#and roman lashing out because kendall lashed out

[cherryflavorh8tr]

no roman no no no roman no ROMAN NO ROMAN PLEASE ROMAN

[irlplasticlamb]

some hotd succession au headcanons… i beg…

so! none of the hotd characters in this u are 1-1 equivalent to the succession ones, more of amalgamations of certain character traits/plot points/tropes hahah

— aegon ii is majorly roman coded ofc as in: terrible sense of humour, NO moral backbone, sex issues, daddy issues, mummy issues, issues in general, he doesn’t want to be the ceo, he just desperately wants daddy to be proud of him. he’s also kendall coded as in suicidal, with massive addiction problems, in and out of rehab constantly. but also a little bit of connor coded as in “i am the (eldest) first son. i AM the first son and i’m not considered”. a failure tbh, he lashes out a lot because he wants people to pay attention to him (LOOSEEEER). his relationship with alicent is a bit similar to kendall’s with caroline, aegon wants that deeper connection but it’s very hard for both of them to communicate. his relationship with larys is very romegerri coded.

for miscellaneous, aegon’s an annoying microinfluencer who gets cancelled every other week. he can’t dress for shit. sunfyre is his gigantic dog who drools EVERYWHERE. he’s a bit trans fem in the „i’m probably trans but i have a company to take over so can’t think of that rn” way.

— rhaenyra is majorly kendall coded as in: groomed to be the ceo and promised the position since she was a child, which OF COURSE messed her up a little (a lot). if she doesn’t end up the ceo then who is she? suddenly her position is compromised after the targtowers are born and she’s majorly FUCKED. she loves her siblings somewhat but she resents them for existing at the same time. rhae’s also shiv coded because she’s a woman in power (but not ENOUGH power) and she’s privileged enough to ignore feminism unless it is in her advantage. a little bit naomi pierce coded but her „scandalous” past is based in many messy romances and kids out of wedlock.

for miscellaneous, she’s a part time model, a very fussy eater and a passenger princess. she’s also a bit trans masc in the „i’m probably trans but i have a company to take over so can’t think of that rn” way.

— alicent is A BIT stewy coded in context of rhaenyra because they were inseparable homoerotic coke snoring (yeah, her religious conservatism happens later in this story as a coping mechanism) best friends slash lovers in high school, until she got forced by otto and groomed by viserys to marry him. yeah, the terrible age gap is still there and she has aegon when she’s seventeen* because i feel like early motherhood is a very important part of who alicent is and becomes. she’s miserable as always. she’s also marcia coded in the “you’ve been careless of me” way, she tries very hard at the beginning to be a perfect little wife and mother. it eventually breaks her.

for miscellaneous, she used to be a model, HATED it. wanted to become a writer but it never came to fruition because of how quickly she got married. she’s a good cook but rarely gets to cook anymore.

** the rough timeline is: she has aegon at 17, helaena at 18, aemond at 20 and daeron at 22. aegon is 32 in this au, hela is 31, aemond is 29 and daeron is 27. alicent is 49, viserys is 70, rhae is actually 47 because i want to close the gap between her and the targtowers at least a little bit. rhaenyra and alicent still went to the same class together because rhae started school 2 years later than she „should’ve”, let’s just say viserys didn’t want his little girl out of the house as quickly because he was so shaken after losing aemma, or they went travelling when she was a kid and that put her two years behind, or smth. idc!

— aemond is uhhh a mix of everything. “i AM THE ELDEST BOY” kendall coded, spit and desperation everywhere, because i think in this au his reliability and skills would get somewhat recognised by viserys and by the company, and it would GET IN HIS HEAD HARD. he’s definitely the parentified son like connor. but he is not the eldest boy. he’s the fucking fourth kid. he knows, not matter his skills, his diligence, his discipline, the position will never be his. he kills a kid like ken (rip lucerys drowning in a nasty ass body of water once again). shiv coded because of his cunty ass bob. roman coded because of possible ed issues (actually i think all of them struggle with food and body image to certain degree because that „summer of competitive eating disorders” line in the succession script book never left my head ever).

for miscellaneous, he’s a part time actor, he trained ballet for a while and loved it but was very quickly forced to switch to fencing and shooting lessons. he makes a mean cup of coffee and refuses to ever buy it. has a minor coke problem but is VERY good at hiding it.

