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kendallroydefender · 8 months

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Somewhere only we know - Chapter 7 (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 seven summary: The RECNY Gala is coming up, followed by thanksgiving where Kendall’s night ends unexpectedly in his best friends childhood bedroom. Honey isn’t convinced that Logan’s Family therapy idea is a good idea and her suspicions are confirmed once Kendall returns back home.

Authors Notes: Next chapter is going to be Shivs wedding and it’s going to be a lot. It already is heavy canon-wise but it’s also going to be a bad time for honey!

Wordcount: 4.7K

”Hey, you’re coming to RECNY right?“ Kendall asks you

”Yeah, of course.“ you chuckle before asking him ”Are you going with Rava?“

”No, uh, no I’m taking Anna- Anna Newman.“

Your brows furrow a little

”Who?“

”The ATN news anchor. I’ve wanted to go alone but Roman said it wasn’t a good look so.“

”Oh, yeah okay.“

”Who are you taking?“ he asks you

”Uhhh I don’t know yet to be honest. Maybe I’ll go alone.“ you say half jokingly.

”No come on we will find you someone.“

Kendall would have loved taking you as his date but it’s weird for the optics, he can already see the headlines saying you two are dating again. It has happened before, in college before he was with Leighton and afterwards before he met Rava.

”How’s your speech coming along?“ you ask to change the topic of your love-less life.

”Good, good I’ve planned some jokes.“

You start grinning knowing Kendall - he is funny when he’s with you or Stewy. When he lets the carefree side of himself free but at these events he’s different and the people at this kind of Galas aren’t really known to be the most joking people.

”Why are you silent? You know I’m funny.“ Kendall speaks again and you snort ”Yeah I know you’re funny but I also know that people who attend the RECNY are not really known to be joke connoisseurs.“

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Martin, your date for the night, is picking you up with his car. You don’t really care much for him. He’s attractive and he asked you out before but you weren’t really into him and you still aren’t. You had hoped Kendall would attend alone too so you could stick to being alone together. Martin is kind, he has blue eyes and chocolate brown hair. He does something in finance.

You spot Kendall walking over to where you’re standing, a blonde woman accompanying him.

”Hey, Honey.“ he presses a small kiss onto your cheek before he introduces you to Anna and you introduce them to Martin.

”The Kendall Roy. Heard a lot about you. Great to finally meet you.“ Martin shakes Kendall’s hand. ”Uh-huh, yeah great to meet you too.“ Kendall says wearily, casting a small look to you but you shake your head. You haven’t talked to Martin about him, you haven’t talked to Martin much at all.

You meet your parents and introduce them to your date for the evening. Kendall and his company are still standing next to you ”Kendall, son it’s good to see you.“ your father tells your friend. They exchange some small talk. Martin went somewhere and Stewy and his girlfriend approach your group who is also greeted warmly by your parents. They obviously met him too in all your years of friendship. And Stewy likes to have a good public reputation so they don’t know about his coke use and party life, not that they would care much.

Soon it’s time for the evening to start and you have to go find your seats

”Good luck, Kenny. I know you’ll do great!“ you tell him before it’s time to sit down and press a quick kiss onto his cheek.

”Thank you Honey, love you.“

But as it often does with the Roy family the night is turning out different. Logan kicks Kendall’s speech out instead he’s holding one himself. When he starts about how someone went behind his back you stop breathing. He wouldn’t call Kendall out in front of everyone who’s important, right? When he finishes his sentence with revealing that it was Tom who proposed to Shiv while Logan was sick you take in a deep breath, you feel like you’re getting paranoid around Logan Roy. He even thanks Kendall but you know that it’s not sincere, it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.

Kendall finds you at the end of the night.

”Where’s Anna?“ you ask before you take a sip of your drink. You don’t see the amused glance Stewy is throwing your way before he looks at Kendall expectantly.

”Uh, she- she ditched me. Kind of.“

”Oh. I’m sorry.“ you say but Kendall just shrugs

”It was stupid asking her really. I didn’t even wanted to really, I’m her boss after all but Roman…“ he trails off.

”Mhm“ you say as you all notice Martin clearing his throat. He had observed the scene until now

”So who of these two are you fucking?“ Martin asks and you are shocked for a moment. ”Excuse me?“ Stewy is saying at the same time Kendall says ”What the fuck?“

”Oh? Or do you fuck both without the other knowing?“

”Are you fucking kidding me?“ you ask and Martin chuckles

”Is there something funny?“ Kendall asks calmly, he knows he can’t make a scene at this gala but you can feel that he’s angry.

”Im fucking neither of my best friends and guess what? I’m also not fucking you.“ you tell him he just scoffs

”I think you should go.“ you say to your date

”Oh come on. I’m just joking around!“ he says taking a sip of his drink.

”You heard her. You really should go now before you embarrass yourself even more.“ Kendall says stern and he’s hitting a nerve. Martin, who was charming all these important people all night can’t leave with a lot of noise.

”Are you coming?“ he asks and you hear Stewy scoff next to you.

”Okay, go have fun with your two fuckbuddies.“ he empties his drink before turning to leave.

”What an asshole.“ Stewy shakes his head while Ken turns to you. ”You okay?“ you give him a nod and he squeezes your hand softly ”Yeah, I should probably leave though. Looks weird if I leave without him.“

”My date left me too so it won’t look that weird.“ Kendall resonates

”Okay, I’ll stay a bit longer, we can be alone together.“ Kendall smiles a little hearing that. Without Logans presence at the fundraising gala the evening gets better. You sit with your friends and Stewys absolutely stunning girlfriend and it almost feels like old times.

At one point you decide its time to leave. Its already way later than you had planned to stay and you have to work the next morning. You give the four people, Greg had joined you, you’re sitting with a hug goodbye. Lingering a little longer at Kendalls hug but you cant help it his arms always gave you comfort. An amused look appears on Stewys face once he notices how Kendall’s eyes follow you as you leave the room. Just as you’re about to exit the room you turn around for a second, when your eyes catch his you smile and give him a small wave. His girlfriend is having an awkward conversation with Greg so he’s not worried of his friends cousin hearing him. ”So what are we thinking? Private but romantic confession or big guesture?“ Stewy asks to wich he earns a eye roll from his friend.

”It’s not-"

”Like that. Yeah you’ve said so before but what if it was like that?“

••••••••••••••••••••••••••

”Wish I could come with you.“ Kendall mumbles into your hair as you cuddle under his sheets.

”Hmm why? Not in the mood for a Roy Holiday?“ you chuckle wich earns you a little laugh and a squeeze from your friend

”Oh fuck off.“

His voice is soft when he says it you can hear the grin in it. The whole morning feels soft, safe, comfortable. You think about how it’d be if you were actually a couple, spending holidays together. Being able to give him a thanksgiving he deserves, a peaceful one with your family where he can feel welcomed and loved. But you also know that Tom hasn’t spent a holiday with Shiv at his family since they’ve been dating. Logan wouldn’t ever accept that and also you’re not even dating Kendall.

”I’ll have to get up soon. Frank is coming over.“ Kendall says and you groan a little

”Why? I’m so comfortable.“

”We’re talking about the Logan thing. But you can stay here, we can go back to bed for a bit afterwards.“ Kendall says grabbing his phone of his nightstand. Your heart skips a beat at his wording. You can’t help it lately you notice everything he does. Every touch that feels different, every time you seem to look into each others eyes just a moment too long, every kiss to your head or cheek. He had done these things for a really long time but in the last months it’s different - you can’t exactly put your finger on how it’s different but it doesn’t feel the same as before.

A little later Frank walks into the kitchen where you’re sitting on a counter watching Kendall try to make coffee.

”Oh Hello Y/n. It’s good to see you.“ Frank says. You like the older man and he likes you too. You both care about Kendall a lot so you’ve always had an common understanding there.

”Would you like an coffee?“ Kendall asks his guest. He busies himself trying to make the hot beverage he just offered. His staff has the day off and he obviously isn’t a regular in the kitchen.

You roll your eyes at Frank with a smile and hop off the counter. Pushing Ken aside with your hip you open a drawer and get the coffee beans he was looking for, handing him the pack. He gives you a grin. Frank smirks to himself.

”Does she know?“ Kendall’s god father asks even though he already knows the answer.

”Yeah, yeah she’s cool. You know her.“

”Oh, yes I was not saying she’s not.“ he turns to you ”I trust you. And I know Kendall does too.“

'More than anyone' Kendall thinks to himself looking at you. When you look over at him you find the softest look on his face, his eyes are shining and look as beautiful as they always do. You can’t help but feel a little shy at him looking at you like that. You excuse yourself from the kitchen after a few and Frank turns to Kendall to talk business but before he has to say ”She’s a good one, Kendall. Keep her around you.“ and Kendall’s heart feels warm.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

You had always liked thanksgiving at your families house but what you had always liked even more was when after everyone left you would stay behind and just end the day with just your parents. Now even more since there are a lot of people, mostly relatives, that love to ask about your plans on getting married. Being in your thirties and not yet being married, even worse being single made you a anomaly in the eyes of elderly great aunts and conservative cousins. The truth is you had thought you would get married before. To Cody but after the cheating you had yet to fall for someone else. Okay that was a lie, if you were honest with yourself you’d known that the man you loved more than everyone was already in your life and had been for a really long time. But you don’t want to ruin your most important friendship, so you’ll keep quite.

'Connor brought Willa. This is going to become a scandal one day.'

The text from Kendall reads

'Be nice! I actually like her.'

You send back

'I’m not being mean. This poor woman has to endure enough being with Connor.'

You chuckle at that

”Who are you texting sweetheart?“ your mother asks with a knowing look

”Oh nobody, just Ken.“

She hums

”Tell him happy thanksgiving from us.“

”Yeah, will do. He told me to wish you happy thanksgiving too.“

”How is he doing?“ she asks you, the last time they’ve seen him was a few weeks ago at the RECNY gala and stuff has happened since then.

”Uh yeah he’s okay. It’s a little difficult with Logan right now. With him coming back and all.“ you fumble with your fingers as you voice what Kendall had told you a few days ago, something he thinks Logan is

”He thinks Logan will send him back to- to Shanghai maybe.“ you swallow. It can’t be happening again. Last time you’ve been this close with him and there was an opening for you two to start something serious he was send there too. You know Kendall doesn’t want to go back and you don’t want him to either, for selfish reasons. Your heart would shatter if it was happening but with the vote of no confidence maybe it would be stoppable.

