#i have never used the rampion crew tag

[impossiblesuitcase]

Okay but can we talk about how beautiful of a title Empress Selene is? Like Emperor Kaito and Empress Selene??? That’s such a gorgeous pair of names. Also the fact that Cinder has a cool name (Cinder obvi) and a fancy royal name (Selene), is also dope. She gets the best of both worlds *que Hannah Montana

I think social media would really lean into that Hannah Montana idea, to the point that it's a running joke (John Cena level) that Selene and Cinder are completely different people. e.g:

bonus:

[annewritesfic]

Happy Endings Don’t Exist

if y’all thought this au was dead... so did i honestly i am as shocked as you are and i have no clue why it is suddenly making a reappearance but you know what, it is!!

ANYWAYS this one is based off of chapter 17 of winter by marissa meyer aaand  as far as i know there are no tws but let me know if i need to tag something!!!

word count: 1955

If someone with absolutely no knowledge of Earthen politics was told the ruler of one of the seven countries of Earth was in this room, Eva thought, watching her advisor, Konn Torin, they would never, in a million years, think it was me.

Torin seemed like the picture of royal elegance, sitting straight-backed on one of the couches that lined the edges of the room, portscreen in his lap. His hair was neatly combed, not a wrinkle in his clothes, dress shoes black and shiny.

Meanwhile, Eva sat on her own couch, knees tucked up to her chest, leaning against the corner. She couldn’t see herself, but she imagined that the denim jacket, black sweatpants, and battered sneakers she’d insisted on wearing for the flight didn’t look particularly royal. But they were comfortable, and she was nervous, and she’d promised she’d change before they landed and she had to greet Queen Levana, so Torin had reluctantly allowed her to wear what she wished.

Eva sighed and let her gaze move from Torin, wandering around the room, across the couches and soft carpets and intricately-patterned wallpaper. If it weren’t for the pitch-black darkness of space and scattered stars outside the windows, it would have felt like another room of the palace, instead of a spaceship bound for Luna.

Eva thought of another spaceship, an old cargo ship she’d spent the last month on, and its crew, and her heart began to ache.

“Is everything alright, Your Majesty?” Torin asked.

Eva leaned her cheek against the soft back of the couch and closed her eyes. “So far. You did tell the pilots that I want to know if any other ships hail us?”

“Of course. Although I hope you understand why they might have been reasonably suspicious.”

“I know. But I don’t really care, as long as they do it.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Not really, no.” Eva opened her eyes and looked out the window, just in time to see Earth disappear from view. “But I trust her.”

“Then I suppose I have no choice but to trust them as well.”

Eva glanced up at him. “You told her about my second tracking chip.”

He never once tore his gaze from his screen, ever the picture of professionalism. “And I have wondered ever since whether that was the biggest mistake I will ever make.”

“You know it wasn’t.”

Torin kept his expression neutral, but Eva knew that, even if he wouldn’t admit it, he agreed with Eva’s decisions. It had been such a relief when she’d finally been able to tell him everything, knowing that, whatever happened, Torin would always keep any secret she told him. Other than Eva, Torin was the only passenger on this ship who knew the real reason they were going to Luna, and though he might have expressed concern that Eva was taking too big of a risk, he’d never once tried to change her mind.

The hours of waiting felt like years, and Eva had come up with dozens of worst-case scenarios in her mind by the time she saw the ship’s first mate in the doorway.

“Your Majesty,” he said, “we’ve been hailed by the American Republic’s secretary of defense. It seems that they are having technical issues with their ship’s computer mainframe, and they have requested permission to board this ship and complete the trip to Artemisia with us.”

Eva sat up straighter. “Let them board.”

The first mate frowned. “I understand the military escorts have some concerns about this. Due to the technical difficulties, we’ve been unable to obtain an ID of the ship, or establish a vid-comm link. We have been able to determine that it is a Rampion class Republic military ship, and I’m sure I do not need to remind you that your kidnappers had a Rampion as well.”

Eva pretended to consider this, fighting to keep her hands from shaking. “The ship I was kidnapped by had the silhouette of a lady on the port side. Is there a marking like that on the secretary’s ship?”

The first mate slowly shook his head. “No. Only black paneling, as far as I am aware.”

“Then we will accept our American allies on board.” Eva stood up, neatening her jacket almost subconsciously. “Torin, would you mind accompanying me to the dock to greet them as a show of goodwill?”

