Back in 2015, YouTuber emmmabooks created the R.I.P. It or Ship It book tag, where you fill one (or two, or many) jars/mugs/glasses with book character names from a variety of books and draw names at random in pairs. Once you’ve got a random pairing you decide whether you ship it (approve of the potential relationship) or R.I.P. it.
In celebration of the upcoming release of The Savior’s Sister by Jenna Moreci on Tuesday, September 29, 2020, I’ve decided to do a special TSS version of this tag. I’m calling it the TSS Ship or Rip tag, and I’m going to use only the cast of TSS (and TSC) and I’m going to draw them all from the same single mug to allow for a full rainbow of possible pairings.
I’m tagging the rest of the TSS street team to do this tag, too! You know who you are. I want to see how these names line up for you and which pairings you think would work!
As a disclaimer, I did receive an ARC (advanced reading copy) of The Savior’s Sister in exchange for an honest review as part of my volunteer participation in Jenna Moreci’s street team, and this tag is part of my promotion plan, as is the TSS Character Symbols Tournament series happening on my art platforms.
Ready? First a little about the book, and then we’ll dive in. If you’re already familiar with The Saviro’s Sister, feel free to skip ahead!
Setting & Premise
The Savior’s Series books (The Savior’s Champion, The Savior’s Sister, TSA, unannounced book 4) are set in Thessen, a land based on ancient Rome but with a magical queen who blesses and protects the land. She is known as The Savior, and she will always have just one child, always a daughter, who inherits the same magic and becomes the next Savior after her. The Savior’s husband and consort is called the Sovereign. When the next Savior comes of age, her father (current Sovereign) holds The Sovereign’s Tournament to determine the next Sovereign. 20 men enter a 30-day series of tasks and trials that ends with one man standing who has won the right to marry the Savior and become the next Sovereign.
The Savior’s Champion (book one) follows Tobias, one of the competitors in the latest Sovereign’s Tournament, as he fights to survive and dreams of a seemingly impossible future where he is still alive and permitted to wed Leila. Through his POV we get to know the rest of the competitors, and we only get to meet and interact with everyone else on the palace grounds as much as a man doomed in the tournament is able. We get a sense that all is not as it seems behind the scenes, but what we ferret out by the end is but a drop in an ocean of intrigue and turmoil that Tobias cannot see from his perspective within the confines of the tournament.
The Savior’s Sister (book two) covers the same set of events, but from Leila’s POV. We get to see what’s really going on behind the scenes. Brontes, the current Sovereign, is not willing to step down and surrender his power as he’s meant to. He arranged for the assassination of his wife while she was heavily pregnant, hoping that he could end the line of Saviors before the next was born and remain in power for the rest of his life, but a midwife in the right place at the right time was able to save his daughter. Plan B? Plant three well-paid assassins in her Tournament with instructions to win at all costs and murder the Savior on their wedding night.
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TSS Ship or Rip
Pairing #1: Leila + Garrick (The Brave)
R.I.P. it. “The Brave” proves to be quite cowardly once the field thins, and I think Leila deserves a lot better than that. Don’t you?
* * *
Pairing #2: Flynn (The Prince) + Delphi
R.I.P. it. Delphi and Flynn are both only interested in women, so it wouldn’t work. Not that Flynn hasn’t tried, of course! Under different circumstances I think they could have been excellent wing buddies.
* * *
Pairing #3: Brontes + Neil (The Noble)
R.I.P. it. There are indeed some characters in the cast I would pair with the Sovereign himself, but none of them are competitors in the current tournament. Plus I think both of these men have overly inflated egos that wouldn’t allow them to admit to anything other than heteronormative attraction.
* * *
Pairing #4: Altair (The Physician) + Talos
Ship it. Out of pure morbid curiosity. Altair has dedicated his life to healing the human body, while Talos is deftly skilled at mangling it. I’d really like to know how this drastic difference would translate in the bedroom.
* * *
Pairing #5: Cecily + Orion (The Hunter)
R.I.P. it, because Orion deserves far better than Cecily. I have so many reasons why neither is good for one another, but these come from late in the book so I’ll hold back and say just trust me.
