#and we gotta hold Roman accountable for his actions

[tinylilvalery]

Very interesting thoughts. I would counter with positions of power and abuse of power. With romangerri it's very muddy.

From Roman's perspective I think that he's always been intimidated of her and believes Gerri is in charge and the one with power in their relationship. This is exciting to him because Roman enjoys such a dynamic cos in a Freudian way it reminds him of his relationship with his father as well as is his mother, both incredibly powerful, relationships not at all straightforward (in terms of communication), and never quite knowing where he stands while still believing there's an underlying affection under all of the games. The position of power he's in as Logan's son is something he's not even aware of in regards to Gerri cos it's 1. It's always just been part of his identity. And 2. He believes she can hold her own against him and could put him in his place at any time - which is a mix up on his part because he only obliges to this when it either aligns with his motives or when it's in a sexual context, which means it's fetishistic for him and when it extended beyond that context and his motivations, he punished her for it by Firing her.

However, in terms of this power, from Gerri's perspective it's a different story. Gerri's part of The Old Guard, meaning she's done a lot of shit (defs not all good) to rise up in power at Waystar and to keep that position. In season 4 she's considering becoming CEO after Logan's death. Meaning Gerri is both very driven by power and she's also been close enough to know Logan and his kids pretty well.

Roman started coming onto Gerri and pursuing her despite her knocking him back multiple times and trying to remain professional. For Gerri it's two things: what could she do knock back her boss' son without falling out of favour with Roman or Logan? To gain an enemy out of either is dangerous which was only proven when Logan found out about them via Roman's dick pic and proceeded to have her fired, and then also making an enemy out of Roman who also fired her out of upset and revenge for her not kissing his ass and comforting him (I'm not saying it was premeditated revenge, he clearly only did it in the moment and instantly regretted it and wanted to roll back on it). Neither Logan or Roman are people to make enemies of because both have fickle loyalty and make rash decisions based on emotions (behaviour also seen in Ken and Shiv). So that's the abuse of power from Roman's part. Gerri couldn't really say no to him, and when she did he kept pursuing anyway.

It is unfair to say Gerri didn't encourage it at times. She did, because as I said, Gerri loves power and is happy to do a lot of morally questionable things to both maintain and gain it. If Gerri could have one sibling close to her and under her thumb, a sibling that she wanted to mentor for CEO one day, then that means she'd remain VERY close to power and would have considerable influence to it and be in quite a stable position. We know there is a fondness from Gerri to Roman and a wish to be his mentor as said by Jean. She truly did see potential.

You could say she took advantage of Roman, who a lot of people in the fandom victimise constantly and never hold him responsible for his own actions. Poor little helpless baby that doesn't know what he's doing and is just taken advantage of everyone around him. Or you could say that Gerri took advantage of Roman's abuse of power (being the son of her all powerful boss) over her (constantly pursuing her despite rejections) and tried to make something good come out of it (a closer relationship with someone of such power, someone she could mentor and get to CEO and lead her to more power). Again I'm not saying there's never any fondness between Roman and Gerri, but ultimately what Succession comes back to with so many of its pairings is power struggle and imbalance and abuse of that power (ie: Tomshiv, Tomgreg, Carolinelogan to name a few off the top of my head).

So one hand you can say Gerri encouraged Roman (and remove him from most of the blame for his own pursuit of her) by having those sexual interactions with him where she didn't physically do anything to him but knew he was getting off on being degraded and subjugated. And on another you can say that Gerri wasn't really in a position to be able to refuse Roman. She tried to refuse him multiple times and he kept pursuing her in that way. And so she had to make something good out of the situation and use it to get more power.

I guess the question I have is if you remove the context of them essentially being coworkers at Waystar (like, let's imagine Roman never wanted anything to do with Waystar and didn't work there), would Gerri have bothered with Roman at all? If there was no gain for her at Waystar and no threat of power (Roman being her bosses son), would she have had any interest? Would she have amused his notions? If there was no system of power and power abuse there, would Roman have been interested in Gerri and would Gerri have even entertained it in the first place?