“Of course,” Torin said, setting his portscreen on the couch.

Eva prayed the first mate wouldn’t protest, but after a moment of uncertainty, he simply nodded. “Of course, Your Majesty.”

~

Waiting outside the podship dock, Eva began to wish she’d listened to Torin and worn something a bit nicer after all. Though the people she knew she was waiting for wouldn’t care what she wore, she knew that the rest of the ship would question her choice of clothing to greet the American secretary of defense, but it was too late now.

When the screen on the wall finally announced that the dock was safe to enter, the captain went through the door first, and Eva followed, perhaps a little bit too quickly, but eager to see who was waiting for her. As she entered the dock, five people were exiting the podship at the end of the line, and she studied them closely as the captain shook the secretary’s hand, wondering who was who—but the glamours were perfect, impossible to detect.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” the secretary said politely. Eva squinted a little at her, trying to figure out who was behind the illusion. “We apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused.”

“Not a problem,” Eva assured her.

“Evidently,” the secretary’s assistant added, “this could have all been avoided if our ship’s mechanic had simply remembered to bring a pair of wire cutters.”

Eva just barely managed to stop her polite smile from bursting into a bright grin. That, of course, must have been Kate, and she could almost see their expression beneath the glamour, the smug smile over using the “code word” Eva had suggested four days (four days that felt like four years) ago.

“Do you need us to send anyone to retrieve your ship?” she remembered to ask.

“No, thank you,” the secretary said. “The Republic has already sent a maintenance crew, but we didn’t want to be delayed. We do have a party to get to.” She winked, a very un-diplomat-like gesture, and Eva smothered a grin. That must be Reese.

Eva gestured behind her, remembering the warning Kate had drilled into her head as they’d formed this plan: that she wouldn’t be able to maintain the glamour very long. “Come with me. We have a sitting room, and we can all be comfortable there. Could I offer you some tea?”

~

When Eva turned to face the five guests again once the sitting room door had closed, the disguises of two security guards, an assistant, an intern, and the secretary had fallen, and a chill ran down her spine at the sight of five known criminals standing in her sitting room, putting this entire ship in danger.

“Is this room safe?” Farrah asked.

“As far as I am aware, yes. We use it for international confere-”

“Mattie?”

“I’m going.” Mattie pulled out a portscreen and plugged it into the control panel in the wall, running some sort of system check she’d promised she could make.

“Um… right, and this is my adviser, Konn Tor-”

“Wait,” Kate interrupted, holding up a hand.

It was nine silent seconds before Mattie unplugged her portscreen and tucked it back into her pocket. “All clear.”

“Thanks, Mattie,” Farrah said, offering a fist bump.

“We can talk now,” Kate said.

Eva gestured to Torin. “Right, like I was saying—Torin, you remember Kate and Reese.”

Torin crossed his arms and nodded, and Kate mirrored him, almost seeming not to realize.

“I told you I would return her safely,” they said to him.

Torin raised an eyebrow. “You promised no harm would come to her. I would include physical injury under that category.”

“It was one punch,” Eva protested. Before returning her to Earth, they’d had Cairo punch her in the jaw hard enough to form a bruise, to make it seem as if she’d been held prisoner and tortured, rather than accepted as a member of the crew. “I tried to explain, but he wouldn’t listen.”

“I understand perfectly, but you’ll have to forgive me for being defensive.” Torin paused, scrutinizing the five of them. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Princess Selene.”

A flicker of surprise flashed across Kate’s face. “How much does he know?”

“I told him everything.”

“Well, in that case…” Kate held out a hand, and Torin shook it, though he hesitated. “Thank you for your help. You’ve met Reese, and this is our captain, Farrah Thorne, our software engineer, Mattie Wheeler, and my, um… security officer, Cairo Adekoya.”

Torin greeted them with the respect he probably would’ve given the American diplomats, and Eva didn’t even try to keep her eyes from lingering on Kate. They stood halfway across the room, and though Eva desperately wanted to close the distance between them, something made her stay away. Maybe it was Torin’s presence, or the knowledge that they were on their way to attend her wedding on Luna, or the fear that the time they’d spent on the Rampion together was just a fragile dream. It almost felt like there was a sudden wall between them, like if Eva made one wrong move, their relationship would fall apart.

