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stubbornjerk · 3 years

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Juno’s Season 3 Was Good, Actually

Or: Kevin and Harley’s writing is getting better with every season

I’ve seen a lot of people being unsatisfied with the finale, which is perfectly reasonable to me. What’s not is when people say the themes were a bit off this season and, as someone who Just Recently Caught Up, I can tell you definitively that the themes of this season have been anything but confusing. They’re simple and kind of genius that way.

To summarize, this season was about the Aurinko crime family learning to work together and getting the Curemother Prime.

That’s about all the TL;DR you’re getting from me. The long version is... that this season had about three themes: growth, faith, and family. Not specifically in that order, but I’ll try my best to illustrate these themes as coherently as possible through proud tears.

Major spoilers under the read-more :)

Growth

We began this season with Nureyev. Which was due to a lot of reasons, including the fact that Joshua Ilon wasn’t really available for extensive monologue recording. RL reasons aside, it matches up since we met our dear detective and understood him completely (season 1) and knew that he’d grown and set himself on the path to recovery (season 2).

Putting him in the backburner for a character who had grown to know him as well as Nureyev served as much of a narrative new perspective as it was an actual new perspective.

There’s a reason why all these episodes are still named after Juno Steel. These perspective shifts were both to introduce us to a cast we’ll end up getting to know well, and because they were highlighting themes of growth we’d seen on Juno in the previous season:

Nureyev realizes that his scorn and difficulty getting along with people is placed in his insecurity of his current emotional maturity.

Jet acknowledges the impacts of his past and accepts it going forward.

Vespa learns to open up to new people in her life, accepting that they aren’t always there to hurt or leave her.

Rita gradually accepts that there’s a reason these people trust in her and that wanting to help someone isn’t always in the best intentions.

Buddy wants to live and die on her own terms.

And when we come back to Juno, he’s a new person.

We’re Nureyev now, all over again. We see this new Juno Steel, who doesn’t get stuck in his head a lot, who doesn’t pick fights all the time, who tells his best friend I love you and means it, who isn’t scared to get introspective of moving on, and is vulnerable with people. He’s learned to let people take off the armor and see who’s wearing it instead of embodying the armor itself.

And that brings us to our second theme:

Family

Right, yeah, the queer sci-fi audio drama has a found family, surprise, surprise. But there’s more to it than just that. This season started with its own thesis statement: that this group of unlikely people do not have to like each other, but will have to. And staying with people you don’t have to like and still believing in them, still risking your life for them– that’s family.

Best example: none of them may trust Peter Ransom or his motives on this ship, but that doesn’t mean that when the going gets tough, we don’t trust him to get us out of this mess even if it means he has to fight tooth and nail for it.

Buddy and Jet believe this concept of family the most, Nureyev and Juno, the least.

There’s a reason why Buddy believed Jet to be the best chance this ship had for its next leader, and that’s because Jet accepts all of them, what they can and would do now despite of what they have done before. That was his big arc for Tools of Rust.

When the Getaway arrives, who else is it if not Jet who believes that they can get out of this, that Juno and Ransom would have to work together, not alone, in order to get them all out of this.

And they will. (Brilliant callback to Monster’s Reflection there, btw, I always did love that quote).

Nureyev doesn’t really believe in the concept of the Aurinkos as a family– he’s a lone wolf, of course he doesn’t. The way he scoffs family meeting in Man in Glass only reinforces that, though he starts believing the hype a bit as we go forward. He never addresses it again, of course, but that’s just on the King of Repression.

Juno, on the other hand, would love to believe in this idea of the Aurinkos as a family, except that in the moment he finally has to address it in himself that he does believe in it, that it isn’t just something he got used to saying in front of his old family, Sasha, he ends up having to choose between them and him.

And that’s where we get into our last theme for this season:

Faith

Before you call me a Catholic and move on, I mean this in the most generous of terms: this fits the season.

Faith is a step above trust, and it is a grand concept. It means trust, means belief, means that come whatever trial or tribulation, you know the person you have faith in will come through.

I’ve talked about this before, that people keep saying that the thing between Juno and Nureyev was always trust. Trust always evoked the idea of having to prove it in my brain, and it never added up until recently. Because, like Jet, the way Juno believed in Nureyev changed the way he saw him. Angel of Brahma (P2), the episode they bring back up in the finale, perfectly encapsulates this idea of believing in what Peter Nureyev could do.

And it’s such a masterful callback, because it really puts the entire season into perspective. That this unlikely group of people ended up putting their faith in each other and kept coming through for each other.

