#fafs 25

[myassbrokethefall]

xf rewatch: ice/space/fallen angel

one thing about me is I know how important it is to stick to a consistent posting schedule. anyway here’s 3 more XF rewatch writeups after weeks of silence

ice

Ice doesn’t deserve to be just lumped in here, but I watched it forever ago and I’ve seen it a million times and no one needs my thoughts on it anyway. Biggest Ice takeaways this time through:

this is M&S’s, and our, first truly grownup episode. M&S have been faffing around in their shoulder pads debating about whether aliens are real and if a jersey devil could be a girl and and certainly getting in scrapes/close calls, but this shit is SERIOUS. like they could die. and they know it. and this ep feels it. they are scared, they are wild-eyed and sweaty in their casual thermals and this is not just investigating a Case or intellectual sparring. there is no remove. no one is wearing a suit or renting a car or buying an office sandwich from the cart. they keep getting in deeper and deeper and it is out of control and scary and real as shit

that exterior shot with the extremely fake Rudolph snowflakes is used, I believe my final count was, 472 times. and was hilarious to me each and every time.

ice is a magnificent ep, no notes. we knew this

space

Space is… not good, which is not news but allow me to attempt to pinpoint why:

pacing so bad. like in the beginning some stuff (conveyed mostly through stock footage) is happening and then suddenly mulder and scully are there and it’s like, a case I guess? this lady walks up to them and shows them this photo that looks like nothing and spends like an hour explaining it to them and is like the fbi has to investigate this! and mulder and scully are like oh, well we’re the fbi so we can do that. then they go to nasa and just stand around

listen I love, LOVE a good nerd infodump but even for me it was all getting deeply tedious and I ceased being able to, or having the will to, follow what was going on. And I just read and enjoyed all 864 pages of Seveneves. Having scully stand next to mulder and he has to keep explaining to her every space thing as it happens just adds this extra layer of shellac over everything. it’s like when you’re on a plane and you kind of half-voluntarily watch a movie in the row ahead of you through the seat backs. primo chris carter “tell don’t show.”

the whole car accident sequence is a facepalm from beginning to end. the car literally FLIPS OVER, michelle is in there yelling and sounding mostly just mildly pissed off, mulder keeps chirping “y’all right?” like she tumbled into a snowbank in a hallmark movie, then bodily drags her out from her flipped-over car that she is trapped under, and THEN scully goes “now, don’t try to move.” thanks doc! then michelle just goes back to NASA, with blood dripping down her face (which continues actively dripping throughout the scene, with no trace of a scar the next day). couldn’t hitting a tree have conveyed the sense of “a malevolent space monster made me lose control of my driving” just as well? presumably the car explodes as soon as they leave. and no one minds.

I realize this is not an easy thing to replicate on a budget, but my god “mission control” is sad-looking. it looks like it was filmed inside the janitor’s closet at a puppet theater. and the only person who works there is that one guy who I am informed was a canadian vj on MuchMusic and who has literally all the dialogue. (counterpoint: hard for me not to compare to For All Mankind, which does all this a million times better, but deeply unfair to do so since that's not only 25 years later but the theme on which this episode is kind of the saddest crackerjackiest variation is their show's entire job and budget.)

Mulder And Scully At The (NASA) Library: Approved. Love how they just leave the file they spent hours searching for when they run out.

what even was the motivation of the space/mars guy. to get back to space? to kill everyone? to kill everyone but only after getting back to space first? to bring down more space/mars guys to cause dramatically bad car accidents where everyone is fine? yes I know the REAL motivation is "give mulder and scully a semi-plausible paranormal reason to go to nasa and stand around"

the “everyone cheers in mission control because a scary/tense space thing was accomplished and everyone is ok” moment happened I think 3 separate times?? chris come on

this episode is still like 5x as coherent and watchable as any of CC’s revival episodes (other than Plus One).

one good thing is the space face morphing or whatever was super cool/creepy and holds up quite decently as an effect. also scully saw it!! well that’s cool! she doesn’t really seem to have any particular thoughts about that or anything though. you might think Mulder would bring that up more in the future. (morgan & wong: “well scully can’t SEE the paranormal thing so let’s have her juuuust miss it! twice!” chris carter: *file not found*)

I get that CC wanted to make a tense NASA episode, I like that genre of thing, and I appreciate that they took a stab at it but in the end, the execution was not the greatest. nor was the concept. ah well.

fallen angel

fallen angel was a friggin breath of fresh air after space, and I remembered NOTHING about it beyond a bit of Max and “the enigmatic Dr. Scully.”

the gordon/gansa ripping off of scifi classics continues apace as the whole evacuating for a “toxic spill” that is really a UFO is of course straight out of Close Encounters.

although I (correctly) complained about this in Space, I actually liked how we got sort of sideways-pulled into this one, with the scenario setup first and then we see Mulder (only Mulder) skulking around while we are flashing back to Deep Throat giving him the lowdown. immediately understandable that this is kind of an off-book adventure for him (leather jacket for forest hiking, perfect). And super satisfying when Scully gets her hero’s entrance to bail him out (and yell at him).

it was fun getting an idea of mulder as UFO Celebrity. always mobbed by fans while in air force jail. rough. (also funny to see his sheepishness at getting called out for writing an article in Omni about UFO sightings under a fake name)

Loved Scully getting pulled into some clutch doctoring. Just some great dimension for her as well/a reminder that she has her own areas of expertise and this FBI sidekick situation is not all she can do. (she is also still heartbreakingly in her "the government cannot do that! you are entitled to the truth!" phase.) I also loved when she marches glassy-eyed into Mulder’s motel room after a long rough night and wordlessly opens the fridge.

I liked the bit where mulder is talking about Max being an abductee and scully is all, mulder he's unreliable and he might be psychotic blah blah and mulder goes, scully you don’t get it, HE doesn’t think he’s an abductee, I think it. Also brings back a bit of what I liked so much in the pilot and earliest eps: scully being like mulder your crazy alien voodoo isn't gonna work on me!!! a martian didn't eat those livers!!! and mulder being like, scully, all I am asking is that you look at a scar and give me your medical opinion. he's not trying to talk her into anything and that's how he GETS YA

Interesting to see how they're still throwing out whatever alien concepts at this point. they are benevolent and send reassuring messages through the tv to loved ones? sure. they are evil spirits that possess astronauts' faces before killing them? got it. they're invisible/use cloaking devices to pass through lasers? duly noted.

