#like yes kendall is becoming his father

[oddishblossom]

KENDALL LOGAN ROY : Second Eldest Son of Waystar Royco’s Founder Logan Roy. New Waystar Royco Interim CEO.

SUCCESSION S4 EP4 HONEYMOON STATES

[scarletttries]

Dad! Roman Roy x Reader Headcanons:

Pairing: Dad! Roman Roy (Succession) x Pregnant! / Parent Reader

Word Count: 1.4k

Author's Note: We're back to sweet and sad Roman Roy over here 💕 I've written a couple of headcanons and fics about the moment Roman finds out his partner is pregnant, so for everyone that requested a follow up to that, here are some Roman as a dad headcanons 😊🌸

During the Pregnancy:

- This is life changing news for any couple, but when you grew up as sheltered and neglected as sweet, broken Roman Roy, this cracks open your universe all the way to its foundations. He will be in a constant state of panic and sarcasm as he tries to rebuild his world view by your side, but he'll make sure you know that he never has any doubts about you and your future together, his fears land squarely on his shoulders and his abilities to love this new tiny human. But he used to think he'd never love someone the way he loves you, so that fills him with hope that he can surpass his own expectations again.

- He's never had to take responsibility for his actions before in any meaningful way, so don't be surprised if he's a little bit useless when it comes to making plans and getting organised. He'll need help making it to every appointment on time, but by god will he be there, holding your hand and staring at the little screen with an uneasy look in his eye, like he can't quite fathom that there's a life starting inside you.

- Kendall is so excited that his brother is becoming a father that he tries to give him all his best advice, even though most of it is borderline insane. In the end Kendall recommends some 'galaxy brain parenting podcasts' to Roman, and you come home to find them echoing through the penthouse's sound system, Roman scribbling notes like he's trying to cram for an exam at the last minute.

- Prepare to have the absolute highest end luxuries that money can buy for your nursery, a room bigger than your first apartment and that looks like something straight out a catalogue. Sometimes when you're up at night because the wriggling baby inside you won't let you sleep, you'll find Roman sat up in the corner rocking chair, just doing his best to feel at home in this new space, trying to see himself as the kind of father he wants to be.

- Every word he utters for the full nine months is soft, gentle, calm, even when he doesn't feel any of those things. It's like he's trying to make sure this new life doesn't hear the sound of anger or ridicule at any point in its existence, starting as soon as possible in his desperate efforts to be less and less like his father by the day.

- When the time comes for the delivery, Roman has to keep running in and out of the delivery room, struggling to keep still or take a full breath. Finally when it's the moment of truth, he'll be there. Clutching your hand, wailing into your shoulder in a mixture of fear and being completely incapable of seeing you in pain without it eating him alive, and in a flash you two are cradling a little life in your arms, and your time to get ready is up.

Fatherhood:

- From the moment your child is laid in Roman's arms for the first time, fighting every instinct to keep himself physically detached and just let you handle the touchy-feely stuff, he knows this is going to break him, then piece him back together stronger than ever. He knows he's never going to want to put this little one down, the sheer innocence painted across their face and wonder in their eyes as they stare up at him, it's the only way he ever wants to be looked at again. It reminds him of the first time you smiled his way and suddenly he felt like he could be forgiven all his sins.

- Roman is immensely protective, leaving it weeks until any of the family are allowed to visit, not wanting to put either of you at risk, and not wanting anything to burst the bubble of those perfect weeks at home. Yes, it's exhausting and draining and everything feels like you're doing it wrong, but it's easily the happiest Roman's ever felt in his life.

- Conner and Willa appear first thing when visitors are finally allowed, bringing a generally appropriate gift for a newborn and genuine excitement to be a part of your little one's life. Next up is Ken, who brings the latest in baby technology, claiming it will practically raise the child for you, a sentiment that leaves Roman reluctant to even let his brother hold the newborn. Finally Shiv arrives, her gift of a vintage Mercedes parked downstairs for the minute your little one is old enough to drive, a time Roman claims will never come because they're definitely staying a tiny perfect baby forever.

- His family can tell that something has shifted in Roman as he smiles and plays affectionately with little baby Roy, like a warm, loving part of him that had been beaten into a corner and stifled by his father had finally been allowed to break free again and thrive in the light. When Caroline turns up two weeks later, her gift to you a full time nanny that neither of you asked for, Roman sends her away, wanting to take on this role, using his immense privilege to be there for his child in every moment rather than letting a stranger provide help and reduce that responsibility.

- The fact that you brought this light into his world, only makes Roman look at you with even more reverence, truly the greatest gift he could ever hope for. He's not shy in telling you how amazing what you did was, how incredible you already are as a mother, how lucky he and your child are to have you in his life. While he kept himself pretty PG during your pregnancy, prepare to constantly be called a Milf, and to have him slide up behind you when the baby is sleeping, unable to keep his hands off you and asking when you think you should expand your family to include a few siblings.

- As your little one starts toddling, Roman wouldn't want to keep them as locked in an ivory tower as his childhood felt, taking walks through the local park and meeting the other local parents, trying to just be a regular person and normal father for his baby's sake. Watching how easily they can make a new friend and connect him with others feels completely unbelievable when only a few years ago he wasn't sure he'd ever even have a friend of his own, let alone a family full of love.

- When he has to go into Waystar, you best believe 'the world's smallest executive' is coming in too, toddling hand in hand with their father all across the top floor. By the time they're finished for the day, Gerri's bought them an ice cream, Franks brought a balloon and Carolina is looking up how to get a carousel installed in the lobby. And every one of them is so proud of Roman, the picture of growth and stability (or at least trying so hard to be), far from the man they used to worry about on a daily basis.

- It's challenging for any new parents, but Roman still tries to prioritise having the occasional night as just the two of you, spending some time in an adult establishment with adult beverages, even if half your conversations circle back to how incredible your child is, and how hilarious it is that Roman's taught them to call cousin Greg a monster and run away every time he walks in a room, and how you never needed to worry about taking this step together, because you make a perfect team. As long as you work together, you two can really make it through anything, and your growing family is the best thing yet.

- A couple of years later, when you start to realise the feeling inside you is familiar, you aren't even a little bit scared. You'll come running out the bathroom at the little blue tick on a plastic strip and Roman will erupt into cheers like the two of you just single handedly won the superbowl, tackling you to the ground and covering your face in tears and kisses as he realises this is exactly where, and who, he was meant to be.

[bpdjennamaroney]

yes kendall becoming ceo would have been everything he wanted but it would have made him miserable and he would have become cruel and cold like his father and it would have been a tragic ending…..but now he’s gonna do all that without the power he so desperately wanted….either way he was going to become cold and mean and hard, for different reasons. the poison dripped. it’s already in his bloodstream

[astreetcarnamedkendall]

"shivvy, honey" in 4x03 actually haunts me. i think that + shiv's initial reaction to logan's death is what broke me the most within that episode. we have shiv, who has always acted more mature because of her status as the only female roy child (yes i am and have always been a shiv is the youngest truther argue with the wall), but when her father dies she immediately is treated and acts like the youngest. she crumbles, becomes much more, in a way, childlike than she has throughout the entirety of the show, and it absolutely breaks my heart. like it pains me in a visceral way.

the way kendall calls her honey ... a sweet nickname like connor often does ... the way connor quickly puts his arm around her and comforts her when all of the siblings are together... but also the way she's one of the last to know (tom aside like when her brothers are dealing with the situation) but kind of just accepts it ... aghhhh

[communistkenobi]

Now that Succession is over I’ve been reflecting more and more on the fandom that sprung up around it. When I made this post I had Succession in mind, but it was too large of a sidebar to get into, so now I’m making a separate post.

