#like. sometimes shiv’s brother is her father.

[lyinginthesnow]

script of 3x09 All The Bells Say // 4x04 Honeymoon States

[romeulusroy]

Succession Preference: Being Their Kid

Requested: Hi!!! Could u do a roy siblings + conner (love the way u write him) with a reader who is their kid? So like a POV in an AU where reader is their kid and each of them how they'd be as parents. (Succession preference or headcanons) - anon

A/N: Thank you for requesting my love!!! Hope you like it!!! Feedback is always appreciated!!! 💜💜💜

Connor loves being a father. He thought his greatest life purpose was being a big brother, but really it was to be a dad to you. He loves you more than anything. Despite being oblivious sometimes, Connor is a very attentive and present dad. He goes to every school event, every game, every play, every activity. He's the parent who goes on school field trips and volunteers for every classroom activity. Raising you is the biggest blessing of his life. He spoils you rotten. He wants you to have everything. Absolutely everything. Connor tells you about your Pop-Pop and your aunt and uncles, about how they used to be a lot closer, trapped in a years-long battle. He even tells you a bit about his mother, wanting you to be as connected to her as you are your other grandparents. He doesn't know what he'll do when you leave, when you move out. He loves being your dad. You're smart and funny and you love him no matter what, no matter how awkward or clueless or loving he is. It's all he ever wanted, he knows that now, to be a dad.

Kendall isn't very attentive. You have your younger (half?) siblings, Sophie and Iverson, and Rava is like a mother to you, but your relationship with your dad is strained. It's hard. Your mother does the best she can, and she's been trying to save you from him for as long as you can remember, but you know better. Your father didn't go to rehab until a few years ago. Before then, you mostly saw him on holidays if you were lucky and vacations. He sorta moved on, started a whole new family with Rava, and that hurts. As you grow up, you really realize that he was just a kid raising kids. He still has a lot of growing up to. You're not mad at him, you can't be. Look at the life he's lead, the people around him. No wonder he's a stifled kid. Still, you feel wronged. No matter what, he's your father. He should have stepped up to the plate. He should have taken his duties seriously. The older you get the more you understand him, his upbringing, but you're still connected to those frustrated feelings of childhood. You want him to be more present, and you hope he will be, but right now he can't be. He's fighting for a legacy he'll never have.

Shiv is a complicated mother to have. She loves you, of course she does, but she's trapped by circumstances. She never wanted to be with your father, she never wanted to turn into her mother, but she is and she did and now you're the product. She has big hopes for you. She knows that you're smart, you're witty, you remind her a lot of herself. She never wants you fight to be heard the way she was. Never. She spent her whole life fighting and still ended up the wife of the CEO instead of CEO herself. She listens to you always. If something is unfair or unjust, if you think you deserve something or want to do something or become someone, she is always there to listen. She 100% supports you in everything you do. She doesn't want you to end up like her. She does everything she can to support you and give you all that you want so that you never feel like she did. Raising you just makes her more upset with Logan. Regardless of your gender she knows you're a capable, whole human being. Why couldn't he do the same? Why couldn't any of them?

Roman is definitely not your biological father. You're adopted by him or he's your step-dad, something like that, but there's just no way he would biologically father a child. He likes you, you're cool. It's a learning experience for the both of you. It makes him realize just how messed up his own childhood was. He feels no want or need to hit you, to abuse you, to send you away like he'd been. He definitely doesn't talk about his childhood in front of you, scared that it might affect you, even just the words enough to mess you up. You know better than to ask. He's not very affectionate, but he's working on it slowly. Very slowly. He's there for you when you need him, when you need a shoulder to cry on or someone to listen. He's trying his best not to be so defensive, so sarcastic. He wants to legitimize your feelings the way his never were. The more he's with you, fathering you, the less he understands Logan. The less he understands his entire upbringing. When you're visibly upset, nothing in him wants to react with anger. He only sees empathy and sensitivity and heartbreak, nothing he feels the need to punish. Fatherhood wasn't ever on his list of life goals, but he's glad that he has you.

[eastgaysian]

Sorry this is a dumb question but can you explain why tomshiv is not abusive? Shiv seems to hit a lot of textbook behaviours of emotional abusers

thank you for your follow up clarifying this was in good faith bc i checked my inbox yesterday right after getting high and was like man come on. don't do this to me. but yeah i can talk about it, it's obviously something i have a fair amount of thoughts on

on a fundamental level, i take issue with the assertion that there are 'textbook behaviors of emotional abusers' in the first place. distilling abuse down to a set of behaviors is, imo, effectively meaningless and totally unproductive. it's not the behavior of an individual that defines abuse, it's a specific and intentionally cultivated imbalance of power and control within a relationship. victims of abuse can and do resort to survival mechanisms that could be considered in isolation as 'abusive behavior', the point is that you can't consider them in isolation. there's a gulf of difference between the same actions when they're coming from a person in a position of significant financial or physical or social power over someone else, or when they're coming from the person at a disadvantage.

i think viewing abuse as a set of behaviors also encourages you to treat interpersonal abuse as if it's discontinuous with systemic abuse, which is inaccurate and unproductive. a key part of succession's premise is that, because the family is literally the business, the familial abuse within the roy family is inextricable from the broader systems of capitalism, patriarchy, and the sexual violence and abuse endemic to them. with regards to how the show satirizes and critiques these systems, i think it's very telling that all of the characters are to some degree complicit and/or participants in abuse, but logan is the only one i'd say is unambiguously and intentionally presented as 'an abuser' (whose abuse is not an isolated product of him as a person, but integrated into/inseparable from the capitalist system which persists after his death). still, logan isn't reduced to a one-dimensional angry, abusive dad, he's given depth and complexity. his continued insistence that he loves his children isn't treated as something that's untrue, but that doesn't make it inherently good, and it certainly isn't incompatible with him abusing them.

circling back to tom and shiv. their relationship is unhealthy, it's not good for either of them to be married, shiv does fucking awful things to tom and tom does awful things right back, i'm not questioning any of that. but at my most cynical and bitchy, what it comes down to is quite simply: shiv doesn't have enough power over tom to be abusive, systemically or personally.

the thing is sometimes you see people say 'wow, if the genders were reversed people would say tom and shiv's relationship is unambiguously abusive!' which... hrm, but really the issue is that. the genders are the way they are, that's for a reason, and yes, that does make a significant difference in how we perceive their relationship and power dynamics. tom holds very real and present power over shiv as a man and as her husband, proposing to her when she was vulnerable in a way that placed huge pressure on her to accept and then trying to get her to have his baby so he can become patriarch. shiv's the heiress with the legitimacy of her family name and generational wealth but she is continuously, unavoidably subjected to gendered discrimination and violence. she's never allowed direct access to real power - she has to rely on the men around her, her husband or her brothers, and if they don't feel like humoring her she's shit out of luck.