It’s later when Kendall calls you. You’ve been watching some movie with your parents. You love to stay late on holidays.

”Hey, Kenny. How was the festivities?“ you ask him

”It was a disaster to be honest… so a regular Roy Holiday.“ you hear him say

”Marcia invited Ewan.“ Kendall tells you over the phone

”No way. How was that?“ you think you have seen that man only a handful of times.

”Uh it was… something. They ended up fighting but that was to be expected.“

”Then- uh, then Dad hit Iverson.“ Kendall finally tells you and you feel your blood run cold

”Are you serious?! Fuck, Ken I’m so sorry..“

”Yeah it was a shitshow. He was mad at me before for looking after my son when he felt weird because, uh because of the divorce.“ you feel for your friend. ”Wow I- i don’t know what to say.“

”Where are you?“ Kendall asks next

”Still at my parents home… but you can come over if you’d like? We have some of my mothers apple pie left?“

Kendall thinks about it, his initial reaction was to decline your offer but after today he would like to see you and ending such a shitty day at a place like your family would be good for him. Before he can say anything you speak up again

”My mom says she wants you to come over so now you have to.“ you chuckle, you sound like a teenager and not a woman in her thirties.

After Kendall arrived your parents chef got him a plate of the apple pie your mom made. He talks to your parents and he feels okay.

You two walk around your childhood home a bit later. You open the door to your old bedroom and it feels like you’re in a timemachine. Nothing had changed since the day you’ve left for college. Kendall smiles looking around. He had been in here a few times but it’s not as familiar to him as your room in the summer house.

”It’s crazy that we’ve never saw each other much back then in the city.“ he says picking up a book on your table.

”Yeah it’s so weird thinking about how we only really saw each other in summer compared to now…“

Compared with how often you see each other now it’s impossible to imagine not seeing him for a month straight. Of course there are weeks where you’re too busy to meet up but it’s never more than two weeks maximum.

You step in front of the wall where you had put up some pictures. There are some of you and former friends you don’t talk to anymore beside happy birthday wishes. Then there a pictures of you and Kendall, sitting on his Vespa, on the beach, one of you two at some fancy event smiling at each other.

Kendall steps behind you, a smile spreading on his face looking at the memories.

”Oh I remember that day.“ he says with a chuckle pointing at a picture of you two.

”Yeah me too.“ you scowl at him ”It was when you pushed me into the cold fucking pool fully clothed.“

”Uh- no I think you tripped.“ you hit his shoulder lightly

”I didn’t! You fully pushed me!“ now he’s fully laughing and you feel a flutter in your chest. He looks happy in that moment and you’re glad you could give him that after such a bad day.

You sit down on your bed looking around the room from there.

”Sometimes I miss not living alone, you know? I mean it’s nice if someone is there when you come home.“

”Yeah I get what you’re saying.“ Kendall gives you a small smile

”Oh, shit I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-“ you try to apologize for bringing it up, it must be even harder for Kendall now that his wife and kids are not there anymore

”No it’s alright. But you’re welcome anytime if you don’t want to be alone.“

”Thank you but I already overstay my welcome with you too much as it is. You must be annoyed with me being there all the time.“ you only half joke, Kendall sits down next to you

”Are you kidding me? I could never be annoyed with you. You’re one of the best things in my life.“ he tells you earnestly and you can see in his eyes that he means every word. The butterflies in your stomach go crazy hearing this. Kendall lays down

”Come here.“ he says and you curl up next to him, you head resting on his arm.

”You’re on of the best things in my life too.“ you say and he presses a kiss onto your hair.

At some point you must have fallen asleep, it is late already and the day was exhausting as holidays always are. Kendall studies your sleeping face for a bit, he feels warm, good whenever you’re near. But soon enough he falls asleep too. At some point your mom comes in to look if you’re still there or if you’ve left without telling her. It’s not a surprise to her to find you two cuddled together on your old bed, it’s a sight not unfamiliar to her after all the years. She takes a blanket off a chair and carefully lays it over you two.

You wake up at some point during the night. At first you’re a little confused where you are but last night memories return soon. Your stirring must have woken Kendall cause he’s blinking into the darkness.

”Oh fuck.“ he mumbles before saying ”Should I leave?“

”Only if you want to, I mean my parents don’t mind they love you.“ you want him to stay though. ”We can leave now too though. I’ll write them a note.“

”You’ll write them a note?“ Kendall asks with a humorous tone in his voice

”Yeah, that’s what I used to do when I went out without asking when I was sixteen.“ Kendall chuckles at that. You two stay but get out of your formal clothing and slip under the covers. He pulls you close to him again after you’d settle in. In the morning you do leave before your parents wake up and you leave a note on the desk in the hall. You go get breakfast at a small cozy place together.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Today was the vote of no confidence at the board meeting and you’re a little nervous that you haven’t heard from Kendall at all. You have texted him earlier today but he hasn’t responded.

You don’t want to press him but you’d like to know how things gone. But you have checked your phone a lot while at work. You thought about texting Stewy, knowing he’s present at the meeting but decided against it, Kendall will tell you sooner or later.

It’s much later and you’re brushing your teeth to get ready for bed. You still haven’t heard from Kendall but you have heard about what had happened. You’re even more worried now. There’s a sound coming from the hallway, the elevator. You spit out the toothpaste and rush towards it. There are only three people that are allowed up in your apartment without the front desk calling you. Your parents and Kendall. Your parents usually text you before they come and so you have high hopes to who’s in your home. When you turn the corner you stop. A feeling of relive entering your whole body. Kendall.

”Uh, I guess I’m unemployed now.“ Kendall says in an attempt to joke but you can hear the hurt in his voice

”Shit im so sorry.“ you step forward and hug him. He hugs you back and his face is buried in your neck.

”I was walking around the city. And uh, part of me wanted to just get a drink so badly.“ he exhales ”But I didn’t. He isn’t worth it.“ you nod ”I’m proud of you Ken.“

”And I didn’t knew where to go. I uh, I just wanted to feel welcomed, I guess. Somewhere I don’t feel unwanted.“

He’s still holding your hand, your thumb is still caressing the back of his hand.

”I’m glad you came here.“

You two sit up late together that night, talking a little but mostly its just you combing your fingers softly through Kendalls hair.

••••••••••••••••••••••••

”Kendall Roy back on drugs! The son of media mogul Logan Roy seems to have relapsed we’ve been told from a source close to the family" the headline reads. You roll your eyes, you know for a fact that Kendall didn’t relapse and that it’s part of Logan’s smear campaign against his son. ”Wow, who would’ve thought.“ your co-worker chuckles next to you reading it. ”Well Damian, maybe you shouldn’t believe everything ATN writes.“ you say back not able to hide the anger in your voice. ”Come on, isn’t he the son of the boss?“ he asks you with his eyebrows pulled up ”Exactly.“ you state before turning back to your computer. ”Oh right you know this guy.“ he says and it sounds weirdly condescending. You fight the urge to roll your eyes ”Yep. I do.“ you don’t want to talk about Ken to people who obviously don’t like him and have their opinion of him set. You feel kind of protective over your friendship in this way.

You’re going to Kendall’s townhouse after work. You’ve picked up some fancy take out in an attempt to cheer him up a little. But you know it probably won’t help much, a band-aid on a laceration. He’s not doing so well since the whole thing. He launched a lawsuit against his father wich is taking a toll on him and he’s in the beginning of going into tech. You have spent some nights of the week together for the last few weeks. His staff opens the door and lets you in, you greet her. You find Kendall in his bed. ”Hey you.“ you sit down next to him ”Hey, how uh how was work?“

”Good, a bit boring.“ you tell him ”How was your day?“

”Rava won’t let me see the kids. she thinks I’m on drugs again.“ he tells you as if it’s no big deal but you know that he had looked forward to seeing them. You know that it’s because of the articles Logan had planted about his son.

”Should I give her a call?“

He looks at you then

”I don’t know. Yeah maybe that would be good.“ you nod

”Oh and Roman was here. Wanted to convince me to go to Connors ranch for family therapy.“ he sounds sad.

”Huh? Wait- what? Family therapy?“

”Oh yeah my dad has apparently planned to meet us all at ‚Austerlitz' to do a family therapy session.“

”Wow that sounds… fucked up.“

”Yeah I’m not gonna go. He can’t be serious with this, right?“

”Honestly? No I don’t think it’s real. I cannot tell you what to do or what he’s planning but… yeah, it sounds a little weird.“

You’re at work when you get a call from Kendall. ”Shit. Excuse me I have to take this real quick.“ you tell your colleague

”Ken, I really can’t right now.“

”Uh- I just wanted to tell you that I’m going to New Mexico.“

”Wow okay. Are you serious?“

”Yes. Patricide - Fratricide let’s see what happens.“

”Okay. Uhh do you- is this a good idea?“ you ask a little nervous. Kendall can hear your nervousness in your voice, he smiles a little ”It’ll be okay. I’m just going to get this over quick and that’s it.“

”Uh-huh, okay but Ken please take care.“

”I will.“

After you hang up you let out a deep exhale. Shit. With the Roy family involved you can’t see this going smoothly.

It’s been a few days since Kendall returned from Austerlitz, you have talked on the phone and texted but were yet to see each other. You visit him after work, you are let into his apartment without questionings.

”Hey, Ken.“ you smile as you walk over to him. As soon as he turns to you, you notice something is different with him. He seems more frantic almost a little manic as if he’s… No that can’t be it.

”Hey, uh, hey honey.“ he greets you without meeting your eyes for more than a second.

Your brows furrow a little as you try to catch his eyes.

”Ken?“ you ask again and this time he makes eye contact with you. His pupils are large and you fight the urge to close your eyes for a moment. It’s common that addicts have relapses, you know that it was always an opportunity for this to happen, still it makes your heart ache a little.

”What happened?“

”It’s okay- I’m okay.“ he says as if it’s no big deal and you can’t do anything but nod. You study his face for a few seconds longer ”I’m fine honey. I’m doing great actually.“ he tries to soothe you.