“Oh, look,” Reese said, breaking into Eva’s thoughts. Eva followed her gaze, and saw what she was looking at: the cratered, silvery surface of Luna, emerging into view in the window.

The anxiety pooled in Eva’s stomach, and though she wanted to hide, she knew she couldn’t.

Kate looked to Eva. “Do you have what you promised?”

Eva pointed to one of the cabinets on the wall, and Reese rushed to open it eagerly, pulling out a stack of clothes in dull browns and grays.

“How’s that?” Eva asked.

Cairo, who’d been the most helpful at describing what citizens of Luna’s outer sector would wear, nodded. “Seems right.”

Reese pulled a small tub out of the cabinet as well, holding a sheet of android plating and a small plastic bag of synthetic skin fibers, as well as a pouch of various tools. Kate took the pouch from her and rifled through it with their human hand.

“That should be everything you need to fix Reese’s injuries,” Eva said.

Kate took the tub from Reese, glancing at the fibers and then back at Eva. “Yeah, it is.” The corner of her mouth tugged up into a small half-smile. “You know, if this empress thing doesn’t work out, you might want to consider a career in espionage.”

Eva smiled wryly. “Let’s just make sure this empress thing works out.”

Kate passed the tub of supplies back to Reese and hesitated, then stepped forward, closing the distance between the two of them and wrapping both arms around Eva’s shoulders.

Just like that, the wall between them disappeared, and Eva let herself hug Kate closer, closing her eyes.

“Thank you,” Kate whispered, and it could have meant a million different things: for the clothes and android parts, or for bringing them to Luna, or for something different, something deeper, something Eva only just barely felt like she could understand.

After a few moments that weren’t nearly long enough, Kate pulled away, stepping back until there was an acceptable amount of space between them. “We’re running out of time,” they said to the room as a whole. “Let’s go over the plan one last time.”

[flamingmirrorbookish]

It’s Finally Fall Book Tag

Thank you for tagging me @bibliophilecats .

1. In fall, the air is crisp and clear: Name a book with a vivid setting! The Chaos Walking books by Patrick Ness

2. Nature is beautiful… but also dying: Name a book that is beautifully written, but also deals with a heavy topic like loss or grief A monster calls by Patrick Ness 3. Fall is back to school season: share a non-fiction book that taught you something new. Nigella's cookbook taught me how to prepare a dish I actually never will. But if I wanted to, I'd know how!

4. In order to keep warm, it’s good to spend some time with the people we love: name a fictional family/household/friend-group that you’d like to be a part of. The Crows, the Weasley family, the Rampion crew

5. The colourful leaves are piling up on the ground: show us a pile of fall-colored spines! White is there because we've had snow twice already

6. Fall is the perfect time for some storytelling by the fireside: share a book wherein somebody is telling a story. I have to say A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness again. There are 3 stories told

7. The nights are getting darker: share a dark, creepy read. Anything by Gillian Flynn 8. The days are getting colder: name a short, heartwarming read that could warm up somebody’s cold and rainy day. (this is not easy to answer since most ebooks are short) Sophie Kinsella's books. My top 3 - Can you keep a secret, The Undomestic Goddess, I've got your number. And Nina LaCour You know me well (I haven't read anything else by her yet but I understand that they'd fit here, too)

9. Fall (luckily, it’s my favourite season) returns every year: name an old favourite that you’d like to return to soon. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Not exactly old but a favorite I want to reread

10. Fall is the perfect time for cozy reading nights: share your favourite cozy reading “accessories”! A hot water bottle, lots of blankets, and Skittles

11. Spread the autumn appreciation and tag some people! @i-breathe-therefore-i-read ,  @lizziethereader , @twobrokegirlswithbooks , @soft-and-cozy-tales , @studyingismyraisondetre ,  thiswaitingheart

I understand that my Ness and Bardugo love is probably annoying but I don't like lying so...

[tlcleadingladies]

Q&A

Anon asked:  Can all the of you do 4,10,11,16,18,19,21, 28

Hello there! We appreciate your question, and will do our best to answer it! We hope you do enjoy!

#4: Do you have pet names for each other? 

Cinder: Grease-monkey and Pretty Boy.