And before I get into anything, both in anticipation of being yelled at and so I don’t have to constantly inserts caveats into every paragraph: this is not a universal or comprehensive description of how people interact with Succession in a fandom setting online, but rather my experience with it on tumblr and the experience of watching my friends interact with it. Additionally, this diagnosis of a narrow slice of the Succession fandom is not a moral or intellectual damnation of anyone who ships characters or whatever. I am talking to myself publicly on my own blog and this post is a sequel to the post I linked at the top, and so the primary focus of this is going to be about the “methods problem” within fandom that I outlined in that original post. If anything, this is an invitation to reflect on your own experiences and extend/adapt/critique the arguments I’m about to make to your own contexts, not a condemnation of those experiences and contexts. If you feel the urge to say things like “you’re trying to censor me” or “let people have fun” I would rather you not do that because I’ve heard those things hundreds of times already and those complaints are deeply uninteresting. anyway

I think one of Succession’s strengths as a show is that it is a drama about a modern corporate empire that is shown entirely through the eyes of the individual Roy family members. There is a particular, deliberate clash between the intensely intimate drama of Shiv and Tom’s marriage, Kendall’s addiction issues and estrangement from his family, Roman’s sexual and romantic problems, Connor’s loneliness manifesting in him “buying a girlfriend,” and the fact that they are wealthy beyond comprehension. They are so far above material need that the only arena of conflict is their personal lives. This comes to a head in S4, when their father dies and their family drama becomes the primary battleground over who will take the throne. Yes, they are fighting over acquisition deals and legal issues surrounding their father’s company, this is the “material” component that has a direct influence on their wealth, but that is still secondary to their conflict as a family. Kendall and Roman deliberately attempt to sabotage the sale of Waystar, both because of their personal desire to “be the boss” and the constantly-cited desire to “do what our father wanted.” Their primary concerns are always either an attempt to appease their dead dad or their desire to replace him with themselves.

This is the most intensified form of bourgeois interiority in fiction - all material concerns are made invisible, shoved to the side to focus solely on individual emotions and relationships, because the Roys are part of the ruling class. Their material needs will never be part of their problems. The individual landscapes of their emotions, desires, and traumas are the only real site of conflict. The army of servants and underlings beneath them, the public that is only ever at the periphery, are part of the massive social, political and financial scaffolding that allows them the time and freedom to act out these hyper-intense psychodramas with their lovers, friends and family. The character-centric focus of the show is itself a commentary on their wealth - they don’t have to work, they don’t have to worry about money, they don’t even have to interact with public infrastructure, and so they are free to focus entirely on interpersonal turmoil and pleasure. This intense, indulgent look into their personal lives is predicated on their wealth, and highlights how ridiculous and out of touch they are. This is an integral part of how the deeply uncomfortable, second-hand-embarrassment tone of the show is maintained.

But this nuance doesn’t get translated into fandom - or is only translated haphazardly - which is likewise deeply character-centric. As a fan of the show for many years I have largely avoided the Succession “fandom” because of its intense focus on shipping and rooting for your favourite characters to win. This is how you end up with people deeply invested in Roman’s character, running cover and damage control for him as he becomes increasingly openly racist, misogynistic and fascistic as the show goes on. In particular, the way that misogyny in fandom intersects with this character-centric method of engagement is that a lot of apologetic discourse about Shiv is reactive, excusing or rationalising her behaviour to an online crowd who finds fault with her behaviour not because she’s wealthy but because she’s a woman. It’s how you end up watching people online defend the actions of a fictional billionaire girlboss, because the dominant mode of discourse in fandom is focused so heavily on the actions of individual characters that said actions become free-floating, divorced from their context. Shiv is not being defended on the ground of her wealth and power (or not always, lol), nor even really being defended from the fact that those things make her an objectively horrible person, but that popular fandom perception of her boils down to “man what a huge bitch.” It’s not that (necessarily) people want to log onto tumblr to apologise for liking a fictional billionaire - although again, that does happen - it’s that fandom misogyny is so individualistic that Shiv’s actions are always discussed at the lowest rung possible, commonly expressed as “she’s a bitch” or “she’s being unreasonable”, and so that is the discursive arena that discussion about this character remains in, never moving beyond the individual. It reminds me of the backlash against Skylar from Breaking Bad - it was impossible to talk about anything else about her character aside from explaining why she’s not the devil incarnate. Yes there are also unironic fans who love the fact that Shiv is a vaguely progressive rich white woman, those people absolutely exist, but even when you want to approach the show from outside of that uncritical angle, I think you oftentimes get painted into this narrow discursive corner anyway because of how stupid fandom discussion tend to be.

And yes it’s all fictional, it’s not real, and people “blorbofying” a Roy sibling or shipping Kendall and Stewy together are not remotely good indicators of their beliefs about the ruling class in real life. I am not making claims about anyone’s beliefs or political convictions because they enjoy a show about billionaires. I also enjoy the show. But the rhetoric of fandom is so intensely individualistic that “shipping” characters in a show like Succession is seen as a regular thing to do. The easiest way to tell if you’re in a “fandom” on tumblr is to see if people are writing ship fic or drawing shipping fanart. I enjoy Succession a lot and talk about it with friends, but I am not “in the Succession fandom.”

And at least with the people I follow who do engage in Succession “fandom,” there is an intense self-irony on display - people making fancam edits of Gerri, someone who is general counsel to a fictional version of Fox News, or AMVs of Stewy, a hot ruthless venture capitalist. It’s funny precisely because of the dissonance between the use of fandom aesthetic forms (ie fancams) and the subject being fandomised. Embedded into these behaviours is an ironic self-distance, a performance of fandom with a wink to the audience that you don’t actually believe in this, that this is a self-ironic indulgence, a way of articulating sympathy for these fictional characters while maintaining the air of being in-the-know, being a good person who gets what the show is “really” about. And I enjoy that! Those posts rule lol. If anything I am in the meta-fandom, I stay on the periphery with friends to enjoy posts about how stressful shareholder meetings are, to celebrate the tomshiv scorpionmarriage win, to know what the phrase tomstar gregco endgame means.

But that self-irony is only possible to express because of the fact that “doing fandom stuff” with Succession necessarily involves an intense and constant form of apologetics for your favourite character or relationship - it is this assumed, unstated default that this self-irony is engaging with. If you were just talking about the plot of the show or its themes, if you disavowed any desire to ship characters together, if you never got into arguments with people about which Roy sibling “deserves” to be CEO, you would hardly be doing “fandom,” or at least you would be doing it in a fundamentally different way, and crucially you wouldn’t need to be employing that self-ironic tone of “alright now we all know billionaires are bad. But isn’t Roman such a cute little baby? Don’t you just want to hug him?”

I remember a popular sentiment being expressed around when Succession first got popular online, saying that Succession pioneered new ways for people to talk about their favourite characters on the internet. “He’s my Disney Princess” “I want to put him in a Pringles can and shake him” “she is a bug I need to study under a microscope” and so on. And I think this is partially a result of 1) absurdist internet humour in general, 2) a memetic mirroring of the show’s brand of humour specifically, and 3) people’s general political instincts running up against fandom engagement, the desire to engage with Succession as a fandom-text without experiencing intense cognitive dissonance, producing ways of expressing love and enjoyment for characters that are fundamentally, irredeemably bad people, people who are direct reflections of and parallels to the ruling class of modern America. It doesn’t even give you the benefit of historical distance the way a medieval fantasy would, where it’s easier to “stan” a king because it’s taken for granted that everyone here doesn’t support hereditary monarchy. Succession is a direct, immediate commentary on contemporary American life in a way that is impossible to ignore, and so to engage with it on fandom grounds requires a certain kind of additional effort, a way of simultaneously performing your real-world beliefs while also letting loose. I know Succession is not the first show to be like this, nor is it the only thing that has impacted the way fandom operates online, but it has enjoyed a five-year popularity whose digital omnipresence has reached far beyond its immediate audience. Most people on twitter remotely engaged in fandom have seen a Kendall Roy fan edit, for example.

So, all this to say: even when it feels like a text is deliberately choosing a character-centric focus to comment on its themes and structures, I think what happens is that this character-centric lens becomes easily and instantly adopted by fandom, but the commentary gets left behind. Which is again what I meant in that original post I linked at the top - character-centric lenses are not inherently bad, or inferior, or lesser to other lenses, but that fandom only ever engages in a very narrow and particular type of character-centrism, a lens that is so adaptable that you can easily import shipping discourse and “x-character-did-nothing-wrong” style apologetics into a show like Succession. If you engage with Succession primarily as a vector to ship characters together, or to “pick your favourite character,” I think you are falling into this fandom mode. Which I’m not saying is inherently bad, I have also done this with Succession by calling myself a romangirl or whatever, I’m just trying to articulate the whiplash I sometimes get when watching prestige drama television about billionaires being murderers and sex pests and fascists and then going online and seeing hundreds of people expressing a desire to wrap Roman Roy in a little blanket. A lot of people are engaging with the show’s themes and also doing this “fandom” thing with it, so you don’t have to choose one or the other, nor am I saying that there are necessarily “low” and “high” classes of artistic interpretation that people permanently slot themselves into, but I do think these modes of engagement are at some level mutually exclusive, because they require the adoption of fundamentally different interpretive lenses when approaching a text

[kendallroydefender]

Somewhere only we know - Chapter 10 (Kendall Roy x Reader)

Masterlist

Series summary: You met Kendall when you were six years old. You have spent every summer together and now years later you and him are still just as close.