You need to talk to someone about his relapse. You can’t keep all these worries in you. But who? Rava? You’re the closest to her and she would understand you the best, you’ve both gone through this before. But you’re not sure if she even knows about it. Stewy? He’s basically a addict himself and they’re not on speaking terms right now anyway. You can’t talk about Kendall’s personal issues to your friends that don’t know him. It’s too risky, even if you trust them to not talk to the press about it you can’t be a hundred percent sure. One of the siblings is the only logical thing. There’s Shiv but you don’t have a real connection to her, she always seemed rather cold towards you. Connor would be the most obvious choice since he’s almost a father figure for his siblings but with much more warmth than their real one. And you know for certain that his siblings mean a lot to him. But he is in New Mexico and you’re not sure how helpful he would be since he’s usually a little weird when it comes to this stuff. So that leaves Roman. But is he really the right one to talk about something like this? Most times he’s not serious but you have seen him when he’s not joking and you and him are a little closer. He is also the one that picked Kendall up after his relapse and you know he does care about him. But Kendall would hate if he knew you talked about him to Roman. Then again Kendall would hate it if you talked to anyone. So you leave it for now.

Tomorrow is Toms Bachelor party and nobody knows yet what Roman had planned for that. ”You really wanna go?“ you ask cautiously. Kendall hadn’t been doing great the last month since he came back from Austerlitz. ”I’ll be fine.“ he grins and you nod. You can’t lie you have been worried about Kendall and the prospect of him attending a Roy Bachelor party is a little scary to you when you think back to Kendall’s own. You hum ”Just- just take it easy, okay?“ you don’t want to sound like you’re mothering him but you would never forgive yourself if something happened.

Kendall doesn’t want to go get help at the moment. He doesn’t talk much about him taking drugs again. He knows you know but he doesn’t take them when you’re around. In the last three weeks he has started a new company together with Frank. He also started to do a lot to seem younger, cooler but this can’t make you stop worrying about his well being. Then again he is a grown man that can take care of himself. Still you try to be there for him as much as you can just so he knows he has someone. If you’d learned one thing in your life beside Kendall it’s that being a Roy is a burden you have to carry with you.

#kendall roy imagine #kendall roy x reader #kendall roy x you #kendall roy fic #kendall roy fluff

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liesmyth · 1 year

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Some general thoughts about the narrative voice in John’s NtN flashback chapters now that I started rereading Nona for the [mumble]time

▸ John is talking to Alecto; Harrow is just listening. Harrow, inside Alecto, is revisiting Alecto’s memories of the immediate post-apocalypse, and this is possibly a real conversation Alecto and John had at some point. She is experiencing the world like Alecto did in the aftermath. The “I still love you / You always say that, Harrowhark” exchanges are Harrow’s consciousness replacing Alecto’s name with her own. The only time Harrow, as herself, interacts with John are in John 5:4 (“Teacher, may I ask a question?”) THAT is Harrow.

▸The flashbacks aren’t in real-time with the rest of Nona. This is a narrative framing trick on Tamsyn’s part, putting most John’s chapters immediately after Nona has gone to sleep or right before she wakes, to keep the reader speculating that Nona might be Harrow. HtN 27 ends with Nona admitting that she’s not Harrow and she “never was,” and John 1:20 picks up right after while Nona is obviously awake. We don’t know how long ago these flashbacks took place for Harrow, but I assume at least a few months. Harrow walked into the tower and into hell in John 5:4 and was in there for a while. John possibly started his bender in earnest after his last conversation with Harrow.

▸I’m taking John as a truthful narrator. He’s not actively lying or attempting to deceive his interlocutor, because he’s talking to Alecto at the end of the world, and he has nobody left to hold him accountable. Multiple times he shares details that make him look worse and he could have left out with no problems—such as when he admits that he killed local civilians along with the cops (“I dropped everyone with a gun in a kilometre radius. There were over a hundred of them, but I didn’t discriminate) or when he recounts C— saying “your problem is that you care less about being a saviour than you do about meting out punishment.” These are all details that aren’t very relevant to the grand scheme of events, but make him look bad. He’s spilling his guts to the ancient inhuman creature who made him a good; when he says ‘it doesn’t matter’ which bomb went off first, it’s true—humanity is gone anyway. He has no reason to lie. No personal account will ever be objective, but it isn’t a con.

▸Doyistically: This is the part of the story where we get answers. NtN was conceived as the first act of Alecto; THAT is the context in which the flashback chapters were first developed. We are in the final stretch, and there’s absolutely no narrative payback in introducing several chapters of a much-anticipated backstory only for the narrative to pull the rug under from the reader by revealing last minute that the truth is actually somewhere in the middle. AtN is going to be so packed that there won’t be enough space in the narrative for this kind of revelation, unless it’s really half assed, which I doubt. If we do end up getting a different account of events, it will be due to normal reasons like different people remembering details in a different way, but this is far from the kind of narrative gaslighting that was going on in HtN.

Yes I made this post for myself to link to in the future so I can point at it for #reference

#nona reread #tlt thoughts #ntn #ntn spoilers

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spoopydooblr · 10 months

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My King Will Be Kind Chapter 7 / Kendall Roy x OC

an: YALL ITS BEEN A MIN! my bad!!! ive just been doing my thang and honestly fell out of love with this story for a sec. i had to rewatch some episodes of s4 to get myself back into it and here we are! this chapter is a bit of a filler, as next chapter is going to be Living Plus which should be a shitshow lmao. PLEASE enjoy and lmk what u think! i love getting your messages it literally makes my day!

tw: mentions of death, cursing

Even when the first season of Delirium came out and was trending on every platform, Stella was still flying mostly under the radar. Sure, she had her fans, but the hype around her was nothing like it was now.

Stella had given up on Twitter, as the reactions to her and Kendall were not so great. People either had no fucking idea who she was or were completely disappointed in her choice in men.

im not gonna lie idk who tf stella allen is

Stella...girl...kendall roy...?

E! News even did a segment on her a few nights ago.

"Who is Kendall Roy's new girlfriend?" The peppy anchor said. "Well I've got you covered, folks!"

Some of Stella's scenes from Delirium flashed across the screen. They even had a blurry pap picture from the wedding to complete the package.

After the segment, her mother called her, almost in tears.

"Stelly, baby, what have you gotten yourself into?" She asked.

"Everything's fine, Mom, please don't worry."

"I don't want you involved with that family. Your dad hated ATN, remember? And that guy...how old is he?"

She cringed. "I know, I know."

"I thought you liked that boy from the movie?" Her mother mentioned.

"You mean Damien?" Damien was a costar who she went on two dates with over a year ago. she knew her mom wanted the best for her, but that had been over.

"He was such a nice boy. Why don't you call him?"

"He broke up with me, remember?"

"Oh." She thought for a moment. "What about--"

"I like Kendall, Mom."

"Really, babes?"

"Yeah..." Stella paused. "I mean, he's actually a really good guy."

"I'm sure he is, but doesn't he have kids? Doesn't he have an addiction problem? Are you really ready to deal with all that?"

"He's clean now, he told me."

"Isn't that what every addict says?"

"He barely has time to use, Mom, he's so busy."

"How does he make time for you, then?"

Stella thought for a moment. To be honest, she didn't know how to answer her mother's question. Things were hectic, to say the least, for the Roy's right now.

As she sat in her apartment, scrolling through Twitter and defending herself against her mother, Kendall was at his father's wake. He had invited her to go with him, but warned that all of his family and company would be there.

"It's gonna be a fucking fuckfest." He had told her.

Though meeting Shiv was definitely on her radar, Stella couldn't bring herself to go. It wasn't even really a wake, it was more like a business meeting in a dead man's penthouse. There wasn't a place for her there, and she didn't want one. Kendall didn't seem disappointed, as there were other things on his mind. Neither of them wanted to be questioned by his family when there were important decisions to be made.

"It's going to be tough, Mom, but I like him. It'll be okay."

----------------------------------

It was later that night when Kendall appeared on Stella' doorstep again. They had been texting every day, but with Logan dying, Kendall and his siblings were busy. It almost felt like things were back to normal, if it weren't for the thousands of tweets about their relationship. She thought that Logan's death would have surpassed them in the news, but it only intensified the spotlight on her and Kendall.

Again, it was late at night when Kendall called her, saying he was at the front door. This time Stella was more prepared, as she was still up doing work. Still, she was eating cold pizza out of the box and wearing a big t-shirt and shorts when he called.

"You need to stop doing this." She teased, opening the door for him.

He was quiet as he stepped into the threshold of her tiny apartment. For once, he had nothing to say to her as he entered.

"What's up? How was the wake?" She ran her hands down his arms, genuinely concerned about his mood.

"It's--" He started. "It's me."

"What do you mean, baby?"

"It's me. I'm...I'm CEO. Me and Rome, we're gonna do it but it's me, mostly."

Stella's jaw dropped. Sure, she was used to having Kendall as COO of WayStar, but CEO? This was on a whole different level.

"You're what?"

"I'm the fucking CEO." He said, looking at her, his hazel eyes brimming with tears.

"You're the fucking CEO."

"Yeah."

Stella threw her arms around him. Though it was a bit of a shock, she knew that CEO was Kendall's dream. He worked his entire life to be in this position and he was finally getting to it. He returned the hug, picking her up.

"H-how did this even happen?"

"Dad wrote it down. Before he died. The board still has to decide, and the GoJo deal is still there, but for now, yeah, I'm it."

"Oh my God. That's insane."

"I know. Fuck."

"What have you done to celebrate?" She asked.

"Well, I just got out of the wake." He sat down on her couch. "I came right here."

Stella's heart soared. It made her incredibly happy that Kendall wanted to share this news with her first. She sat down next to him, trying to ignore the pizza crusts on the table next to them.

"Well what do you want to do?" She genuinely meant it, not in a sexual way.

"Honestly, I just really need to sleep. I, uh, have to be in the office tomorrow at eight."

"Oh, shit, okay."

"It's okay. I wanted to see you before the shit show starts tomorrow."

"Well, you're welcome to stay as long as you want, but I don't want to keep you."

"No, no." He pulled her into him. "You're stuck with me."

"In that case..." She kissed him softly. "Do you wanna smoke some weed?" Stella nodded towards the pipe on her endtable. There was a half-smoked bowl inside already.

Kendall smiled, "I think you read my mind, pretty girl."

She laughed, trying to reach the pipe while still in his grasp. Her hands reached the bowl and Kendall magically produced a lighter.

They sat across from each other on the couch, Stella handing the pipe to Kendall.

"You first, Mr. CEO." She giggled when a giant smile spread across his face.

He thanked her, taking the bowl and lighting it.

"Wait," Kendall said. "Won't this set off the alarm?"

"Oh, they're broken, don't worry." Stella laughed.

He nodded, lighting the pipe and inhaling.

---------------------------------------

After twenty minutes and a few too many puffs later, Stella was curled into Kendall's arms on her tiny couch.

"The wedding was nice, you know." She whispered into the cold morning air.