I’m not sure the ending worked great but that’s ok. Gotta end it somehow. I found myself glad to know that we will be seeing Max again.

On a scale between Ice where Mulder and Scully are believably layered humans, frightened but determined, shakily wielding their authority one minute and losing their shit in realistically overlapping off-camera arguments in the next, and Space where they are sidelined Mary Sues in a half-baked NASA fanfic that could have used another beta, Fallen Angel is somewhere in the middle. Good ep, not great. But that yearning feeling that XF was so good at is present here. Something big is happening and it's JUST beyond where we can see. gotta see it. gotta keep searching. it's out there (the truth)

[thetarttfuldickhead]

A Jamie-centric pre-OT3 Christmas story told in 25 short chapters.

Masterpost / AO3

18.

The door swung open to reveal a knocked over side table, a smashed lamp on the floor, and Jamie Tartt sprawled next to it, bleeding from one hand. Over him stood a man Roy didn’t recognise. He was short, with unkempt grey curls and a wild beard.

He was also drunk, Roy noted, as the man turned toward him. Steady enough on his feet, but his gaze was slightly unfocused, and the smell of stale beer unmistakable.

“You expecting visitors— “ the man began to drawl, but then his eyes lit up with recognition. “Oh, Roy Kent, is it, didn’t expect to see you making house calls to old teammates, but I guess you have a lot of free time on your hands now, eh?” He looked down on Jamie, adding, “Get up, Jamie, no need to lay around like a little bitch just ‘cause you took a tumble, I taught you better than that.“ He turned back to Roy, shaking his head in mock-commiseration. “Footballer, and can’t even stay on his feet. Might be why you lost so badly today, eh, son? Your balance’s gone to shit now that you’re faffing around with a bunch of amateurs instead of a real team.”

Roy stared at the man with mounting disbelief and disgust, then turned his gaze on Jamie, who was unsteadily climbing to his feet. The look on his face shocked Roy far more than the signs of a scuffle had; he’d never imagined that Jamie could look so fucking small; curled in on himself, pale, and with downcast eyes, like a child awaiting punishment.

Like a child. Son.

Roy jerked his head toward the drunk. “This your father?” he asked, surprised at how level he sounded.

Jamie’s eyes flitted to the man, then quickly down again. He gave a small nod.

“Uh-huh. You want him here?”

“Hey now, Kent, you’ve no business— “

“Not talking to you.” Roy cut him off with a curt gesture, eyes still trained on Jamie. “Tartt, do you want him here?”

Jamie didn’t say anything; didn’t nod his head yes or shake it no. But he looked up at Roy and in his face there was such resigned hopelessness that it hit Roy like a punch to the gut.

Roy nodded once. “Right.” And before Jamie’s father had time to react, he grabbed hold of him and dragged him towards the door, ignoring the flailing arms and the kicks and the yelling, and tossing him down the step with enough force that the man fell flat on the gravel, hopefully cutting his ugly mug on the pebbles as he went. Roy shut and locked door on his cursing and threats, and turned back to Jamie, who hadn’t moved.

“The fuck happened here?” Roy asked. “You all right?”

“Yeah, yeah, good, yeah,” Jamie said, sounding slightly dazed as he cradled his injured hand with his good one. “Fell. Knocked the table over, cut my hand on the lamp, but I’m good. Yeah.”

Like hell you are, Roy thought, and might have said if they weren’t interrupted by a loud banging on the door. “Jamie, you open this fucking door, you hear me! Kent, I don’t care who you think you are, you posh southern twat, I’ll still—“

Roy stopped listening. “He got a key?” he asked Jamie, who had started violently at the sound of his father’s assault on the door.

“No.”

“Good. Let him tire himself out, then. Or you want me want to call the police?”

Jamie’s eyes widened at that. “No! No, just… don’t do that. Don’t call the police.”

“All right.” He’d have offered to knock the bastard out, but an unconscious man on the porch might cause all sorts of annoying questions; Roy knew that from personal experience. Besides, he had more pressing matters to attend to. “Come on then, let’s have a look at that,” he said, gesturing toward Jamie’s hand. “This the kitchen through here?”

Had anyone told Roy that there’d come a day when he’d find Jamie Tartt not talking back concerning, he’d have laughed them right in their idiot face, but as Jamie silently followed him into what indeed turned out to be a kitchen and obediently took out a first aid kit and then sat down when Roy asked him to, he was just that: concerned, and not a little thrown off-kilter by the turn his impromptu visit had taken. 

There were two cuts on Jamie’s hand, neither of them deep, and Jamie didn’t protest when Roy quickly cleaned them out and put plasters on them. Just sat there, hand held out, letting Roy do whatever he wanted.

Fucking disconcerting didn’t even begin to describe it.

“There,” Roy said when he was satisfied with his efforts. “He got you anywhere else?”

Jamie stirred at that, shifting uncomfortably. “He didn’t— He just shoved me, like. Hit the wall, tripped on me feet and knocked over the table. Fucking clumsy,” he added, more to himself than to anyone else.

“Oi,” Roy said sharply, then pressed his lips together tightly when Jamie flinched. “Fuck. Sorry. You’re a lot of things, Jamie, but you’re not clumsy. This wasn’t your fucking fault.”

Which might have been a hasty conclusion, perhaps, given Jamie’s general propensity for starting fights and the number of time Roy himself would have been more than happy to shove – and do more than shove – Jamie, but given what he’d seen of Jamie’s father, and given what he saw of Jamie now, Roy did not doubt for a second that he had this right. Whatever had gone down, it hadn’t been on Jamie. And hadn’t been the first time either.

“Yeah,” Jamie said, softly. Too softly to sound convinced.

In the quiet that followed, Roy noted that the banging on the door had stopped. Which was a fucking relief, of course, but it also made the silence between them a tangible, thorny thing, stretching out painfully and awkwardly as Roy wondered what the hell to do now. He could  clean out wounds and put plasters on them, sure, and he was fucking brilliant at getting rid of deadbeat fathers, but as for what came after… He wasn’t great with words at the best of times, wasn’t any good at offering comfort – and it wasn’t like him and Jamie were friends. Up until yesterday, and if Roy had been a dramatic arsehole, he would have gone so far as to call them enemies. Yet here he was, in Jamie Tartt’s kitchen, trying to think of one single useful thing to say or do; anything that might draw the loud, obnoxious, swaggering Jamie he knew (and loathed) out of this slumped, muted version of the man.

