╔═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╗

introducing
a girldirt
production

╚═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╝

IF SOMEONE ASKED ME AT THE END
I'D TELL THEM PUT ME BACK IN IT

CORDELIA VERNON HAS A PROBLEM. okay, maybe she has more than one. a penchant for liquor and expensive clothes. an issue with optics: courtesy of logan roy's insistence on documenting her very poor, very public decision making. two dead parents and a step-father she's refused to speak to in over a decade. that's not even touching the surface of her fraught past as shiv roy's much begrudged best friend. but all of these are insurmountable when faced with the issue of her very existence: at her core, CORDELIA VERNON DOES NOT KNOW WHAT SHE WANTS.

this is entirely unsurprising for a woman whose social standing and transient connection to the roys has left her wanting for nothing, yet the void is there, gaping and uncertain. after a near death experience proved the bite of reality she needed, she found herself on the other end of rehab, shaky on her legs and raw, as she started to piece together a life that had never been solid to begin with.

THINGS AREN'T SO SIMPLE. cordelia's new lease on life is halted when her step-father, frank vernon, suffers from a coma-inducing stroke. with cordelia as his defacto next of kin, she finds herself being invited into the fold of waystar-royco to assume his position on the board. it's been years since cordelia has spoken to any of the roys, AND WITH GOOD REASON.

from her days by shiv's side to the last time she laid eyes on kendall, cordelia finds herself confronted with past indiscretions and sins resurfaced. cordelia vernon may not know what she wants, but everyone else around her certainly have plans of their own. pulled into the fold of ulterior motives and secrets laid dormant, cordelia must keep her head afloat as she resists the temptation of self-immolation.

MOON SONG // phoebe bridgers

YOU ASKED FOR THIS // halsey

MIRRORBALL // taylor swift

I BET ON LOSING DOGS // mitski

PAPER BAG // fiona apple

VALENTINE, TEXAS // mitski

MR GRIEVES // the pixies

BUNNY IS A RIDER // caroline polachek

PARTY 4 U // charli xcx

NYC // interpol

CLEO AT ABBEY ROAD // shygirl

ESCAPISM // raye, 070 shake

NORMAN FUCKING ROCKWELL // lana del rey

KISS THE LADDER // fleshwater

CONSIDERATION // sza, rihanna

CHEMTRAILS OVER THE COUNTRY CLUB // lana del rey

FRANCESCA // hozier

YOUR WORLD IS ETERNALLY COMPLETE // sweet trip

MOMENT // pinegrove

LIFELONG SONG // men i trust

SUMMER GAMES // drake

CORDELIA EVELYN VERNON

as played by anne hathaway

I'VE NEVER BEEN A NATURAL
ALL I DO IS TRY, TRY, TRY

and the air is thick with loss and indecision
i know my pain is such an imposition

- you're losing me, taylor swift

that's not the way to hurt me. i'll show you the way to hurt me.

- SOFT SOUNDS FROM ANOTHER PLANET,
japanese breakfast

ROMULUS 'ROMAN' ROY

as played by kieran culkin

SIOBHAN 'SHIV' ROY

as played by sarah snook &&. lauren ambrose

KENDALL ROY

as played by jeremy strong

++

ARTHUR PRUITT as played by theodore pellerin // adam dimarco

VIOLET INGRAM as played by lovie simone // ashleigh murray

ARABELLA as played by emma kenney

ANSEL as played by thomas barbusca

LEAH as played by julia rehwald

GILLIAN CLEMENT as played by blake lively

PETER HYUN as played by charles melton

MAKENA SMITH as played by jordan alexander

OLIVIA CARLISLE as played by maude apatow

&&. other cast as their respective actors/as described

liquid smooth // GENERAL

corman rights // SHIP

kencor stocks ^ // SHIP

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

AUTHOR'S NOTES

i. hi! i'm writing this months after having started this fic, so if you've recently returned for a second pass through, yes this is new! to all the new readers, hello to you too. just some general info: this book is told in three arcs, starting in season 2 (though season 1 is technically referenced). there is heavy use of flashbacks to establish cora's presence in the world, and it is very angst heavy. i originally started this back in nov 2022 and since there were like 0 active succession fanfics, i decided to try and write one that was all-encompassing. so yes, there are a lot of ships with cora and if that's not your jam, i'd probably deter you from reading this fic.

in addition to this, as of the 8th of jan 2024, i went back and recast cora. i felt like anne reflected the vision a lot more, i cast troian based off of some screenshots from suits, back when i was trying to convince myself i wouldn't let this wp thing eat a whole chunk of my time (failed that mission spectacularly).

ii. this fic contains similar themes and content as the show, bad politics included. it also involves drug use & abuse, domestic violence, eating disorders, suicidal ideation, and sexual content. this is your warning, and if any of these subjects have the potential to trigger you, this isn't the book for you <3

iii. cora is like the loml, i really love writing her and i hope you enjoy reading her! i tried to create a complex character who makes a lot of frustrating decisions and is often deeply hypocritical but also entirely understandable. i hope that this translates and that she fits into the world of succession!

iv. big shoutout to franksocevn for reading all of my drafts! my ability to update regularly would 100% not be possible without her help :')

v. i hope it goes without saying that writing does not equal endorsement! especially when it comes to politics and wealth, the roys are morally bankrupt and i hope my understanding of that translates through the subtext. happy reading! and please don't be a silent reader <3 comments & votes are greatly appreciated and help motivate me during the writing process!

vi. dts for the lovely montjoys, munrxes, -inklore, bvbyteeth, wallowsinangst, Biggirl568