"I'm sure it was. Con planned the whole thing."

"It was beautiful. Even the loony cake."

Kendall chuckled. "I'm glad you stayed. It says a lot about you."

"I love family. And I love weddings."

"You want a big wedding, Stella girl?" He said, weed clouding their minds.

"Yeah." She said, eyes glazed over. "I want a huge ring too. You think you can do that, Ken?"

"Definitely." He smiled, secretly promising to himself that he would actually, one day, make that happen.

"Not a boat though. Kinda tacky."

"Anything you want, Stell."

"Think you can get both of our families to get along?"

"That, I'm not so sure about."

She was quiet for a second. As much as talking about weddings was fun, it just reminded her of her father. Who would walk her down the aisle? Who would she dance with at her first dance?

"What's on your mind?"

"Nothing, I--" She started, "I miss my Dad."

"Me too." Kendall said.

She immediately felt bad for even thinking about her own grief. Kendall's wound was still fresh while Stella had grieved over a year ago.

"What happened to him?"

"He, um, went to sleep one night and didn't wake up." Hot tears pricked at her eyes. "My mom woke up next to his body. It was like, the worst thing ever."

"I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be talking about it right now. You're like, grieving your own loss."

"My Dad was a piece of shit." Kendall laughed. "But he was still my Dad."

"I know baby." She looked up at him, both holding back tears. "I know."

He kissed her softly. All she could see in the dark room was his face.

"I think I love you." Kendall said, like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"What?" Stella sat up. She was not expecting to hear those words.

"Sorry, uh--" Kendall stuttered, and for once, he didn't really know what to say.

"You love me?"

"Yeah. I fucking do." They sat across from each other on the couch again, Stella frowning to herself.

She had no fucking idea what to say, but she knew one thing. "I love you too, Ken." Stella mirrored the goofy smile plastered on his face.

"I fucking love you, Stella girl." He kissed her face all over, pushing her down on the couch. "Let me make you mine."

She hummed as his lips traveled down her neck. "I'm yours, Kendall." Stella giggled as his cold hands reached under her shirt.

"As much as I'd like to fuck you, I really have to get some rest." He whispered, putting his head on her collarbone.

Stella nodded, knowing tomorrow was just first day as CEO and staying up late wasn't exactly the best idea. "Do you wanna stay?"

Kendall's face lit up. He nodded eagerly.

-------------------------------------

Stella was awoken the next morning by her dog growling and barking from the kitchen. He probably wanted to be taken out. She rubbed her eyes, realizing that there was barely any light coming from the curtains. It had to be four in the morning. She rolled over, expecting to find Kendall, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Ken?"

"In here!" His voice boomed from the kitchen.

Stella reluctantly got out of bed, walking to the kitchen and seeing possibly the funniest thing she had ever seen.

Kendall was sitting criss-cross on the counter, hiding away from her dog. Stella couldn't help but laugh. Her dog was less than 15 pounds and was all bark and no bite. Of course, Kendall didn't know that and probably had never been around dogs in his life.

"Ken, oh my God." She giggled, taking a picture of his scared state on top of the counter.

"He was barking at me!"

"He's a chihuahua, Kendall." Stella said as she scooped up the little dog.

"Last time I checked, chihuahuas were mean."

"Okay, true. But Kurt is a sweetie, right baby?" She kissed the dog on the forehead. "Don't be mean to mommy's friend."

"Friend?" Kendall pretended to be hurt.

"Sorry. Don't be mean to mommy's boyfriend."

Kendall got down from the counter where Stella noticed he had been trying to make coffee with her old ass coffee maker.

"Oh, God, you didn't try to make coffee, did you?"

Kendall looked at her sheepishly. "When did you get this fucking thing? 1998?"

"When I was two years old? No."

"Jesus, you're a baby." He smiled at her. The age-gap thing was kind of weird for her still, as she had never dated someone as old as Kendall.

"And you're fucking old." She said, rummaging around to make coffee for him. "This coffee isn't great, sorry."

"It's okay. I'll have Fikret get me some. He's on his way."

Stella frowned, not ready to let Kendall leave their little bubble yet. "I'm so excited for you, Mr. CEO." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're gonna kill it."

#kendall roy #kendall succession #kendall roy x oc #kendall roy x reader

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kendallroygf · 1 year

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Your Kendall post speaks volumes. I never knew how to articulate it properly but I always think (idk if it’s canon or not) His ex wife is Jewish, his best friend Iranian and his daughter, South Asian. But he’s aligning himself with parties like ATN etc. I don’t know, it’s a funny thing to me because wether or not the writers did this on purpose or not but the people he’s closest to (aside from his sibs) are as you said, from marginalised communities. Does he think the amount of wealth a person earns suddenly makes them immune to a system that wasn’t originally built for anyone aside for people like him. I wonder what his stance would’ve been on Mckenen if he were in the room when they were all deciding who should be president. It’s more personal for him, his daughter is quite literally apart of the community that Mckenen demonises. Not even just for Kendall but for Stewy & Marcia too. Like they can’t be seen opposing people like him because where does that put them? Just being poc in a cooperate world is threatening enough. This is me putting too much thought into it while also knowing the writers maybe didn’t when it comes to the Sophie/Marcia/Stewy and the role they have to put on.

hmm i don’t know how qualified i am to speak on this but in terms of ‘aligning himself with atn’ i truly think it’s never been an conscious choice for kendall to do that. like it came with the job. logan groomed kendall to one day be in charge of waystar and subsequently atn for however many years and i think a consequence of that is that kendall doesn’t really have any concrete ideologies/beliefs, much like roman. but similar to shiv (although her politics are way more clear) he has this abstract idea of ‘doing good things’ with waystar and wanting to be a ‘good person’ but this in itself kind of centres around logan . like his desire to ‘be good’ is just a desire to be good in comparison to his father (i’m a good person i’m better than you etc) but ultimately kendall (in s1 mostly) wanted to be the Good Guy but without much foresight on what that actually looks like and i think that’s where his relationships with stewy, rava and sophie come in i suppose. but i don’t think kendall intentionally created a relationship with stewy and rava or adopted sophie out of tokenism or anything. i simply think he connected to stewy and rava in some way mostly because they oppose logan and what he Represents very outwardly and consciously or unconsciously that’s what kendall was looking for. it stems from that patricidal drive + resentment kendall’s always had for logan but ultimately i think kendall is too self absorbed to think more deeply about what stewy or his daughter might face esp in terms of the toxicity of atn or what part kendall himself plays in it all. but i think i agree with you in the sense it seems kendall does think material wealth kind of shields you from having to deal with institutionalised racism + i played back that scene and kendall says wrt to atn and waystar he’s ‘trying to keep the world safe’ for his kids so i do think that he thinks that sophie was ultimately safe from all that and he probably assumes people like stewy and marcia are too. so with that in mind i don’t think he really counts his daughter as part of the many marginalised groups that mencken demonises even though sophie as we see isn’t exempt from facing racism. like at all. as for what kendall’s stance would be on mencken if he was in that room in ‘what it takes’ i could not say for sure but i think that itself goes back to kendall not having any concrete ideology or politics except on an entirely abstract level. like mencken’s a ‘nazi’ but ‘on a business level, they need to have a relationship’ so i think honestly his stance would be completely determined by his state of mind wrt to himself and his father. but no yeah i agree it’s probably extremely difficult for stewy, marcia and stewy who have all at one point been othered or treated as nrpi by the roys while still being closely connected to it all.

#idk kendall’s politics are just so esp hard to pinpoint bc yeah he’s sensitive to logan’s antisemitism and other forms of prejudice but #then a whole lot of his outward politics are performative and he can only really empathise with the marginalised if he can relate to himself #*relate it to himself #in some way like w the cruise victims in s3 . like when he hates his dad in s3 shiv and roman are ‘nazi lovers’ but in s4 he thinks it’s #imperative they have a relationship on a ‘business level’ so i genuinely think he’s like roman and sees all that #as Not Real and politics as pointless in a way but also he does acc give a shit abt ppl but kind of surface level. nd regards to stewy and #marcia it’s complex bc they kind of chose to align themselves with atn and waystar and the roys like while obv they do exp racism #stewy is also friends with mencken according to arian and marcia Married logan so it’s not like kendall’s belief that material wealth #divorces you from true marginalisation is coming from nothing bc ultimately the amount go wealth marcia and stewy have acquired means #*of wealth #they’ve stepped on the backs of many also marginalised ppl themselves bc that’s like. literally what capitalism is.#but also i am 17 and do not have enough time to read the books i want to read so my knowledge is quite bare. i wish i could talk more on the #politics aspect of this in a more meaningful way but alas #but yeah. thank u for sending this ask this was soo interesting to talk abt #p #succ.#kendall

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kellm4n · 1 year

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attention is not caught easily, new tech companies have been sprouting like weeds in the garden of investors, billionaires often through their money like rain and hope one properly takes root. @batfall is old money, it’s in his veins. he’s the sort when he enters a room, people look, and more importantly : people talk. gerri is keenly aware.

he’s caught her interest, though it isn’t gossip she is after, she hasn’t hired a rat fucker to dig up bodies well hidden, she has no need to when the public as hoisted signs of slander in the streets, his face is plastered on every screen, is crumbled in every newspaper on the street, the media has not been kind to him, and most would think : with good reason. she is reminded not of logan when cold gaze finds him, dancing cross what she could only describe as melancholy features. he reminds her of roman, young enough he’s got promise, ideas that become branches, ideas that bare fruit, gerri cannot help but wonder if unlike roman he might know how to pick them.

“ you have quite a target on you. ” it is not a question but a statement, a fact. gerri has been in the game for decades, and she knows how hard it is to separate a company from their namesake, knows she should be perhaps, more cautious, but she has a job to do. “ starting a company to rival W.E. ” she’s stalling conversation, if they have her on this it means ATN has perhaps taken a step too far in some remark, and she’s here to assess if she needs to call his bluff or pull back.

#˚ ˑ ₊ ❛ interaction ₍ ₀₀₀ ₎#batfall #idk what this is but uh...#if this doesn't work lmk

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cauldronofmorning · 2 years

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I feel like I saw prague with new eyes by focusing on shiv—they’re all in hell in their own way, but shiv isn’t even in hell against the background of a party? she’s betrayed by gil on atn (yes i’m calling it betrayal) and has the worst meeting with logan and has no one real to turn to and then marcia snaps at her as part of logan’s power play and she’s just so alone? she’s so baby in that episode, I wanna watch it again but my heart is already in pieces

kendall kind of has frank and mostly has stewy, roman kind of has gerri and briefly has tabitha, and connor has willa. kendall is the chosen heir and he suffers for it, roman is the spare and he suffers for it, but shiv is ignored by logan and hated by her mother and has no one at all?