”He show up here a lot?” he asked eventually, mostly for something to say.

“No.” Jamie’s voice was still much too quiet, but at least he was responding. “He lives up in Manchester.”

Roy remembered a confession made around a sacrificial fire. Bragging about me scoring goals. Calling me soft if I don’t dominate.

“He pissed about the missed goal?” he hazarded. He hadn’t watched the game, but heard enough about it from Keeley to know it hadn’t been Richmond’s, or Jamie’s, finest hour.

But Jamie shook his head. He was fiddling with the plasters on his hand, eyes averted. “Not really. Doesn’t give a shit if I’m not playing for City, does he. Was in town for their game against Palace, decided to drop by.” A small, unhappy shrug, and quick, almost furtive look in Roy’s direction. “Wanted to know what I was getting him for Christmas. Since I’m rich and all.”

“Broken bones and a fucking restraining order if he shows his fucking face here again,” Roy said grimly. When Jamie didn’t react other than to hunch his shoulders, Roy’s eyes narrowed in realisation. “He’s coming back, isn’t he? Bring some mates, wait ‘til I’m gone?” Yeah, Roy knew the fucking type.

A shrug from Jamie, one that said yes.

Roy made a disgusted noise – but at least this meant that there was something he could actually do.

“All right,” he said, straightening from the counter he’d been leaning on. “Let’s go, then.”

Jamie didn’t stir from his chair, just looked up at Roy with a mix of confusion and suspicion. “Why? Where are we going?”

“My place. You’re coming with me.”

“Why?” Sharper this time. More like the normal Jamie.

Roy raised an eyebrow. “Because if your arsehole father is planning a grand return, you not being here when that happens sounds like great fucking idea to me.”

Colour rose in Jamie’s cheeks. “None of your business, though, is it,” he snapped. “I don’t need a fucking babysitter, Roy. I don’t need anything from you.”

He definitively sounded a lot more like himself, to the point where Roy had to actively fight the urge to snap back. It was far easier than it once would have been though; easier to forgive the rudeness when the shame it was meant to hide was still plain on Jamie’s face.

“You think Keeley’d let me hear the end of it if I left you here alone, knowing that that piece of shit might be coming back?” Roy asked, carefully making sure he kept his voice light and dry. Then he sighed, holding a hand up in surrender. “Listen, I’m not going to make you stay with me if you don’t want to, but you’re not staying here either. I can drop you off at Ted’s or… or fucking Isaac’s, if you’d rather. Take you to Keeley’s and bugger off myself, even. Just… fucking come with me, Jamie. Please.”

In the back of his mind, some small part of Roy was wondering how the fuck he, in the span of 24 short hours, had gone from genuinely wanting to smash Jamie’s teeth in to feeling really fucking desperate that the other should accept his help.

He’d need to think on that, probably. Later.

Jamie mumbled something. Roy frowned. “What?”

“I said, your place is fine.” He glanced up at Roy, and tried for a weak, wobbly smirk. “Hear the porch looks dead good.”

Roy barked a short, surprised snort of a laugh. “Was done up by a fucking lunatic, but yeah, I guess it isn’t half-bad.” He jerked his head toward the door. “Let’s go.”

This time, when Jamie went without further protests, it felt like a victory.

---

The drive back to Chelsea was slow, and quiet. When they stopped for a red light, Roy glanced over at Jamie, who hadn’t said a word since he got in the car, and bit back a low, startled curse.

Jamie was crying soundlessly, silent tears running down his cheeks while he stared straight ahead into nothing.

Roy felt a rush of panic course through him. What the fuck was he supposed to do? His first instinct, which was to offer a gruff get yourself together, Tartt would not – of that he was very sure – serve. But what else was there?

Keeley would know what to do. She was great at this emotional shit. Wasn’t scared of a few tears.

Keeley wasn’t here.

It has to be me. It can’t be anyone else.

Keeping his eyes on the road and one hand on the steering wheel, Roy reached out – slowly, carefully – to put his other hand on Jamie’s neck. Jamie was tense under his palm, but didn’t shy away from the touch.

Roy squeezed, once, briefly. “You’ll be all right,” he murmured.

[monstersdownthepath]

Tactics advice needed - how would you run Fafnheir against a L20/M8 Martial? Specialized in melee but they're prepared with some special javelins enchanted to knock dragons out of the sky. Also potions, and buffs from the nearby party although he's fighting solo. I've given Fafnheir some Mythic ranks of his own and beefed up his stats a touch, and he knows that the Martial could definitely kill him in melee, but wondering how best to use his SLA's and maneuverability for a fun, smart fight.

I think it'd be hysterical for Fafhneir to give himself Greater Invisibility before the beatstick even walks into the chamber. That's 20 rounds of unbreakable stealth for a colossus that has a 100ft/round flight speed.

I suppose the real question is how scummy you want the Father of Linnorms to be; in my mind, the smartest thing he could do is become invisible, then spam Greater Dispel Magic until the Fighter(???)'s buffs are stripped away, then use something like Suffocation... or, if you want to be especially cheeky, Greater Peacebond, which targets an item's saves instead of the player's. Greater Peacebond, when cast via Fafhneir's Limited Wish, has a save DC of 25 (17 + his 9 Cha modifier), which means most items simply cannot succeed unless they roll a natural 20.

Small edit: I forgot attended items use their wielder's Will saves. Still, that's a lot of Will saves!

Greater Peacebond also targets 1 object per level, so the Father can lock 20 weapons in place and force the poor Marshal to spend one standard action at a time to free them from the spell. All those fancy dragon-slaying javelins seem like such a burden now that it takes two actions to ready and throw them, don't they? Freeing a weapon from GP also provokes an AoO, and Fafnheir gets 10 of those a round.

