#idk i just love protective ragnar ok

[thatfoxnamedfinley]

LET'S BURN aka Morning Star thoughts

YOU KNOW HOW WE DO

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT lets GOOoOooooOooooooOOO

Trigg was a gay icon "Stay close. Nut to butts here, dont be shy."

RAGNARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

I cried UGLY TEARS on my drive home from work. The only time I cried during the book. Ragnar talking about how he will build him a house next to his but don't come to the Veil too quickly because it will take him a while to build it. Telling his sister to live for more. Smiling even at the end.

PB, why bro. You have damaged me by doing the following.

1.) Killing Pax (THE ENDING DONT TOUCH ME, WELL GET TO IT)

2.) Killing Pax's archetype replacement

You make me like Pax, you take him away. You make me LOVE Ragnar and you take him away. Ragnar UNDERSTOOD, he understood the Rising and what it all meant more than most and you TOOK HIM AWAYYYYYYY. *Slams fist on table*

Ok ok ok ok also small side note when they crashed and encountered Cassius and Aja (i love to hate this bitch) and Mustang has her bow drawn on Cassius and is like

I WILL PUT YOU DOWN

and in my brain I'm like "nah she wouldn't"

and then she FIRES the shot into Cassius' neck

((the plot armor on this man is actually crazy))

And I had this amazing moment when listening to the audiobook that I got goosies...I imagined the snow around her and her hair blowing around her face and DETERMINATION in her eyes as she fires the shot

I was so PROUD of her

I was like

Sevro and Darrow's fight was awesome. Sweet, even. Talking about how he can see the protectiveness in Darrow's eyes when he was looking at the refugees on Tinos. His head on Darrow's knee. Talking about Eo & Sevro talking about how all he wanted was to cause wrath in the wake of his father's murder. He questions his leadership abilities and doesn't want it. I understand because he was the one that was still looking for Darrow. Saved him from torment and torture. He came back different, broken and defeated. Sad. ANGRY. Then how quickly leadership fell back to Darrow when he was the one that worked during that year that the Rising wavered when everyone thought The Reaper had been killed.

OH OH OH

one of my favorite parts of this book was The Reaper's speech. Because he wasn't Darrow, he was REAPER. He's also dramatic as fuck and I love him. He was standing up there in front of Refugees and I got GOOOOOOSIIESSS bitch when the people were like, reaching out to touch him, I was like THIS SHIT IS CRAZY. He has no branding and he's like

"I STAND BEFORE YOU A MAN UNBOUND" and people are gasping in shit cause he's like the first person in hundreds of years to bear no sigils of color.

"I speak now to Golds, to the Aureate who rule. I have walked your halls, broken your schools, eaten at your tables and suffered your gallows. You tried to kill me. You could not. I know your power. I know your pride. And I have seen how you will fall. For 700 years you have ruled over the dominion of man, and this is all you have given us. It is not enough."

I could see why people wanted to follow him. That speech was fucking EPIC.

Other thoughts. Romulus us gunna be a problem. I also think Lysander is going to have a big role. Idk what but my spidey sense is tingling. After all that trauma he was just TOTALLY OK to talk to the Ash Lord and help get the plan moving...?

Pls dont tell this little boi is about to be Jackal 2.0

OMFG THE JACKAL

BOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII this man is inSANE!

Nuclear warfare because he wasn't getting his way??? Wanting Darrow to kill himself LIVE? DARROWS HAND GETTIGN CHOPPED OFF

BRO I THOUGHT CASSIUS BETRAYED THEM I WAS SO FCKING PISSED. I was like YO CASSIUS IT IS ON FUCKING SITE THE NEXT TIME WE SEE YOU BRO COUNT ON IT COUNT YOUR DAYS

Then I was like oh ok nevermind

All because of that little fucking holocube, the GOAT of GOATS. Showing Cassius' family being disposed of.

I have a few GOATs of this book.

(secret GOAT is Sophocles. i want to give him a jellybean)

1.) Mustang. Firing that arrow and in the discussion with Romulus she was KEY.

2.) The defiant Pink that opened the bay on the Moonbreaker. Shaking but defiant, angry at her overlords. Amazing moment.

3.) Victra. Her moment when she saw Darrow having to make a hard decision and blowing the stuff on Ganymede to cripple Romulus and The Rim. "Share some of the load, darling. This is on me." What a fucking GOAT.