this doesn't cancel out like a math equation, but it definitely makes things much more complicated than shiv being an Evil Bitch Wife to her Poor Pitiful Husband. when shiv finally does push tom too far, he immediately, successfully, goes over her head to her abusive father to fuck her over. maybe shiv wants to be her father in her relationships and exert the same kind of control he does. but she doesn't and she can't! she does not have that power! she cannot stop tom from kicking back and his hits are significant. as much as she might like to pretend otherwise, tom not only has always had the power to leave in a way shiv doesn't, he had and has the power to fuck her up badly, and he's used that power. that is simply not the power dynamic between abuser and victim to me.

i also have to say that abuse is not always going to be definitive black and white. in real life there are plenty of unambiguous situations but there are also plenty of complicated situations, and applying judgments to fiction is not always straightforward. i can't exactly call someone 'wrong' for personally being uncomfortable with tom and shiv's relationship or believing shiv is abusive, but i'm very skeptical of the viewpoint and the motivations or assumptions that are often contained within. if shiv is abusive, she definitely isn't uniquely so among the cast, so you had better be applying that label and any associated moral judgments equally across the board.

[astreetcarnamedkendall]

currently thinking about the shift in shiv's facial expressions after the siblings walk up to roman and she watches him break during the funeral. it starts off very strong and straight forward - she can "fix" this; she can get him to calm down. it's like she's in crisis mode for a company, and she mitigate the response especially for roman of all people. in fact, she's the first sibling to start talking to him during this. but then right as he really starts to crumble and squeaks out in a very childlike way "can we get him out," her face crumbles. this is her brother - the one closest in age to her who sometimes feels like a little brother when he really shouldn't - and this is their father's funeral. they are still siblings who lost their father.

it reminds me a bit of connor's wedding. shiv immediately tries to be a sort of strong pillar, but then when it starts to get real - her father is dying; her father is dead - she instantly reverts back into this little kid, the youngest of four. her face crumples up, and she's reduced to tears (which is something we know she historically tries to suppress in order to not be seen as weak). the difference in this funeral episode - when mattson and so many other powerful figures are watching when the title of ceo is in eyesight - she keeps trying to reign it in and weather this storm with a steel face. but she is still shiv, the youngest of four and a daddy's girl, and she just lost her father and her brother is losing it right in front of her.

[pynkhues]

Can you explain your thoughts on each sibling’s relationship with logan? I love your analysis and I’m so curious! Especially interested in a little shiv and logan since she’s the only daughter

This is not a proper answer to your ask at all, anon, and I definitely can/could answer it properly, but I hope you're okay with having this weird hallf-headcanon/half-fic thing instead <3

Connor + Logan

Connor is born and Logan is 24, Logan is 25, Logan’s on the cusp of something that feels real, but he’s not made yet. Logan’s just starting to know what it looks like when ends meet, just starting to know what it means to run a show instead of man it, Logan’s grieving long gone parents, a lost sister and a brother trying to play hero with the Vietnam War. Logan is ink-stained fingers and long hours and deals in smoky bars and dark rooms with people who turn their nose up at him, people who think he’s a joke, people who think he’s a flash in the pan, his uncle’s nephew, his almost-father’s-almost-son.

But Logan is also in love.

Logan is enamoured, he’s swept up, he’s caught in the crosshairs of a woman who could love him back.

She reminds him of his sister, sometimes.

That matters, he thinks, because he couldn’t save his sister, but maybe - -

Maybe it’s not the point.

The point is Bonnie’s warm and she’s bright and she’s smart and she’s funny and she loves him back and she’s just had his son.

She’s given him a family all of his own.

And he feels young with Connor. Feels hamfisted and awkward, but she steadies his grip, rests her head on his shoulder, pulls him to her somehow like a moth to a flame, and he thinks his son is tiny, he thinks his son is twisted up, he thinks his son looks like her, more than he looks like him.

He doesn’t - -

(His chest is tight, big, full).

He doesn’t know what he feels.

So he grunts, pushes him off, feels the loss, tries to take him back, rejects Bonnie trying to give him back, feels - - confused. Scared, no, that’s not - - he’s not - - Unsure, maybe. Better word. This is a distraction. He’s unsure because his thoughts should be on work, not on this, and the doctor strides past him and Logan has meetings, Logan’s trying to make life real, Logan’s trying to build something for a son to inherit, and what’s he got to give him now? A few stories and broken heirlooms and a lot of maybe?

Bah.

So he goes to work.

And it’s good for a while. With her permanent and cosy in houses that only get bigger, nicer, staffed, Connor with her bright eyed, eager, every time Logan funnels through with gifts and promises and a life on the horizon any family of his will be worthy of. The picture of them is everything Logan wanted, a powdered sugar fantasy run on the silent film in his head.

But then things get - -

Confusing.

Because she’s not happy, because she asks him where he’s gone, where he’s going, she asks who’s perfume she can smell on him, who’s lipstick’s on his fly, and he doesn’t want to answer, and so she yells and Noah taught him yelling only started arguments, a clean fist ended them, and he’s not sure.

The first time he realised Connor was there.

And the thing is, the picture collapses quickly.

She’s unhappy, she’s unwell, he gets called into Connor’s school so they can tell him as much, and he sends him somewhere that’ll take care of him, incubate him, whatever, while he deals with her, but it’s impossible because it’s his sister all over again, and what the fuck does he do with that?

She’s not her, she’s her own person, but the lines are blurred and Logan doesn’t want to deal with any of them. He’s getting made, he’s going well, so maybe he just leaves, maybe he just goes, maybe he fucks around, pretends he’s young again, single again, childless again, at least until he meets Caroline.

Kendall + Logan

Kendall is born and Logan is 40, Logan is 41. Logan’s on the cusp of closing a cable news deal with a wife who doesn’t give a fuck.

A wife with a name.

Caroline is not Bonnie. Caroline is a Collingwood, Caroline is the sort of woman who can trace her family line back to cousin-fucking royalty, and she is not warm, but she is smart and she fucks and she tears into life like a letter opener, like if she gets the right angle it’ll find something she hasn’t heard before, and Logan thinks this is it. Logan thinks this is a fresh start, Logan thinks Bonnie was just another lump in the custard, Connor too, only he’s something to be smoothed in down the track, because right now Logan thinks this is it.

The start of the real family, a real son for his real man, but Kendall is born and Caroline won’t even hold him, so Logan can’t ask her to adjust his hands like Bonnie knew how to do. Can’t ask her to move him so he doesn’t embarrass himself, because Caroline is a Collingwood and he’s some new money nobody, so he doesn’t hold him either, and it’s not what he expected, is all.

And it doesn’t matter anyway, because this real son, he just - -

He cries a lot.