Scarlet: Does alpha count? I call him that playfully sometimes. He’s adopted “Scarling” from Émilie for me 

Cress: We love pet-names. I mostly just call Thorne ‘Captain’ he absolutely loves it and it’s extremely funny. He calls me kitten or every once and a while Mrs. Computer, and not the same thing, but whenever I have a bad day and he knows it, he calls me Crescent Moon, or his sweet Crescent Moon. 

Winter: Jacin-love is very fond of nicknames. He will call me ‘Princess,’ and ‘Snowflake’ the most often, but sometimes will say I am a sour-apple if we are upset with each other. And, of course, he still loves to call me ‘Trouble.’ (I do cause him a fair bit of it.) 

Iko: She calls me “Blue” sometimes, because, though I’ve tried many different hair colors, blue is my favorite and she loves the way it looks on me, too. I call her Cupcake, and sometimes “Miss Chevious” because she definitely has a devilish streak ;)

#10: Best gifts you two have exchanged? 

Cinder: Once we both collected each other’s mom’s things and gave them to each other. The best part was that neither of us knew the other was doing it. Everyone else did, of course, but we both swore them all to secrecy.

Scarlet: I managed to track down those blue flowers his mother kept, they’re a hybrid of a species from Earth that only existed on Luna so it took me a while but now we have a little patch of them growing near the vegetable garden. He says they’re a nice reminder of his childhood and he’s meticulous about caring for them. He reads a lot more than I do, but last year he gave me a whole stack of books he said I’d love and each one had an inscription explaining why he thought I’d love each book in particular. It was incredibly sweet and I did genuinely love each one. 

Cress: I’m always extremely afraid that I’m going to loose Thorne, so when we first arrived on Earth I discovered you could make custom military dog tags. I put Captain Carswell Thorne on them and then my phone number he smiled for five whole days and told everyone he saw, I also bought shirts one for Thorne that says If found please return to Cress, mine says I’m Cress. But the best Thorne ever got me has to be a painting of Luna and Earth from space, he figured I missed it (not the satellite, but the view). 

Winter: Anytime we travel someplace, Jacin-love always finds a little souvenir for me to keep. I cherish them each dearly, and keep them in a secret box underneath my bed. My favorite gift that I have given Jacin-love is a card, in which I wrote down all the reasons I love him. It stays on his nightstand always. 

Iko: My favorite gift from her is this gorgeous, lacy dress she gave me on our one-year anniversary. She got it from an android store and so it changes color to match my eyes! I absolutely love it. Émilie’s favorite gift from me is this mug I made for her. I made it from clay at a free pottery lesson I attended once at an art gallery in Paris. It was so fun to make, especially because now, you know, I actually have hands to make things with! I wrote her name on it and doodled some of our best memories on it. She uses it every day.

#11: Do you want/have kids? 

Cinder: In the future. I would love to have two daughters.

Scarlet: We both want kids one day (not for a good while obviously) but there’s always a risk with the genetic tampering so we’ll most likely adopt. The current plan is three, but knowing us we’ll probably wind up with five. 

Cress: Yes, someday I would to love to have kids, but the idea of having them now, sends both Thorne and I into the bathroom feeling sick. But, I would love one boy and three girls. 

Winter: Jacin very much wants a little girl. I am more hesitant to have a child; I’m not sure why, but I feel as though I would be an inadequate mother. I would not want them to grow up broken. Jacin assures me this would never be the case. 

Iko: Even though we’d adopt, we’re not ready to have kids at the moment, but Émilie and I would both love to in the future. I don’t think we have any particular preference. Maybe we’d adopt cyborg children, to try to make it more common and so we’d know they would be loved and treated well.

#16: Ideal way to spend time with one another? 

Cinder: In the palace library reading together in silence, or just being with the rest of the Rampion Crew, though with our busier lives that is a much rarer event.

Scarlet: We’re pretty rarely apart, but my favorite is when we’re cooking together. He’s actually gotten pretty good at it, he’s completely taken over breakfast since I’m usually in a fog until I finish my coffee in the morning. 

Cress: Throne and I bought our own crop duster plane (though we don’t usually use it for crop dusting), but sometimes we go flying for hours together. We also love going on adventures, so we like going on hikes, kayaking, or anything else that looks fun. I think Thorne wants to make sure I experience everything I never could in my satellite. 