4.) Sevro. CRUCIAL to taking Aja down. That shit was 3 v 1 and they would NOT have won without him. Him low to the ground moving like an animal smirking like "YOURE GUNNA DIEEE TODAY BITCH" im like

Because Aja was such a THREAT bro. I was so NERVOUS someone was going to die and they almost did!

OH OH OH (im so sorry i was up all night until like 9am finishing the audiobook so Im kind of delirious) Darrow rushing Octavia on LIVE TV and going like *shink shink shink shink shink shink shink* in her stomach with his teeth bared and I'm like YAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS BITCCHHHHHH

Finally, I was oddly, ODDLY uderstanding of why Mustand kept baby Pax a secret. For a split second I was like "WOAH WAIT WTF-" But then I was like ".....Yeah, no that makes sense." She understood what Darrow wanted but wasn't sure if the Rising would be like the genecide of Golds, her people. So she wasn't sure she couldt rust him. I get it. Nodding in understanding. Valid. She wanted to see if he was capable of BUILDING. She knows he can destroy. But can he follow up the revolution by actually building a better future.

Now she knows he can, and he has a BABBBBYYYY

I do know there is a massive time jump in the next book and multiple POVs. I'm nervous but ready.

*Random side side note

Sevro and Victra came out of nowhere for me and was something I didn't get at all

*side side side note

The Telemanus' are also GOATs

Kavax and Daxo are babies

*side side side side note, one of my other favorite moments was before they drilled with their clawdrills intot he Moonbreaker and Darrow says

"Drills hot. Helmets up. LET'S BURN." GOOOOSSSIESS

audiobook narrator performance was FANTASTIC

[lonelyboxpet]

put back into place || viking whump

this is just a random first person whump snippet without any context lol, hope you like it. it´s set in the tv show "vikings", doesn´t contain any spoilers, only my best friend and me cuz i love whumping myself uwu

cw: alcohol, belting, manhandling, beating, brief mentions of non-con and r@pe, brief mentions of pregnancy and abortions, some heavy language, knife whump, ragnar being protective and getting his revenge on that dumb drunk dipshit, a shit ton of sarcasm

The light of the fire glistened against the metal cups and the candle holders, gold and matted, weakly illuminating the dark hall. Men were laughing, drinking, drunkenly dancing and sharing stories, as they always were, while eating - and making a huge mess, of course.

I sighed. I was holding a cup, almost untouched, and playing with it anxiously. I didn't really like the ale, unlike my friend, who already downed three drinks and now was very cheerily devouring the fourth one. I scoffed a little and sipped from mine. I had to admit it wasn't bad, the ale was pungent and sweet, but I didn't really like the idea of getting drunk around a bunch of two-meters-tall, buff, scary viking men who mostly knew shit about consent and didn't care about what an age gap is. And the last thing I wanted was getting raped and getting pregnant with a child of some drunk-ass 40-years-old fucker in a world where abortion wasn't invented yet.

,,You look like a lost puppy, dude,” Jáchym laughed softly and nudged me, making me smile weakly. ,,What is it?”

,,I just… I don't really like this, bro,” I replied reluctantly, gesturing with my cup to the whole hall. ,,Ragnar and mostly everyone who we know isn't here and were left in the company of a bunch of dangerous drunk dudes who could crush my skull with one hand. Of course I don't feel good.”

He shook his head. ,,Why would they want to hurt us? Look, don´t worry. If you want to, we can go, get some fresh air or something.”

I looked at my feet and squirmed nervously. ,,Nah. You don't have to leave just because of me. You look like you're enjoying this. It's okay.”

,,Alright,” he shrugged and finished his drink. ,,But if you change your mind, just tell me.”

I nodded and decided to try to fight my anxiety. Fuck this, alright? We're here. How many times will we get an opportunity to feast with fucking vikings? I downed my drink in one go, squinching my eyes at how it stung in my throat. Jáchym quietly cheered and quickly followed my example. I smirked at him and peeled myself off of the wooden pillar I was leaning on, diving into the crowd.

My heart was pounding in my chest so loudly I almost choked on it, but I headed to the table, eyes fixed on the big goblet with more ale. I reached over the shoulder of some man, who was laughing loudly about something, and tried to grab it, but he quickly caught my hand and forced me to topple over at the table, getting more laughs from his friends around.

,,Sorry,” I yelped out, trying to pry myself from his iron grasp, ,,I just- I just wanted to fetch the ale.”