Open mouthed mewing, constant, but the nannies hold him right and Logan loses himself to work, because Logan’s always known how to do that, and he tells himself it’s the same as it was with Connor. He’s done this before – he’s no different, Kendall’s no different than his brother, whatever’s wrong is Caroline. She’s the outlier, she’s inexperienced, she’s cold, small hands and an accent Kendall will never have, and Logan promises himself this over Kendall’s crib, and it’s sudden, is all.

The way one night, home for an evening between Paris and Prague, the nanny asks if he wants her to show him how to hold him.

Realises, then, three months in, that he hasn’t.

“Yeah, okay,” he says.

And it’s the nanny who guides his hands, who shows him how to pick Kendall up, shows him how to nestle him in to stop him from crying so loud, and Kendall is small, Kendall is pink-faced and wet-eyed and long-lashed, and all his, and Logan’s throat is so tight he can’t breathe.

“Good,” Logan says, patting Kendall on the back, his hand enough to engulf him.

A window inside him unlatches.

A thought, a memory.

A different sort of outlook.  

“Hey,” he asks the nanny. “Can you send for Connor? I don’t like that thing with his school these days, you know, could we maybe get him one here. Ask Baird, he might - - you know. He’ll figure something out. That wife of his could recommend something.”

Roman + Shiv + Logan (because I’m dying on the twin hill apparently)

Still, he and Caroline, they go again.

Just once more, but two come out of it, and Logan is 44, he’s 45, and Ewan tells him he’s too old for this shit at the same time he’s remembering the way Bonnie helped him to hold Connor, the way the nanny showed him how to hold Kendall. Knows how to get his grip right, under the head, beneath the bottom, to get Roman – his Romulus – to his chest, and he wonders which of them is him, which of them is Ewan.

Is Connor first born or is Kendall?

Is Kendall him or Roman?

Who’s his true second born, he wonders, below hospital fluorescents, feeling his youngest son squirm near his heart. Smaller still than he’s sure the others ever were (normal with twins, so the doctors have said), but he doesn’t cry like Kendall did, his body somehow surer, and it surprises him. When Caroline moves to hold him.

“Well, we’ll have to take one each, won’t we?” she tells him, and Logan starts, Logan shifts, lets her take him as he eyes the other bassinet.

A daughter is new. A daughter wasn’t supposed to happen, he thinks, approaching the bassinet, catching a glimpse of red hair and a little red-tipped nose, a daughter - -

Fuck.

Rose had red hair, Rose had a little red-tipped nose, Rose was the click-click-spark of a lighter in the darkest nights, she was a sharp-tongue, she was salt in the wound, she was a balled fist and a held hand and a steady, unsteady gaze, and she was stuff and nonsense, and she was a promise wrapped in a lie.

Logan feels young.

Logan feels 24, he feels 25.

He feels like he’s staring down the barrel of the future, but he looks at her and he just sees - - her.

His daughter.

He swallows thick.

“Think that means its you and me, pinky,” he tells her, and when he holds her, it feels like coming home.

[gregoftom]

Thinking about how Shiv easily could have figured out that Tom was having an emotional affair, but she never bothered to pay attention until it was too late and she was finally jealous (albeit not for the reason she should have been).

She could have paid more attention to what Tom was up to when she was out of town (going out with Greg constantly).

She could have paid more attention to their hoping bank account statements (Sure, money is inconsequential to her, but we know Tom was spending boatloads of it to take Greg out to dinner and buy him clothes and things, so it had to be noticeable).

She could have spared an extra moment to wonder why exactly Tom was so hellbent on helping Greg from the start.

She should have noticed the parallels between her father and Kerry’s relationship and her husband and his assistant’s relationship.

But no. She didn’t notice until the Disgusting Brothers era. And even then, even with Tom’s damning “we sometimes go for a drink, Shiv” quip, and even in America Decides when she threatens Greg, she still didn’t quite grasp the depth of Tom and Greg’s relationship.

I love me some Shiv. But her own myopic grasp for power and control kept her from seeing what was right under her eyes the entire time, and what possibly could have been prevented if she had just given Tom an ounce more of love and attention.

Tl;dr Tom and Greg were obvious, but Shiv somehow didn’t see it.

Thoughts?

hhhhhhh god. all of this. my thoughts are you’re completely right and she didn’t see it because she doesn’t take it seriously for multiple reasons but like. homophobia lol

[oreganosbaby]

This has probably been said by like every single Shivgirl, but I hate when people think of her saying “Tom, you’re a good guy and I like hanging out with you,” at her wedding as her not loving or even giving a shit about Tom. Shiv seems to be uncomfortable with performing acts of affection in public. It’s also one of the reasons she doesn’t like to do that for her father. To her, things like saying “I love you” or sometimes even hugging to be left for more intimate and private moments. I think she feels that it’s more genuine when it’s one-on-one because it’s less self conscious. Logan chiding her for not performing affection in public only makes the idea of directly expressing affection to him more off-putting to her because it makes her feel like he doesn’t want it when it’s genuine, only when it’s useful to him. I think that to the Roy family, there’s something quite embarrassing about expressing affection so openly because it’s a blatant display of libidinal desire and therefore, weak and disgusting. Shiv, as well as Roman and Logan seem to have internalised this the most, but between Shiv and Roman, she’s most similar to Logan in the way she attempts to repress or at least, suppress it. This similarity between them is another reason why she doesn’t express affection to Logan directly. She doesn’t want to feel like she needs to constantly reassure Logan of her love, especially since he doesn’t treat her brothers that way. When Tom expects her to be more publicly affectionate, it sometimes gives her a similar feeling of discomfort regardless of his intentions. I think that she wishes she could express affection on her own terms, but that would also mean being very frank about her desires which, again is quite difficult for her.

[therealnightcity]

2 for Hiro, 1 for Avi and Ares, 16 for Ares :3

Character asks for @a-pirate 🥰🥰

Hiro:

Lt. Mower: What is the worst betrayal your character has faced?

Hiro isn't a stranger towards how self-serving people can be, but by far the worst was Wakako. He grew up thinking he didn't have any family aside from a brother he was estranged from, didn't know that she was his grandmother or that his dad had been her son, estranged from the family, or that he has a half-sister. She kept an eye on him growing up, but always held him at arm's length. She said it was because she didn't want him to turn out like his father, that it was for his own good but he wishes she just would've told him, been more involved. She let him make his own mistakes, firm iin her belief that if he was determined enough he would dig himself out of them, and while that held true, he's always resented her for it. He put his trust in the wrong people and she simply watched.

Ares:

The Wasteland: How does your OC feel about the Raffen Shiv? Is it too harsh what the Nomad clans do, or is it fair?