— helaena is a hard one. a bit willa coded when it comes to her love for arts and creative expression. a bit connor coded as in secluded, living on a ranch, not partaking in the business side of the family unless necessary. she sees the unnecessary pain this fight for the ceo position brings to her siblings and wants nothing to do with it. alicent tries very hard to include her, quite forcefully at times but it never works for long, so she’s mostly left to her own devices. helaena probablymhzs the best relationship with rhaenyra out of all the siblings because rhae doesn’t see her as a threat.

for miscellaneous, she trained ballet with aemond, then switched to gymnastics. now very into pilates and yoga. she makes her own wine and jam, has an extensive herb garden and is a little insane about naturopathic medicine.

— daeron is kinda stewy-ish? he’s good with business, he knows his stuff and he usually makes VERY good choices but he doesn’t take it as seriously as his siblings. then again, because daeron’s the youngest, he doesn’t get to make a lot of big decisions anyways. that takes a lot of pressure of his shoulders! he’s also stewy level of loyal, „i’m team aegon baby!” even though he knows how messed up his older brother is about this whole business stuff.

for miscellaneous, he’s VERY into street racing. that gives alicent a gigantic headache. he’s allergic to cats but owns one anyways. never cooked in his life.

[cavennmalore]

I would not normally post about this but I’ve seen so many people tonight talk about how Roman walking into the crowd at the end of the episode is a form of self harm but. I could not disagree with that more. 

Kendall dominates Roman in such a brutal, and frankly, efficient way right before then, in a way that establishes not only how far crying at the funeral has thrown Roman down the totem pole for CEO (which in and of itself is a truly horrifying and disgusting thing) but has set their agenda so far back its not even funny. By the end of that scene, Roman is looking for a way to reassert dominance. He wants to feel confident in himself -- assured in himself the same way he was faux-practicing Logan’s eulogy in his apartment. Of course, in the world of Succession, the only way to do that is to dominate others. To make them feel less than you. To prove you’re better, the best, by telling someone everything wrong with them. 

So, Roman goes out into the crowd. First, he mocks them. Jeers at all the idiots who have no idea how little what they’re doing actually means. When that’s not enough, he goes into the crowd. He yells at the protestors the same way and with the same vicious words Logan did to him. It’s supposed to put them down. It’s supposed to make them feel awful to make him feel better. He’s a big, important man. He’s the CEO of Waystar Royco. He’s friends with the president! His words should have weight. But they don’t. Roman’s insults mean nothing to the protestors because to them, he’s nobody. He’s just another guy in a sea of them. That’s real life, the one that Logan (and Gerri and manager training and the price of milk and comments about being unserious) warned him about. Name isn’t enough. Being a Roy isn’t enough; the words of a stranger aren’t enough to make anybody stop on the street and care, especially in New York City.

 And the fuck of it all is, somebody does stop and care. Somebody, when Roman is trampled by the sheer insignificance of himself, stops to help him up. And what does Roman do? He lashes out. Spits on the good samaritan who does the decent thing. Because to Roman, who operates in a bubble so far outside the everyday world that crying at his father’s funeral is practically suicide, cannot comprehend that offering a helping hand is just that. It’s crazy. It’s brilliant. It is the perfect example of how out-of-touch the Roy’s are, not just financially but mentally, emotionally, socially. It makes the eulogies hit that much harder. Logan was a tough fucking guy, but man, did he feel comfortable enough in the world to shove his kids out of it. 

[chaithetics]

What do you think would happen with the family/Stewy and Porce with the proxy fight?

Hello lovely Nonnie! What a great and big question! Bare with me for this ramble!

Future Porce and the Shark spoilers below!

It'll be a mess. An absolute mess. More of a mess than the usual Roy mess.

Things will start to become tense with Stewy abstaining from the board vote in S1. I could see Kendall lashing out at Porce about it (did I already start writing that a few weeks ago? Yes. Yes I did. So 👀). But Stewy's made it clear, he's behind whoever wins and I think he had intended to vote for Kendall until he saw the state of that board room and that it was a definite losing battle. He's clever, he played it perfectly in the situation and wasn't going to sacrifice himself for that. He would've been immediately upfront about what happened with Porce. Would she be happy? No, she would've been worried about Kendall as both Stewy and Roman betrayed him but she would've understood it.

Post that- is when angst is intoduced into Porce and the Shark! How are we feeling about that? I feel a bit torn, as some of you know I really struggle with angst and will avoid it at all costs. But I think this is an interesting part of the story and I think to explore this, angst is inevitable. Is this maybe spoilery, I guess so heads up for that!