And all she can ask for is a “dog at the foot of the bed”, that’s the only kind of protection she can come up with. 😭

#succession #shiv roy

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bubblyani · 2 years

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Lingering

(Kendall Roy x Reader)

A Kendall Roy (Succession) One Shot

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 1.6k+

Author’s Note: I would like to thank this gif for inspiring me to write this One Shot. Simply kissing Kendall, a little moment worth indulging over. Talk about being whipped, eh? Enjoy y’all!

My previous Ken One Shot “Anything & Everything” can add a bit of depth and meaning to this fic even if these are both one shots. My Kendall Roy Masterlist

Lingering.

It was what your heart rejoiced for, when you kissed him. The manner in which every second was savored, brushing one’s nose against his. Drinking in the atmosphere of eventuality, before lips finally unite. Tasting his kisses at the slowest of speed.

It was the lingering, that deemed it all so worthwhile.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Thirsty.

That was what you were. Processing your need, you waited outside the building after ringing the bell, shrugging one’s shoulders acknowledging the Spring chill.

You took a gander at your surroundings. The spring bloom of the trees nearby served to be the most apt morning greeting, amidst the concrete jungle that was New York city.Returning to your thirst. You thirsted for rejuvenation. The scent of a roasting brew crossed your. mind, causing your mouth to water all the sudden. However, given where you stood, looking up at the majestic building before you, it was a different kind of rejuvenation you longed for. A pair of lips that belonged to a man whose beating heart you’d protect with all your life. It had been too long. Yet, today you would not be so fortunate. You knew.

Yet, there you were anyways, standing up straight as you heard the door open at last.

“Where on earth…did you get that Eggs Benedict recipe, and can I… steal it?”

You made your playful query at Carla, one of the Roy House Staff. As expected, she was surprised:

“You came all this way to tell me that?” She said, to which you shook your head.

“Nope” you said, “I also wanted to give you …this” as you handed her a rather big box, wrapped with a ribbon. Gasp left Carla’s lips when she opened it:

"Max Mara?” She exclaimed, taking out a cream – colored Cashmere shawl. “Your favorite, I presume?” “No. No! You shouldn’t have-” “Carla!” you said, “Your birthday is coming up this weekend” “But-” “Besides…” you said, “I really wanted to Thank you” you said, smiling, “You were always really nice to me coming over here” you said, brushing off some strands of hair off your face, “So this is nothing”

“Says the woman who can’t stop making Mr. Roy smile” the middle aged woman replied. The mere mention of him, was responsible for your bright smile, “Speaking of…did Kendall leave already?”

Carla’s mischievous smile was the best inaudible answer you could look forward to.

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“Isn’t he in there-” You shushed Carla inaudibly, “He’s here” mouthing to her, you turned. To look back at him once more.

Kendall Roy, your boyfriend. Oh! The mere thought lead to involuntary smiles. Keeping your smile intact, you found him sitting on his bed leaning against the headboard, engrossed in his phone. The sight of him never failed to refresh your being, and warm your heart. Every single time. And it had been countless. What could you say? You were poetic.

Closing the white colored door behind, you could not help be amused as to how he still had not noticed your presence in the room. The phone was indeed a huge distraction, along with ATN News playing in the background in the TV. Not to mention the moaning, groaning of New York traffic outside, filtering through the glass windows.

You slipped off your shoes, he did not bat an eyelid. Suppressing a chuckle, a playful urge grew within. You had never played a prank on him before. So why not today? Tip toeing towards the bed, you shifted your balance to crawl into bed. “Fuck!” Until the creak of the mattress made him look up. Still his shocked expression was all worth it. You chuckled. “Morning…” His shock morphed to relief and joy seeing you, “Hey…” he sighed, “When did you get here?” “Just now. Carla let me in” you said, getting into bed to sit cross legged. Kendall sat up: “I thought you have a busy day today with E-zee P-zee and the guys”

“Yep” You sighed, hunching before sitting up straight, “I was just on my way” you sighed again, “Oh gosh! It’s gonna be one long day of trying not pulling my hair whenever E-zee goes off key every…fuckin… line” shaking your head, you continued “You know-I tried so hard to make sure it was a melody he can actually sing in his fucking mundane range but-like! I can’t get myself to auto tune everything he sings. I have a reputation. My label has a reputation to maint-What?”

You intruded yourself by the sight of Kendall’s warm chuckles. Looking down, you chuckled back: “Sorry. I’m ranting” “No! No… its okay. Fuck! It’s just that-” He paused, pointing at you “You’re so cool. You’re the fucking shiz, babe” “Really?” “Fuck yeah!” You chuckled, “NOW you’re being a kiss-ass. Anyways…” you said, slapping your thighs “I’m really glad I could see you. Before I…” you sighed, “….head to the battlefield. This-” you paused. “What?” “This…” you said, pointing at his outift, “…oddly looks really nice” Donning one of his university t-shirt with his black work pants, the air he carried could also be another definition of “Smart-casual”. “Really? You think so?” He said, looking down at himself. You nodded, “Uh huh…very homely”

In all honesty, it was more than nice. Extremely attractive could be the phrase to cut it. Your eyes savored the manner in which his toned arms were positioned, how the soft material of the t-shirt rested on his torso. Why something so simple managing to intoxicate you in the morning?

“Uh…anyways…” snapping oneself out of the trance, you said, “What about you? Strategizing from home?” As you took a glance at the news. “Uh yeah…” “For the Shareholders Meeting?” “Uh huh” he said, looking back at his phone, “Trying to whip up something like a speech, so exchanging some pointers wi-” Kendall paused, “What… are …you doing?”

His query seemed justified, especially when you found yourself straddling him on the bed. Taking the phone from his now loose grip, you smiled: “Oh…thought I’d enjoy the view from here-Ah! Much better” confidence mixed with a hint of playful, you settled yourself over his hips. Raising his eyebrow, Kendall smiled, quite amused.

“Oh really? And why is that?” He asked. You swore his low, warm hum of a query resonated in you, to the point of awakening you, right between your thighs. “Cause I’m on a mission” “Pray tell…” Unable to contain oneself by the eye contact you maintained, you finally snickered: “Nah man! I just really wanted to kiss you” “Oh? Really?” “No” “Wait what-” Laughing even louder, you cupped his face, “I’m kidding. But yes, I do wanna kiss you though” you said, as mutual laughter drowned the sounds of the tv.  “So uh…” Kendall’s low hum was back, “you’re gonna do the thing?” You raised your eyebrows in turn, “What thing?” “You know…the thing you do before…” he purred. In a flash, your eyes grew wide with surprise. “Wait, you noticed that?” “Of course” he said, his eyes growing soft leaning towards you, “It’s nice” he breathed. Lust induced, yet pure at heart, his words concealed a dire need he longed for.

Exhaling deep yet quiet, your finger tips grew light on his face as you pressed your forehead against his. Ever since you both revealed feelings to one another, the kisses exchanged between you two were too many to count. Who knew how observant he was, enough to notice your every move. When you lingered. Kendall Roy fell in love with you, but also with what made you, you. Your artistry, your romanticism. The manner in which romanticizing the smallest act seemed involuntary for you. The manner in which you lingered.

And so you proceeded.

Thus you knew his attention had always remained unchanged, as you closed off the distance between you two. Inhaling the atmosphere and his musk, brushing your nose against his felt just as soft as landing one’s head on a soft pillow. Butterflies flying with frenzy inside caused the magnetic energy between you both to flourish. For a few seconds, you indulged as always, the fact that he was yours, and you were his, before hungry lips surrender to each other. First with dignity, only to lose it over time.

“I want you” his lazy drawls woke you from the intoxication that was his kiss. “I thought you were strategizing” you teased, wrapping your arms around his neck. “Later” he breathed, pressing his torso against your own, “What about your recording?” “Mmmm…For once, they can wait for a bit” you hummed, “Besides, why do I have to be the only one to show up on time?” “Oho! Bad girl…” evil chuckle left Kendall’s lips, which you responded with your own. “Only for you…” you whispered against his ear, “..and cause you noticed” Before snatching his lips with your own with heated passion and speed. And like a choreography, hands knew where to reach, what to touch. For instance, you rejoiced when he grabbed you by the hair, only to pull it back and kiss you hard, kiss you deep. And how the rejoicing continued with much gusto as bodies began to collide in the form of rolls and thrusts.

Sunlight courtesy of the spring morning filtered through the windows, providing the room with great atmosphere and ambience when you found yourself be seduced by him. The manner in which he always did. Clothes slipping out with ease and speed, never took long for the lovers to feel the softness of the crisp white sheets. And more importantly. To reunite which was long-awaited.

And even today, you confirmed as always, making Love to Kendall Roy, it was an experience.

But so was kissing him. And the lingering beforehand.

Oh, the lingering, certainly made it all worthwhile.

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My Kendall Roy Masterlist

Tagged: @tammykelly @loveandthings11 Lemme know if you wanna get tagged.

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sigurdjarlson · 2 years

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Is Greg gay?

Canonically? I honestly wish I could answer this with a resounding yes but admittedly I’m not entirely sure.

I hope he is

This got long oops sorry 😅

There’s definitely a lot of things there that could point to it but since nothing concrete has ever been shown/talked about I can’t say for certain:

I think it would make him a far less interesting character if he’s straight

Personally I read him as deeply closeted. Partially because of his desire to distance himself completely from anything that makes him similar to his father. He doesn’t have an issue with gay people but he has an issue with him being gay if that makes sense

That’s just speculation though so back to more canon material

We know Greg is fairly receptive or at the very least tolerant of Tom’s insane behavior towards him which even to Greg has to be questionable at times. (“I won’t let go of what is mine” ?)

The fact he wants to be around Tom after he says shit like “I’d castrate and marry you in an heartbeat” is kind of wild honestly? Requited Tomgreg my beloved

He also has been actively seeking Tom’s company out more and more..which could be out of loneliness but he seems to genuinely enjoy Tom’s presence when he’s not being a dick. And it just seems to be getting progressively gayer

One scene that really stands out tho when thinking about Gay Ass Greg tho is the scene where it really does look like Greg spent the night with Andrew Dodds. He drops Greg off to talk to Tom while jogging and Greg throws “great night!” Over his shoulder.