This story follows Kendall and his best friend through their lives. Will they realize their feelings for each other before it’s too late?

Chapter summary: Rhea invites everyone to Dundee where Kendall has a surprise planned but a few days later Kendall surprises you with even bigger news.

Authors Notes: Thanks for reading 🤍 hope you guys enjoy it? Also: we’re sooo close to a confession

Wordcount: 3.5K

”So you and Kendall are cool again?“ Stewy asks as he sits down infront of you.

”Hello to you too.“ you smile at your friend who pulls an eyebrow up

”Yeah, yeah we’re talking again.“

”So what? You just forgot what he said? Because I can remember you being depressed pretty clearly.“

you take a breath

”We talked and- and he apologized multiple times.“

The waiter comes to take your orders

”Honey, you can’t just take him back like nothing happened.“

”Trust me, I wouldn’t have but he explained to me why he did it and while it was stupid I understand what his intentions were.“

”Oh fuck off, his intentions?“

”Stewy, please trust me with this. I can’t tell you why he did it but it’s okay. We’re working on healing our friendship.“

He huffs a little before looking at you with a look, you know what he’s about to ask

”Do you know why he did it to me?“

You take a deep inhale before you nod

”Yes.“

He nods opening his mouth to say something

”I can’t tell you why. Stewy please, it’s not my place.“

He nods again, knowing that you can’t talk about a friends business like that

”Can you just tell me if it was a good reason?“

”He had no other choice.“

”Okay. Thank you.“ Stewy says, knowing Logan probably had something against Kendall. He grabs his drink to take a sip.

”But I don’t want this to stand in between our friendship.“ you tell him motioning between you. In the past weeks before you and Kendall started speaking again you and Stewy have become closer than ever and you are thankful for him being there for you. Stewy really stepped up when you needed him.

”You know it won’t.“ your friend tells you and you give him a smile.

You and Stewy eat while you talk about anything that isn’t Roy family related. Afterwards you two go to a

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

You’re actually exited to go to Dundee. Well, not for the anniversary of Logan but to see Kendall. You’ve last seen him a week ago at the premiere of Willa’s play but other than that you haven’t spent much time with him. You were both busy, he went to Argestes and you went to another state to see one of the new clients of your work live. You hope you can spent some time with Kendall tonight.

You arrive at the Place and check into the hotel. After some time relaxing you meet up with your parents for lunch. You haven’t seen them much either since your father is currently busy tying up ends before he wants to retire. You’re happy for him to step down as a CEO event though he will be acting as an advisor. You’re also happy that he didn’t build the company so the question of who will take over does not include you. This may seem stupid for some people but you’re glad you don’t have to carry the legacy of your father in a field you have no interest in. You’re happy doing what you do.

After lunch you have some time to yourself before you start to get ready. The dress you chose is perfect for the occasion, not over the top but stunning nonetheless.

Your team arrives and you get your hair and make up done. The way to the big venue is short and you meet your parents again in their car.

The first person you’re met with are Roman and Tabitha. You hug the blonde woman before you hug Roman. ”Romey“ you sing, you love to go on his nerves. ”You knew him as a child, right?“ Tabitha asks

”Yes, I did. I can spill all his childhood secrets to you.“ You grin at the younger man, even though you know you never would. His childhood is not something you discuss with strangers like the weather.

”Yeah? Then you can also tell her about the huge crush you had on me?“ he says and you throw him a kiss.

”Hey Kenny.“ you smile as you walk towards him. It’s only now you see the dark haired woman next to him. Your smile falters slightly. ”Oh, hey?“ you say awkwardly, Kendall looks at her for a moment ”Hey… uh this is Jennifer.“ he introduces you to the woman accompanying him. ”Hi, good to meet you.“ you say and she smiles at you. After a few moments of awkward silence you sigh ”Well I’ll see you two around.“ before you head off in a random direction.

You slip out of the door to find some place where it’s a little less crowded to be alone for a moment.

Of course Kendall doesn’t have feelings for you. How could you let yourself fall for him again and expect things to turn out different this time?

You hear footsteps approaching but don’t pay the sound any mind before they come to an halt close to you. ”Can I sit?“ a familiar voice asks. Connor.

You give him a small nod.

”What are you doing here?“ you ask him

”I was on the phone with Willa when I saw you.“ you both don’t say anything for a few beats

”It’s about Kendall, isn’t it?“ he asks with a warm voice. ”It’s not his fault. It’s- it’s nothing.“ you shake your head. After a beat of silence you can’t help but ask

”Am I that obvious?“

”Not more than he is.“ The oldest Roy child had suspected his younger brother to have feelings for his best friend. You give him a look that tells him you’re not believing him. ”Connor, come on. It’s so obvious that he’s not- not.“ you struggle to say it, it would become too real if you heard it out loud. Thankfully Connor understands and speaks again before you finish. ”I don’t know why he’s doing what he’s doing but he will come around.“

”What if he doesn’t? It’s been half our life and we’re still stuck here?“

He gives you a small smile ”Have you thought about taking matters into your own hands?“

You swallow thickly around the lump in your throat ”Funnily enough yeah I have. But.. You know.“ you gesture vaguely in the direction of the ceremony. Connor hums a little.

”Come on, kid. Let’s go inside, the speeches are about to start.“ Connor says reaching his hand out to help you up. Together you walk back into the hall.

Kendall was on the stage about to make a speech.

”Good evening everyone. Thank you for being here to honor my dads life and work.“ he starts

”So when Rhea was planning this thing, she asked me to help out with a tribute of a certain flavor.“

He opened his suit jacket and your eyebrows furrowed, what is he doing?

”Just remember I’m not a professional.“

A beat starts playing and Kendall starts rapping. Your jaw is on the floor.

You can’t believe it. Kendall is on stage rapping a song about Logan. It was absurd but funny and the best thing ever. You pry your eyes away from the stage for a moment to look over the audience. The looks on peoples faces range from shocked to cringing to smiling.

But you genuinely have a good time, the song is catchy, he is really good and most importantly you know how much he likes performing. He always did and he was never able to live it out and seeing Kendall do what he loves, what he’s passionate about just fills you with joy.

”Oh my god. I need to sign you immediately! Ken, you’re so gonna go on tour!“ you laugh at him giving him a hug after he joins the audience again. He chuckles a little.

”Where’s Jennifer?“ you ask when you see him looking at one of the displays on the wall. You wanted it to sound more chirpy but you fear the jealousy in you came through. Kendall notices it too, glancing at you, studying your profile. You keep your eyes fixed on the sign in front of you. He hasn’t heard this tone in your voice for ages. The last time was when you confronted him about Leighton, his college girlfriend.

”Uh, i, I send her home.“

Your eyes snap towards him

”Oh?“

”Yeah it, uh it didn’t really worked. Between us and- and she needed to go back to her play anyway.“

You hum.

”How’re you doing?“ you ask him. He had told you about how he had tried to talk to his mother about the accident and how she’d disappeared the next morning before he had the chance to.

”I’m, uh, yeah I’m good.“

You touch his hand and his finger close around yours. His eyes shine as they look into yours. This feels like an opening. Like it could be the moment you ask him to talk. You want to tell him about your feelings but you’re afraid. But he soon clears his throat. The moment is over.

”So, uh do you wanna get out of here?“ he asks

”Ken, I’m definitely not going to sleep in the same bed you’ve fucked in this morning.“ you tell him pulling a disgusted face.

”You know you slept in my dorm bed in college, right?“ he says with a eyebrow pulled up before he adds ”But yeah, that’s fair.“

”Okay yikes.“ you laugh and he chuckles a little

You think about asking him to your room but then you think you want to have some time to think about your feelings towards Kendall, the fact that you’re in love with him.

”I think I’ll leave now though.“ you say and you watch a look flicker across his face before he nods

”Yeah, uh, sure.“

You don’t want to distance yourself, not after he told you about shiv’s wedding. You can’t, you’re aware how badly it would hurt him. It would seem as if that’s the reason and not your unrequited feelings for him.

But you need to sort your thoughts tonight.

Kendall follows you to the exit.

”I’ll, uh I’ll see you tomorrow?“ Kendall asks sounding unsure, you feel a pang in your chest.