While I'm sure there's far more effective things he could be doing, you asked about spell likes, so my immediate instinct is Greater Invisibility followed by Greater Peacebond. Once the Marshal is struggling and wasting time to free his weapons, Fafnheir can lay into him with his own Full-Attack. If you're beefing his stats and giving him some extra juice anyway, try Flyby Attack so he can needle the player with bite-retreat-bite-retreat and let his poison whittle the poor sod down.

oh wait

hold on, you said 'fun' fight didn't you. Hmmm... Well, Acid Pit is castable with Limited Wish, and I think it'd be funny if you gave Faf the Awesome Blow feat so even if the Marshal dodged the initial cast and/or climbed back out, he'd still risk being flung right back into the puddle. There's also the cruelty of using a Pit spell and then plugging the entrance with the Wall of Force he innately has at 3/day so that the pit smashes everything inside against the wall once the duration ends...

[trickstarbrave]

Hey there, thanks for caring about others but the college aid post by curiosthorns is a scam.

Scams like these are very frequent on tumblr. They make a new blog, put a few posts on it to seem legit, spam asks to people requesting donations, and then remake when they inevitably get deleted.

Remember to try to scroll down to the bottom of a persons blog—this person’s blog was only a few hours old with a small handful of posts when they started sending out asks. Their earliest post is sept 25. Post timestamps can be enabled in the settings to see a post’s age.

Their PayPal is also the same as the one being used on the blog ‘slashyyybird’ which is currently running a sick pet scam on a blog that’s also extremely young.

Also, never trust a fundraiser that requests PayPal payments through “Friends and Family”. There are other ways to receive donations on PayPal but they request this because payments sent through Friends and Family are not protected against fraud and can’t be refunded. Never send FaF payments to people you don’t know and trust, because you can’t get it back.

More info on scams like these can be found on Kyra45’s blog or if you just look up tumblr pet scams. If you delete the post, you could also report op for spam

Aw that one wasn’t from an ask I don’t think. So I thought it was legit. Then again I’m usually not fully coherent or paying attention when I’m blogging but I’ll post this ask and search to delete it

[theshatteredrose]

Secrets: Best Left Untold? (Chapter 1) - Etrian Odyssey Untold 2 Fanfiction

Summary: After a certain event in Ginnungagap, Flavio is relieved to have his best friend back. But the Week of Celebrations for the Duchess’ birthday and upcoming Christmas is the least of his worries; he seems to have a stalker or two, of which he wants to keep secret so not to worry anyone. But how long will he be able to keep everything to himself?

Pairings: Fafnir/Flavio, very mild onesided Fafnir/Arianna

Genres: Romance, Mystery, Suspense, Drama, Angst, Everyone Loves Flavio, Everyone Is Protective of Flavio, Flavio Needs A Hug

AN: I had decided to start writing this project because I believed my operation wouldn’t happen for a while. But lo and behold, I finally got a new date! Anyway, it’s probably best I have something to work on during my recovery.

A few things before we start, however. At the beginning, it will appear that Flavio and Arianna are competing for Fafnir’s affections, but they are still close friends, so it’s superficial at best. And the restaurant is not beloved by the public. In fact, it’s rather disliked for how it came onto the scene, and by extension, so is Regina. Before anyone accuses me of this, I am NOT bashing Regina. I just imagine the hard workers, business owners, and explorers would take exception to someone of Regina’s class waltzing in, getting everything handed to her on a silver platter while they have to struggle to survive. And after living a life of privilege and wealth, I image Regina would struggle with people not reacting positively to her. That is all I’m doing. It is something that the Antagonist tries to use to put doubt in Flavio’s mind.

With that said, I’m sure I’ll get some idiot throwing untrue accusations at me. They’ll be laughed at and ignored. But for the rest of my intelligent readers, you’ll know that above is all for the drama and the angst. And, oh, there will be drama and angst for poor Flavio :’D

Ok, with all of that out of the way, this story will probably be about 25 chapters long. So a medium project for me. Hope you enjoy reading~!

Ao3 | Wattpad | Inkitt | FFNet

-

Chapter 1:

Fate. Destiny. Kismet. Divine timing.

Fafnir was tired of it all. He hated it. To be nothing more than a puppet, having someone else pulling at the strings, forcing him to dance at their commands, at the demands of another.

Was that how his life was meant to be? To be told, ordered, commanded what to do? To be sacrificed at the word of another?

One chance meeting during his childhood was all it took to condemn his life to one of servitude. And eventual to one of ultimate sacrifice.

Ginnungagap was a very cold, dark place. Empty. Silence. Devoid of…anything.

Why he listened to that disembodied voice, he still did not know. Was it a choice? His choice? Was it the pressure to do what was right and expected of him? Guilt? Blackmail? Or was he just plain gutless? It was easier to just give in. To do as he was told. To blame the ever-faceless fate for his troubles.

Flavio was not content with that, however. He and the others. Storming Ginnungagap. Interfering with the ritual. Interfering with fate. With how “things” had worked for generations.

It was the wake-up call that Fafnir needed. That, and the light jab to the stomach Flavio delivered before telling him to never, ever do something like that again.

Flavio would rather face this Yggdrasil Core in battle than allow Fafnir to sacrifice his life in a ritual that may not even last. The seal had grown significantly weaker. It may not even last until the next Fafnir Knight.

“Tell me what you want for once, Faf, please…”

What he wanted? He was not sure. What he did not want was for Flavio to be in danger because of him. And he would have been if he continued on the path he was.

But Flavio made his decision. His own decision. He was not content with making someone else dance upon the strings of fate. He did not want to have to rip someone else’s heart out. Tear apart love ones. All for a ritual, a seal that may not even last. For an entity that will eventually rise to the surface anyway. It was only a matter of time.

He also wished to put an end to the pointless sacrifices. Knights were not deposable. Expendable. They were not something to be sacrifice at someone else’s command. They had hopes and dreams all of their own. And they had a right to live them. To live their lives as they wish.

Just like Fafnir did.

And Flavio had a point. He was always right.

So, just like the way Flavio and the others fought their way through Ginnungagap to get to him, Fafnir chose to fight as well.

That was his decision.

From all that he had heard about the Yggdrasil Core, facing it in battle would not be easy. He would need to grow stronger. He would need to find powerful enemies in Yggdrasil labyrinth to defeat.

But turning Flavio away after all he said and done was impossible.

Fafnir truly was a fool. How could he have left Flavio alone? He was the one person in his life who had tried to make his life easier. The one who watched over him. He was his impulse control. His calming presence. His peace. His guiding light in the dark.

He took him for granted.

Never again.

Flavio had asked him what he wanted to do. Back then Fafnir did not know the answer. But as Christmas approached and as he grew accustomed to the city of High Lagaard, he finally figured it out.