The man's eyes narrowed. He reached for the goblet. ,,You wanted this?” he asked. I slowly nodded, feeling my cheeks burn with embarrassment as more looks landed on me.

,,Yes,” I replied. ,,Ye- yes. I´m sorry.”

He looked me straight in the eyes and strengthened his grip, as he slowly turned the goblet upside down, pouring its content onto the floor. His friends´ laughter rumbled in my ears as he grinned at me, without a trace of humor. I squirmed again.

,,Hey, leave her alone.”

Oh my fuck, bro, I swear to gods, don´t fight this dude, I prayed quickly as Jáchym approached us, opening the man´s hand and forcing him to leave my forearm. I backed off as fast as I could, grasping the bruises he left, watching him and my friend with wide eyes.

The man stood up slowly, hovering over Jáchym as he tried to keep balance. My friend was apparently too dumb to do the logical thing, which was turning around and running for his fucking life, but instead, he striked first.

The man groaned and fell back onto his seat, grabbing his bloodied nose. Now Jáchym backed up, probably finally realizing that fighting a viking wasn't the smartest thing to do, but the man grabbed his shoulder and punched him. Well, he tried, Jáchym dodged it at the last time, and the man´s fist just lightly stroked his cheekbone instead of landing on his chin.

I forgot that I was fucking terrified, my blood raced through my veins. My heart was pounding so fast it hurt. I forgot how to breathe. And, I did the dumbest thing possible. I jumped forward, head-butting the man´s face before he could punch my friend again.

He groaned, I felt his already injured nose to crack, and white stars of pain flew across my skull. He grabbed my throat and threw me to the ground, as one of his friends twisted Jáchym´s arms behind his back to stop him from fighting again, even though he thrashed around and tried to stomp on his feet.

I tried to get up, but a kick forced me to fly back to the ground with a pained gasp. Jáchym managed to strike the face of his opponent with the back of his head, but a punch to the gut forced him to topple over, wheezing for breath. The man over me grinned as he unbuckled his belt.

,,You gonna fuck this little bitch, Hrolf?” one of his friends laughed, watching the whole scene while drinking his ale.

The disgusting piece of shit, apparently named Hrolf, just sneered. ,,I´m not fucking dogs,” he snarled, erupting more laughter from his great pals. ,,I´m just gonna put these two sneaky pieces of shit back to their place.”

His belt landed on my arm, leaving an angry red mark. I yelped and tried to pull away, but to no use. The leather of his belt hit my skin again, and again, and again, no matter how much I squirmed. In the end, I just curled up, covering my head with arms, quietly weeping and hoping that he'll get enough soon.

My hopes apparently came true, since the blows stopped coming. Hrolf scoffed. ,,And now the other one.”

Oh well I think the fuck not, I thought, pulling my bloodied arms from my head. Jáchym growled and fought against the two men who were manhandling him, trying to push him down. Hrolf raised his arm, ready to hit him.

I bounced off the floor and flew forward, kicking him in the groin with all the strength I had. Which wasn't much, but it was enough to force him to screech and topple over, falling back onto his seat hard. Jája pulled himself out of the grasp of the two men, quickly stepping away.

The metal buckle of the belt landed on my face, erupting in a white-hot lash of pain. I fell to the floor, feeling the metal taste of blood in my mouth, but I looked up at Hrolf with a bloody grin when he turned around and left the scene with a scoff, swaying and grabbing his crotch.

Jáchym´s warm hands lifted me up. I wiped the blood from my face, hissing as I touched the open wound and splitted lip.

,,You alright?” he asked, concerned. One of his eyes was already swelling up. I frowned, gently touching it, and he softly tsk-ed, pulling away from my touch.

,,No, bro. Are you alright?” I replied, voice full of worries. And blood. It´s sweetness mixed up with the bitter aftertaste of the ale.

He shook his head. ,,No. Let's get out of here.”

I agreed with all my heart. We supported each other as we stumbled out of the hall, into the cold darkness of the night.

>><<

Rangar´s eyes were piercing me as he softly turned my head with his fingertips, examining the marks.

,,You say he beated you two up for getting a drink?” he asked Jáchym, who stood a few feet away.

My friend nodded with a frown. ,,Yeah. He said something about putting us back in place or something,” he confirmed, his face dark with anger. I shivered softly when I saw his expression. Ragnar turned my attention back to him.