Ares' view of the Raffen Shiv is less rooted in personal views and more of a practical nature. While she doesn't think the punishment of exile is too harsh, especially given what led to them getting kicked out, she's less "kill on sight' than other Nomads. She's the only mechanic shop around for miles, and as a result her clients tend to be an ecelctic mix, Wraiths included. And she knows that sometimes it's easier to tolerate their occasional presence in exchange for leaving her alone, and minding their own business. It would be foolish to raid a place packing that much firepower, at least on your own, and her no-nonsense attitude is at the very least, respected. If you bring her a car with blood on the seats though, expect an extra cleaning fee tacked on. She doesn't like the Raffens, but she also doesn't have a Nomad clan backing her, that allows her to pick the bigger fights, and still sleep soundly.

Avi & Ares

Demons of War: Is there a job that's left a permanent mark on your OC?

Mr. and Mrs. Peralez turned to Avi, when they started questioning their home's security, and wanted to investigate the death of the mayor. He'd previously been afiliated with Arasaka, and had experience with corporate politics/complexities, while not having current loyalty to any coorporation, and had slipped out of the limelight following his departure from the company--a perfect fit for digging up information that others wanted to keep secret, and to protect himself or them, if it ever came to that. He'd been communicating with an anonymous source since before his split with the company, feeding them information in exchange for Arasaka's dirt--assistance in locating his files, of which he could find no trace. It's the first time he met the mysterious Mr. Blue Eyes face to face, and shortly before he was able to connect his mysterious source to an individual, and the realization that he'd stepped into a mess even deeper in the attempt to avoid Arasaka's.

For Ares, it was the hit put out on Joanne Koch, Biotechnica's chief. She has her own reasons for mistrusting Corpos, and a group of Nomads reached out to her, seeking vengence. She's not tied to a clan, and doesn't have the same responsibilities to stay put and look after her family. Although hit jobs aren't her usual forte, it was something she never would have been able to refuse, particularly after she was able to locate the files on her mark, and learn of the death of the Red Ocher Nomads. Rather than electing to zero Koch, she knocked her out and delivered her personally to the Nomads, feeling as if they should be the ones to decide what to do with her. It's only intensified the belief that Corps can't be allowed to get too comfortable in the Badlands, and she's been open in discussing this with the Aldecaldos, stating that she'll in no condition be an ally if they side with Biotechnica. This has led to her relationship with Saul being strained at best.

[shivvroys]

hot faced, lamb woman

shivlina oneshot

prompt: calm and collected karolina helping shiv thru a panic attack

cw: panic attacks, some self-harming behaviour

takes place during “the disruption”

read below or on ao3

—

“Good fucking man. Big fucking—fuck!”

The shame and the anger burn down her throat like acid—like a hard candy that refuses to melt, toughening the tender flesh around it like a rock.

Big fucking man, her brother.

The keeper she’d been sworn to keep. The sinking stone she refuses to let go of.

The walk to the bathroom feels interminable and by the time the door swings shut behind her she can catalogue each person’s eye-size from the holes they’ve burnt in the back of her head—her father’s gaze carved straight across her forehead. 

As she grips the cool granite of the sink, not daring to look at her own reflection yet, she briefly wonders whether the speaker had malfunctioned and started skipping in place on that goddamn infernal chorus, or whether the noise was only still trapped within her own head.

When she finally looks up, her face is red and pulsing like a fresh wound—an ugly scab ripped wide open. The whites of her eyes are tinged pink, the small vessels betraying her and driving blood straight to her pupils.

What good have they done, her eyes? Always staring down at her own grasping hands instead of the road marked clearly ahead.

Without thinking, she brings a hand up and slaps herself—quick and sharp, the particles of dust floating in the air barely shifting around her wrist. She watches the skin on her cheek turn white, before all the blood rushes back to her face, flooding it in pink. She does it again. And again. And again.

She thinks, for a moment, that Kendall couldn’t take it. Any of it—the sham title, the empty speech, the public humiliation on top of it all. He didn’t have the guts for it. Not even the fucking slapping. He’d take one punch, maybe two, before he’d start to swear and stutter and swing around a righteous pointed finger like a mighty fucking sword. Start talking about right and wrong. And always missing the fucking point.

That sometimes there is no point—that taking it is the fucking point. She can take it, though. She’ll show him.

She stills her hand just short of leaving a bruise, refusing to give the peanut gallery another reason to gawk.

There’s a gasping breath caught in her throat that refuses to sputter out, a space her lungs can’t quite fill out as they try to expand. She feels stilted, and awkward—like she’s got unfinished business, but decides to splash some water on her face and walk out nonetheless.

She dries her face, picking off the crumbling bits of cheap paper towel, eyes locked in on her own reflection as if it might try to run away.

Before she gets the chance to get out, the bathroom door swings open and she turns her head to see Karolina cautiously taking in the room. Like she’d been expecting to walk into a bloodbath.

“Hey.” she says, not giving away much. Her body remains halfway out of the room.

Shiv swallows back a mocking laugh, not particularly enjoying being approached like a spooked horse.

“What, they want me back for curtain call?”

Karolina shakes her head. “We cut it short. I thought we might reschedule it.”

She tilts her head, meeting Karolina’s gaze with a raised brow. Her hands seek out the cold granite again.

“Great, maybe I can prepare a fucking dance, too.”

Karolina doesn’t acknowledge the outburst, but she takes a silent step forward, fully entering the room before letting the door thud softly behind her.

“I’m sorry, Shiv.”

Shiv lets her head hang limply, braced between her slouched shoulders. She throws the other woman a weak laugh. “No, don’t steal his thunder, Karolina. You know he’d hate that.”

“Still, I was in charge of the event. I should have seen it coming. I’m sorry.”

Karolina speaks loud enough for the words to bounce around the tiled walls and dig straight into Shiv’s eardrums. She doesn’t say it like she necessarily means it, like it’s something that has anything to do with how she feels, but with what’s true—the fact of the matter.

It isn’t much, but it isn’t nothing.

Shiv decides to change the subject. “What’d Dad have to say?”

In the water-stained mirror she watches Karolina barely suppress an eye-roll.

“He’s angry, naturally.”

“Naturally.” Shiv scoffs. Her face is still red and puffy. Her chest still strains against some phantom cage. “Has it gotten out?”

��We’re trying to keep it within the building, but…” she sighs, crossing her arms. “You know how these things go.”

She does. She’d spent years juggling this exact type of bullshit—some senator’s husband’s asshole pics, a congressman scratching his balls during a veteran’s speech—everything and anything average America could ever consider entertainment.

Rarely has she ever been the one facing the eye of the storm, though. Not since her early college days, at least. Depending on the state she would get a different s adjective added to her name—scandalous, self-destructive, sneaky. Her mother’s favorite by far had been The Sun’s Sloshed Siobhan, shiny and big, neatly tucked underneath a picture of her passed out across the backseat of some C-list DJ’s shitty BMW.