This isn’t anything concrete. We don’t know what they did. They could have smoked weed and did Ketamine and passed out for all we know but..why show us it? Succession writers are very detail oriented. They don’t usually do things without reason.

It’s also interestingly enough shown right before he talks to Tom who he obviously has this homoerotic relationship with:

But then we come to the whole Comfrey thing.

Ironically the whole dating ladder arc made me more convinced Greg is gay? His interest does not seem genuine. That’s proven quickly when he at the first sign of reciprocation he loses interest in her only to gain it back when Shiv suggests he can get something out of this with Comfrey and/or the Contessa.

It just reads as very fake and forced and I think it’s supposed to? Greg isn’t being genuine with either of them but he wasn’t with Comfrey even before he started his dating ladder crusade.

His original attempts at flirting with Comfrey come across across very much as “this is what I’m supposed to do” and then it’s purely to climb the dating ladder and nothing more

Of course there is the possibility he’s bisexual but his interactions with women ironically make me more convinced he’s gay. Especially when you compare those instances with how he interacts with Tom.

Not to mention the narrative keeps putting him in the position of “other woman” with Tom in a way like they’re framing it that way on purpose I think.

The scene where him and Tom both look at their phones and meet up at a diner? Even Tom’s invitation the first time they hung out “ Shiv is out of town so let me take you out”

And like I said there are a lot of reasons he’s want to stay closeted. His own confusing relationship with homosexuality because of his father and the brat he works for ATN which pushes extremely bigoted material.

(Adds a whole other layer of depth to him not wanting to work there so badly honestly. He clearly did not want to blackmail Tom but he wanted out badly until Tom offered him a significant promotion and he seemingly decides alright I can deal)

His uncle is also blatantly homophobic and has been to his face even though it wasn’t aimed at Greg: (“I don’t want someone to find him at the bottom of some French Fag’s pool” “No..no none of us want that”)

And I’m sure he’s had his share of shit thrown his way for being the guy with the gay dad who ran out on him. Whether it be jokes in poor taste from his cousins maybe or Logan making backhanded comments to Ewan.

Also the environment he’s in in general is extremely homophobic.. Gay sex is constantly being framed as something degrading and wrong. “I heard you bent for him and he fucked you.” I know Greg didn’t hear that line but it’s a good example of the type of talk I’m referring to that’s constantly being thrown around.

At the same time he’s in this homoerotic situation with Tom. Because Tom’s attempts to use this kind of humor to fit in usually falls flat. It comes out genuine, forced or suggestive. (Because he’s closeted too)

And of course we have the infamous

Which convinced me that if he’s not gay then he is at least bisexual. I know Nbraun improvised this line but the fact they kept it in says volumes about what they’re letting be implied here.

And of course we have the Nero and Sporus thing which while coming from Tom..the narrative is pointing at the parallel. Loudly.

The way their handshake is part of ancient Roman marriage

And then we have the costume designers admitting they match Greg and Tom on purpose because “he’s Tom’s real partner on the show”

And I just…we have scenes like this where I have to wonder why is it framed like that

#succession asks #asks

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pynkhues · 3 years

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Hey! I hope you are doing well in these crazy times we are living in😅. I love your meta on pretty much anything and seeing how you also love the show succession, I would like to ask for your take on Kendall and Shivs relationship. They seem to be very jealous of each other but also seem to perceive the other as their biggest rival and therefore have a grudging respect for the others capabilities. I also noticed how good they are at attacking each others vulnerabilities with Shiv on multiple occasions calling Kendall weak and unstable and Kendall rubbing Shivs gender (mansplaining to her) in her face. Sorry for the long ask and have good day!

Hey! I’m doing okay! I hope you are too. And you don't have to apologise at all! I love wordy anons, haha, even if they sometimes take me a minute to reply to. Thank you for your kind words too. 💖

Honestly, I could pretty much talk about Shiv and Kendall's relationship all day, haha. It's such an emotionally complicated and rich dynamic, and while it's on a show that's chock-full of emotionally complicated and rich dynamics, there's something in particular about Shiv and Kendall's that seems to soar when we see it in action. I think a lot of that is because it's one that's as full of contradictions as it is of these sorts of horrible, unchanging, immovable facts.

They're both petty and competitive and jealous people, like you said, and it's the fact that they've been brought up to see their father's love as a prize to be won that's ultimately compounded those traits and seen them grow into pretty messed up adults, haha. More than anything though, I think it's the competition and the context of Shiv and Kendall's upbringing which has created this sort of paradox for them too.

Kendall and Shiv watch each other closely because they want to be able to see, predict and undermine the other, but at the same time, they try to (badly, a lot of the time) conceal and isolate themselves from each other. On it's own, that ability to know each other and not know each other at all would be interesting, but the show's writers and Jeremy and Sarah in playing Kendall and Shiv really build off of that to show just how lonely and desperate for connection they are too.

That in itself manifests in these moments of fractured connection and protective instincts that are so often self-sabotaged – Kendall asking Shiv to take care of him only for Shiv to sacrifice him at the end of s2 being the biggest example of course, but also moments like Shiv going after Logan in therapy for planting the stories about Kendall in ATN in s1, and Kendall going after Logan for calling Shiv a coward. These beats aren't just about showing that the Roy kids love and need each other, but how much they're isolated from each other too.

Shiv and Kendall don't defend each other when the other's there for instance. Kendall never checks to see if Shiv's okay, and Shiv never actually talks to Kendall about his relapse – these moments show us that the love is there, but the connection isn't. These characters are reaching out to each other at the same time they slap away any hand that's offered.

The thing about all the Roy kids is that they've been played off each other their entire lives and made to believe they want this thing that I don't think any of them actually want, and because Shiv and Kendall are the most competitive, the ones with the hunger and the capacity and the survivalism, I think they've simultaneously seen in each other a rival and a mirror. The result is something that I think often makes them this mass of contradictions with each other – they're both jealous and they're proud when the other succeeds, delighted and upset when they fail, extremely scathing and critical of one another and yet protective too. It's what makes the betrayals all the more painful, and I'm so excited to see what happens in s3.

#i just love them a lot #i keep thinking about shiv spitting in a notebook in kendall's office in the s3 teaser haha #it lives rent free in my head right now #shiv roy #kendall roy #kendall + shiv #hbo succession #welcome to my ama

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coolestfinch · 2 years

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ok i’m about to make a response to this post:

and i’m just warning y’all right now: if you’re a die-hard shiv fan then u will NOT wanna read this lmao. in the end, it is just a tv show. but i heavily disagree w their points and if y’all wanna call me a misogynist for it then go ahead but block me afterwords. cool? cool.

it was never said that kendall was a shitty husband. or really implied. he was always very kind to rava and she didn’t seem to have any hatred towards him. he was neglectful bc he’s an addict and also a businessman, which isn’t an excuse but like it’s not like he doesn’t love his kids or actively avoids them like logan. roman did NOT harass gerri, she could’ve stopped him at any time and she knows it. she holds the power in that relationship. we clearly saw that with the dick pic slip. idk why people insist he’s this perverted gross pig who is sexually harassing her for fun when it’s obviously so much more than that. gerri could have had him called out and fired ages ago. she's not the stupid old woman you people act like she is! as far as backing fascists….. sorry but that’s the show lol. he was doing it for his father. as he does EVERYTHING in the series. if u think he’s a nazi sympathizer for that then maybe u shouldnt watch the show at all bc like... every character does that (including shiv!). also- shiv FUCKING GAVE TOM that job at ATM. he was supposed to be ceo and she snuffed him!!! did we fucking forget that??? he never wanted ATN, she did that. what was he supposed to do, say no?? and “abusing his employees”? dude get over yourself. human footstool was a display of power and most likely written for comedy rather than to try and make tom out to be some abusive maniac boss. shiv is MORE than a bad wife. she’s just as, if not more, morally corrupt than any of them. she is logan’s daughter. and it shows. i think out of all the siblings she is the most cut out for being ceo because of how ruthless and killer she can be, and that’s not a good thing!! she silenced the mother of that dead kid, she tried to use her status as a woman to smooth over the whole rapestar bullshit. she is so much more than a bad wife. and to be fair, it’s a show where EVERYONE IS BAD. everyone is morally grey. but acting like she’s somehow better than the boys bc she’s a girlboss or some shit is so airheaded. i PERSONALLY think she’s worse! bc she actively manipulates and hurts tom in more ways than one, and the boys don’t. she’s the only one who’s been shown to be that… i don’t wanna say “abusive”, (but what else do you call it?) towards her partner. not a single other character besides logan would tell their partner "i don't love you. you'll never be good enough for me" etc. she is a sympathetic villain, but a villain nonetheless. i LOVE her character, i love her arc, but pretending like she's not a fucked up person who hurts people for personal reasons rather than business (like roman and kendall) is just wrong. and if your only defense to her character is "WELL IF U THINK SHES WORSE THEN UR A MISOGYNIST!!!!" then ur just shitty at media analysis. sorry!

#im gonna regret posting this arent i .... oh dear #my post #succession

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ghostmartyr · 3 years

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/clears throat/ so, Immi, I hear you like the locked tomb, which is fantastic! from one person also escaping the snk series into TLT to another, what did you think of the characters and plot in HtN? are there any things you're most excited to see when Alecto comes out in 2022?

-pats lifeboat- This baby can fit so much trauma.

SPOILERS, naturally.

With another paragraph informing the curious that unspoiled is the way to go into HtN, since if you aren’t lost and confused, are you really reading Harrow the Ninth?

I read it all in one day, and that was a choice. It does mean my memory and understanding of what all went on is slightly dependent on someone else on the internet exploding over a particular set of paragraphs and explaining their significance to me, but I still enjoyed the hell out of it.

HtN disappointed me on one front in that I was hoping seeing more of Harrow 1.0 would help out any future fic endeavors. On everything else, like the first one, being told the story is such a good time that I’m willing to wait on a full comprehension of where it’s going.

I also really like second person.

What I loved most about HtN is how even without Gideon mentioned until very, very late in the book, you can feel her absence everywhere. In the wrong bubble flashbacks you’re commanded to examine the strangeness, but even in Harrow going about her day, the isolation and the wrongness of it decorate her every action. She’s alone, and she shouldn’t be, and the loss she’s unaware of bleeds into a constant echo of grief.

I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated absence as a narrative tool so much. Obviously griddlehark hours go hard once they start in HtN, but even before then, there is so much power to their connection that looking into a world where it never exists still manages to punch you in the heart with how much each one inhabits everything the other is.