He wanted Flavio to know just how much he truly meant to him. Just how special he was. And he wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.

That was his decision. And he was going to see it through, no matter what.

… … … … …

It was a bright, sunny day in High Lagaard. It was, however, cold. No surprise as it was a few weeks away from Christmas. As magical as that season was, it was still cold. And Flavio was not a fan of the cold. At all.

Flavio attempted to tug his jacket closer as he juggled his shopping in his arms. He was so distracted with guarding himself from the icy cold wind and keeping his packages that he stumbled wildly when someone bumped into him. A hand grasping him by the elbow prevented him from falling over.

“Do pardon me,” a masculine voice stated, subtly concerned. “Are you all right?”

Taking a moment to ensure that he had a firm grip on his shopping, Flavio turned his head toward the one gripping his arm. A young man. Perhaps only a few years older than himself, but a head taller. Short dark black hair, choppy yet somehow still neat at the back with bangs styled to dance over his right eye while the other half was neatly slicked back behind his left ear. The most striking thing about him, however, was that he had most intensely dark emerald green eyes.

They were honestly mesmerising.

Flavio quickly realised that he was staring and snapped himself out of it, plastering a smile on his lips. “Whew, yeah, thanks. The streets sure are busy today.”

The other man, however, stared at him in return, his deep green eyes focused entirely on him. Searching his face. Looking him up and down. Inspecting him in such a way that it felt as though the other man could not quite comprehend the sight before him.

It was a little, ok really uncomfortable.

“…Wioleta…?”

Flavio blinked. “I’m sorry?”

The man shook his head sharply, as though snapping himself from a trance. He turned his green eyes back toward Flavio once more and a smile, quite practiced but charming nonetheless, appeared on his lips. “F-forgive me. You…look remarkably like my deceased wife.”

That surprised Flavio greatly and a wave of great sympathy fell over him. The man had to be no older than Fafnir or himself, yet he was already a widower? That was terrible!

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Flavio said on reflex. What else could he say?

It was not until he felt something tighten around his bicep that Flavio realised that the man still had a firm, but not overly aggressive grip on his arm.

“It’s uncanny.” The man suddenly slipped a finger under Flavio’s chin and tilted his head back slightly. The touch was unexpected, so much so that Flavio tensed, mind going blank, unsure of how to react.

“Same hair. Same beautiful eyes. You even have her mannerisms,” the man continued, leaning forward uncomfortably close. “If I didn’t know any better, you could very well be my long-lost love. Wouldn’t that be some grand divine intervention?”

O-okay, things have gotten weird!

Flavio took a shaky step backwards, successfully pulling himself from the man’s grip. Thankfully, the man did not resist. “A-ah, excuse me,” he said as he clutched his bag of shopping against his chest. “I have to go. Sorry for your loss.”

The man smiled and presented him with a slight nod of his head. “Until we meet again, beautiful stranger.”

Flavio flushed at the strange nickname and simply spun on his heel and hurried away. What a strange guy. But he might still be grieving. He was still young, after all.

Still, better not mention him to Fafnir. He had gotten very protective of him lately. He had always been protective, but more so than usual. Not that Flavio was complaining, of course. But what had occurred in Ginnungagap was the likely cause.

Ginnungagap…

No, he must not think about that. They had agreed not to talk about the events that had transpired there recently. The decisions that had been made, or lack thereof.

It was with a huge sigh of relief that Flavio walked into the restaurant. And it was not just the cold he was grateful to be away from. “I’m back! Regina, I got the items you wanted.”

“Ah, thanks!” Regina’s voice echoed somewhere from the kitchen, where she was usually found. “I appreciate it, just place them on the bar!”

Flavio set the bags atop of the bar and unwound the scarf around his neck. He idly folded the piece of clothing as he looked around the dining area of the restaurant. A few regular customers were situated at the tables near the windows, enjoying both the warmth from the sun and the heating the restaurant provided. Otherwise, things were pretty quiet.

That was not much of a surprise, to be honest. Though cold, it was a sunny day. They have had a few snowy days, but nothing of the rumoured brutal blizzards that Flavio had been warned about. One days like today, it would be wise to prepare for both the snow and Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, that was about…two weeks away, if he recalled correctly. And he still needed to find Fafnir a gift. He was not entirely sure what to get him. Fafnir dodged all inquiries, offering instead a sly smirk and a cryptic “I’m working on it.”

Fine. Be mysterious, Faf. Flavio will figure it out eventually.

“There you are.”

Ah, speak of the devil.

Fafnir appeared from the back of the restaurant, where they kept their items in storage. He was not alone, however. Just a step or so behind him was Arianna. A common sight the last few days.

He did not want to use the word ‘clingy’ as it had negative connotations, but she tried to be in Fafnir’s presence whenever possible.

He understood why. She was also heavily affected by what had transpired in Ginnungagap. She blamed herself. But how was she to know? She was only a child when she chose Fafnir. No one told her the truth of her heritage. Of her burdens.

But it was kinda hard to simply hang out with Fafnir, just the two of them like old times with Arianna insisting on joining them.

Sometimes…sometimes he just wanted to hang out with Fafnir and Fafnir alone, ya know?

“You were gone for a while,” Fafnir said as he walked over to him.

Flavio smiled. “Were you timing me?” he jokingly asked before he shrugged. “Everyone is taking advantage of the clear weather, apparently.”

Fafnir leaned against the bar and next to him. He raised his left hand and gently brushed his knuckles against Flavio cheek. The touch was light, gently dancing over the skin of Flavio’s cheek. But it brought a flutter to Flavio’s chest.

“Your cheeks are red.”

And Flavio felt them redden further from a blush. “Y-yeah, well, it’s cold outside. You know I can’t stand the cold.”

Ever since Ginnungagap, Fafnir had grown more attentive and, well, touchy-feely for a lack of a better description. Again, not that Flavio was complaining. How could he? The touches were just sometimes…surprising. Like the gentle one brushing against his cheek.

Arianna suddenly popped up into their line of sight, her attention focused upon Fafnir. “Oh, but it is such a bright and sunny day,” she said, cheerfully. “It would be such a delight to wander the streets and enjoy the sunlight, wouldn’t you agree, Sir Fafnir?”