”Of course, Kenny.“ you smile and add ”Can’t get rid of me that easy.“ to assure him.

”But we’re, uh we’re good?“ he asks

”Of course, Kenny!“ you tell him and you quickly hug him.

”I love you, and I want to sent you into a booth immediately so that you can record L to the OG.“ you chuckle, he chuckles too at that

”Yeah, yeah fuck off.“ he laughs before he gives you a squeeze ”I love you too.“

In your room you run yourself a hot bath and put on your favorite music. You slip into the warm water and close your eyes. It’s nice and you can relax for a while but you can’t lie you ask yourself what Kendall’s doing right now. Maybe it’s because you are totally in love with him, maybe it’s because you haven’t seen each other much lately and before that you were fighting but you grab your phone to text him.

'Still awake?'

You ask and watch the message turn to read before the little dots appear

'Of course :)' he texts back

'Want to come over?' You text, knowing you’re in the same hotel

'What room?'

You smile to yourself

'702'

'On my way.' he writes and you jump out of the bath to dry your body and put on some clothes.

”Hey Honey.“ he smiles when you open the door. You two move towards the bed.

”You’re warm.“ he states as you rest next to him.

”Took a Bath.“ you answer as you lay your head down onto his shoulder. He hums, resting his head on top of yours. A bit later his hand slides down your arm until he finds your hand, intertwining your fingers.

”I really liked your performance.“ you say sleepily

He squeezes your hand

”Thank you.“

”Did you write it?“

”Uh-huh.“

You smile

”Can you do it again? Private concert just for me?“ you ask and he chuckles

”Okay now you’re taking it too far.“

”Sorry. But it was really good.“ it’s silent for a few moments

”Can you stay? I’ve missed you.“ you tell him before letting out a yawn

”Of course and I’ve missed you too.“ he lifts his head to press a kiss onto yours. You fall asleep soon after and Kendall watches you for some moments. You look beautiful and so peaceful. He’s so happy that you are his friend still. He pulls you a little closer, his nose in your hair, taking in your scent.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••

A few days later you meet Kendall at your apartment. You made something for dinner and you sit down with him.

”So what’s new?“

”We, uh we have to go to congress.“

”Oh wow. That’s- yeah.“

”Uh-huh exactly.. It’s really fucking serious this time.“ Kendall says.

”Are you going to speak?“ you ask

”Yeah, me and Dad and then Tom and Gerri.“ you hum as a response

”You think Tom‘s gonna fuck it?“ you ask concerned

”He will get training before… but to be honest… probably.“

”You’re going to ace it.“ you tell him sincerely

”Thank you. Do you, do you wanna come?“ he asks before he adds ”Only if you want to of course. There’s a get together afterwards.“

”Yeah, sure. Just text me the details. I’ll be there.“

You take the plates away and move the conversation towards the couch.

”Uh, I’m kind of seeing someone by the way…“ Kendall says, he has known things between him and Naomi were becoming more serious and usually he always told you immediately when he was seeing someone. He doesn’t know why he put it off for so long.

”Wait, this woman from Dundee?“ you ask confused, you thought whatever they had ended that night

”Huh? Oh Jennifer! No someone else.“

”Oh, okay.“ you say and you feel your heart break a little in your chest

”Yeah, we’ve been seeing each other on and off for a few months, but it feels like it’s getting serious now.“

You feel like crying, you had let yourself fall for Kendall again just to get your heart broken when he got in a relationship again. It feels like the Leighton situation in college again. At least you haven’t slept with him this time.

”Cool. Who is she?“ you ask and force a small smile

”Uh, her name is Naomi.“

You nod until you remember something

”Hold on- Naomi Pierce?“ You ask, you’ve seen her before. She’s absolutely stunning. No wonder Kendall is rather with her than with you.

”Yeah, do you, do you know her?“

”No. No, just from the media and stuff.“ you say quickly

”Uh-huh, yeah but she’s totally different than what ATN wrote.“

You nod, most people are different from what ATN writes about them.

”But yeah, I think it could be something real with, with her.“

”That’s- that’s great. I’m really happy for you.“ you say

”Thank you.“ he says

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

You sit down in the audience seats of the congress hall. Connor gives you a nod and a hello as he sits down in the first row. A few moments Naomi walks in and sits down a few seats from you. You swallow, hard. Eyes going back to the scene unfolding in front of you.

You play with your fingers nervously as Logan gives his statement.

Kendall delivers and you would lie if you’d say you don’t feel relieved. He did great. You glance down to the blonde haired woman who has a proud little smile on her face too. Maybe it’s good that he has her.

Afterwards there’s a come together. Senators, staff, friends.

”Y/n. This is Naomi. Naomi this is Y/n my, my best friend.“ he tells

”Hey, so happy to finally meet you! I’ve heard a lot about you.“ you smile, while your heart hurts.

”Yeah, likewise.“ she gives you a small hug.

You talk to her and Kendall and you hate that you actually like her, she’s fun and exciting and you understand why Kendall likes her.

Kendall’s off to talk to some Waystar people, when Naomi excuses herself to go to the bathroom. A few minutes later she comes back to where you stand, you can see it instantly. Her pupils are huge. You clench your jaw, feeling a little frustrated. You’d wished for Kendall to date someone who doesn’t do drugs, who would help him with his addiction. Like Rava did. Like you do. And you really want to give Naomi a chance but if she’s an addict too they shouldn’t encourage each other.

”Hey, you okay?“ she asks and you just nod

”Uh-huh, I’m fine. I- I think I’m just going to leave now. Long day.“

”Oh yeah sure. Should I tell Kendall you left?“

”Im just going to say goodbye to him quickly, but thanks.“

”Alright.“

Kendall is talking to some guy when you approach the too. He spots you and excuses himself.

”Hey, honey.“

”Hey, Kenny.“ you two share a smile

”I think I’m gonna go now.“

”Oh, really? You don’t have to.“

You go to hug him, he presses a kiss to the side of your head.

”Thank you for coming, means a lot to me.“

”Always, Kenny.“ you share a smile

”I’ll call you.“ you tell him and he nods.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••

”Honey, are you okay?“ Stewy asks. You see that he’s wearing sweat pants and some shirt.

”Yeah. Yes… actually I don’t know.“ he gives you a confused look before he says

”Kendall?“ and you nod

”Come in.“ he nods his head towards his living room.

”Do you have anything to drink? Or do you wanna go out?“ you ask and Stewy studies you for a moment. He loves to go out, always ready for a party but you seem different. Kind of frantic.

”What happened?“

”I don’t- I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s just have some fun.“ you answer

”Alright, okay let me just change.“

He comes back soon, dressed in a turtleneck sweater. You take your car and go to a bar.

A few drinks in you feel good, you laugh with one of your oldest friends and you’re happy about that.

”We need to make a toast.“ Stewy says slightly drunk

”Oh i know!“ you say excited, equally drunk, before raising your glass

”To Naomi!“ you clink your shot glass with Stewys before drowning the liquid

”Wait, who the fuck is Naomi?“ Stewy says after emptying his shot

”Kendall’s girlfriend.“ you say taking a sip of your drink now. The puzzle pieces in Stewys mind fall into places. This explains you’re behavior. He gives you an empathetic look. He actually feels bad for you. He also thinks Kendall is fucking stupid for getting into an relationship with anyone that isn’t you, since he’s clearly in love with you.

Half an hour later and multiple drinks later you get a brilliant idea as you spot your phone lying on the table.

”I think I should call him.“

”Who? Ken?“ Stewy asks and you nodded eager

”Yeah. Tell him that I love him.“ Stewy grabs your phone from your hand

”Okay Honey, I think that’s enough for the night. Let’s go home.“ he says taking his phone out to get his driver to pick you two up. When his car arrives he takes your hand to lead you through the crowded place.

On the way back, your head is resting against the window of Stewys car.

”It’s not his fault. He hasn’t done anything. It’s just me and my stupid fucking feelings.“ you say. Stewy grabs your shoulder and drags you so your head is resting against his shoulder.

The next morning you wake up in Stewys guest bedroom, wearing his shirt and sweatpants. Your head is pounding and you’re hungover like you weren’t since college.

You check your phone, 10 percent left, it’s only 9 in the morning. You groan and rub your eyes before you head to the bathroom that’s attached to the bedroom.