Shadows on the Ship was the perfect blind faith moment of this– when she stabs the bot pretending to be Juno because she believed, finally, that Juno would never call her crazy.

Mega-Ultrabots of Cyberjustice spins this on its head, the perfect twin episode, where she takes that faith, fumbles with it, but ultimately still proves to herself that she’s worthy of it, that there’s a reason she’s with this group of people.

I could mark all the moments it pops up in both HOIA and WLB but we’ll be here all day.

So, in conclusion...

When people say that the finale came out of nowhere I just sit here in my corner, clutching these ideas together like a bouquet wondering what stench straight up followed these people out of this season.

This season could not have been more clear about what it was about: growth, the idea of family, and having faith in each other. This was a reading me and my friends grew to accept and interpret, because it all made perfect sense and it was pretty clear cut.

Sure, you can read in the idea that this season is about accountability and Nureyev, but... that would muddy the waters, if you catch my drift.

Anyway, if you got to reading this far, thank you, and if you relisten to the season, keep these themes in mind!

#the penumbra podcast #junoverse #tpp #juno steel #peter nureyev #rita tpp #jet sikuliaq #vespa ilkay #buddy aurinko #adventures in writing #tpp meta

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betrayev · 3 years

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crime family when nureyev doesnt share his surname: evil. dangerous crime man. dont trust. he definitely has some evil plans.

crime family when rita doesnt share her surname: rita <3 we all love rita <3 we all trust rita <3 rita would never hurt us <3

#basically what im saying is i dont trust rita /hj #tpp #the penumbra podcast #junoverse #aurinko crime family #peter nureyev #peter ransom #:/#rita [redacted]#rita tpp

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waters-and-the-wilde · 3 years

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wait okay okay okay i got bit by the speculation thoughts and had to put them somewhere

what if hijikata got juno to fall in line, possibly even by threatening Diamond to do it, or juno pretends to fall in line to find out more (thinking he can bust the case alone, reckless solo work instead of trusting falco, gets a reputation later as ‘honor hound glory pig whatever’)

the wedding remains on but Diamond goes runaway bride as a fuck you to her mother and possibly to juno for compromising (’diamond was already gone before you left the hcpd!’)

we know his own mistakes are a big part of this but there’s still whatever was the basis for ‘put the trust first and waited for the trustworthiness to show up’

id be disappointed if they actually killed her off bc that’s a bit Fridge and I expect better of them, they already have Ben for that element of the tragic backstory, something where ‘yeah his fiancee betrayed him and that’s why his trust issues’ still fits the genre staple but leaves them room to deconstruct it in a way that makes her actions compelling and Juno’s response still legitimate

so the whole ‘second time i thought falco was gonna kill me’ what if falco nearly kills juno bc they think Juno’s in on hijikata’s network/actually manages to expose the thing, juno takes most of the heat like the rookie in bad cops 3, falco gets transferred either for safety or part of the damage control cover up, juno thinks falco can’t stand the sight of him but it doesn’t feel like it’s from a thinking juno is corrupt angle, ruined their career and got them stuck on a pissed off frozen moon fits better

juno gets remembered as the guy who ‘can’t be trusted to take down someone big’, who kapoor is ‘saving a lead pipe for’

s FBd hslfjfjnsbs i just think there’s something to the catharsis juno gets from bad cops 3 and about it being foreshadowing for us learning about his hcpd clusterfuck

side note diamond reminds me a bit of both quanyii and ingrid lake, i think it’s the fluttery way of talking, but also wow the penchant for disguises and the brightness and reassurance and pulling him out of his funk is definitely a bit SHIT IS THIS ON PURPOSE A PARALLEL WHY HE WAS CONSTANTLY AT NUREYEV DURING TRAIN FROM NOWHERE BC HE THOUGHT HE WAS TAKING ORDERS FROM MIASMA INSTEAD OF UNDERMINING HER

also is the fact that Nureyev turned on Mag for the reasons he did something that solidified Juno’s trust in him for related reasons? I don’t think they’ve given us enough to indicate that Diamond would actually side with her mom but there’s definitely a layer we don’t have yet

#the penumbra podcast #juno steel #i cONnECTed thEM

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ratisnotcrying · 3 years

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you’re useless

Summary: “Well, maybe if you weren’t so goddamn useless then we wouldn’t be stuck here.”

Juno hadn’t meant to say it. He didn’t even really believe it. Maybe he would have, when he was still a PI, before he had first met Peter, but he had changed so much since then. He still had bad days, but he handled them better now. He knew when he was in the wrong.