With the bear hug at the end of S1. The angst will start to kick in. I don't think/plan to write that Stewy or Kendall would tell her about the bear hug. I know, I know! Stewy and Porce are communication champs. He wouldn't tell her not because he doesn't trust her, he does. But because he knows that with Kendall it'll create a Roy civil war which will hurt her and he wants to spare her of knowing for as long as he can and then he'll handle the aftermath of his and Kendall's actions. She'd find out at the wedding like everyone else does, she'd feel absolutely guilty and Shiv would hold it against her and make her feel so bad about it all. She'd try to talk Stewy out of it a bunch at the start and it'll be a kind of tragic "How do I fix this?" "Don't do it." "I have to." "I know." There'd be some trust issues and Porce would really struggle with the smear campaigns of her husband vs her siblings and father.

I also believe that Logan thinks he could plant the idea into Porce's head and talk her into divorcing Stewy and having full custody of Jonathan and Tillie. She'd be horrified and he'd really try to push it but she wouldn't budge on that. I'm tempted to write that up now that I've thought about it as well!

With the family in S2 of The "timeline" Porce would be more ostracised from the family. The only person who would keep genuine contact with her would be Connor. Kendall's in too much turmoil to think of her, Shiv would only contact her when she wants something or is trying to pull a game. I could see Logan asking Shiv to have some "girl talk" with Porce in an attempt to get ammo against Stewy/convince Porce to leave him and I think Porce would at first be touched at her sister reaching out. Giving Shiv the benefit of the doubt that it's something genuine and like sisterhood but being very upset to click what's going on. Roman also wouldn't contact Porce other than a few secret texts, he'd be cold but I think he'd be more conflicted than the others. We see that despite him being extremely cruel at times he does struggle a lot more with cutting out family members compared to the others as seen with Logan and Kendall. That could totally be argued with the power dynamic though but I also think it's partially that middle child, always being in the middle wanting everyone to get along and I think he finds Porce's existence comforting.

I think by the third season she's not so iced out but it's still a bit tense and then fourth season it's kind of better. Porce is definitely more sympathetic towards her siblings than her father and at that point it's not a plot point.

I think as a couple it'll impact their relationship, it'll raise some understandable distrust and hurt. Stewy will feel guilty and Porce won't like the dynamic of him feeling like he needs to make things up to her etc. It'll also force her to find her voice a bit and to kind of grow up in that way. It'll be rough, there will be angst, some interesting conversations but I want to say and promise that while it will be tense at times Stewy and Porce will be okay!!! I promise you they're more than okay!

I'd be interested to read your thoughts on this Nonnie and anyone else who wants to share theirs as well! Thank you so much for sending it in, I appreciate you doing so and taking the time to read my pieces. Have a great night 💗

[eastgaysian]

like, obviously tom approaches shiv differently than he approaches kendall or roman, but i really am thinking heavily about the subtleties of his approach with her. even between roman and kendall, his angle with roman has a little more subtlety and emotional pull - "we both know that logan only wanted one person to take over, and he just asked you back in."

with shiv it just really is like... they have so much history and they do know each other so well. even just the fact he's positioned below her on the stairs is so... "don't. you'll regret it. let me show you some kindness" is so loaded, right? because it's framed in a way that ostensibly centers shiv and what she feels and wants, while they both know that this is in the service of tom's self-interests. but also, shiv is lashing out in ways she doesn't really enjoy because it's the only thing she feels able to do, and who else is even thinking about showing her kindness? the request is more intrusive than simply offering her comfort because it's almost putting the blame on her: you are the one rejecting kindness. all you need to do is let me be kind to you and i will.

paired with the "do you like this?" "i like it all" anecdote, tom's asking for a fresh start: your dad is dead. this is just like when we first met and i was putting so much effort into showing you my affection. it could be like when we first met, when i was willing to give you anything you wanted and you wanted anything i was willing to give. it's up to you, but also remember that you said yes before, so clearly i expect you to say yes again. we're here now because you said yes. if you say yes again, that means you're accepting everything i've done to you since then, and whatever i'm going to do to you from now on - both the kindness and the cruelty. i'm asking. and shiv doesn't accept the comparison as valid, but she also doesn't say no. who else offers her something she doesn't have to fight for first. who else asks her!!

tom offers his service to ken and roman in the context of supporting a bid for ceo, but he offers his support to shiv in a deeply personal context while placing himself physically below her. i think he's aware that shiv doesn't have as strong a bid as ken or roman does, and that's part of why he doesn't take that approach. but also... well.