Succession Thoughts: Gerri x Roman 

1. Love’s A Losing Game.

I finally have a chance to touch on the scene between Roman and Gerri, and, as usual, my thoughts may be a bit controversial, but here we go. When we see them again, Roman is propositioning Gerri for advice after having fired her in the last episode, and Gerri rebuffs him with a firm, “No.” This seems to shock Roman, who then quickly plunges into damage control, attempting to cajole her and convince her his firing of her wasn’t real. As he puts it, “Dad fired people all the time. I was just feeling kind of fire-ish.” I can understand the logic behind Roman’s statement because, if one recalls in Season 1, Logan fired Frank, and, shockingly, Frank came back to Waystar and to Logan again anyway later on. Even Gerri was shocked by this, to which Frank replied, “Baby needs shoes, moth to a flame […]”. This moment in Hunting between them sort of sets us up for what Gerri does in Tailgate Party by refusing to return, but again, Roman had seen the Old Guard kicked so many times he naturally thought Gerri wouldn’t permanently abandon him. Sadly, he thought wrong, and she has firmly–and gladly–removed herself from the picture. Most of the discourse online has cheered Gerri on, saying Roman got what was coming to him, and, to degree, I can agree with this. However, Gerri says something interesting that I’ve seen no one comment on which is the line about his dick pics: “[…] I will sue and I will go public with the many, many pictures of your genitalia that I have in my possession.” This struck me as quite pertinent because many fans debated about Roman’s sending of the dick pic in Season 3, wondering whether the one he sent his father was the only one, whether when Gerri asked him to stop sending, “the items”, she had been receiving photos before. This confirms that Gerri had received photos of Roman’s private parts before, and, until the moment she took the CEO spot, likely entertained his proclivity for sending them the same way she engaged in his other kinks. This brings me to my point, which is, did Roman deserve for Gerri to walk out on him? Sure, to a degree. He treated her poorly several times this season, and expected loyalty in return, which was foolish of him. However, was he the only one in the wrong? Not in the least. What many seem to conveniently forget when discussing their relationship is that Gerri willingly entered into a pseudo-romance with him, dancing the dance and leading him along as much as he led her. She was no virginal ingenue out to sea with a predator, she was a willing participant in their relationship, and she is as much responsible for its dissolution as he is. Her inconsistent communication with him in Season 3–her vague outlining of what was appropriate, her pulling back suddenly without any real clear sit-down conversation–is largely what led Roman to send her the photos. He even says to her, “I’m not so sure, I feel like you do want them, but you’re being kind of typically minxy.” Of course, she did seriously tell him to stop, but us fans remained confused through the run of the season like Roman did, and so I can’t help but sympathize with him now. He knew better than to send the photos and sent them anyway, and Gerri knew better than to enter into a relationship with her boss’s son and then turn around and throw the responsibility for it’s destruction in his face as though he was the only villain in the story. I am prepared to get a heap of criticism for this opinion, but I still stand by it. There’s something about the endless backing of Gerri and lack of actual critique of her actions that rubs me wrong. I do, however, still hope for some sort of turn in their relationship, naïve as that may seem, because, truly, they were much better together than apart. They were a more powerful team when they worked alongside each other, and to see the show just throw it all away feels cheap. I am interested to hear what others think about this scene, and, of course, discussion is always welcome, whether you agree or disagree with me. 

AN: I just wanted to add a quick thank you to all who have read and commented on my writings so far. As always I like hearing everyone’s thoughts, and I like how honest people are in the replies. Makes life more fun. 

[csauce-and-chips]

The Tipsy Side

Word Count: 2,032

Featured: Thomas Sanders, Patton Sanders, Roman Sanders, Logan Sanders, Virgil Sanders, Deceit Sanders, Remy Sanders

Pairing(s): Prinxiety, Logicality (though not mentioned).

Universe: Human AU

Synopsis: Thomas has to make sure his friends have a safe time drinking at a party. What he discovers about his intoxicated friends is shocking.

_______

Thomas had no idea what he had gotten himself into.

Being the youngest amongst his group of friends had its advantages and disadvantages. One disadvantages is not being old enough to drink. Of course this sucked for him, and Patton had apologized about it many times before the party really kicked in, but Thomas had just said it was fine.

"You sure, kiddo? I can just hang out with you if you want!"

"It's ok, Patton. I want you to have fun! Someone's gotta be responsible."

How naive he was.

It took only half an hour for the party to really kick off. If you could call it a real party. There was at most 20 people there, however, that didn't stop them from getting wild. Particularly a certain group of four Thomas kept his eye on.

Shockingly, the very dramatic and Disney fanatic got drunk first. Thomas wouldn't have expected him to be a lightweight, but it only took him two shots to get him going. At first, he was laughing and shouting at the house's Alexa to change it to different Disney songs. And then, Thomas delved into the madness of his drunk friends for the first time ever.

A usually flashy and ambitious Roman stumbled over to Thomas at his spot on the couch. It had been about an hour and a half since the party had started and Roman was a mess. Thomas, of course, was a little concerned.

"Roman-" Thomas took his hands to carefully sit the older man next to him, trying to make eye contact with the wasted prince. "Woah, hey now.. you ok, Ro?"

For a moment, all Roman did was blink at Thomas like he was talking in rhymes. Then a goofy, soft grin spread across his drunk face. Thomas stared at him in confusion as Roman flopped against his shoulder, laughing softly.

"Hi Thomas~ you're warm.."