Prompt: "You're useless." from palettes-and-prompts

Pairings: background Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel, background Buddy Aurinko/Vespa Ilkay

Warnings: implied child abuse, descriptions of violence, hidden injury, hurt/comfort

Word count: 2.6K

A/N: this is crossposted on ao3 - ik that repeticism isnt a word but im making it one for this fic

~~~

“Well, maybe if you weren’t so goddamn useless then we wouldn’t be stuck here.”

~~~

Rowan isn’t quite sure how they found themself on board the Carte Blanche and on the outskirts of the Aurinko crime family.

They had the typical, cliché backstory of a lone-wolf operating within the underbelly of society - a surface-perfect home life destroyed by something seemingly mundane blah blah blah, trust issues, a long line of enemies, enough friends to count on one hand, and nothing much else to show for over two decades of living.

One good thing about working alone is the need to get creative, and this is what had put them on Buddy’s radar in the first place. A few years ago, Rowan had been hired to acquire a tank of rare fish - this is about where they stopped asking questions, they didn't care as long as they got paid - and, after some very elaborate lies, an even more elaborate disguise and a rigged game of cards, they had managed to win a tank of the ugliest fish they had ever seen.

The part that caught Buddy’s attention, though, was the escape. Rowan had been found out before they had a chance to get out of the building, and had only managed to escape because they had memorised the security’s routes. It took a bit of guesswork, but they had been able to work out where the security would be coming from, found an unguarded window, clambered down a drain pipe, fish tank sloshing precariously in their bag, and landed near perfectly in a pile of rubbish bags outside the window - if you discount the broken bottle that had gouged their leg.

Buddy had picked Rowan up a few weeks after Juno and Rita, but it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, no matter how much anyone may have wanted it to be.

The problem wasn’t that Rowan couldn’t do their job - if that were the case they wouldn’t be here. No, the problem was that being thrown into close quarters with a bunch of strangers was… a lot. Especially for someone who had been alone for so long.

Rowan liked Jet well enough, he was straightforward and honest but intense; Buddy’s ‘take no shit but do no harm’ attitude aligned perfectly with her unwavering morals, and this was a welcome relief from the lies and deceit Rowan had lived with for so long. Rita and Peter were surprisingly welcoming, and Rowan formed a reluctant almost-friendship with Vespa. Juno, though. He and Rowan were too alike: fiercely independent, stubborn as a mule, and they both fell back into old habits as easily as anything.

Maybe this clash of bad habits, the deceptive comfort in being who you were, even for a moment, is how this job went so spectacularly wrong.

~~~

It was supposed to be a simple in-and-out job. Rita had taken out the security cameras, Jet was waiting in the car, and Juno was sneaking down the darkened hallways with Rowan.

“I still don’t understand why we need this goddamn painting. It looks like a baby threw up crayons and then just threw up on a canvas.”

“I’ve just eaten, Juno, shush if you don’t want me to throw up too.”

“Rowan, darling, please do not do that - this painting is priceless and highly sought after, which is why, Juno, we need to swap this for the information August Reid is refusing to give us. I did mention this in our family meeting before you left.”

Vespa’s aggravated voice piped up in the background of Buddy’s comms, “He was too busy swooning all over Ransom to pay attention.”

~~~

They had gotten the painting easily, so it was just a matter of getting out again. Rowan had been tasked with studying the guards’ shift patterns and routes, and had had no problem getting them in. Apparently, their luck couldn't hold.

They crept forwards, leading Juno left, right, left again, ducking this way and that to avoid the, quite frankly excessive, number of guards patrolling the halls. And that’s when it happened.

Rowan ducked right around a corner into another corridor, one that was supposed to be empty for another six minutes at least and there, at the other end, was a guard. A guard who was looking right at them.

“Crap.”

“What? Rowan we need to kee- crap.”

Both of their comms beeped, Buddy asking them questions with thinly veiled panic in her voice, but neither of them answered, stood frozen, eyes locked with the guard. Then all hell broke loose.

Everyone took out their guns and bullets started flying, the guard was shouting and footsteps could be heard thundering closer from all directions.

A tidal wave of de ja vu crashed over Rowan, “Fuck, this way,” they shouted, turning to run, voice tinged with something Juno didn’t have time to decipher, but Juno grabbed their sleeve and dragged them in the opposite direction.

“Hell no. You are done giving directions, I am not letting you get me killed here.”

They ran back the way they had come, and Juno skidded to a stop in front of a storage cupboard.