i can't begin to talk about what tom's motivations 'really' are or judge how manipulative he's being or how intentional it is because it's all way too tangled. especially now, there's no way for him to comfort shiv that's not tied up with logan and waystar and no way for him to approach waystar that doesn't affect his relationship with shiv. and that's without even touching on shiv being pregnant and whether or not tom has any inkling of it. that's a very material difference between now and the idyllic vision of the past tom presents, after all. but he sure does make the past sound nice. and shiv is twenty weeks pregnant, checking in on the health of the fetus, with no indication of getting an abortion

[spoopydooblr]

My King Will Be Kind Chapter 9 / Kendall Roy x OC

an: IM BACK! sorry yall life just got in the way but i just moved across the country and am getting used to things here! this chapter is really just smut before the tailgate party which will def be interesting. sorry its not very long but i think it was worth the wait

anyways, enjoy

tw: smut, pnv, oral (m receiving), cursing

After a long night of shmoozing with the Waystar crew after the launch, Stella was ready to have Kendall all by herself. She was so incredibly proud of him for doing the presentation, especially because Roman left him high and dry right before they were about to go on stage.

"It was good, right?" Kendall asked as she sat on the luxury hotel bed. He stood in front of her and shrugged off his custom "CEO" bomber jacket. "Like, you would send your mom there?"

Stella definitely would not send her mom to whatever the fuck Living Plus was, but she nodded. "It was great, Ken." She stood up, sauntering over to him. They had barely kissed in the last two days, let alone been intimate. She was dying for his touch.

Kendal smiled at her. "You've been so good this weekend. I couldn't ask for anything more." He took her in his arms, kissing the top of her head.

"Really? Nothing more?" She whispered, hands traveling down to his belt.

"Well, uh—" he started, gulping as she palmed him through his pants.

"Not even this?" She muttered into his ear. Her hands undid his belt, pulling the leather though the loops.

Stella knelt, pulling his pants down with her. Her fingers traced the head of his penis through his underwear.

Kendall hummed, already painfully hard in his expensive briefs. "You're gonna drive me fucking insane."

She giggled, carefully pulling down his briefs. His cock sprang free, already leaking a bit. Her mouth watered and her underwear was definitely soaked.

"All hail the king, right?" She looked at him through her eyelashes, repeating what Hugo had said hours earlier. Her tongue lapped at his tip, barely touching the surface.

Stella's hand softly gripped the base of his cock, slowly pumping.

"Fucking tease." Kendall choked out. His jaw clenched as she ran her tongue on the underside of his cock, stopping at the swollen head. She wrapped her lips around it, painfully inching her mouth lower and lower. Her cheeks hollowed and she sucked, ever so slightly, earning a strangled moan from Kendall. Stella had almost all of his length inside of her mouth when she bobbed up and down, painstakingly slow. He was putty in her hands as she sucked, right hand massaging his balls gently.

"Fuck, baby, I'm not gonna last much longer if you keep this up."

She hummed around his cock, using her other hand to grasp what her mouth couldn't reach. Her mouth slid off of him for a second, and she whispered, "just wanna reward you for your presentation, right baby?"

Stella batted her mascara covered lashes at him and Kendall almost came at the sight. He ran his fingers through her hair and cupped her cheek.

"As much as I love your mouth, I need to be in that pretty pussy of yours."

Stella pressed her legs together at his vulgarity. Fuck, he knew just what to say.

Kendall reached out, grabbing her arms and pulling her up to his level. He was naked from the waist down, cock still dripping, and she was still wearing the dress he had picked out for her the day before.

He kissed her hungrily, like he needed her tongue on his to survive. Stella moaned into the kiss, reaching down in between them to jerk him off more.

"Let's get this pretty dress off, huh?" He asked, but it really wasn't a question as he was already pushing the straps off of her shoulders.

Stella hadn't bothered to wear a bra, as the dress didn't require one, but she still had on a pair of her best, lacy underwear.

Kendall kissed her neck, moving down to her collarbone. "Gonna fucking fuck you into oblivion, Stella girl." He muttered, harshly taking a bite of her shoulder. She moaned, backing up to the bed.

Her back hit the soft covers as Kendall took her right nipple into his mouth. His hands wandered to her hips, sliding the rest of the dress off.

"Turn around." He ordered, and Stella could feel the anticipation in her core. She turned, lying on her stomach on the bed. It was silent for a second, but the sound of a condom wrapper snapped her back into reality.  Stella mentally thanked Kendall for remembering protection.