A wave of nausea washes over her. It feels like her lungs can’t quite catch all the air they need. Her face looks redder.

Karolina takes a step forward.

In the bathroom mirror, her face looks ivory next to Shiv’s—all smooth bone next to her bleeding wound of a face. She wonders how it feels, how taut the intricate strings holding Karolina together are held. What she’d look like if all of them snapped at once.

“It won’t last the week on Twitter.”

Shiv laughs at the poor attempt at optimism, which makes Karolina breathe out a soft chuckle of her own.

The more she laughs, the less Shiv can see herself. The more her hands feel like they’re shaking with purpose. So she lets it take over. She laughs loudly until she feels herself choking with all that fucking laughter, until it begins to hurt. Until her chest feels tight and each breath shoots out of her throat like a spear. Until she can’t open her eyes for all the joy pouring out of them. This time, when her ears flood it is with the sound of her own laughter. The hard candy lodged in her throat sours. The collar of her shirt tightens around her neck like a noose, and she starts clawing at it blindly, only managing to snap off the thin chain of her necklace. Tears start burning red-hot trails down her cheeks.

Besides her, Shiv is vaguely aware of being asked something which she assumes must be an inquiry into her current state of wellbeing. The idea of being asked if she’s okay while she feels like she’s being suffocated by the raw flesh of her own esophagus amuses her, so she lets out another horrible, gasping attempt at laughter.

For a split second she feels her arms being ripped off, and she begins to struggle against the force holding them back, before she realizes Karolina’s stepped closer to her, and was trying to ease the blazer off of her shoulders. She stills her movements, letting the other woman slide the fabric all the way off. As the cool air hits her bare arms, she feels a slight wave of relief, before the knot in her throat sinks her down again.

She faintly hears Karolina urging her to breathe, which makes her want to burst out in laughter again, though she manages to suppress it this time, shaking her head instead.

Unable to keep her hands still any longer, she begins pounding her fist against her chest, urging her heart to stop its frantic writhing. It doesn’t work, though the rhythmic thud of her hand against her breastbone and the dull ache it leaves feel almost soothing.

It doesn’t last long, and again she feels an invisible force, this time wrapping itself around her wrist, holding it back. Her eyes are stinging, and keeping them open is difficult, but she manages to throw Karolina a dirty look before relenting. Sensing she doesn’t take kindly to soothing words, Karolina doesn’t say anything, just guiding her hands into the sink gently. As cold water starts pouring over her hand, Karolina turns her wrist over and positions it directly under the stream.

The shock of cold feels heaven sent, though it only lasts a couple of seconds.

“Fucking sensors.”

She watches Karolina wave her own hand in front of the tap until the water starts running again. Her other hand is still cradling Shiv’s wrist.

They stay like that for a while, Karolina swearing softly each time the water timer stops. Slowly, Shiv manages to focus all of her attention on the coolness shooting up her hand, and the steady hand holding it. The knot in her throat eases enough to let a quiet thanks slip through her lips. She lets her head hang down, hair shielding her face from Karolina’s gaze.

Karolina must feel her own hand growing numb under the cold stream of water, so she takes Shiv’s hand, still cradling it like it’s made of soft sand, and rests it on the sink’s edge. With her thumb, she stars running small circles over Shiv’s pulse point. Hypnotized by the carefully measured movement, it takes a while for Shiv to realize the booming noise inside her head had stopped, and she can hear Karolina’s own breathing. She tunes into it like a song on an old radio she’s trying to sing along to, pushing her own heaving breaths out until they reach a clumsy harmony.

Karolina doesn’t say anything, but she nods her along like a proud teacher. Still dizzy and numb, the only thing Shiv can do is nod her own head in return.

Continuing their truce of silence, Karolina finally releases her hand, moving to dampen a paper-towel that she instructs Shiv to place at the nape of her neck. She does so, and feels a few errant drops of water run down her back, sending shivers throughout her entire body, as if it’s suddenly come alive from a deep slumber.

After she’s done, she hands it back to Karolina, and begins the heavy task of cleaning her face. There’s a pool of shame gathered at the pit of her stomach, but she can’t quite bring herself to spare it any attention, her dignity long since discarded with her blazer.

When she’s managed to rub off all of the streaks of mascara running down her cheeks, she wordlessly accepts another paper towel, and pats her face dry, once again picking off the crumbled up bits gathered along her temples.

Throughout all of it, Karolina sits by her side—a silent witness to her unraveling, neither flinching nor smothering. A steady rock to rest her head upon.

She tries to come up with something to say, but Karolina spares her discomfort and hands Shiv back her blazer. She pulls out her phone, typing away at it silently as Shiv plasters on whatever shred of dignity she’d managed to scrape off the bathroom floor.

“We have a statement ready, I just forwarded it.” she says, once she senses Shiv’s ready.

Taking one last steadying breath, Shiv nods.

“Yeah, thanks.”

She pulls the bathroom door open and manages to keep her eyes from flinching at the sudden burst of light rushing over her. Only a few steps in, she feels a light pressure over her elbow.

“Oh, Shiv.”

She turns to see Karolina holding the small necklace she’d snapped off earlier. Holding her hand out, she lets Karolina drop the thin chain into her open palm, her fingers twitching slightly as the tips of Karolina’s fingers brush across her skin.

“Thanks.”

Karolina nods, her lips caught somewhere between a smile and a sigh.

[stewyhosseini-bf]

another procrastinask: who do you think knows about kendall and stewy?

Really good question. I've actually thought about this quite a bit before. I'm guessing you're asking about their families specifically, and kenstewy's college relationship - and I think that if he told any of the Roys at all during that time, it would probably be Connor. Since he could obviously never tell his parents, and Connor often took on a father-role for the siblings, I could see Ken confiding in him about it (again, if he told anyone in his family at all during that time). Like, I'm thinking about how in Dundee, when Connor shows up at his hotel room, Kendall jokes around and says the stuff about his and Jennifer's great psychosexual expedition and them being the Lewis and Clark of fucking or whatever - and to me, that scene really highlights how, as much as Kendall seems to forget he's not the eldest son sometimes, there is an annoying-younger-brother quality and an ease to him when he's talking to Connor. So I feel like he could maybe have opened up about him and Stewy's relationship to Connor at some point back then.