Fafnir let his hand drop to his side listlessly as he turned his gaze toward the princess. “I’m not all that fond of the cold either. Besides, Flavio just came in from the cold. He needs to warm up.”

Arianna’s cheeriness deflated subtly. “O-oh, that is true. Um, perhaps, the two of us could take a relaxing stroll then?”

Flavio felt a prang of…something suddenly hit him in the chest. He had the inclination that the first request was not extended to him. But the second made it obvious. He should not be bitter as it was clear, as obvious as the nose on his face that Arianna had quite the crush on Fafnir. He could not blame her for doing so.

He…

He also…

Anyway, it appeared that after what had occurred at Ginnungagap, Arianna was intent on spending time with her crush.

He wondered how Fafnir felt, though.

Fafnir leaned back against the bar and folded his arms across his chest. “Hmm, I take plenty of strolls in the labyrinth. I’m feeling lazy today.”

Ah Fafnir, on the other hand, seemed oblivious to the young lady’s crush.

Huh…Flavio felt a sense of relief at that. He…shouldn’t. It would be rude of him. Especially when Arianna looked obviously disappointed, and maybe even a bit frustrated. But determined all the same.

Yet, he still found himself leaning forward to rest against the bar next to Fafnir, taking a casual stance of his own. “The streets are full of people anyway. You’ll spend more time dodging than walking. Besides, we’re heading into the labyrinth tomorrow, right? Better preserve our energy.”

Fafnir turned his head toward him. “You’re looking forward to getting away from the cold.”

Flavio laughed. “Of course. Petal Bridge feels like spring compared to the winter wonderland we have here and Frozen Woods.”

“We might have to camp out there for a while.”

“For three months? No thanks!”

It was nice to have a sense of normalcy again.

He just…hoped it lasted.

[themarginalthinker]

How's chapter 3 coming along?

What stages you at?

Well, to be perfectly honest, I have the basic chapter outline done that I'm working off of, and I've gotten the basic arch of the chapter plotted out (ie, who goes where, what happens, where we're exploring and what and why) but only a few paragraphs typed out.

All the while, I'm still faffing about with chapters 4-6, because chapter 3 is the last of the 'establishing' chapters in my head. We meet all four main characters by the end of 3 (Charlie, Blue, Zephyr and Tweak) and fully establish the setting (the Warren), getting Charlie settled as 'a member, not a threat or spy'.

Chapters 4-6 are going to be 'ok, so what the hell is everyone even doing' chapters. Exploring what goals the Warren has a whole, establishing sidecharacters like Jen and Fen, Dana, the High House, Bobbin, how the clan operates in this particular city (as well as the Twin City's Camarilla's vibe as a whole which is fairly chill and artsy bc their Prince is a Toreador and no one can enjoy good art if they're ripping their heads off all the time >:T )

Unfortunately (and that's not just for readers, trust me, I wish I was able to write this faster as well Dx) it will likely take me about a month to get everything written and then edited to my liking. My chapters for this fic seem to be settling into about 20-25 pages in a word doc, so. It may take a little bit.

[melxncholyman]

Hey there, thanks for caring about others but the college aid post by curiosthorns is a scam.

Scams like these are very frequent on tumblr. They make a new blog, put a few posts on it to seem legit, spam asks to people requesting donations, and then remake when they inevitably get deleted.

Remember to try to scroll down to the bottom of a persons blog—this person’s blog was only a few hours old with a small handful of posts when they started sending out asks. Their earliest post is sept 25. Post timestamps can be enabled in the settings to see a post’s age.

Their PayPal is also the same as the one being used on the blog ‘slashyyybird’ which is currently running a sick pet scam on a blog that’s also extremely young.

Also, never trust a fundraiser that requests PayPal payments through “Friends and Family”. There are other ways to receive donations on PayPal but they request this because payments sent through Friends and Family are not protected against fraud and can’t be refunded. Never send FaF payments to people you don’t know and trust, because you can’t get it back.

More info on scams like these can be found on Kyra45’s blog or if you just look up tumblr pet scams. If you delete the post, you could also report op for spam

hi, thanks for informing me about this! i've never seen a tumblr scam before so i totally fell for it lol. deleting the post now & reporting op

[da-riya]

My study strategy can be best described as "The inverse pomodoro" (25 minutes of faffing about with 5 minute breaks of actual study)

[ladypepperofdavenshire]

I posted 141 times in 2022

131 posts created (93%)

10 posts reblogged (7%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@jenniferbrincho

@ladypepsfanart

@tinymintywolf

@cockamamieschemes

@ladypepperofdavenshire

I tagged 141 of my posts in 2022

#ladypepperofdavenshire - 122 posts

#original character - 49 posts

#untitled sci fi story - 39 posts

#inktober 2022 - 31 posts

#inktober - 31 posts

#untitled sci fi wip - 30 posts

#sci fi - 26 posts

#original characters - 25 posts

#the empress - 17 posts

#dune ocs - 17 posts

Longest Tag: 89 characters

#also thought up a really fun concept for the soldiers today that i wanna flesh out huhuhu

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

TRON oc dump WOO!! I’ve had these characters since 2016 and haven’t done a thing with them since then, but watching Uprising with some friends sparked my imagination, and so I decided to dust em off and work on some plot stuff! •Della is a former Siren-turned-club waitress (she works for Donavan, blue circuitry). She flirts with soldiers to get information from them for their homegrown resistance to use.  She often gets in over her head, but she’s good at talking her way out of a situation! •Daxon is a Sentinel Scout who grew disillusioned with CLU’s propaganda and decided to go awol.  He seeks refuge at Donavan’s club, where he’s waiting until he can get his identity disc modified before getting smuggled out of Purgos. •Donavan is the owner of the club where Della works at.  He’s also an ISO who is able to masquerade as a Program, which is one of the reasons why he started the small resistance by helping out other ISOs and Programs on the run from the army.