Without warning, Kendall shoved into her, her walls barely having time to adjust to his girth. It stung every time, even now. 

"Ah-h!"  She yelped as he bottomed out in one thrust.  "Ken--"

He groaned, and she could feel him twitch inside her.  His hands squeezed her hips, kneading the flesh of her ass.  

"This tight pussy of yours is going to be the death of me."  Stella gasped as he pulled out half way, shoving himself in again.  

He continued this, pounding her into the luxury hotel bed.  Kendall's mouth attached to her neck, moaning.  

"I'm the fucking king.  I'm the fucking CEO."

Stella was too blind with pleasure to react as he hit a spot in her she had never felt before.  Her moan was pornographically loud, but she didn't cover her mouth this time.  Though he was probably manic, so far everything with Kendall had been great.  Their relationship grew every day.  Shiv even followed her on instagram earlier that night.  

"I love you."  She gasped.

"I love you."  He barely got through the sentence before he flipped her over, pulling her legs over his shoulders.  His mouth sucked at her nipples, one hand reaching in between them to find her clit.  

Stella arched her back as his thumb pushed against her center.  "Oh my God, Ken."

"You're mine, okay?"  He grabbed her face, bringing it to his.  "That fucking body of yours..."  His eyes traveled down to her tits, then the small curve of her waist.  "And you in that fucking dress."

Stella blushed a deep red, but he hit the spot again and her stomach started turning.  

"Everyone wanted to fuck you in that dress, baby." His tip nudged the deepest part of her.  "You know that, right?"

He looked at her, puppy-dog eyes bearing deep into her soul.  "But you're all mine."

Stella nodded, stuttering,  "All yours."  She felt so full with him inside her she barely got the words out before she came, fast.

Kendall rode her through the high, his own release coming shortly after her walls pulsed against him.  He collapsed on her, forehead pressed against her collarbone.  They laid there for a moment, catching their breath.  Kendall eventually pulled out, pulling off the condom and throwing it on the floor.  His phone buzzed and reached for his phone on the bedside table. 

Stella was still coming down as she turned, blinking at him.  "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, uh,"  He scrolled.  "Shiv just texted me the deets for this tailgate thing."

"Oh?"

"We hold this fucking, like, election tailgate.  Bunch of my dad's friends."  He turned off his phone and pulled her into him.  "I've been putting off telling you about this."

"Why?"

"I was afraid you wouldn't come if I invited you."

She pursed her lips.  "As your date."

"Yeah."

"So like a public thing?"

"Yeah."

Stella thought for a moment.  Surely, people knew they were together, but it was still just a couple of blurry photos of them at the wedding and her at the Living+ launch.  But she loved him.  

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"No more buying me outfits, though.  I have way too many clothes now."

"But you look so beautiful in the shit that I buy you."

She giggled. Anything she mentioned liking in passing was flown to her doorstep within twelve hours.  Stella pictured her new Cartier earrings and Chanel bag.  

"No more of that.  Seriously."

"Okay."

"I am seriously concerned that fascist is going to win, though."

"He won't, don't worry."

Stella smiled, but realized Kendall really did have the power to decide the election. If he, or someone in his family (Roman) wanted Mencken to win, they could easily change the results of the election.  

"Okay."  She said nervously, falling back into his arms.  

[pynkhues]

i know succession literally just finished like three hours ago but if you could write any sort of head canons or scenarios for down the line where shiv gets out. where roman gets her out where shiv gets herself out all of it any of it please we're suffering

Okay okay okay, this resulted in like, a 27k word fic which is mostly about Shiv and Kendall being disasters, but I hope you like it! Fair warning for overdose and abortion content.

Despicable Animals. HBO Succession, 27k words. Gen fic. Post s4 finale.

-

The first thing she thinks, sliding into the cab, is that he wasn’t kidding about the horse.

Which, y’know, Shiv doesn’t know why she’s surprised by that, because Kendall wouldn’t know a joke if it stuck its finger in his eye and its dick up his ass. Kendall never grew a funny bone, never inherited Dad’s hard wit or their mother’s snide one, and it was always a point of pride for her. Always felt like it meant something that she could prize a smile from the maws of monsters while Kendall was only ever offered scorn. A gecko that thought it was king cobra. Flat toothed and soft jawed while she was the one with fangs, and she’d loved it as a girl, when she was young and stupid enough to think it meant anything.

The thought now makes her sniff, push herself back into the cracked leather seats, try to remember the instructions the woman on the phone had given her, and yeah, she thinks, Kendall’s not funny, but maybe life is, because it’s there, in the back of that shitty yellow cab at two in the morning, that she feels it move for the first time.