As you brush your teeth with one of the packaged toothbrushes you swipe through your messages, there’s one from Kendall asking why you called him. Shit. The memories come flooding back to you, you were never as thankful for Stewy as you are in this moment. Thank god he stopped you from confessing your love to your best friend who’s in a relationship.

'Nothing important. Was out and drunkenly called you to talk :)' you type in

'Would have loved to hear your rambling.' He texts back

'No you wouldn’t it’s embarrassing.' You text and think this conversation is over until your phone vibrates again

'It’s cute.' Says his message and you can’t stop your heart from jumping a little.

After you took a shower you walk into the kitchen where Stewy sits looking like he never went out.

”Good morning, Honey. How are you feeling?“

You make a non commital noise. While getting a coffee.

”I’ll leave for Greece tomorrow, you can come if you want.“

”Stewy I can’t.“

”Why not? What’s better for a broken heart than Paxos and souvlaki?“

You roll your eyes while grinning at him

”Can I think about it?“ you ask biting your lip

”Of course.“ Stewy answers you. Maybe it’s a good idea to get away for a few days.

[kimwexlers-brownhair]

Shiv pleading with her dead father not to leave her, “not now”...I think she more than any of her siblings clung to the magical belief that she just needed to find the right combination of words to make him see the light. To make him truly atone and change his ways.

I’m sure all the siblings to a varying degree hoped to get through to him somehow. But Kendall had been down that road so many times and saw fully how shameless his father was so I think that hope was very much buried. Roman never hoped Logan would become a better person, he just desperately wanted his love and approval. Same with Connor.

But Shiv was his darling girl, his only daughter. The one he disciplined the least growing up. The one who brought a twinkle to his eyes when she’d speak up, at least until she got into politics. She just needed time to find the perfect argument, the magic words that would reach him and make him a true father to them.

I think a lot of the audience felt similarly at different times. As observers it was clearer for us to see his manipulation and his total disregard of the good of humanity. But because Cox was so compelling, and because of the few glimpses we got of his rare tender moments...I know I was sometimes weak enough to wonder, “well, when he truly sees how much that hurt Ken/Shiv/Roman/Connor, maybe he’ll rethink things. Maybe just once he’ll choose them over Waystar.”

But no. No. That was never going to happen, not under any circumstances. Maybe if his upbringing had been healthier, maybe if he hadn’t lost Rose and his mother, he could have been that kind of man. But he chose to turn his back on that part of himself, and he refused to acknowledge the past or seriously analyze himself. Denial and disappearing into work was his shield. Once a man like that admits he’s wrong about one thing, he knows that could lead to him having to confront all his past mistakes and the people he’s hurt, and a man like Logan does not have the emotional capacity for that. He may have truly wanted to reunite his family at karaoke, but he wouldn’t have gone if it weren’t for the merger.

Yes, I think he loved his kids. But that love would never be enough to change him.

[stinkybreath]

thoughts about Succession characters as parahumans

(finally, a post I am qualified to make and not just have the impotent idea for)

Ignoring the fact that they’d all be Cauldron capes wait actually NOT ignoring that bc there are such delicious ways this could shake out wrt Logan and the siblings and I’ll probably ponder about that

First. Logan would be a natural trigger blaster. Something touch-based and difficult to control; think of the marks on his back for trigger event (pretend that it doesn’t matter that this would have been prior to the arrival of Scion lol). And the guilt over Rose complicating his feelings about a blaster power… his touch becoming undeniably deadly, which in turn reinforces how scared the siblings are of him and ALSO makes them crave his affection even more because he would have been even more sparing with it… and he’s so volatile that a power that requires rigorous self-control would be just chefs kiss perfect irony for him.

I don’t think Ewan triggers. I think Caroline spitefully gives millions to some anti-parahuman causes post divorce.

As soon as he gets rich and influential enough to know you can buy powers, his mind is on his empire, his descendants. He makes an offhand, absentminded promise to Connor to buy him a vial when he’s “old enough” that he immediately forgets and Con never forgets.

It would be funny to say Con gets a stranger power, but I don’t think he triggers despite everything he goes through. I do think Shiv gets a stranger power, though. From a vial, yes, but the misogynist dismissal from everyone around her no doubt influences her frame of mind when she takes it. I think she buys the vial “with her own money” to preempt whatever way Logan might make his offer hard to swallow. Undecided on the power specifics (chime in if you like. On any of this!)

Kendall is what got me to make this post in the first place. I was rotating him and his water motif in my mind and it struck me that ah, we could make this cruel in a parahumans way. Again, power from a vial. Gifted to him by Logan on his 18th birthday, the heir comes of age, so every time Ken gets any significant benefit using his power, he knows it wouldn’t have happened without his father. My first few ideas were too jokey or literal so what I’ve decided on is that he’s a shaker, the ability to project an aura that intensifies the feelings of anyone near him and also a very lightly toxic miasma. You’ll notice these are kind of weak and shitty and that’s because that’s exactly how it should go down for my number one boy. He feels guilty for being so ungrateful or useless with his shitty powers but he knows that there are thousands of parahumans out there with better ones. The aura can really help him in the boardroom but it can also screw him over and he is not good at predicting which way it leans. He can turn the aura on and off but the miasma is involuntary and so makes him a bad candidate when it comes to promotion time whenever Logan dangles that carrot in front of him.

Roman is the only sibling who triggers naturally. It happens when he’s a preteen and he gets in a bad fight at school, something bad enough it should’ve killed him. He gets a changer power, which resonates with how uncomfortable he is in his own skin. First idea that came to me is that in reaction to blows, his body creates new temporary orifices to absorb/avoid the damage. The way this interacts w his discomfort around sex and simultaneous neediness, not to mention his sexual identity, would be fascinating.

[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 💗

[mspenelopelane]

So some folks say Jess is out of character here. And that is valid—I can totally see it. But I think there’s room for another interpretation here (as usual with Succession’s writing!)

Let’s rewind a little bit and see where these lines end up in the course of the scene (because that was my first question when I saw this—“where does this happen?”)

Kendall has made it clear (“not going to let her up”) that they’re having this talk whether she wants to or not. But Jess has already made her decision. Like so many other instances, Kendall is too late. The die is already cast. This relationship has reached the point of no return.

She presents her speech that she’s prepared, trying to navigate this with resolve—and to end on a good note. This is not a “fuck you, I’m quitting speech.”

But what type of conversation does this end up being?

Kendall becomes increasingly desperate (all happening within an hour of his breakdown with Rava and the kids) but Jess is resolved. Throughout the course of their interaction, he tries different tactics, different appeals (access, liking one another, anger, truth; in this draft he specifically asks about Mencken twice and both times she chooses to not give him a true answer. He knows it’s Mencken.)

He wants her to answer his questions (Juliana Canfield has said Jess is not the type to speak up about things but that she’s “starting to pick up on [being feisty.]” — as she mentioned in the Vulture article right after America Decides premiered.

She’s making a tough decision, but she’s still avoiding “getting into it” while also not sugar coating and saying “it’s not Mencken! Don’t worry!” She’s toeing the line—and doing a fucking professional job of it.

Part of jess’ job is give Kendall answers, especially when he pointedly asks her questions. But here we see her dodge them repeatedly, with half or vague answers or she chooses to not answer them outright (like when he asks “what exact role” was she moving on to). Again, she doesn’t want to get into it, but she’s also not going to lie. She also now does not owe him answers.

Jess is navigating this extremely tough conversation because she does care about Kendall but she’s taking care of herself. (JC said on twitter:

She’s being careful to not answer questions and she knows Kendall is starting to spiral (because she knows him really, really well.) she’s reading the room; he is not (or cannot).

So here we are—we see him inquiring about whether she likes him (as he mentions he likes her three times) as a question in a long string of questions as he spirals and tries desperately to hang on to, as Jeremy Strong said, his “safe space” that he’s found with her. He’s doomed to lose her as his fights this mortal wound.

We also see her cite the “hard time” as something of a general reason for her moving on. Because her answer to “do you like me” is YES, but she knows she can’t say that now. If she does, he’ll use it as a way to try to convince her, to draw out this awful conversation minutes before his father’s funeral.

And he collapses into himself, throws his shades on to hide his emotions and lashes out at her for doing exactly what he asked her to that morning, which was tell him what the meeting was about 😩.

Also, don’t mind the highlights. They’re for research purposes only 🤭

[twinge-of-cosmicangst]

what are your hopes for the final episode?