Winter: Whenever Jacin-love and I have to travel to a new place on Earth we always spend time exploring it. Our walks are always enjoyable as we find our new favorite place wherever we go. 

Iko: We love going on walks around Rieux. It’s a lovely place and so quiet and peaceful. Other times, we’ll take the metro to Paris for a day and go shopping! Not only for clothes - although we do plenty of that, too - but we go to nice cafes or local bookstores, exploring anything of interest, really.

#18: In which ways are the two of you most similar? 

Cinder: Our love for our work and for our kingdom(s). Both of us tend to be happiest when doing work to benefit our people.

Scarlet: We both love the solitude that comes with being on the farm, and the independence it gives us from the rest of the world. 

Cress: Both Thorne and I are very loyal to each other and our friends, no matter what happens we stand together. 

Winter: Even if he does not show it, Jacin and I are both very loving people. He will spend his life protecting someone else even if it hurts him simply out of love. I would do the same.  

Iko: We can both be very enthusiastic and excited about, well, almost anything! Émilie also has a great sense of humor and I am becoming better at telling jokes and puns. And detecting sarcasm.

#19: In which ways are the two of you most different? 

Cinder: Kai is definitely more comfortable with the public and actual human interaction. However, as much as I shy away from dignitaries and such, I love the children, and will drop everything to greet them.

Scarlet: I’m a lot more confrontational than he is, especially now that he’s constantly aware of how his appearance can scare people. There isn’t exactly a shortage of ignorant people for me to shout at now. 

Cress: Thorne is charming and confident, whereas I’m very quiet and I question myself a lot, but I think we balance each other out. 

Winter: Jacin can be very stoic at times. He takes many things too seriously, and is very worrisome. He also does not like meeting new people very much. He can be very grumpy if he is forced to. 

Iko: Émilie, even though she doesn’t seem it at first glance, can be very independent and likes being alone, whereas I want to hang out with people all day. Sometimes I go hang out with Scarlet and Wolf when she needs time alone, or talk to some of the other people in Rieux. Some people are starting to warm up to me, which really makes me feel more welcome there.

#21: Who is the most affectionate? 

Cinder: KAI. Affectionate to the point where I have to tell him regularly, “You’ve given me fourteen hugs today, save some for tomorrow when I’m actually leaving for my trip!”

Scarlet: Oh stars definitely Wolf. I’m not cold but if we’re within reach of each other he usually finds some way to play with my hair, or hold my hand, or put his head on my shoulder. I don’t think he even notices it at this point. 

Cress: I would have to say me, but Thorne is very good at always making sure to accept my affection even when I’m being touchy (if I grab his hand, he will squeeze it and hold my hand back). Though I do strongly believe Thorne absolutely loves holding my hand. 

Winter: Many people will think it is me, but Jacin-love is actually quite tender when we are alone. He almost always wants to be touching me, as if making sure I am real and with him. Even in public, it is likely he will have a hand on my arm or pinky linked with my fingers. 

Iko: Oh, it’s definitely me! I’m still super excited about having an actual escort-droid body and so I love giving her hugs and kisses. As far as verbal affection goes, Émilie can be quite enchanting and romantic - better than even the most romantic net drama! *swoons*

#28: Who apologizes the most? 

Cinder: Me. All the time. Often I get worried I’m not being as good of a leader as Kai is, and that I’m making his job harder. Of course he always denies this, but I apologize anyway.

Scarlet: Definitely Wolf. He used to be much worse about it, apologizing for things that weren’t even his fault, but I think it’s his way of making sure he hasn’t somehow crossed a line. 

Cress: You would assume it’s me but it’s actually Throne. He always feels bad when he is particular cocky or charming, I think he feels as though he’s a burden, but he is far from. I do apologize a lot as well, but Thorne does more. 

Winter: I apologize the most to Jacin-love whenever I feel I am being a burden. He almost always refuses it, saying that I am fine the way I am.

Iko:  Both of us end up apologizing quite a lot. Sometimes, she’ll say something a bit prejudiced against other androids or androids in general. I know she doesn’t mean to do it - a lot of human prejudice is unconscious and internalized - but when she realizes the implications of what she’s said, she’s always sincerely apologetic. Sometimes Émilie gets rude comments from people because I’m an android, and I always feel a bit guilty and responsible for it. But, sweet as she is, she reminds me it’s not my fault and I always make enduring rude people worth it.