There's also another aspect to this, tbh. Since Connor was never taken seriously as a competitor for the Top Job by Logan (and therefore by the siblings as well), there is way less pressure to not show any 'weakness' in front of him, the way Ken and Roman for example were conditioned to think about each other, by Logan. And the way that the Roys think and operate in general, but also think/talk about relationships, they're either seen as conquests (specifically the way Roman talks about them - how he becomes interested in Tabitha after repeatedly saying Dad would totally go for her, how he congratulates Kendall on dating Naomi, or calls Tom a trophy husband, and how he desperately tries to 'achieve' that sort of relationship but fails) or a sign of weakness (specifically the way Logan sees them - saying 'you're marrying a man fathoms beneath you, because you're afraid of being betrayed' to Shiv, calling Ken 'cuntstruck' because he genuinely likes Naomi and feeling attacked when he brings up him and Rhea's relationship, asking Roman if he needs to get straightened out after learning about him liking Gerri, etc. And I do think this goes for any type of relationship, which is why he's so deathly afraid of actually getting close to or opening up to people, including his own wife - but there's obviously yet another layer to it, when it comes to his children and their possible queerness, which weaponizes in an even more specific and sinister way). Since Connor was never considered as The Heir, his relationships were never scrutinized by Logan in the same way (he was, of course, in turn neglected, so it's not like he was better off, or anything. His abuse was just different), so the siblings would probably not have felt that same need to prove something to him/not show any weakness, the way they did with each other, therefore perhaps making it possible for Kendall, to open up to him, or at least more so than to Roman for example.

Lastly though, I do also think that with the distance to Logan in the time between s3 and s4, they all became more open to talking about that stuff, based on how easily Shiv asks Ken in The Munsters whats up with him and Naomi, or how Ken references 'gerr-bear' to Roman, and how they offer to kill Tom for Shiv, ask her if she's okay when she's upset about Tom, etc. I definitely think the show is making a point about how much closer they've gotten by showing us they feel more comfortable with talking about their relationships after that time. So I could definitely see him telling them about him and Stewy during that period of time.

[vechter]

for the “top 5” ask game! -> top 5 characters/relationships, top 5 books or quotes, top 5 songs, and top 5 smells :)

omg this is gonna be soooo difficult ily for asking me soooo many <3

characters:

1) dick grayson my absolute fav boy ever. his brand of mental illness and neurotic control-freakism captured my heart n soul unfortunately and i have been unable to be normal about him since (in that, i, too, am like bruce wayne). he learned to walk on sawdust, his first word was rube! he was never going to be a normal, well-adjusted, white picket fence guy. he's a performer, and even those closest to him fall prey to his act. he had the worst imaginable thing happen to him as a kid and one man saved him from that grief eating him alive (could u be normal about ur pseudo-father/brother/mentor figure if he did that for u?) and he will spend the rest of his life making sure the same doesn't happen to anyone else. 2) roy harper my fav dad ever. his daughter saved him from the worst of his impulses. when ollie was dead, he liked to pretend ollie was off on another road trip and then just got mad that ollie left him behind. as usual. his aim is true and so is his heart. he doesn't miss. everything is a weapon in his hand. he loves lian more than anything in the world. he will do right by her. he can't help but love the mother of his child bc where would he be without her? 3) dick grayson and bruce wayne you've seen my web weaves i am not normal about their relationship. they're both changed irretrievably for knowing each other. it isn't always for the better. sometimes, nightwing is the only thing i think i did right. you make a vow to a man like a god when you're a grieving, orphaned kid and you devote yourself to it to a degree it's debilitating. you will never recover from that kind of devotion. dick used to make him laugh. after the fight. you look at your robin, forever your boy, your son and you miss the times when you were the dynamic duo. it's hard to be around each other for that. your father has never let go of anything without leaving claw marks. i could go on and on sadly 4) dick grayson and donna troy you've loved each other your whole lives. you think you were born knowing each other. no one can hurt you or love you the way they seem to. losing donna broke something fundamental in dick. he walked her down the aisle on her wedding day. he loves her in each and every universe because she's donna. platonic, co-dependent, insane. truly the dynamic of all time. 5) cassandra cain. you are your father's daughter. but you are also your mother's daughter. you would choose being perfect for a year over a life-time of being mediocre. you killed a man when you were a child and you will never forgive yourself for it. you will save anyone, even if they don't deserve to be saved. especially, then. some people can't tell where it hurts. they can't stop howling. character of all time truly i stuck to dc for this but honourable mentions to those in other fandoms: shiv roy, succession- she is her father's daughter and it's the worst and best thing to happen to her. her entire world of a father.

clarke griffin, the 100- sometimes there are no bad guys, just good people making bad choices. you save your people, over and over. it's a thankless job. but you do it anyway. you are a doctor and a killer. you know which one you don't want to be.

elena gilbert, the vampire diaries. what price are you willing to pay for those you love? is there a price that is too high? would you even know it? you are a girl monster doppelgänger. your story was always going to end this way.

percy jackson. i imprinted on him as a teenager and he will always have a soft spot in my heart. angry boy with a heart of gold. the sea takes.

sally draper and betty draper, mad men. when sally said "i am so many people" i fear she changed my brain chemistry irrevocably. i will never be normal about her or her dynamic with either of her parents. i'm going to do quotes bc i truly don't think i could pick 5 books. i wouldn't even know where to start but here are some quotes in no particular order:

"Sometimes I see the real God, in a wide-hemmed butcher’s apron, wiping his hands and trembling. It’s your cut, he says. Fry it, eat it raw. I don’t care. My line is too long for these kinds of games. Look behind you. All of those people know what they want.”

— mike young, none of it grace

Sometimes you get so close to someone you end up on the other side of them.

— richard siken

the worst thing about love is i remember it. i walk around all day thinking: i’m going to die in the universe you loved me in. i get so jealous of euthanized dogs.

— june gehringer, i love you, it looks like rain

I am always moving toward you. On my bad days, I say to myself: “then you.” Sure, this now. But then you.

— trista mateer, “laugh lines” in the dogs i have kissed 

So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.

— robert frost, nothing gold can stay

phew. that was way more difficult than i anticipated. there are so many that I think about way too often. top 5 songs is unfortunately impossible for me to do. i avg 150,000 min listening to music on spotify for my wrapped. i spend way too much time listening to music, and even if you asked me to pick based on specific categories like top 5 rap songs, top 5 songs that give you immense nostalgia, top 5 songs with phenomenal lyrics, etc, i would be stunned into immediate mental paralysis i just can't sorry ily

top 5 smells, in no particular order:

the smell of petrol (i knooow but something about how sharp and overpowering it is. it just hits right somewhere), clean sheets (u know when u can smell how crisp and fresh they are? even without a strong-smelling detergent), emblem by mont blanc, daisy by marc jacobs (i am forever lamenting they changed the scent slightly) and the smell of the first rain (i live in a mostly desert-y, arid city now so the way the ground feels and smells after the relief of rain, it's amazing, show-stopping even)

[romeulusroy]

Succession Preference: Handmade Presents From S/O

Requested: Preference: How the Siblings react to their S.O giving them a handmade gift? (maybe a bouquet of flowers they thoughtfully picked out at a florist themselves, baked goods, a coffee/tea mug they decorated or a homemade meal?) i hope this sounds good!! ♡ - anon

A/N: This is so cute my love!!!! Thank you for requesting!!! I really hope you like it!!! Feedback is always appreciated!!! 💜💜💜

Connor appreciates your home cooked meals to no end. He thanks you forever. It doesn't matter if it took hours or thirty minutes, Connor won't let you live it down. He brags to his siblings all the time about how thoughtful and caring and considerate you are. You try to shrug it off like it's nothing, but he won't have that. Seriously. The only time he ever got anything home cooked was when he was a little kid, maybe once a year if his mother made him eggs or a grilled cheese. You go above and beyond when you cook. You never mind, you love sharing it with him. He compliments everything, making you laugh. Food is how you show your love. Sometimes, when you have the time, you make extra and send it with him to give to his brothers and sister. They love it, too. It's like they've never eaten before. They're all full of compliments and it makes them like you even more, which doesn't hurt either.