-

It feels like this:

A flutter, the tug of a mascara brush through lashes, the flap of a butterfly’s wings, caught between your hands. Nothing at all and everything at once, and there is someone growing inside her and she has lost everything but this. Tom’s anchor laid clean in her, dragging her across the sea floor, a tether, the old ball and chain. All she’s good for, less than she deserves, or maybe more. A womb with a view, a maker of a monster, or worse, another hurt and angry child, and she feels ill, feels violent, feels vile.

She asks the driver to pull over so she can puke her guts out into a cold Manhattan street.

Read it on ao3.

[wonderpommey]

Kendall doesn’t love Naomi, Shiv never loved Tom, Tom didn’t love Greg, Greg didn’t love Tom. Tom stopped loving Shiv. Connor doesn’t really love Willa (did he even notice her whole face has changed?), Willa doesn’t love Connor. Logan didn’t love his pew bench and most of his pew bench didn’t love him or didn’t have time to stop.

Roman though. 

Roman loves Gerri, Georgia always told us that and when she talks spinoff it’s Colin, Stewey or Roman & Gerri (and yes, RomanGerri wasn’t Jesse’s, it’s Georgia’s and Tony’s and J's and Kieran’s and Mark’s, but that’s enough!)

From reading around, I think the finale brought home the depth of Roman’s  feelings from seeing him watch her on film reciting a maybe dirty maybe spiritual limerick and fall to the floor with it. He took from her, thinking he was entitled to ask her jump into bed or on that grenade. This spoilt little puppy prince who had never suffered a consequence. He attempted to climb his Everest, locked up in a cage. But as soon as he steps out of the cage at Logan’s funeral and abandons the poorly worn skin of whomever he was supposed to be for dad, and the reality of his feelings and his guilt and his shame hits, he realises he barely deserved to be at her feet. He’s a bruised, hollow prince who ‘knifed’ the only person who had real adult expectations of him (in every sense of the term - the scripts are part of my canon), for a throne he didn’t even want. How could you not break down at that??

And it morphs into a love that doesn’t need anything to feed the flame. No reciprocity, no touching, no comfort. Nothing transactional. It doesn’t even need to be spoken or told. It simply exists, in those jelly glass eye balls. He hasn’t earned it as it disappears behind screens and glass partitions where the adults are. She’s put her shoes back on and she’s walked out of his glass room.

Consuming that love becomes the only thing he can do to feel its burn, to satisfy the craving. He won’t be able to give her slow pleasure or any of his fluids but he can partake in hers in some way. Smart people know what they are and God forbid he sullies anymore of her with the oozing blood at the seam big bag of bullshit that he is. But you better believe he can find a way to have her on his brain, his heart, his tongue, his bloodstream.

He steps out of the cage and bids farewell to the toxicity of denying his own heart, he goes from a cage where he could just take, in exchange for pretending to be someone - no consequences but the occasional beating son I promise, to a world where he’s himself, needy and broken, nothing of value to give. He breaks out but the realisation of having fucked his relationship with her is the price of admission into the real world of his real feelings.

Oh she’d pick up the phone if he called, she’d meet him at the bar (I think he even knows that) but his superego, despite his hysterical cries about how good he looks and you can’t really see how broken he is and that it should be him, has acknowledged the fact that he doesn’t deserve her and wonders why she would take any interest in him if he was no longer this diamond in the rough? Can’t bear her eyes on him, if he’s just the nothing bullshit who fired her and lashed out at her. Which is ironic really because, being mad at Ken’s for his abuse, protecting Shiv, the clarity on his and all of their worth, staying and being the face of the humiliation, signing the deal. These are signs he’s morphing into something with grit, something worthy.

I think. Who knows. It’s day 1. They’re slow but it only lengthens the - excruciating - pleasure. It wasn’t a healthy, happy love story. It was a star crossed First Love meeting Last Love with all the unmatched expectations and maturity it entails, but only they knew it and a few of the people that watch. And really this was the most beautifully crafted thing I’ve ever seen on TV, the depths are almost out of reach. Romey-o Loves Gerri, it’s a feminist show and yes even the fact that Logan didn’t consider his grandkids his bloodline (and of course Roman would hate to have children and of course Shiv didn’t have time to tell him about her pregnancy). All these things are in the show and barely visible and thank god for that. 