The whole series is amping me up with a few thoughts on loneliness, honestly. Gideon and Harrow grow up alone on the Ninth, save for each other. It takes leaving for that to be any kind of good thing. The first book is tag team Among Us with everyone in their little clusters, slowly learning what other people are about as they all drop dead.

The second book has a different vibe and different plot things going on, but it’s similar in that the protagonist gets thrown into a world they don’t fit and have to put on a show. Only now there are even fewer people to familiarize with, with that number correlating directly to how they all killed the person closest to keeping them from being alone.

Lyctorhood is taking the person dearest to your heart and trapping them there forever while they’re stripped of everything that made them who they are.

...Also Ianthe is there.

Gideon, Mercy, and Augustine are the last Lyctors standing after 10,000 years. There were only seven, starting out. Sixteen acolytes who came to the First. The only pair who didn’t succeed in condensing themselves is separated from the pack and sent to live away from their peers on a tiny planet that no one has anything good to say about.

Alecto is John’s -- who even knows, past A Lot, and he puts her to sleep and locks her in a prison no one but he can get past.

God has seven friends. More if you want to count the people in the Cohort, but realistically, he has seven friends. Then they keep dying.

Harrow spends HtN in a spaceship with five people.

One is trying to kill her.

One ordered that one to try to kill her.

Two could not care less about the useless baby Lyctor.

One is Ianthe.

There is no real endgame. There is surviving life, and life has become a game of running as far away as possible so you don’t share your ruin upon your inevitable death.

It’s bleak and sad.

Harrow’s healthiest relationships are with dead people, and some of them she didn’t know at all in life.

Reiterating it, the most plot significant bit of the world is finding someone else in the world, swearing yourself to them, and smashing your souls together until you’ve lost the connection entirely.

My brain’s not in the best place so I can’t do more than gesture loudly at it, but a few people have mentioned that the series’ thesis is a counter to Ianthe’s statement that love is acquisitive.

Harrow tightens her hold around Gideon until Gideon would rather she just strangle her and get it over with, all things considered. It fucks them both up, and when they start working to get past it, circumstance wraps a chain around both their throats.

The necromancers who become imperfect Lyctors have all acquired their cavaliers, and besides the cav, it kills that bond.

Harrow’s rejection of that is why Gideon’s soul is still in the world of the living (and John blood).

She has spent her entire life eating pieces of Gideon to keep herself a horrid imitation of whole, and when she is finally offered that, she refuses.

Grief and how Harrow just can’t are active elements of the book, and Magnus gives her more therapy in five minutes talking about it than she has ever had in her life, but the reason why that isn’t the end of Gideon is because, unlike all the other Lyctors, Harrow turns the offer down.

With the exception of Babs and Ianthe, the relationship between cavaliers and necros about to do the Lyctor thing is cavaliers promising to burn for an eternity while their necromancer lives off the fumes.

Fuck that is Harrow’s response.

Cytherea says, in the aftermath, that they had the choice to stop.

Harrow stops.

A lifetime of doing exactly what Gideon is telling her to do with her death, and Harrow chooses to stop.

Harrow remembers Ortus’ poetry. She regularly sees her congregation off to their deaths. She keeps Gideon’s glasses. She views Palamedes, head exploded and all, as an infinitely better person than she is because of the quality of his exemplary character. She pulls Gideon the First from the incinerator on the night she plans to kill him.

Kiddo has so many fucking issues, but somewhere, she has learned to respect people for being people. That’s why she and Gideon are the heroes of the story, ultimately, and Ortus saying that they’re heroes worthy of the Ninth doesn’t fall flat. They’re actually trying.

Where that puts us for Alecto, I don’t pretend to know.

Since the first book is the temptation of an end to isolation, only to have it snatched away, the second book is the continuation of isolation with a few promising sparks of human connection that pave the way for hope...

That leaves the third book to shed the isolation and allow the connections to thrive.

With Gideon and Harrow MIA.

I know that the books kick things up into high gear in the final acts each time, but if they’re both gone for the majority of the book, no matter how much fun it is, I’m going to miss them. They’re the core leads, and I don’t want to be without them in the final part.

The 2022 release date has aged my soul. I deliberately planned my GtN read to land a month before HtN came out, then suffered when that was delayed. When really that was nothing at all. I hate waiting.

(Insert note that I’m very glad they aren’t forcing Muir to rush anything out. It’s been a rough time, but also, just in general authors should have the opportunity to create the best versions of their art they can, so the extra time hurts, but it’s obviously for the best.)

What I’m most excited for is probably the cover art. The first two have been awesome, and the artist said he’d likely do print sales for all three when the third’s revealed. My wallet cries but my heart does not.

What I dare not be excited for is the potential for Gideon and Harrow meeting again and perhaps hugging. In their own bodies.

I’d take other bodies, but ideally, y’know.

Also I would love for Harrow to finally meet her popsicle girlfriend.

I doubt it would be a wholly positive experience, but by golly I want it. Maybe they could hug too. It would probably kill Harrow again, but who doesn’t expect several people to die again in the third book?

However it plays out, I’m expecting to enjoy AtN. The writing’s the sort that I’ll happily follow wherever it goes. For everything else, there’s fanfic. The only real worry I have is the whole book will be narrated by Ianthe, and while I mentally groan at that, I actually find Ianthe’s commentary delightful, so even in the worst case scenario I’m having a good time.

Thank you so much for the ask.

#Harrow the Ninth #Gideon the Ninth #The Locked Tomb #asks #oh I don't have an ask tag for the tomb yet #should work on that #tl;dr #viva la pluto

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pertinax--loculos · 3 years

Text

Update

Gonna try a new thing. I've seen these weekly updates from other writeblrs and it appeals to me because I can blather about writing or lack of writing (if it's been one of Those weeks), I can also include anything else I want, and it's a manageable goal to have for a start.

Tentatively breaking it up into writing, reading OR watching, real life (if applicable), and possibly excerpt (again, if applicable).

So! (Warning: This is long. I seriously babble like nothing else.)

Currently Writing Absent That Night (tagged: WIP: ATN)

wordcount: no clue, it's all on my phone and I've been writing scenes I'd previously written snippets for, so it's a mash-up. (Which reminds me I need to back it all up at least onto my computer.)

Proud of the short summary I did for my pinned post, so repeating it here:

Agent Latrell has been chasing the thief known as Nox for more than three years; but when bodies start turning up at his crime scenes, he’s the only one who believes Nox isn’t responsible. Unfortunately, he’s also the only other suspect. In order to clear his name, he’s going to have to find the real killer; and the only way to do that is to team up with a criminal who, it turns out, he knows absolutely nothing about.

still love love LOVING this WIP. I've got pages and pages of notes, and it is probably getting a wee bit too complex with subplots and suspects etc, but I'm an overwriter anyway so if I end up with a 200k word draft then shrug. More to work with

dunno if I mentioned or just thought it was obvious because I know it so well, but it has an enemies/rivals-to-allies(lovers?) (sub?)plot. So I've been pulling out a lot of threads there

technically I'm up to about halfway between the catalyst and break into two. Definitely not hardcore plotting but I do have an idea of the beats I wanna follow in the back of my head

Nox is still a fucking mess. I should probably stop piling trauma onto him, poor guy

my favourite creation this week is Mark Gault, who is a secondary/minor character who is amazing in every way. He is both essentially a ruthless mercenary and the "I LOVE MY WIFE" guy. (I also keep calling him Grant, instead of Mark, because he's actually the father of a character who first appears in Phase Two of CASCADE. (!!!))

basically happy with how it's all going this week. Regular writing is getting the juices flowing and it's easier to come up with ideas even when I've only got a vague notion of what is supposed to happen in the scene.

guys i am such an overwriter this is ridiculous please send help this scene was supposed to be like 2.5k total and it's turned into 4-5 scenes and is like 10k long dear god--

Currently Reading Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater, book three of the Raven Cycle

I have not just jumped in at book three of a series, I have read the previous two.

in the last week.

I've read eleven books in the last five weeks, so that's... something.

they have all been thrillers except for this series. (And also Girl One, which despite being marketed as a thriller was definitively NOT a thriller. Which, yes, I should've guessed from the tag line, but I'm still mad about it.)

I am in love with the prose. It feels similar to mine, but Better, and I have been unconsciously mimicking it.

(which may be a problem when I finish it and am still writing ATN, but that is an issue for Future Pockets)

ngl I was not a fan of the way the first book ended. Not only did I have to reread the final line multiple times in order to even begin to grasp it, but I kinda think it's a dick move to end on a cliffhanger, even for an established author and clear indications this was gonna be a series

(but you bought the next book, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU??)

very very much enjoying the series, to be concise (ha!). Love the characters and it's all pretty tightly paced. The overarching series arc kiiinda maybe feels a bit slow/irrelevant, and some of the motivations annoy me, but I keep reminding myself it's YA in which the motivations are in character, so

not far into this one yet but so far so good

I wrote this earlier this week and since have begun thinking the series arc is becoming more relevant, but am reserving judgement. Reading slower with work and reading but still enjoying it all

Real Life

continues to be mostly a pain in the ass. Apps in for a second job, research on next year ongoing

update: may have the dream second job, basically waiting for confirmation (fingers crossed!)

one of my housemates is the literal devil, although even that is being quite kind to her. The nice one is moving out because of it. People keep asking how I've lived in this house for three years. I have no answer.

enjoying writing time in evenings and feeling mentally pretty good thanks to exercise

Excerpt Long, nearly 900 words, but a favourite of recent pieces and also something I coincidentally wrote today. Nox and Latrell's third meeting, when Latrell is still, uh... resistant to the idea of working with him:

"Why me?" Not at all the way Latrell had intended to phrase it, but he couldn't take it back. He continued, quickly, instead, jumbled thoughts pouring out of his mouth. "Surely that's the least you can give me. You come to me and ask me to fucking help you after you've made the last three months of my life living hell, you can at least fucking tell me why the fuck that is. You owe me that much. I'm not letting you fucking walk away until you fucking answer me that."

Nox was silent for a long moment. He ran a calculating gaze up and down Latrell, as if searching for something; it wasn't apparent whether or not he'd found it when he said, softly, "And if I don't?"

Latrell was abruptly very aware of the weight of the handcuffs in his back pocket. He would have to move quickly. There was every possibility Nox would see this coming, especially if he'd been arrested before. But Latrell was quietly confident. He inched his hand back, keeping it subtle, eyes on Nox's face.