Kendall loves when you bake anything, but especially when you bake something he loves. You've been doing this since you were dating, but now that you're married it's become a rare occurrence. With work and life you don't always have the time. When you do, you like to send him to the office with everyone's favorites. Logan's blueberry muffins, Gerri's lemon squares, Karl's cinnamon rolls. You make extras of Kendall's favorites so he can have them at home and at work, surprising him when he gets home and the Tupperware is empty. It makes him feel so loved, so appreciated. He's a menace in the kitchen, always wanting to taste the raw batter and lick the icing. When you do it, it means you really thought about him, what he likes, what makes him happy. Not many people have done that in his life. But you? You make time for him and his happiness and that is priceless. It reminds him that he is capable of being loved.

Shiv isn't sure what to say. It's perfect. A bouquet of all her favorite flowers and colors in a vase she didn't even know either of you owned. Next to it is a little card with her name wishing her a good day. It sits on her office desk, just waiting for her. No one had ever done anything like this for her. Not her family, not Tom. She wasn't even sure he knew any one of her favorite flowers, and yet you had them all. You didn't sign the card, but you didn't have to. Tears well up in her eyes, but she's quick to blink them away. It's beautiful. She doesn't want to touch it or move it out of fear that petals might fall off. Once word spreads that you got specialized flowers sent to the office, the jokes start flowing in. She doesn't care what anyone has to say about this, especially her father and brothers. She feels so loved and seen, the most she's ever felt in her life. When she gets home she talks lightly of it, thanking you, but you can see the smile she's trying to hide. This small act means the world to her.

Roman is shocked. He doesn't know what to say. You start to feel insecure, like this wasn't something he'd like let along love. Under the ribbon and wrapping paper is a handmade mug with the date you officially became a couple. It was a little misshapen, but other than that it was perfect. You'd picked out the perfect color palette, too. All his favorite colors. No one had ever done anything like this for him before. No one has ever thought about him so thoughtfully. Roman holds out his hands, careful, scared he's going to break it. He looks it over a few times and holds it close before realizing who he's supposed to be. This fucking thing, it's, it's- thank you. That's the last thing he says about it. You catch him using it almost every day, holding it with both hands, hand washing it. He truly loves it. So much. It's his most prized possession. He never says anything about it again, though you catch him going through every cupboard looking for it, mumbling to himself. It's right in front of you, Rome. He breathes a huge sigh of relief. If he lost it or broke it he's not sure what he'd do.

[secondhand-snow]

I’m curious how you’re going to write the Shiv and Lukas interactions in S4! How do you envision her and Shiv’s relationship to be? And with her brothers!

okay so... i don't want to spoil what i'm planning for the Shiv and Lukas side of things (with how that affects him and reader's relationship.) however, i will say a bit of angst will be brought up. and i think y'all are gonna love it lol ♡

for her relationship with Shiv, I imagine it to be a little bit strained. Shiv seems very competitive to me and i feel like she would be almost cold to her younger sister. like when they were young Shiv always picked on her to try and get all Logan's attention or something like that. i think they're closer now that everyone is an adult, but feelings still get hurt sometimes. reader definitely cares about all her siblings so so much and puts a ton of effort into all their relationships. much more effort than any of them put in.

i think reader is very close to Kendall, with their relationship being more like father-daughter than brother-sister. Logan didn't have a ton of time for his kids when they were growing up, and because of their age gap Ken was old enough to know better and step up to be that adult influence in reader's life. reader definitely loves her big bro a ton.

with Roman, i feel like reader know him very well but not as close as she is with Ken. like she has all his little mannerisms and tricks memorized, nothing he says really shocks her anymore. when they were growing up, Rome was away at military school so it was rare to see him. when they did see each other it was like a sleepover and everyone was super goofy. some of that silliness carries over to their current relationship, but Rome is also a little more open and emotional with reader than with his other siblings. maybe because he doesn't see her as a threat?

sorry for the long post, i have so many ideas on this lmao! hope this answers your questions and give some good insight into the story ♡

[zalrb]

I don’t know what to think of Logan and Marcia. Because I get why they’d be in to each other, why they’d marry each other and stay married. Logan has money and Marcia is composed, clever, and conniving and I think Logan would like that (so long as she didn’t attempt to usurp him). I never got the vibe that there were any real feelings involved, which is why I was so surprised that Marcia left Logan after Rhea (controversial opinion, but I don’t think Logan and Rhea were ever a thing, Rhea seems too well-adjusted for that IMO). I can get Marcia’s cattiness with Kerry, and obviously I get Logan fucking around but I never understood why it was with Kerry because she brings nothing to the table the way Marcia, Rhea, and even Caroline do.

I’m also interested in her loyalty to Logan. Part of it was that he had all the power, but Marcia’s very big on betrayal and even used the word “traitors” a few times, which made it seem more personal.

I’m curious about why Shiv dislikes her so much (but Shiv hates everyone, so…) and I’m interested in Marcia’s beef with Willa and her weird kinship with Greg. I think Marcia thinks people see her as an older Willa and resents that bc they’re on different levels but I do not get why anyone but Tom would like Greg lmao.