And you can wonder why the hell he’s in a bar smiling and crying at his cocktail or you may prefer to read it as being only about his dad or only about his sibs or just the company if you can manage the connective tissue. But to me, yes of course, his last second on screen is him ingesting her in some way. I mean, OBVIOUSLY. It’s not because it wasn’t in your face, that it wasn’t the realest thing, the only true romance this show has indulged.

[cauldronofmorning]

what are ur succession csa theories …

Let’s get into it. Tw for csa and incest.

I think Kendall and Logan is the most consistent. Logan tries to justify it by saying Kendall is an active agent in the act, and isn’t it better to get groomed by him than someone else? While that’s going on, dog pound happens because Kendall wants to lash out at someone else.

Shiv is replacement Kendall when Kendall is away, and Logan is a lot softer with her, his little princess who is just imagining monsters in her bedroom.

With Roman, I definitely think it was wolf pack. He sees how much “love” Shiv and Ken get, is desperate for his dad’s “love”, but he got abused by someone else, and Logan is disgusted less with the adults who hurt a fucking child and more the… outsourcing.

[hotfinalgirl-archive]

this episode is giving the kids r going insane in their grief. they’re all giving delusional, trying to mimic their dad or how their dad made them feel idk. like with roman being especially angry lashing out at joy and now gerri- it’s giving he misses his dad but can’t find connection to him in anyway except being cruel. shiv is losing her mind too, finding safety in toxic places because maybe that reminds her of her father. kendall is just bonkers he’s always bonkers

[holdoncallfailed]

i can't stop thinking about the scene in the latest episode of succession where shiv is upset because kendall told her she can't be interim co-CEO with him and roman and she stumbles on the stairs and falls and tom goes to help her and she lashes out at them which ultimately makes the moment even more embarrassing for her... i think succession is pretty good at conveying the very specific dilemma that shiv constantly comes up against re: trying so hard to not be seen as weaker because she's a woman but also being self-aware enough to recognize that trying harder makes herself look even more pathetic, and hating herself when she accidentally makes her own effort so apparent. i think it's also a combination of two such specific experiences that every woman has had where she realizes 1) that pushing back against a man making a sexist comment (for example) only invites him to make fun of you for being bothered in the first place and 2) that even the man you love most, who claims to love you, your father/brother/husband/best friend, is still a man and you are still a woman and as a result he will never consider you his equal deep down, and you can't do anything about that. the frustration of knowing you're in a double bind like that and left with no options makes you want to give up entirely... but she won't let herself give up. so what else is there to do except to internalize that rage and shame and hope that it's enough to power her through the next moment of humiliation?? I WASN'T AFRAID OF THE BULLIES AND THAT JUST MADE THE BULLIES WORSE!!!!!!!!

[naaicha]

nobody asked but succession s4 was roman’s season for me personally in terms of how it expanded his character. i think in prior seasons we didn’t really get much of his internal life besides his issues with intimacy and sexuality, but it really clicked this last season. in a way he’s a lot more straightforward than his siblings because there’s no real machinations there; he just does whatever he feels like—the part of logan he inherited is his instincts and ability to just react and lash out, which makes him very dangerous when he’s given real power, but it’s also very childish and pitiful.

between the siblings briefly working together and logan’s death, it’s clear that roman more than anyone wants the family to stay together in his own fucked up way. but obviously the thing about roman has always been that he is totally unable to give or receive love and affection and intimacy, and every time he gets anywhere near a genuine feeling he needs to make it perverse and bad because he can’t even conceptualize what it’s like to have feelings you’re not immediately punished for. and in s4 it’s like oh, that’s the one thing he really wants that he can never have because he’s so rotten at the core and his parents and upbringing broke his brain so completely.

so like kendall has his moment when it turns out he can’t do the one thing he’s spent his entire life thinking he was meant to do and logan’s funeral is like roman’s version of that. because what roman wants is just for his dad to love him and if he accepts logan is gone, he’ll never have that. that’s why kendall says roman doesn’t want the job, he just can’t say it. roman just wants what it would have meant to be chosen. he asks “why couldn’t it have been me?” (like the matter is already settled) because he’s just asking why his dad didn’t love him enough to promise him something and mean it.

[coldforestnight]

You know, I keep turning it over and sadly I feel like if Kendall were to ever tell Roman about Dad that Roman would react really badly, like probably the worst that Kendall could imagine, just rejecting it entirely and pushing him away and lashing out, saying "you're lying, you're delusional, you're just obsessed with making up any reason to hate Dad, and even if it's true if you knew that for thirty fucking years and never said anything then you're as bad as him." And the thing is Roman doesn't even fully believe himself in the moment, he just doesn't want to hear this or think about it or what it all means, and also feeling betrayed by Kendall not being the strong protected big brother he was supposed to be.