97 notes - Posted January 10, 2022

#4

One Mermaid Gytha pic for this MerMay WOO

98 notes - Posted May 16, 2022

#3

Faffing around with some Dune stuff again, this time attempting some Bene Gesserit designs ✨

I drew inspiration from medieval nun habits for the overall look and shape of the clothes, and ancient Egypt for the gold detailing.  The idea of the Sisters mirroring each other came early on, though I didn’t have the notion for the veils until after tackling the Reverend Mother since I wanted her to look more extravagant by comparison; the Sisters are meant to blend in and operate behind the scenes throughout the Empire, so I thought it was fitting :)))

110 notes - Posted April 3, 2022

#2

See the full post

149 notes - Posted January 9, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

So I’ve been watching Tron Uprising with a few friends and having a blast!  I think the last pic I drew of Beck and Paige was from FIVE years ago, so they were due for an updated piece of fanart!  I think Tron is gonna be next…

189 notes - Posted January 8, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[361forum]

Le clip de "J'y crois", de Saïd, avec Shurik'n

"Non, j'suis pas différent Toujours les crocs et la dalle, esprit conquérant MC opérant sur l'fil de la lame, sans palabre à contre-courant J'ai brisé mes rames, fréquemment, mais j'suis du genre à finir à la nage"

L’album De Swing et De Soul, de Saïd sort le 25 avril 2006. Signé chez 361 Records, c’est Shurik’n qui s’est occupé de la production de la quasi-totalité des titres de cet album (sauf le morceau J’y crois, produit par Faf Larage)En revanche, Shurik’n participe vocalement au morceau J’y crois, qui aura d’ailleurs droit à son clip https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=shurik%27n+said

[pakistanweekly]

Bottom-placed Bengaluru end losing streak with win over Hyderabad

In an IPL confrontation on Thursday, Illustrious Challengers Bengaluru, situated at the lower part of the association table, won over Sunrisers Hyderabad by 35 runs, supported by spinners Karn Sharma and Swapnil Singh's vital four wickets.

With this unexpected triumph, Bengaluru finished up their six-match series of failures.

Batting first subsequent to winning the throw, Bengaluru posted a cutthroat 206-7. Virat Kohli's consistent 51 and a speedy 25 from Faf du Plessis established the groundwork.

Rajat Patidar's dangerous 50 off 20 balls moved them to 130 in the thirteenth over. Notwithstanding losing force, Cameron Green's unbeaten 37 off 20 balls supported their aggregate.

Pursuing 207, Hyderabad staggered early, losing Travis Head for only 1 in the first over.

Abhishek Sharma's concise 31 off 13 balls couldn't rescue the innings. Karn and Swapnil's joint exertion destroyed the center request, lessening Hyderabad to 69-5 in the eighth over.

Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins, who hit a 15-ball 31 with three sixes, gave some lower-request thrusts before excusal to public partner Green, who bowled two tight overs for 12 runs and two wickets.

Hyderabad is still serenely put in the third right on target the IPL table, and Cummins expressed that he "will not harp on this one to an extreme".

With this success, Bengaluru got just their second triumph in nine games.

Winning chief Plessis commented that their group had "been close for some time yet you want to win matches to get trust in the gathering".

"A huge success for us. At the point when you're not winning, it influences you intellectually, it influences your certainty," he said.

[creative-pens]

Glenn Maxwell's Candid Admission: Why He Benched Himself from RCB vs SRH Clash

In a surprising turn of events during Monday's match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) opted to leave Glenn Maxwell out of the lineup. While this decision raised eyebrows among fans, Maxwell himself revealed the reasoning behind his exclusion from the side.

Speaking to reporters, the Australian all-rounder disclosed that he approached the RCB leadership group, including captain Faf du Plessis, and suggested it was time to give someone else a chance. Maxwell admitted that his form had been below par this season, and he felt it was best to take a mental and physical break from the game.

Acknowledging his lack of positive contribution, Maxwell shared his disappointment with his performance so far in the IPL 2024 season. With just 32 runs to his name from six games at an average of 5.33, Maxwell recognized the need for a change in strategy.

RCB's struggles this season, marked by inconsistent batting performances and indifferent bowling displays, have mirrored Maxwell's individual form. With only one win from six games, the team finds itself at the bottom of the table, facing challenges in both batting and bowling departments.

Maxwell's absence in the clash against SRH, which resulted in a 25-run loss for RCB, highlighted the team's bowling vulnerabilities as they conceded the highest total in IPL history. Despite a valiant effort from Dinesh Karthik, the team's net run rate took a hit, underscoring the urgent need for improvement in all areas of their game.

As RCB navigates through a challenging IPL season, Maxwell's decision to bench himself reflects a proactive approach to address performance issues and seek solutions for the team's overall improvement. With a renewed focus and determination, RCB aims to bounce back stronger in the remainder of the tournament.

[sportsgr8]

IPL 2024: Faf Du Plessis Blamed Top-order Batting Collapse After Loss Against CSK

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Faf du Plessis blamed top-order batting fault after a tough defeat in their opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 against the seasoned Chennai Super Kings. The match, held on Friday saw RCB faltering after a promising start, eventually succumbing to a 6-wicket loss against Ruturaj Gaikwad's determined CSK side.The toss favoured RCB, who opted to bat first, hoping to set a formidable target. However, their aspirations were dampened early on as Mustafizur Rahman's double strike in the fifth over of the powerplay shattered their top order. Despite the setback, RCB managed to stitch together a modest total of 173 runs, largely due to a resilient 95-run partnership between Anuj Rawat and Dinesh Karthik. Faf du Plessis, the captain of RCB, lamented the loss of wickets in the crucial initial overs, acknowledging that it put them on the backfoot for the rest of the game. He highlighted the importance of consolidating the innings after the early blows, emphasizing that RCB fell short by about 15 to 20 runs on the challenging Chennai pitch. “When you play here, you feel like you have to almost get ahead of the game a little bit in the first six hours overs because Chennai is a very good team there in the middle. They have done it for so many years where they squeeze you with spinners. So unfortunately, we lost a little bit too many wickets in the first seven overs, which meant that the guys needed to bat a little bit and stable the innings again. I felt like we were 15 or 20 runs short on the pitch,” Faf du Plessis said after the match. Even with Cameron Green and Virat Kohli contributing decently, their dismissals inside the 12th over intensified RCB's struggle. However, Rawat and Karthik's commendable partnership injected hope into the team, albeit momentarily. Faf conceded that despite their efforts, the total was never going to be enough against a formidable opponent like CSK. “Yeah, Look, we're always a little bit behind, as I said, in terms of trying to get ahead of the game. you know, they were batting at a pace where they're always still in front of the game. Even though it was we were pulling it back, Uh, we were trying to somehow find some opportunities to get wickets, and obviously with Dube he was not really comfortable with the short ball. So just trying to expose to try and get some wickets through the middle overs. But at the end we were short of runs,” Faf added. In the second innings, RCB attempted to mount a comeback by resorting to a barrage of short-pitched deliveries against CSK's middle-order batsman, Shivam Dube. However, the strategy failed to yield desired results, as CSK's batters skillfully maneuvered their way towards the target, maintaining a comfortable pace throughout. Faf ruefully reflected on the unsuccessful execution of their plans, acknowledging that their tactics did not quite pan out as anticipated on the dry Chennai track. Despite their best efforts, RCB found themselves outplayed by CSK's clinical performance. “If you look at the stats, it’s still in favor of batting first. It looked on the drier side. Some of the spinners got purchase as the ball held a bit. Against Dube, we went to our seamers but it didn’t worked out,” Faf said after the game. With the defeat behind them, RCB now sets their sights on their next challenge as they prepare to face Punjab Kings at their home ground, the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, on Monday, March 25. Read the full article

