'verse. It's not a huge deal to me, but thought of making it clear just in case. Either way, feel free to ask me about anything you may find confusing! :D

2nd part of this scene is coming up next Thursday. I hope y'all have a wonderful Christmas!! You certainly make it amazing and heartwarming for me with your support and encouragement, I can't possibly ask for anything else, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much!!! ♥ ♥

Also please let me know if you’d like to be tagged in these posts! In any case, you can follow the ‘Stripes fic’ tag for all updates :D

#Cassie writes #Stripes fic #Ikesen #Ikemen Sengoku #Ikesen Masamune x MC #Ikesen Shingen x MC #Dragon Date #Ikesen fanfiction #SPOILERS: Masamune's route #Ikesennw reblog

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