* * *
Pairing #6: Milo (The Benevolent) + Cosima
Ship it! If Milo had made it long enough to win a one-on-one with Cosima, I think we all know it would have lead to Cosima’s bedroom.
* * *
Pairing #7: Hansel (The Poet) + Kaleo (The Shepherd)
R.I.P. it. Hansel is kind and genuine. Kaleo is obviously one of the bad guys right from the very start. I don’t remember exactly how The Poet died, whether it was during the poison challenge or whether he was killed due to physical trauma, but it was probably Kaleo’s fault.
* * *
Pairing #8: Romulus + Drake (The Dragon)
Ship it! Romulus is a traitor and a double agent. He’s also the proctor of the tournament. Drake is one of Brontes’ assassins. Match made in hell? Absolutely!
* * *
Pairing #9: Lucian (The Cetus) + Zander (The Cavalier)
Ship it! I don’t remember much about Lucian in particular (though I have a nagging feeling he’s Leila’s kill), but I know Zander is absolutely into men and Lucian was meant to be quite the fine specimen.
* * *
Pairing #10: Nyx + Hylas
Ship it. I can’t remember is Nyx swings both ways or not, but if any of the ladies of the palace are going to utterly dominate poor out-of-his-depths Hylas, it would absolutely be Nyx.
* * *
Pairing #11: Asher + Beau (The Adonis)
Ship it! These two beautiful airheads are made for each other! (And they’ve both had a turn with Cosima, so clearly they have the same taste.)
* * *
Pairing #12: Bjorne (The Bear) + Raphael (The Intellect)
R.I.P. it. Bjorne manages to sleep through the “Stay Calm” challenge as a torturer slices up his competition. He’s a lumbering meathead with not a lot going on between the ears. To pair him with the man whose laurel is The Intellect? Raphael might actually be forced to relieve him of his lightly used brain.
* * *
Pairing #13: Fabien (The Farmer) + Tobias (The Artist)
R.I.P. it. The Farmer dies too soon to really get to know him, but Tobias is absolutely not interested in men anyway, so it’s a no-go.
* * *
Pairing #14: Kastor + Mousumi
Ship it! You cannot convince me this hasn’t already happened. This may as well be cannon. Kastor (senator) sees himself as God’s gift to women, and he’s always in the kitchen and other places the women of the palace frequently, putting on the charm. Mousumi is a strict and poised high-ranking handmaiden to the Savior. Regardless of whether or not Kastor finds her physically attractive, he would be attracted to her elevated position amongst the staff see her as a challenge to be dominated. Mousumi presents so extremely straight-laced that she’s probably a voracious devil in the sheets. You know what they say, after all. The quiet ones always are!
* * *
Pairing #15: Faun + Wembleton
R.I.P. it. This feels gross. Wembleton (senator, Tournament MC) is old enough to be her grandfather!
* * *
Pairing #16: Isaac (The Jester) + Erebus
R.I.P. it. One of the nastier competitors kills the Jester before the first trial has even truly begun simply because he can’t stand the constant jokes. Now imagine pairing the poor Jester with the well-trained soldier-turned-senator Erebus. It’d end the same way, and probably just as fast!
* * *
Pairing #17: Antaeus (The Giant) + Pippa
R.I.P. it. Any pairing with sweet, innocent, child-like Pippa would be rejected, but especially The Giant. That really just feels wrong, doesn’t it? He’d be taking advantage of the poor thing.
* * *
Pairing #18: Queen of Kovahr + Naomi
Ship it. If any of the women in the TSS cast can handle the Queen of Kovahr, it would have to be witty, resilient Naomi.
(P.S., if you’ve been following the TSS Character Symbols Tournament you are not forgetting anything. I didn’t draw a symbol for her. I included her for an even number.)
* * *
Pairing #19: Enzo (The Dog) + Caesar (The Regal)
Ship it. Enzo swings that way, and most of the “Lords” (The Regal, The Noble, etc.) are in this thing for all the wrong reasons, so why not?
* * *
If you’ve already read The Savior’s Champion and have some idea of who these characters are, or if you’re here in the future after reading The Savior’s Sister, I’d love to hear which one you agree or disagree with.
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