"Uh.. Roman?" Thomas chuckled as his concern mixed with his amusement. "Maybe you should take a nap?"

"Whaaaaat? Thomash- Thomas??" Roman paused in confusion as he squinted at Thomas' jeans as if they contained all the answers. "What was I sayin..?"

"I said you should take a nap?"

"..." Roman broke out in a slurred giggle fit, patting at Thomas' leg like a silly child. "I love you, Thomas~"

Thomas chuckled as he tried to think of what to do next with Roman to take care of his silly drunk friend. That was, before he heard a very loud shout from the kitchen.

"FUCK YOU- NO, NO, SHUT YOUR STUPID MOUTH!"

Thomas let out a soft sigh as he stood carefully, moving a pillow to where he was sitting so Roman could lay down.

"Stay here, bud. I'll bring you some water, kay?"

"Thomas, you're so nice to meeee," He could hear Roman start up again as he had already left to push through the small crowd to the kitchen.

Knowing his friends, Thomas was pretty sure that Logan was behind all the screaming. Though Logan was a really intelligent and calm person, he had a temper he's seen jump out on many occasions. Different shouting sprees, but he always managed himself quickly. So this had to be Logan, unable to contain himself with alcohol in his system, right?

Wrong.

Stepping into the kitchen, Thomas was surprised to see Patton, who was pushing at a familiar face with an usually pissed off look on his face. He had a bottle in hand and it was clear that he was drunk.. still... this was a bit unbelievable for anyone who's met Patton.

"YOU'RE- YOU ARE SO FUCKING MEAN!" Patton was half shoving, half swatting his victim into the counter behind him. "YOU JUST MAN- MANIPULATE EVERYBODY AND IT'S SO FUCKIN RUDE-"

"Patton- uh- friendo-" Deciel had his hands up defensively as he bared the brunt of Patton's drunken rage. Can't say he didn't deserve it for what he's done in their high school days, but he's proven himself better since then. Patton seems to have forgotten about.. All of that.

"DON'T FREE-ENDO ME PAL! DO YOU WANT ME TO FIGHT YOU?? I'LL FUCKIN FIGHT YOU RIGHT HERE, IT'LL BE PHYSICAL-"

"Uh, Patton?" Thomas placed a hand on his friend's shoulder carefully, unsure of what his friend was capable of in this state.

"WHAT-" Patton turned quickly, maybe too quickly, but catching himself on the counter at the last second. He squinted angrily, his bottle clanking against the counter.

Thomas sighed as he rested a hand on his friend's arm and cut him off. "Patton, it's me, Thomas. You're getting aggressive-"

"THOMAS HE HURT-"

"I remember, I remember, that was back in high school, remember?" He made eye contact with Patton and rubbed his arm. "Remember how it's been six years since you've been in high school, dad?"

One thing that really seemed to draw him back into the moment is the way Thomas called him dad. Patton opened and closed his mouth a  few times before he let go of his bottle and he sighed heavily.

"..'M drunk."

"That's right. You got it pops." Thomas lead Patton to the kitchen bar and sat him in a seat, grabbing two glasses and filling them with water. "It's ok. Just try to take it easy, kay?"

Patton nodded as he took one of the waters. "M'kay.."

Thomas gave him a smile and a pat on the back. "Thanks Patt."

"Thomas!" Thomas looked up and was surprised to see Remy, who looked pretty drunk himself- however, Remy was excellent at handling his liquor. "Hey Rem. What's up?"

"What's up is that your friend has been in the bathroom for like-fourty minutes and I'm seriously going to snap his neck if you don't get him out of there!"

"Friend?" Thomas circled around the counter to Remy who lead him upstairs. His first idea was that it was Virgil, because his anxiety probably got to him, and he decided to hide out in the bathroom. Of course, just his luck, he was wrong again.

"Logan?"

Logan sat in the bath tub, curled up into himself. He had his face buried into his arms which were wrapped around his knees. His hair was a mess and his tie was dangling from the edge of the sink. So, yknow, it was weird to think that this was his friend Logan.

"Thomas..?" Logan lifted his head out of his arms but still had to rest his cheek against his forearm. His face was caked with tears, his eyes red and his skin blotchy from crying.

Thomas felt awful seeing him like this. Remy had already abandoned the bathroom for now, so he stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "Lo.. what's going on? What's wrong?"

It was clear by the way his bottom lip quivered at the question that that alone had bothered him. Thomas plopped himself on the toilet seat, prepared to listen to his drunk friend.