,,Um, I mean, it was kind of my fault,” I admitted quickly, stuttering a little when faced with his blue, stark eyes, who did not blink. ,,I- I shouldn't have sneak up on him like- like that, I´m really sorry-”

,,Stop it,” Ragnar cut my stammering. ,,He hurt you. Floki,” he turned to the boat-builder who was watching the whole scene, leaning against the frame of the door, ,,go find Hrolf. Tell him I want to talk to him, now.”

Floki sneered a little and perked up. ,,Of course, Ragnar,” he grinned, as he always did. ,,I will tell him.”

He disappeared and Ragnar sighed, patting my shoulder. I let out a soft gasp of pain and he immediately stopped, gently grabbing my side instead. ,,I´ll deal with him,” he promised to us. I felt the anger building up inside him and I shivered, clinging to Jáchym instead. ,,Come with me.”

>><<

,,Hello, Hrolf,” Ragnar greeted the man who entered the hall coldly, not even turning around to face him. I sat at the heel of the stairs leading to the chairs dominating the room, trying to hide in the shadow. Jáchym didn´t. He sat at the top and was piercing Hrolf with the deadliest stare he knew, considering the fact that one of his eyes was swollen and almost closed.

,,What is it, Ragnar?” Hrolf asked, the trace of sarcasm too visible in his voice.

,,You know why I wanted to talk to you,” Ragnar said softly, still with his back turned on Hrolf as the man approached. ,,You hurt these two.”

Hrolf scoffed. ,,The girl sneaked up on me. She then disrespected me, and the boy tried to fight. I simply put your slaves back to their place.”

Now Ragnar turned around swiftly, facing the smaller man, their faces only a few inches apart. ,,They´re not slaves,” he corrected him, voice terrifyingly calm and low. ,,We found them while raiding, but they're not slaves, Hrolf. I think of them as high as of my own children.”

Hrolf threw his arms apart. ,,Well, I didn't know that you were so keen on them,” he snarled in irritation. ,,They annoyed me. I fixed that. If they learned their lesson, I have no problem with them. Is that all, Ragnar?”

Ragnar smirked, locking Hrolf´s arms in an iron grip. ,,No.”

He head-butted Hrolf´s face so fiercely that his head flew back, breaking his already kind of damaged nose once again and leaving a bruise around his eye, similar to Jáchym´s from yesterday. Hrolf howled in pain, but Ragnar´s grip forced him to stay on his feet. Ragnar grinned wildly as he flicked a small knife from behind his belt - and then he turned to me. I shrivelled and curled up under his gaze.

,,Come here,” he ordered me, still holding a groaning Hrolf in one hand and the blade in the other.

The last thing I wanted was to get close to a furious Ragnar with a knife in his hands, but his command was just impossible to ignore. I shakily got up and approached him, my eyes flickering from the glistening blade to Hrolf´s fucked up nose to Ragnar's stone-cold face with a soft smile on it.

,,Closer,” he gestured, softly taking my chin to lift it up, examining the place on my cheek where the belt broke my skin. ,,Hmmm.” He turned back to Hrolf and lifted the knife.

I backed up, knowing very well what he was about to do, and I also knew that there was no use in trying to stop him. I just turned away, trying to ignore Hrolf´s pained gasps and panting as Ragnar slowly, too slowly started to carve the same wound into his cheek. Jáchym softly hugged my side when he felt me shivering, frowning, but not turning away.

Finally, Ragnar was done, the bloodied knife fell to the floor and Hrolf was quietly hissing.

,,Now, I think we're good,” Ragnar said, still not letting him go, watching the blood drip from his chin. ,,But to be absolutely clear…” He pulled Hrolf even closer, so close he felt Ragnar´s breath on his ear, ,,You ever lay a hand on them again, and I will cut it off myself. Understood?”

,,Ye- Yes,” he gasped, gulping. ,,I understand.”

,,Good,” Ragnar smiled and let him go. ,,Now, be on your way.”

Hrolf started to back up, wiping the blood from his face, leaving the hall abruptly, shutting the door behind him. Ragnar let out a huge breath and picked up the knife, wiping it against his pants. Then he looked at us.

,,Which one of you broke his nose the first time?” he asked.

,,I think it was me,” said Jája.

Ragnar grinned and reached a hand out to him, helping him to get up. I quickly stood up too, my eyes flinching from Ragnar back to my friend.

,,Good. The next time, punch out his teeth too, boy.”