"In that case," he said, as evenly as he could. His fingertips brushed warm metal. "Perhaps we should try something--"

Everything went white.

For a moment Latrell thought he'd somehow lost consciousness; that he'd underestimated Nox's affinity for violence, that the man had punched him or otherwise managed to incapacitate him without otherwise moving. Then it occurred to him that he was still thinking, which essentially took unconsciousness off the table, and he realised, vaguely, that it was an illusion.

It was very, very convincing.

The entire world was an endless expanse of emptiness. Utterly, absolutely white, a whiteness that could not and should not exist. Latrell was overcome by a sensation of falling, of plummeting into nothingness; he had to concentrate to feel his feet still on the ground, to know he was still upright. He had nothing to orient himself. There was no up, no down, no left or right. Just that endless expanse of a lack of colour. He was hanging in nothingness, or everything.

"You forget who you are dealing with, Agent."

Latrell swallowed down nausea. Nox's voice came from startlingly close, the sound of it somehow wrong, which objectively he knew came from the fact that his brain was convinced it should sound small and insubstantial in this endless void but it sounded normal because he was actually still standing in the alley. It was academic knowledge only. He still felt like he was tipping or falling or rising, weightless and disoriented. He had no voice, no ability to open his mouth.

Experimentally he tried to take a step. He couldn't lift his foot off the ground. Physically, he was sure he could -- he could still twitch his fingers, if he thought about it -- but his mind was convinced that there was nothing to step away from, nothing to step onto. Just nothing, nothing, nothing. A brightness that wasn't a light, a void constructed of the pieces between atoms.

Nox's voice came from his other side this time. "I have attempted to do this civilly, but there are other options."

It was a struggle to concentrate on his words, close as they were. Latrell tried to narrow his focus to only sound, tried to ignore the nothingness he was suspended in, tried to tell himself it was all an illusion. Just something Nox wanted him to see. The Orn, threaded through his eyes or brain or soul, acting upon Nox's orders.

It didn't help. He was still in freefall.

"Do not," Nox's voice came, a bare whisper in his ear, breath brushing Latrell's neck, "Presume to test me."

Abruptly the white disappeared. Latrell was back in the alley, trying to adjust to the change of light, trying to find where Nox had gone. Turning his head made the ground roil beneath him and he staggered, utterly disoriented.

Fingers closed around his forearm, steadying him, and Latrell looked up to find Nox inches away.

"Easy, Agent," he purred. His smile was more a baring of his teeth.

Latrell wrenched away from him, staggering until his back connected with a comfortingly solid wall. He was dizzy, brain still adjusting to reality, but he managed to straighten his spine and set his shoulders. He kept his hands in front of him. In Nox's view.

"Do we have an understanding?" Nox said, still silky and low.

"Screw you," Latrell said, voice faint and alien.

Nox's smirk sharpened. "I thought so. Lovely chat, Agent Latrell." He sauntered past where Latrell stayed pressed against the wall, hesitated at the corner of the alley. "Keep up the good work."

He stepped forward and disappeared from view.

Latrell's breath left him in a rush and he doubled over, bracing himself on his knees. His head still spun, the unpleasant sensation he'd come to expect from vertigo. The backs of his eyelids were painted with a stark blank white. Every time he blinked he was engulfed.

It was far beyond any illusion he'd ever experienced. It was approaching the type he'd only ever read about in scientific articles.

You forget who you are dealing with, Agent.

Perhaps he had. But this assault supplied more than a reminder.

It also provided a piece of the puzzle.

#we'll go with #weekly update #WIP: ATN #excerpt #pockets muses IRL #god you can't tell i'm an overwriter at all can you #somebody please shut me up #>.<

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the-everqueen · 3 years

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harrow or gideon from TLT for the character ask meme?

so Harrow is baby

how i feel about this character: having grown up as the devout eldest (only) daughter in a super religious environment with high expectations that i would make all the good choices my parents never got to...i relate very much to Harrow Nonagesimus. it was very hard not to read HtN as a metaphor for my experience in grad school during quals exams. but mostly...Harrow has really given me a compassion for my child-self that i had a hard time mustering prior to TLT. i can look at her, with all her damage and hurt and longing and desire for home, and feel something that isn’t the disgust or self-hatred that i used to direct at child-me.

all the people i ship romantically with this character: fellas, is it gay to perform a self-lobotomy so you won’t erase/consume your childhood enemy whom you’ve hated and loved your whole life? i love how complicated Gideon and Harrow’s relationship is. i love how MESSY Ianthe and Harrow are together. i love that Harrow hallucinates the Body coming to hold her and haunt her. Harrow just wants to be known and touched. not to be all Freudian but...can we really blame her for wanting the kind of mother-love she never experienced?? especially when god turned out to be a poor father.

my non-romantic OTP for this character: Harrow and Pal, i love them, i love that Pal looked at this twitchy, traumatized, religious girl and said, “i’m not going to treat you the way everyone else did.” i love that Pal is kind and that that kindness has the potential to utterly undo Harrow in unexpected ways.

my unpopular opinion about this character: once again...i exist in the margins of fandom, often by design. i have SO MANY THOUGHTS but also i WILL go crazy if someone comes at me with basic reading comprehension failure, i deal with that enough in my job. that being said, idk if it’s unpopular, but i imagine Harrow as a Brown girl, though i judge her so harshly for her super white palette (while i also acknowledge that saltines are my comfort food and the Anglo just JUMPS OUT there).

one thing i wish would happen/had happened in canon: i have no intelligent guesses for AtN. i do want Harrow to get An Moment of loving, even if the end is ultimately sad.

Give me a character

#ask games #locked tomb blogging #harrow is my socially awkward necro-prodigy daughter #HtN spoilers

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ace-and-spade · 5 years

Text

All Trapped In This Fabulous Show || Alastair || Trial 6.2 [MM TRIAL] || RE: Everyone || ATN: Everyone + Akito

The dominos fell as they did, one by one. Albeit, this didn’t happen exactly as planned. He knew that Meifen wouldn’t dare give him the satisfaction that he needed oh so desperately from everyone else. The truth of the matter is, he didn’t want forgiveness, or anything as to what the brunette had theorized. He just wanted to be known that he was right when everyone else had theorized and believed otherwise. It did genuinely surprise him that Alma herself would actually apologize to him, even if it was in a way that wasn’t meant to be kind. Cyprien was also a bit of a surprise, albeit less so. It all came together, despite any grudges that were placed down.

Much quicker than he would have expected, in fact. The Exorcist had brought up evidence about a movie in the office, specifically, the one that opened up the painting. It personally gave him a bit of satisfaction to hear him call the princess who betrayed them all a “back-stabbing bitch”, but he wouldn’t dare let it not, oh, not quite yet. The Dramaturge in question ended up giving an attempt to try defending himself from being persecuted as the mastermind in question. He gave it all he could - citing back to when he could have pulled off cruel feats. Back to when he could have shown no mercy, but how he wanted to have everyone escape out of here alive…

“Why are you trying to hide in the limelight?”

Alastair wouldn’t let him off that easily, now. He turns to Alessandro, a pleased smile on his lips. “Excellent work, Mister Capitani. That was actually something I was going to bring up to everyone else. You see, I had been shuffling through the movies to watch in my own time near the beginning of my stay. One of them happened to be Shrek the Third. At the time, I wasn’t aware it opened the painting’s passageway. I simply grabbed a handful of movies, and… well, this conversation can be saved for later.” He turns towards the remaining blonde, his eyes narrowing. “For now, it’s time to address the counterargument. The theory that I have, one that I share with Mister Capitani.”

The moment he mentions this, however, he closes his eyes, and pulls out his briefcase once more. He pulls out a familiar journal that is seen by those paying attention to the Negotiator. The sword may have fallen, and the shield may have arisen for the man dressed in creamy white. His defenses may have been up, but with everything he has in here, he will strike down the evidence, at least in his mind he will. Alastair flips through the pages of the book, letting a soft “hmm” pass his lips. “Though, you believe that the movie isn’t enough evidence, which I do understand. Do not worry, for there is evidence that can prove otherwise. There is a reminder that I have to provide, however.”

“Let us start by recapping what Mister Capitani mentioned: Shrek the Third’s plot.” He holds the torn paper to read the text he himself had written out. “The villains of the story, as stated before, are Prince Charming and Rapunzel, someone who had betrayed her friends. The original purpose behind Charming’s motivations was to avenge his late guardian - the Fairy Godmother. So even Charming had motivations behind his actions. In any case, the painting on the wall alludes to the two fairy tale characters in question. There is a blonde woman and a dark haired man, yes, but keep in mind: they’re both Prince and Princess. Both Miss Higasa and our current suspect were Rapunzel and Prince Charming in the murals, as mentioned before. But that’s not enough evidence, now, is it?” His eyes lift up towards the man with the mask over his eye, and continues on with his speech.

“Akito Mikage. Why have I waited until now to say his name? His full name, in fact? His name leads to clues that you all have brought up beforehand, but had either tossed aside as other information, or slightly misunderstood it. Let me bring up the most important piece of evidence relating to this: the Himiko, or ‘Himika’ note. Miss Lucero had theorized that it had to do with Miss Higasa, Mister Mizushima, and Mx Kawaguchi. She was one third correct… No, let me correct myself. One half. Why do I say that? There is not three people involved in that spelling of Himika, but two. One, Hi, for Higasa. The other? Mika, for Mikage.” His eyes gaze towards Amora, who must have been at her throne. “It would make sense that the other half had more lettering involved - wouldn’t it make sense if the real mastermind took more credit for the crimes involved?”

“This brings me to another point in mind: Miss Moretti’s note. Four people were considered as dangerous threats. Miss Lucero, yes, I was surprised to hear. Perhaps it’s her ability to keep her cool and stay determined, but that can be said about anyone here. Myself, it was possibly because I knew too much. That leaves the other two candidates: the names read as Akito and Blanche respectively. The latter was already proven to be involved in the case, and with this note placed, how could that not correlate to our situation? How could she not be dangerous if she was involved with our capture? Would the same not be said for one Mister Akito Mikage? Someone who is known to be respectful, kind, and courageous in the darkest of times to and for others - but one who had played them all in the end?” Silence ensues between everyone for a solid minute in time. Alastair’s eyes open, and they meet with the Dramaturge once more.

“Your move.”

[art credit for the gif goes to @allyssinian! <3]

#chapter 6 #trial 6 #alastair #submission

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