“Get in, quickly. There’s a vent at the top we need to get through. Do you think you can manage that?”

Rowan wasn't sure - there was a searing pain in their side that sent shocks of nausea through them with each breath and black dots into their vision with each movement. But this was their fault - they had failed at the one job they had - the one thing they were supposed to be able to do, they got themself shot and had put Juno in danger. They did not need to hold the job up any longer - they just had to get out of here and they could deal with the shot later.

It was a tight squeeze, both of them were crammed awkwardly into the vents, waiting for Rita to work out where they were so she could guide them out.

“Christ, it’s cramped in here - my side is killing me.” Rowan muttered to themself.

“Well, maybe if you weren’t so goddamn useless then we wouldn’t be stuck here.”

Everything seemed to shift and sharpen, Rowan suddenly violently aware of everything around them whilst simultaneously being blurred by memories they had tried so hard to bury: Juno was trying to listen and see if they had been found, there was shouting from down the hall, the smell of musty metal was almost overwhelming and Rowan jerked as if physically struck by Juno’s words, completely at a loss for what to say. Luckily, Rita, who had been on the comms, was not quite as speechless.

“Mistah Steel! That is a horrible thing to say, how could you-”

“Goddamnit Rita, I don't have time for this - how they hell do we get out of here?”

~~~

Jet was still outside with the car, and took off at break-neck speed as soon as the doors were shut. Juno sat in the front seat, the painting on his lap, talking to Buddy about something, and Rowan was slouched in the back, trying to cover up the fact that their organs were about to fall out. Well, that was an exaggeration. Probably. Just to be safe they grabbed a jacket they had left in the car weeks ago and slipped it on, wrapping it tightly around themself to try and hide the blood and hopefully-not-organs.

Juno had gotten a bit banged up in the vents, so when they arrived back at the Carte Blanche he went straight to the medical bay to meet Buddy with the painting and then to get checked.

“Rowan, it is recommended that you also get checked out. You look very ill,” Jet said as Rowan turned away from the medical bay and towards their room.

“No worries, Jet, I just want to get changed first - these clothes are filthy.”

~~~

“It was a mistake, darling, the best of us make them.”

“Yeah, well, it ws a stupid mistake - all they had to do was make sure they knew where the guards would be and then make sure we weren’t there!”

Vespa growled at Juno, who was gesticulating wildly whilst she was trying to wrap a bandage around his arm.

“Juno, I don’t care if Rowan walked straight up to that guard and told him why you were there - we are a family, and you will not speak to any member of this family like that.”

“That’s another thing - I get why everyone is here except Rowan - you said it was some daring escape that brought them here, but after today’s performance… what exactly do they bring to the table?”

“I’m going to leave that for you to work out, Juno.” Buddy said tersely.

He deflated a little, head tipping back to stare at the ceiling. Goddamnit.

“Are we about done here, Vespa, I’ve got places to be.”

~~~

Rowan would quite like a stiff drink right about now. Partially to actually drink, but mainly because they had run out of steriliser and this wound was definitely going to get infected and it would be this whole thing and they would get ill and-

“Get it together, Rowan.” They hissed, pulling out a sterile needle and taking a deep breath as they began to stitch themself up. This was not the first time, and likely wouldn’t be the last, that Rowan has had to do this - working alone and working recklessly meant most jobs ended with soft pink staining bandages and staining baths, throat and skin burning from cheap whiskey. Tonight didn’t have to be different.

The shot had skimmed their side so, luckily, no organs were falling out, but it was still going to be a bitch to heal, likely would be ripped open a few times and leave a nasty scar. This, unfortunately, was also not uncommon.

The painful repeticism of the needle going in and out lulled Rowan into a violent comfort they tried to avoid, the panicked calm soothing them until they couldn't quite hold back the memories they had been reminded of earlier.

Raised voices, gritted teeth and finger shaped bruises. Running, up stairs, through doors, arou-

There was a knock at their door. They flinched, snapping back to reality.

“Rowan, it’s Juno. Can I- can we talk?”

They almost said yes, just called Juno in like nothing was wrong. Then their brain kicked it’s way through the fog and realised they were sitting in bloody trousers, half stitched up wound and thread fully exposed to anyone who might walk in.

“Rowan?”

They picked up the shirt closest to them - part of a matching pyjama set - and tried to tuck the needle away so they could carry on when Juno was gone, and threw the door open.

“Sorry, I was just getting changed. Just sit anywhere.” They mumbled, haphazardly shoving piles of washing off of a chair.

“Thanks. Listen, about earlier, I know that you didn’t mean for that to happen. It’s been a rough week, not that that’s an excuse for what I said- are you alright?”

Rowan had half-sat, half-fallen back onto their seat on the bed and was focusing very hard on not fainting, so much so that they couldn’t really understand what Juno was saying. Maybe this wound was worse than they had thought. They nodded and hoped for the best.

“Right… Anyways, what I actually came to say is that I'm sorry I called you useless. You made a mistake, no one died, well I don’t think anyone died. Whatever, it couldn’t have been avoided. I know that I can be abrasive,” he said with a look that meant he had been told this many, many times before, “but that doesn’t mean that- Rowan, you really look like crap.”

“Wow, thanks, Juno, you say the sweetest things,” they took a deep breath and tried not to panic at the fact that they couldn’t really feel most of their torso anymore, “I know you didn’t mean it, we’re fine. Stop looking at me like that, I’m fine, I just need a nap.” The last words were pointed, hinting sharply at Juno to leave.

“Yeah, because slurred speech and sweating and shaking all scream ‘I’m fine’,” he paused for a moment and Rowan could almost see the cogs whirring, piecing together the information - bullets flying, the unidentified something in Rowan’s voice, the jacket they hadn’t been wearing before, the sterile wrappers on the bed… Then the last piece clicked into place, “Rowan, is that blood?”

They looked down at their top - their white pyjama top - as their vision began to fade out, their head too heavy to hold up and mouth too numb to speak, “No-”