Gonna go by character I guess

Kendall- Kendall has always been a favourite of mine, I have liked him less this season, that’s not me saying he’s been OC or anything, I just think it’s his natural progression now he hasn’t got the moral of high ground over his father. He is becoming his father, he is the epitome of “the cycle” some people think Shiv is most like Logan, some even think Roman is, but to me it’s Kendall, and always has been, and it’s even more evident this season. When Ewan said that he and Logan had a meagreness about them, but the the difference between them is that Ewan tries to be moral, whereas at some point Logan stopped trying. Meaning that once upon a time Logan was a better man, which I think can be somewhat backed up by Connor the eldest being somewhat softer then the rest, perhaps Logan was not as brutal with him, if somewhat absent because of his obsession with his career (remind you of anyone) and then 15-25 odd years later his youngest son is physically beaten by him. I think when Ewan made that “he stopped trying” statement about Logan, the audience was supposed to think about Kendall. Despite his faults Kendall has shown genuine empathy multiple times throughout first 3 seasons and yet in season 4 he grows more and more cold as he literally tries to become his father. So the natural conclusion to this is that he becomes CEO but he is deeply unhappy and his soul is basically ruined and his whole family inevitably hating him. That would be a sad ending for Kendall fans, but it’s honestly hard to imagine another one for him, other then perhaps suicide, which I think is a possibility. So out of those to options I’d guess I’ll say CEO? I don’t know, the other potential CEO that I think could happen is maybe Tom, which would not great for him in the long run either but ultimately not as thematically tragic.

Roman- I honestly have no idea what Roman’s end game could be, I’m not even sure what I would want for him, that probably has something to do with the fact that he has never been one of my favourites, yet I do feel empathy for his character, Logan abused all his children, yet Roman was the only one he physically abused, to be singled out like that must be traumatising. I think he is slightly more likely to get a somewhat happier ending then Kendall (idk why I just feel it in my waters) and yeah he’s not my favourite but I don’t hate him, so I’ll be fine with him getting a neutral ending, perhaps working at Waystar (not CEO) and befriending Gerri once again?

Shiv: I am 99% sure that Shiv will not be CEO “American” or otherwise, I think pretty much all the other mains (aside from Connor) have more of a chance becoming CEO. This is not because I’m secretly a internal misogynist, neither do I think she will not become CEO because of her “Lack of experience” No the reason I think she has no chance is because of how the last episode ended Lucas telling her he can make the “American CEO work” was basically a neon sign saying “Matsson may be able to get an American CEO to work but it sure as fuck won’t be Shiv” that’s just how narrative convention works. Matsson is shady as fuck and it’s been kind of obvious that he’s been playing Shiv the whole time, she is aware of this and she has been playing him too, but she is only aware to an extent because when her mind is so close to the prize, I think she gets a little carried away. It fluctuates but at the moment Shiv is my second favourite character, and what I want for her professionally is what I’ve wanted for her since I watched season 2 and that’s to go back into politics. Connor has always been a bit of a scrounger (I love him though) and Ken and Roman of course have always been in the family business. Shiv was the only one to make a career for herself (yes she had a huge amount of privilege to help her build that career) but still she had a career that was hers not her fathers, not only that but she was a democrat, while her father has a hugely intimidating and influential presence in the conservative landscape, I never see anyone talk about how brave that was (even if it was somewhat to spite him lol) and yet after years of apparent resistance Logan managed to reel her back in, and we saw she was as desperate for his approval as her brothers were. The scene where Logan persuaded her to take her picture with Menken is one of the most devastating in the show imo, she was so reluctant but she did so for a promise of Waystar and Logan’s approval. She clearly had some passion for working in politics and she appeared to enjoy her job. This hope for her is fruitless though because it is the last episode of the last season so in terms of profession, my hope for Shiv would be that she ends up at Pierce, or perhaps goes into business with Roman (could they maybe work better together without Kendall, maybe it would be a disaster idk) I think there is more of a chance that Shiv gets out then there is for her brothers (she actually knows there is life outside of Waystar from 10+ years of a different career) also as she is my favourite of the siblings she is the one I want to escape the most, as I think working at Waystar (living in the haunted house) will end in misery for any of the siblings and I do want Shiv to be somewhat happy. In terms of personal I want Tom and Shiv to officially end it (although I think that’s unlikely this point) I’m not even talking from a Tomgreg perspective, Tom and Shiv clearly make each other miserable (I do believe they do love each other though) and I know them being miserable together is part of the appeal for a lot of people (hand in unloveable hand and all) but I would personally like them to put themselves out of their misery for good (honestly it would be better for their child as well) Speaking of the baby, I do not want to speak of it much because it is basically pointless as a plotline as we’ll never actually get to see the thing (unless they flash forward Harry Potter style “Logan Roman Nate Wambsgans you were named after the biggest sicko I’ve ever known”) I am not someone who was dead set against Shiv getting pregnant (in fact I thought it was a real possibility with some of the hints we got in season 3) but upon finding out that Jesse added it in last minute, it only makes me think the whole plotline is rushed and pointless and if the whole point of it is to bring Tom and Shiv back together, then dear god 🙄

Connor and Willa- These two’s married life seems to be going well (Yay I love Conwilla) and I think it is highly unlikely that they will randomly implode in the last episode, if they do, Jesse, I will Annie Wilkes your ass (For legal reasons this is a joke) but as the last episode is going to be very Waystar centric, Conwilla will probably be minimal, my main hope for them in the final is they get more screen time then I expect and that I am presently surprised, and that they are happy. Career wise it would be nice to hear how Willa’s playwriting is going, and I honestly don’t have a preference whether Connor is going to remain in politics or go back to “ranching” whatever tickles his pickle. What I would like for Connor though is a little, just smidge of affection from the sibs. GIVE US A SIBLING HUG WITH ALL 4 SIBLINGS YOU COWARDS! I know that the sibs care for Connor in their own way, but he doesn’t (he literally said no one loves him and none of them bothered correct him) Not to bring up the Tomshiv babby again but I can’t believe Matsson heard about it before brodad 🤮 the injustice. Please let at least one of the sibs have sweet moment with him. Please 🙏

Tom and Greg- Saving the best till last baby! I do genuinely want the gay art gallery date (real ones know) it is possible if somewhat unlikely. Other then that I do not expect Tomgreg to go canon but I would like them to have a decent amount of screen time (like proportionally the same as episode 8 which would be more screen time then episode 8 because episode 10 is 1/3 longer then episode 8, if I’m making sense) dream would be to have proportionally the same amount of screen time as episode 1 but that is unrealistic (episode 1 felt about 40% lmao). I would obviously like them to end on good terms, and I want them to be working together! I think Tom is a genuine possibility for “American CEO” he has experience, and Lukas may just do it to fuck with the Roy siblings. Matsson seems to genuinely like Greg but even he wouldn’t make someone like Greg CEO, under qualified is an understatement, the markets would freak, but maybe he would settle for Tom instead, maybe Greg persuades Matsson to name Tom (that would be the dream) I do think being CEO of Waystar inevitably leads to misery for anyone who becomes it (to quote Gerri “the job that makes your brain explode”) but like I said it’s not as tragic with Tom, because he won’t have the corpse of his abusive dead father breathing down his neck. Ultimately I would like Tom and Greg to be somewhat ok and working together and remain besties, wouldn’t mind Tom becoming CEO but idrc. If I’m being realistic I think Tom could end things in a really bad place unemployed? Publicly shamed? Getting arrested for cruises?? Lmao the last one is unlikely but not impossible, but I don’t want any of those things to happen, because he’s my favourite character and I don’t want him to be completely miserable, but I can deal with somewhat miserable, he kind of deserves it. With Greg I think he is the most likely out of the main characters to end up in a good place career wise (although again not CEO lmao) but it means nothing to me if he is in a good place career wise but estranged from Tom, so yeah Tomgreg to remain besties is really what I want for them the most (cheesy I know) a little bit of homoeroticism wouldn’t hurt either but I refuse to get my hopes up.

It just occurred to me while writing this that I said I wouldn’t mind if Tom became CEO but that I also said if Kendall doesn’t become CEO he’ll die! That is perhaps a bit extreme. But what I’m saying is that I think that out of all the characters Kendall is the most doomed by the narrative and will have a tragic ending no matter what, and hoping that he doesn’t his somewhat pointless, the only good thing that I can bring myself to hope for Kendall, is that his relationship with his siblings isn’t completely destroyed by the end of the series and that they are still on speaking terms.