Logan and Rhea weren't sexually involved

and she was also clearly playing him

but I think it's clear they were still a thing

especially because being romantically involved with someone and playing them is kind of expected in this world at least to Logan, he says it about Marcia

and it's to the point that Logan doesn't know if his judgment is impaired because he's so swept up in her

which also happens with Kerry, he pushes for her to become an anchor

and it's only when he repeatedly sees how people are making fun of her audition tape that he's like OK well kill it

which is actually an interesting aspect of Logan, particularly since he can eventually admit to being worried about not thinking clearly because he's infatuated with a woman

Marcia leaves because Logan isn't discreet, everyone knows that he's infatuated with Rhea and it's even worse than with Sally-Anne, and she has a sense of dignity. It's one thing to have affairs, it's another thing to flaunt them

It's also interesting you never got the vibe that there were real feelings involved with Marcia and Logan when I thought it existed at one point because one of the most, if not the most, vulnerable scenes we see of him when he's alive is with her

yet I don't think loyalty is why she stayed, they negotiated more money and more power in the company for her in season 3 when Logan asks her not to divorce him because of the optics, they had an arrangement

In terms of Kerry, it's interesting because she kind of just shows up one episode and then her screen time grows with each season little by little and we don't have much backstory but when we see her talk to Greg we do see her have the same type of sharpness, no bullshitting attitude

while also being someone who is taking care of him, like Marcia isn't there anymore, he isn't going to rely on his kids, so not only does she sometimes act as an intermediary and a translator to the siblings,

she's doing the things Marcia used to do, like when she knows about his UTI plus she's young and ambitious and probably won't say "awesome" too much.

Shiv's dislike of Marcia comes down to power plays and control and who has more of it. Shiv likes to try and take control of situations and she's repeatedly told to stay in her lane by Logan or by Kendall,

even by Roman (though I'm thinking more of this latest episode)

and that's something she continuously navigates abd pushes back against but she's used to it coming from her brothers and her father and men but then there's Marcia -- and to Shiv, who is Marcia, really? just some other woman -- who plainly tells her that she's not in control

and that's also coupled with the access Marcia has/had to Logan that Shiv couldn't/can't get her own father

like when she wants to go see him after he comes out of the hospital and Marcia won't let her upstairs, Shiv talks to the staff and says "I'm Logan's daughter, I just wanted to thank you for all you do" as a way to establish that she's the authority and they should be taking their cues from her not Marcia

combined with the fact that unlike the old guard who will act sycophantic, Marcia expresses the contempt she has and it's specifically to Shiv about Shiv

[myplasticadversary]

[mealforaking] my take on the Caroline and Shiv's dynamic is that there wasnt just One Thing and that they both had phases and turns, like the ones you described. Like, I think Caroline was sometimes very present while the kids were in their formative years, then sometimes doing whatever she wanted and fucking off somewhere; then I think Shiv was attached to her in her formative years (but liking Logan better when he would give her time, which was obvs very rare) but Caroline being disciplinatory in a negative way since Shiv wasnt ladylike (wanting to do everything her brothers would do and taking her father's side in their arguments), so Caroline end up shunning her since it was personal, even though Shiv was a kid. Then she had a phase of wanting Shiv's approval, Shiv on her side and not getting that, and then it was open fire. I think they took turns rejecting each other and wanting each other. And like the OP said, its possible Caroline had a reverse psychological thingy going on with becoming Shiv's mother, after all, because of all the gendered expectations over what to expect of a mother / what to expect of a daughter. They both ended up frustrating each other.

Like: I think Shiv gives Caroline hell for not being present, while her own father barely was. She giver her hell for sleeping around while knowing Logan probably did the same. Caroline gives Shiv hell for not being "affectionate" while Kendall barely is and feels betrayed Shiv doesnt "share" things with her (things related to boyfriends or periods) when her other sons barely share with her or genuinely mean what they share with her. So they frustrate each other a lot in that regard and further hurt each other. They both wish they were closer while also thinking "how could she expect I be vulnerable with her after how she treated me?" etc.

Just sharing thoughts!

Don't have much to add but I think you nailed it! 👍 That's what I really love about their relationship, that push and pull and how much they do want to be close but feel like the other one shut the door first and the distortion of memory and expectations they wouldn't hold the other guys to.

[pynkhues]

Hey, just wanted to know your perspective on Shiv's decision. There's a huge discussion going on whether the decision was emotionally driven just to spite Kendall? Was it calculated in any sense considering her children's future or getting any power through Tom? Was she seeking Tom (the powerful man now)'s approval?

What do you think? I personally think it was multi faceted and complex and included all the things a little bit and lead her to the decision.

Would she have taken the same decision if she had no idea that it is infact Tom that Mattson's eyeing?

Hey! Oh man, it’s such a great moment and it’s one I’ve been thinking about a lot. I agree with you in the sense that it was such a multi-faceted and complex choice, and one that had many trigger points both in the sense of Shiv’s reality, her sense of power and control, and the real and mangled emotional root of her place in her own family.

Do I think it was strategic? A little, but I think she was passed the point of being able to strategise in part because she was out of time, but also in part because Shiv’s impatience means she’s just not very good at it.

I think one of Shiv’s greatest strengths is also one of her biggest flaws in that she tends not to see the wood for the trees. She’s a big picture thinker, she sees the end result she wants but not the daily machinations to get her there, which we see over and over again. She’s impatient, lives life on the backfoot so is always trying to hurry, overtake, skip steps, take shortcuts to get ahead, and when she’s asked to operate in a system where she’s forced to stop and acknowledge the reality of the moment, I think she can for once see everything for exactly what it is.

Funnily enough, I feel like the telling moment in terms of Shiv in that finale isn’t actually with Kendall or Tom at all, it’s the moment Sandi says yes in the boardroom. It’s the tiniest of beats, which Sarah plays beautifully, and it carries over from Stewy telling Shiv only moments before (after Kendall offers him Chair in their father’s office) that he thinks Shiv can still sway Sandi. We don’t see the scene, and I kind of wish we had, but the outcome is felt all the same. Shiv can’t do it, she doesn’t convince Sandi, the only woman she’s on any sort of equal footing with to vote with them, which means she has no accomplice at that table, no allies, no position, no weight, only brothers who have shown just how quickly they’ll shut her out.

I think its that failure with Sandi that ultimately untethers Shiv, because with that loss comes the loss of any way forwards for Shiv at the company. She’s no longer an heiress of her father’s making or even one of Matsson’s, she’s just a little sister, staring at her big brother, at the best friend he offers Chair to as a joke in his office when she could only play ‘behind the scenes’ so it didn’t look ‘wonky’, the person she’s spent her entire life trying to catch up to and beat, and I think she meant it, what she said to Kendall after.

She can’t stomach it.

If she can’t have it, he sure as hell can’t, and at least with Tom she has some sort of in, she has something. Not an accomplice at the table, but a trap door she could sometimes scratch her way beneath, someone who might not want a relationship with her, might not be loyal, but someone who’s bound to her, if nothing else, and someone who has no use for her brothers anymore.

Shiv would rather break the toy than let Kendall have it, even if she cut her own hands in the process, and honestly, it’s one of the reasons she’s a character of all time to me. She’s a survivor in a way none of her brothers are, but she’s also petty and selfish in the way all three of them absolutely are, and to see her really do what none of them could and cut their strings in the 11th hour was so thrilling to me. She’s kept her in, but she also knows she’s out, but at least Kendall and Roman are too. At least the three of them are locked out of the house together, even if, for a moment, they’re apart.