"I'm drunk Thomas.. imma mess"

Thomas waved it off and put a hand on Logan's shoulder. "Don't worry, Lo, everyone else is a mess too-"

"B-but that's just it!" Logan's voice cracked ad he looked desperately at Thomas through half-lidded eyes. "I'm- I'm supposed ta' be reshponsible! I'm supposed ta' be everyone's mom! What.. what am I supposed ta' do if I can't- can't-"

At this point, Logan was a bumbling mess of sobs and drunken slur. The bottles in the sink and on the counter surface suggested that Logan's drank the most so far. It hurt Thomas' heart to see his friend like this, to see him try to drink his troubles away to only get hit 10x harder with it in this state.

"Logan. You don't have to be responsible for the others all the time."

Logan sniffled as he frown heavily at Thomas, looking ready to cry again. "What'aya mean..? I need.. I need to know you-" a hiccup, apologies "-you, you guys are all acc- accounted for-"

"Look Logan, it's ok if you aren't being the responsible one all the time. We appreciate everything you do for us, you don't need to stress yourself out with us all the time."

His glossy eyes stared at Thomas' clear ones with drunken surprise as a "really..?" Slipped. As if he didn't know that they all appreciated him.

Thomas smiles gently. "Of course, Lo. We may not say it all the time, but we appreciate you. We love you so much. You do know that, right-?"

He fell quiet as he saw Logan had his eyes closed, his breathing still shakey but evenly rhythmatic. Thomas sighed as he stood from the toilet seat, adjusting his friend so that he was laying down in the tub rather than bent over and worse for his back when he inevitably awoke. A towel yo substitute as a blanket wasn't that bad either..

Just as he had placed the deep green material over Logan, someone crashed head-first into the bathroom.

At first, Thomas expected it to be a party-goer he didn't know that was hurling in the toilet he had been sitting on moments ago (thank god for wanting to get up). But instead he found the face of his final drunk friend, hair messier than usual and his shirt.... gone?

"...uh, Virgil?" Thomas asked in lingering surprise as his friend finished loudly vomiting, just the sight of it making him sick to his sober stomach. "You ok?"

Virgil huffed over the toilet bowl as he turned his head to look at Thomas. Every move he made seemed to make him dizzy. However, he didn't seem mad, or upset at all from hurling. What surprised Thomas the most was the perverted grin plastered all over his friend's face.

"Mmm.. hey Thomas~" Virgils voice was the heaviest with alcohol, a hum of pleasure behind it. His eyes were dazed and intent on looking over Thomas' entire figure like he was a hungry animal. "Mhmmm, I'm fuckin' faaaaantastic!"

Before Thomas could say anything, Virgil had shoved himself to his feet. However, it wasn't very steady as the boy stumbled, practically throwing himself into Thomas' arms as he pushed his hands onto his younger friend's chest with a look of stupid desire.

"Virgil..!" Thomas had a red tint to his cheeks as he tried to hold up Virgil's weight so suddenly, while feeling extremely uncomfortable by his actions. "Virgil- please just-"

"Jus' what, pretty boy~? Ya.. ya seeeeexy peice'a meat, hmmm?"

My God, if this wasn't the most uncomfortable thing ever, Thomas wouldn't know what was.

Thomas took a breath as he pulled on a stern tone. "Virgil, your boyfriend wouldn't be so happy if he found out you were flirting with me. Or am I wrong?"

Virgil fell quiet and his smirk dropped. Something seemed to shift in his eyes as he frowned, gripping slightly at Thomas' shirt.

"Wha's- where's Ro?"

"He's on the couch." Thomas sighed ad he realized what was going on. He hated seeing Virgil anxious again, slipping back into himself, but it was much better that when he was being touchy-feely. Plus, he knew Virgil wouldn't want to hurt Roman like that on purpose. "I'll take you. Here.."

Thomas adjusted himself so that he had an arm around the slightly smaller man, flushing the toilet on the way out. He made sure his fumbling, highly intoxicated and highly anxious friend got down the stairs and to the couch safely, glad to see that Roman was well passed out on the couch- oddly curled up with an innocent expression he never seemed to wear.

Virgil seemed to focus more when he spotted his sleeping boyfriend. Thomas let go as Virgil stumbled a little to lie a tad awkwardly next to Roman on the couch. Virgil seemed happy enough but well on his way to passing out hard.

"Mmm.. thanks, Thomas.." Virgil mumbled softly as his eyes closed contently. He would be glad the next morning when he figures out he didn't do anything unscenely with his youngest friend.

Thomas couldn't help but smile, relieved. He glanced around at his friends on the couch and in the kitchen. All asleep, all taken care of and accounted for. He made sure that he had set out a water bottle for each of his friends, along with ibuprofen, for when they all inevitably awake the next morning.

Needless to say, taking care of drunk idiots isn't easy. You never know what to expect. But if there's one thing that Thomas learned tonight was that no matter what surprises come his way, his friends were still his family- still the people he loved more than anybody else in the world.

Thomas made a mental note to scold them all in the morning, anyways.