[beebeetheclown]

Therapy With Kendall

I don't know. I've had these headcanons written out on my laptop for a while now and thought I wanted to share this little mini headcanon series I have?? I feel as I don't write enough "soft" things lmao. So here are these, I kind of made it so you can either imagine yourself as his therapist or for you to just read what it would look like for him. Idk idk haha..

Head Canon 1 (Kendall's first session):

“So, are we ready to start?” Kendall Roy asks, sitting on the couch of the therapy office. 

“Yes. I think the more important thing to ask is.. Are you ready for us to start?”

“Yeah, I think so.” 

“Okay, good. Now my first question is simple. Why are you here in my office today Kendall? What is it that is bothering you, what do you need to get out of your chest?”

He lets out a small sigh, “I just wanted to let someone know the truth about me and my family. You see, there’s a lot of articles and reporters out there that publish things about us, and most of it… isn’t correct. I just want someone to understand so I can also understand it myself.”

“I see. And this bothers you, yes? People saying incorrect things and publishing them out to the world?”

“It does. I know that’s a silly thing to say coming from someone like me, someone who’s in the public eye, someone whose family practically owns the media. But the truth matters, to me at least.”

“So truth and honesty is a big thing for you. What about your siblings? Your father? Is truth a big thing for them?”

“Well, I can’t speak for my father, but… my siblings… well, I don’t know. I’ve always tried very hard to be honest. To tell the truth. My brother Roman and my sister Shiv, they… see things differently.”

“Explain that to me, Kendall. How do they see things differently?”

He thinks for a moment, then speaks. “I think the biggest difference is that they care about the business, our family business that is. I care about it too, but when they’re talking about what’s best for the company, I’m talking about what’s right for the company. We… we see things from different points of view. They care about the company, I care about the truth and what’s right.”

“I see. So you care about doing what’s right rather than what’s best. That is rather interesting Kendall. And be honest with me here, do you think you are a better choice over your siblings with this thought in mind? Do you think you fit better to take the CEO job when your father gives it up?

He hesitates before speaking, “Honestly, I do.”

“Mhm, interesting. And why’s that, other than you feel as if you know what’s right for the company? Why else do you feel you fit best to be the new CEO?”

He thinks for a minute, “Well, I think I have a lot of what it takes to get the job done. My father’s been teaching me since I was a boy, he promised it to me even. I know the business well, and I know how to make… hard decisions. When you’re faced with a problem in the real world, sometimes there’s no room for sentimentality. You have to do what needs to be done, and that’s something I know how to do. I know how to separate business from my emotions, something that my siblings… don’t seem to understand.” 

“And do you tell other people about this? Or do you keep this to yourself?”

“Well, I do make a case to my father that I am the best choice, but that’s about it. As for Roman and Shiv… I’ve tried to talk to them, but they don’t really listen. The more I talk, the angrier they get. So I usually just… keep quiet most times.”

“Do they think you are maybe being a little… narcissistic when talking about it?”

“Oh, maybe. That’s certainly one way to look at it. But, if I really am the best choice, which I truly believe I am, is it really narcissism to acknowledge that? There’s nothing wrong with having a little self-confidence, right?”

“Of course there’s nothing wrong with it Kendall. I’ll tell you this, as your therapist, I am on your side of things here. You speak your truth and others seem to become jealous of that, so they tend to bring you down to bring themselves up, does that sound about right to you?”

He nods, “Yes, you could say it’s like that. Some people do not like to hear the truth because it forces them to look inward and acknowledge their own flaws. So… what they do is attack the person telling them what they don’t want to hear even though it is the truth. It’s a basic human coping mechanism.”

“You have a way with words, you know that Kendall?”

He smiles a little, “Is that a backhanded compliment? Because it sounds like a backhanded compliment.”

“No no, I just wanted to tell you is all.”

He continues to smile and chuckles a little, “Thank you? I mean… thank you, but… I’m not entirely sure if you’re making fun of me or not.”

“I’m not making fun of you. You are just making this more interesting for me to listen to.”

“Oh. okay. Good. I’m sorry. I just…” He laughs a little in embarrassment, “you have no idea how stressful my life has been recently. It’s hard to trust that anyone is actually on my side, and not just pretending to be.”

“Mm. And when did these problems with trust start?”

He takes a breath in, “Not too long ago actually. Probably around when my sister began to date this smart businessman. He was proud of her I guess for choosing him and favorited her over me. I have spent every day since then trying to prove that it’s the wrong choice… and that I am the one who is supposed to be taking over. It’s been very… stressful. He says the last part a little quieter, almost like he didn’t really want to say it out loud. 

“It sounds to me that your father changes his mind a lot. Does he change his mind often? Pick different children to favour often?”

He nods his head slowly, “Yes, he does. He’s always been that way. When Connor, the eldest, was born, it was always going to be him but I soon came into his life after and that’s when he favoured me more. After a while, he lost confidence in me. Then it was my brother Roman. After he saw Roman in action, he decided that his favourite was Shiv. Now, it’s like he's unsure anymore. He picks and chooses differently day by day.”

“This must be very hard on you, your father constantly picking and choosing. I’m guessing this triggers those trust issues of yours?”

“Yes, it is. It’s very hard not to feel like I’m in this… never ending competition with my own siblings. There’s always someone trying to favor with my father, someone trying to get ahead. And it doesn’t help when I see my own father… never thinking I’m good enough.”

“I know how you feel, Kendall. I feel similar, maybe not to that extent, but I’m a middle child as well. Seeing my older sister be better and more successful than me made me feel not good enough no matter how hard I tried. It’s just important for yourself to feel good about your own self and then you can grow from there.”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right. I… I have a lot of work to do to on myself, to be honest. I need to be more confident and just… truly feel better about myself and stop doubting things.” 

“Well, I think that concludes our appointment today Kendall. You’re still interested in a follow-up appointment with me next week?”

“Yes, I could do that. It will be good for me I suppose.”

“Yeah, I think so too. And hey, until I see you again, I want you to focus on what we’ve talked about. Try and feel good about yourself okay? Try the best you can alright?” 

He smiles softly, “Yeah, sure. Thank you again for this.”

“Anytime Kendall, see you next week. Oh and here, have one of my business cards, it has my number on it. Just text me if you need anything before I see you next okay?”

“Okay.” He replies with a smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Notes: Yeah, I'm weird like that and write about therapy sessions, what about it?😎

[pynkhues]

you choose: 88 for kendall, 22 for shiv, or 87 roman

V belated, Megan, but have all three! Spoilers for ep 4.03 of Succession.

88 cleaning dirt from under your nails (Kendall) / 87 nasty tasting medicine (Roman) / 22 dark bitter chocolate (Shiv)

Here’s how it happens:

Your father dies, and everything’s on you.

Your father dies and your brother and your sister look at you like you have answers, like you know what you’re doing, like you’re the one who makes this make sense, and so you try to solve it, you do. You ask for more doctors, more opinions, for Tom-Karl-Frank. You want to talk to the pilot. Why can’t you talk to the pilot? Opinions buy you time, talking fills space, sucks up oxygen, experts talk to other experts who solve the problem or become someone you can blame, and that keeps you grounded, keeps you here, keeps you walking instead of drowning, and have you followed up with Jess about those doctors?

You should.

Your father dies and your brother’s getting married, and he’s outside arguing about cake, and your other brother’s on the floor and he’s looking at you like you should be the one to tell him, and you should, you’re the oldest.

Not the oldest.

You’re telling the oldest. You’re just the oldest of - - you. The three of you. Whatever you are now. What are you now? What are you without your father? The thought catches, you shake it loose, eyes on the floor, up again. Catch a glimpse of your sister’s bleeding mascara, her red nose. Down again. The woolly carpet’s pilled. Loose bits of fuzz catching on the top like low slung fog across a beach, and Jesus, your father would’ve hated that.

Look up.

Your brother. Shoulders sagged, mouth open, eyes on you.

You need to go tell your brother.

Your other brother.

Your oldest brother, the brother getting married, the one who took you camping as a kid, the one who slept with you at the hospital that night in freshman year of highschool when you took too much ketamine and thought your heart was going to burst out of your chest, the one who took you to the Maldives after your wife left you and made you do an historic walking tour that made you want to blow your brains out. Your older brother who’s arguing about the cake your father fed him to stop him from crying when he was a kid, the same father who - -

Fuck.

No.

Don’t think about that now.