Oh… yeah :( Sadly I agree with you — we’ve seen that Roman is so desperate for love from his father that he’s willing to defend him against anything or to forget his crimes (thinking about the tooth scene in Argestes), and frequently takes Logan’s side against his brother’s (“do you have a fetish for killing dad?”). He’s also incapable of sitting with uncomfortable thoughts (“I can’t pee next to men, due to - we don’t know what reason, whatever”), so hearing that his brother - who Roman does love and care for very much - was abused by their father would be nigh impossible for him to actually process. Honestly, the best possible outcome would be Roman playing it off as a joke, like how he reacted to Kendall’s waiter confession in 3x09.

This scenario happens in real life all too frequently, especially in families dealing with father/child incest. Often it’s the wife of the father who is unable to process this horror and resort to victim blaming the child, but since Caroline isn’t really in the picture here, Roman is a good enough stand in as the wife. Worse, I can even imagine him feeling a slight bit of jealousy to hear about Kendall’s abuse, simply because it’s that sign of acknowledgment, twisted as it is, that Logan shows Kendall and that Roman will never receive. A kicked dog learns to love the beating because it’s better than abandonment.

[thinkatoryprocess]

I just had this thought that there's no way Stewy could find out about the waiter because Logan is never telling anyone about that. Like it's his way of protecting Kendall. He's going to actually try and do that now that he's dead. So all he can do is make aure nothing comes out that could ruin Kendall's reputation further post death or his grandkids view of their father. BUT maybe he would tell Roman ad Stewy if they confronted him together because it would never leave the room. They are equally invested in it not getting out.

Logan is definitely not letting the world know about the waiter - for the sake of Kendall's reputation, but also because he's got shame tied up in using it in such a way that he further degraded his son's mental state. It's one of a couple things he's torturing himself with as he just sits there in his condo, but as of the last "twenty love poems" chapter, Logan's finally talking to Roman, and Roman is not going to stop pressuring Logan because he's terrified seeing his dad this way. Roman standing up to him, actually lashing out at him without terror, is both exactly what he wants to see and a horrifically tragic state of affairs, because Logan built the Roy family house of cards, one full of pain and powerplays, that Kendall kicked down as he died. Being surprised his son isn't terrified of him is further proof that he's not just a morally dubious person but an actually terrible one. He's lucky Roman never killed himself after all he did to him - don't think that hasn't crossed his mind.

Roman's actually just asked Stewy to come with him to Logan's in the chapter of DKAU I'm writing currently, which is why it's been on my mind, so I guess we'll see what happens. Either way, it'll be a lot for all involved.

[slightlystrangepsyche]

Succession S04E09

Ken’s never closing that portal, because his father is on the other side.

We’ve seen Shiv schedule her grief and say goodbye to her father at the funeral, and we’ve finally seen Roman realize his father is dead. Ken still isn’t there yet. Ken can’t let go and is becoming him instead, but it’s NOT him. 

We’re running out of time to see Kendall break down and let his father go, but I have to believe he will. Kendall has lost Jess, Rava and the kids, but he’s still clinging to his father.

Kendall lashes out when he’s hurt, but mean words don’t sound like him. Kendall telling Roman he “fucked it” was exactly what Roman told him in the Italy episode after Kendall broke down and confessed about the manslaughter.

I’m just not ready to give up on Kendall, and I hate that the show is going to end and therefore force me to accept the cycle. But at least there’s fanfiction. The fact that so many people care about this messed up family and want to give them fluff actually fills me with hope. That’s what I need right now.

[oreganosbaby]

i mean is firing a bunch of people processing healthily

if roman weren't the nepobaby co-ceo of a media tycoon, no. but he is so, yeah. like, roman's motivations are so obvious there too. roman tries to perform as his dad because yknow that's what's demanded of him. he gets annoyed when the employees won't play along and then he fires them. i mean, i am being a bit reductive bc the situations with gerri and joy are different because joy was being like, from his perspective, annoying and obtuse but, still. like, it's just lashing out at people because he feels like he needs to play a specific role for his late father's sake but, no one except kendall is willing to play along and truthfully, he doesn't really like playing this role either. if roman were not in this position, he'd just lash out at people and be moody and the consequences wouldn't seem as bad.