[delhinewsinenglish]

RCB 'Fizz'le out: Mustafizur stars in easy CSK win in IPL opener

Mustafizur Rahman set it up with his bagful of cerebral variations before Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube got the job done with their superlative finishing skills to script a comfortable six-wicket win for Chennai Super Kings over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL opener here on Friday.

CSK, who have not lost to RCB at home since 2008, thus kept their enviable record intact.

Mustafizur, with his best ever IPL figures of 4/29 in four overs, was largely responsible for restricting RCB to 173 for six on a good batting track, where a 95-run sixth wicket stand off 50 balls between Anuj Rawat (48 off 25 balls) and Dinesh Karthik (38 not out off 26 balls) was the visitors' only saving grace.

Jadeja (25 not out off 17 balls) brought his oodles of experience just when things could have got tricky in the run chase, hurrying a rusty Dube (34 off 28 balls) into completing some quick doubles to complete the chase in 18.4 overs.       Dube also grew in confidence in Jadeja's company towards the end as he finished the chase in a jiffy.

Credit should also be given to Rachin Ravindra (37 off 15 balls), who teed off in brilliant fashion with three sixes and as many boundaries to set the tone.

Ajinkya Rahane (27 off 19 balls), who had a forgettable Ranji season with the bat, also hit a couple of sixes before a great piece of outfielding by Glenn Maxwell saw his back.

Dube and Daryl Mitchell (22 off 18 balls) were peppered with short balls from Alzarri Joseph and Cameron Green with the latter falling prey to one such delivery.

When RCB batted, Mustafizur brought back memories of his rookie days but an impressive rear-guard action from Rawat took RCB to a fighting total.

Rawat, who initially was cautious, launched into Tushar Deshpande, whose natural length is on the shorter side. Three sixes and a four in the 18th over turned the course as RCB knocked 83 runs in their last six overs. Rawat hit four fours and three sixes in his innings.

This was after Mustafizur took four wickets in his first two overs to reduce RCB to 78 for five.

'Fizz' as he is known in the cricketing fraternity wouldn't have got a first eleven nod had Matheesha Pathirana been fit to represent the 'Yellow Brigade'.

Brought in the Powerplay to stop a rampaging Faf du Plessis (35 off 23), Mustafizur, gauging the pace of the track, didn't keep it too full and bowled between the 7-8 metre length to extract enough bounce to get a couple of dismissals.

Kohli made a painstaking 21 off 20 balls in his first competitive game in more than two months.

Having got to face only six deliveries in the Powerplay, Kohli's first attacking stroke was a pull six off Maheesh Theekshana (0/36 in 4 overs) but he never looked in rhythm after a two-month paternity break as a mistimed pull led to his dismissal.

Rahane had caught it at deep mid-wicket but as he was about slide out, he flicked it inside for Rachin to complete the relay catch.

Mustafizur's best delivery however was one that cleaned up Green when he rolled his wrists to bowl a cutter with a wobbly seam.

At the onset, Deepak Chahar (1/37 in 4 overs) did look woefully short of match practice, as his loopy outswingers got harsh treatment first up from skipper Du Plessis.

But RCB's joy was short-lived as the skipper was caught in the deep after a brisk knock.

Rajat Patidar's (0) wretched run since England Tests continued as he nicked one to Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the stumps.

The break in momentum for RCB worked in Chahar's favour as a change of ends saw him bowl one that pitched on back of length and moved a shade to have Glenn Maxwell caught behind.

Source :

RCB 'Fizz'le out: Mustafizur stars in easy CSK win in IPL opener

[nainshikushwaha]

Superb Batting Display Leads Team to 173 Total

In a thrilling encounter, RCB showcased an exceptional batting performance, amassing a total of 173 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Let's delve into the highlights of each player's contribution:

1. Virat Kohli: Started the innings with a brisk 21 runs off 20 balls, maintaining a commendable strike rate of 105.0 before being caught by Rachin Ravindra off the bowling of Mustafizur Rahman.

2. Faf du Plessis (C): Led the team from the front with an impressive 35 runs off just 23 balls, including 8 boundaries, at a strike rate of 152.17, before falling victim to Mustafizur Rahman.

3. Rajat Patidar: Faced a brief stint at the crease, unfortunately departing without scoring, caught by the experienced MS Dhoni off Mustafizur Rahman's bowling.

4. Glenn Maxwell: Entered the fray but couldn't make an impact, facing only one ball and being dismissed by Deepak Chahar, caught by MS Dhoni.

5. Cameron Green: Contributed a valuable 18 runs off 22 balls, including a boundary, at a steady strike rate of 81.82, before being bowled by Mustafizur Rahman.

6. Anuj Rawat (Wk): Showed immense prowess with the bat, crafting a blistering 48 runs off just 25 balls, which included 4 boundaries and 3 towering sixes, at an astonishing strike rate of 192.0, ultimately getting run out by MS Dhoni.

7. Dinesh Karthik: Played a pivotal role in the latter part of the innings, remaining unbeaten with a composed 38 runs off 26 balls, featuring 3 boundaries, at a strike rate of 146.15.

Extras

In addition to the impressive individual performances, the team garnered 13 extra runs, including 10 wides, 1 bye, and 2 leg byes, enhancing their total score to a formidable 173 runs.

With a blend of aggressive stroke play and calculated innings building, RCB showcased their batting prowess, setting up an intriguing contest for their opponents.