Now you have to tell your brother and then you have to look at the business. That’s what you need to think about. Need to think ahead, work out a plan, make sure this deal goes through, or doesn’t, make sure your father’s legacy is what he wanted it to be, make sure you’re all looked after, prove him wrong, everyone wrong, be - -

Something.

“You want me to go with you?”

You look at your sister and she looks split open, she looks like you feel, and you should say no but you say yes, because you're not who you want to be, but you think you can at least hold her hand.  

She needs you to hold her hand, you think. You hope.

You know you want to hold hers.

-------

Here’s how it happens:

Your father dies, and nothing’ll fucking stop.

The plane has to land, the ambulances have to be arranged, the funeral planned, the business accounted for. You know this, because your brother is mumbling and uh-uh-uh’ing about it and your dead father’s staff linger like ghouls outside the window, talking about statements and Matsson and a Board meeting you couldn’t give a rat’s dirty fucking ass about right now. But what you care about right now doesn’t matter.

Because what you care about is that your father is dead and you left him a voicemail that might have killed him and you can’t even remember if you said that you loved him when he may-or-may-not have been already dead. What you care about is already set in your joints and clogging your arteries and yellowing your liver, and that last one is probably a bad thing because you know at least one of your brothers won’t be able to donate a part of his given it's all shrivelled and fucked, and your sister’s probably just blue-blooded enough to be incompatible, but whatever.

The point is it doesn’t matter. What matters is your sister’s crying and you really don’t like that and you’re on a fucking boat with your brother who almost drowned at the last wedding you went to, and he's crying too but that's normal at least, and your other brother who’s - - right - - getting fucking married, so this is just all delightful, and you suck in a wet breath as the grief starts to gnaw at your bones and it’s your sister who says:

“Why didn’t you come and get me?”

And it’s your brother, apologising, over and over, and it’s not on him, that’s not on him, not on you, it’s happening so fast, and you say that, but you don’t say it’s because none of it’ll fucking stop just because your dad has.

Your father.

Fuck.

You wonder what he looks like right now.

You wonder if he’s even really dead.

-------

Here’s how it happens:

Your father dies and everything slides backwards.

You’re thirty-two, you’re twenty-five, you’re fourteen, you’re eleven, you’re six. Your first death is your mother’s mother who never let you sit outside without a hat and a parasol (freckles might suit a son of your father’s station, but not a daughter of your mother’s), and you remember hard pews and incense and a dress that itched. You remember your father wasn’t even in the country, and your mother missing the service to smoke with her brothers (she had three, just like you) around the side of the church, close enough that everyone inside could hear them talking, remember climbing up to sit on Connor’s lap while Kendall and Roman played, kicking each other through the confessional booth curtain.

You remember it didn’t hurt as much as when your third nanny quit.

Maybe even this doesn’t, but you are not six, and your father is not your first death, and this is not your first hurt, it’s not your first wound. You have endured your mother’s tongue and your father’s temper and suffocated in the cellophane seal of their plastic marriage. Your father once sold your favourite pony, he once promised you his legacy and then gave it to your husband, he missed Christmases, he missed birthdays, he spent your college graduation on the phone and you swear you could hear him talking shop to your brothers through the vents, because god forbid they see you cross a stage either.

He held your hand often for cameras, and a few times in private, he bought you your first apartment, he told you you were his favourite, he always remembered you preferred silver to gold, that you liked your wine dry and your coffee bitter, and he told you once, glassy eyed and gravel voiced, thousand-dollar whiskey on his breath, that he’d give you everything he hadn’t been able to give to Rose.

He still called you Pinky.

You are not six, you are not eleven, fourteen, twenty-five, thirty-two. Your father is not your first death, you cannot crawl into your brother’s lap, but you can, you realise – grasping, reaching, needing – hold their hands.

[thefudge]

We obviously need your opinion on the Succession finale (please)

it was pretty damn great!

it got very close to my ideal ending. i wanted the siblings out, or at least not having control over the company anymore, and i sort of/kind of got that. i knew kendall would be haunted by the loss, but i was pretty sure he'd live. i know some ppl were afraid he would die, i mean he does say as much to his siblings, but i had a feeling that wouldn't be the case, because kendall has to live. he has to live with this failure and with the life he took. he has to atone. kendall has always been a kind of dostoevskian figure, and the last shot of him tells us exactly that, that he will have to walk with his demons from now on.

if i thought anyone would die, i might've guessed roman, but i'm glad he was "freed" from the cage he had been trapped in since childhood. i do think that his spiteful comment about kendall's kids not being legitimate shows that he hasn't and will never let go of his father. roman will always be his most loyal son. it's just that now he has to figure out who he is, too. the truest thing he said this episode is that all of it, all of that fuss for the succession, is nothing, nothing but bullshit.

and shiv....oy vey. ok so i agree with all the posts decrying the bleak misogyny of it all and how shiv can only have power as wife and mother and how fucked up that is. that being said, the waters are too murky here. shiv was also ready to become logan 2.0. sure, she wouldn't have been as bad as kendall maybe. but she was willing to forego many beliefs and many people in order to secure that CEO spot. i'm sure she thinks she was the best for the job morally too, but ehhh. like, yes, it IS fucked up that all her power means nothing, after all, in this patriarchal system, but she was willing to prop up that system further. even after acknowledging the fact that her father couldn't entirely see women as people.

so i feel bad for her, but i'm also glad she made that choice, to, as others have said, "break the cycle" and not allow kendall to become logan and for roman to be further victimized. was there a thought in the back of her mind that if she voted yes, her husband would be made CEO and she'd get to rule via him? maybe, but i think shiv knows she no longer has the upperhand. she's the one who reached out first this episode and basically asked tom for a second shot at their marriage, and tom doesn't trust her. we saw how he reacted to her pregnancy, thinking it was a "move" against him. tom was honest with matsson, he IS hypervigilant.

so shiv's best option here is to divorce (and maybe get a big chunk out of whatever settlement they'd agree on) and remove herself from the equation, but the very human tragedy here is that she probably won't, because she has been doing this all her life, trying to please the men in her vicinity and show them she's worth it. maybe if she keeps hanging around she'll get to have a piece of the pie. one benefit of all this is i think shiv will come to understand her mother a lot better and maybe end up sympathizing with her. that being said, the tom/shiv dynamic was left on a fascinating cliffhanger, imo. very much nightmarish, but compelling.

it would be fascinating to get a "10 years later" glimpse of these characters. remember the siblings buying Pierce? what will happen to that? remember The Hundred? will Shiv try to make her kid the next successor? how soon will Tom get ousted as CEO? will he drop dead from exhaustion? will Ebba finally leave Matsson (lol)? and most importantly, will willa's new play be successful??? i need my girl to get her pulitzer.

anyway, this was one hell of a ride and i'm glad i was on it!

[fascination4949]

I went from a Kendall girl to a Roman girl gradually in the past couple of years but I would say that the funeral episode and the finale were such turning points for me, because that’s when I realised Kendall was truly dark-sided in a very deranged way. Roman is not (yes very aware of his n*zi pandering in previous episodes but hear me out). Deep down I acc think he’s soft and he’s the only Roy who has “big feelings”. Kendall has shown his true evilness throughout the show, especially in season 4. Like the fact that he fully dissociated from the dead waiter?? Yikes. I’m like pretty sure if Roman had killed someone he would have literally self-destructed because of the guilt. His feelings for Gerri also show that he’s more “real” than Kendall who has this fucked up ability to decompartmentalise. I couldn’t unsee it. The way he went full “abusive Logan” mode too with that one “hug” scene with Roman? Yeah I saw that and I realised he was literally horrible. It’s an iconic character and Jeremy Strong did a fabulous job with it but ngl I’m glad he didn’t get to be the successor. Also he’s not even a good father💀 What’s even more dangerous about him is that he literally thinks he’s a good person lol like constantly talking himself out of feelings of guilt and shame when he SHOULD be feeling guilty and ashamed. Then there is Roman whose self hatred and shame are so deeply rooted (in some cases rightfully so coz like he’s done some bad stuff too but at least he’s kinda more self aware??). And something about that is so human and real? Yeah…They’ve all done horrible things obviously and I’m not saying Roman is a good person, but I think out of all the siblings he has the biggest potential to actually become a good person?

[jreads]

kendall weaponized pain to make roman subservient to him just like logan used to and shiv saw that and decided fuck it she was not letting kendall become his father. She voted yes so that roman could escape but also so that kendall would not repeat the generational cycle of power and abuse with his own kids. shiv literally sacrificed herself and that is why she will always be mother