~~~

When they came to, they were in the medical wing wearing a loose sleep shirt - distinctly not soaked in blood - and shorts. They tried to get up and go but a not-so-gentle hand pushed them back to lying down.

“Goddamnit, stop moving. You’ve already ripped your stitches once and you weren’t even awake,” Vespa growled, fussing with the bandages wrapped tight around Rowan’s middle.

“Sorry, I’ve always been lively in bed.”

“That’s cute, darling. What’s not cute is the stunt you pulled last night - if Juno hadn’t come to see you when he did... “ An uncomfortable look passed over Buddy’s face, “Let’s not dwell on that. I will want to talk about this later, but, for now, somebody else wants to see you.”

“Great,” Rowan tried to get up again, “Where are they?”

“Nice try, tough guy, but you’re staying right here until mean old Vespa lets you out.”

“Bite me, Steel.”

“No, thanks, I think I'll leave that to-” He cut himself off at Buddy's warning glance and didn't speak again until Buddy and Vespa had both left the room.

Rowan glanced at the bandage wrapped around Juno’s bicep, “Is it bad?”

“No, just a flesh wound, unlike that one you’re sporting - what was the plan? Stitch it up and hope you didn't drop dead in the middle of the next job?”

“Something like that.”

“Goddamnit. Okay, I don't know how much of what I said yesterday you heard but I'm sorry for what I said. I know we don't really… get along, but you remind me of,” he sighed, “You remind me of someone I used to know.”

“Juno, I really don't need a pep talk.”

“Well, here's the thing - you absolutely do because this,” he gestured to the bandages and the bed, “can’t happen again. You can't see that we care about you - you wouldn't be here if Buddy didn't think you were worth something and Rita is the best judge of character I know; she thinks you’re great. You have a goddamn family here, Rowan, stop trying to push us out.”

Rowan sighed, and Juno graciously didn't mention the tears in their eyes. “I don't know how to-” Rowan shook their head.

“We aren't going anywhere, Rowan, I know that's not what you want to hear but I don't care. For right now you need to stay here and stop ripping out your stitches. Take care of yourself for once. Then we can work on whatever complexes you’re holding onto so tight.” Juno said, squeezing Rowan’s shoulder as he stood.

Rowan didn’t say anything till he was half-way out the door, “Hey, Juno? Thanks.��

“Sure thing.”

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dilsdelights · 3 years

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sugar and plum (T, 1249 words) (this is a link to the ao3 if you prefer that)

Juno Steel had hair on his head. It was dark and thick and kinky and when he stretched it out it went all the way down past his chin. Sometimes he wore it with clicky clacky beads on the ends and got in trouble with his teachers when he took every chance he got to shake his head no, even when it was the wrong answer. Sometimes he wore it all the way out, all the way to the edges of space, like a big cloud, catching the wind, and he got in trouble with Ma for hiding stuff in it. Sometimes it was green, and it writhed its way along his scalp like snakes, or vines, or other green squiggly things. Sometimes it was gold, like a crown, or a halo, or the sun in the sky.

Benten had hair like his, too, even if it didn't look that way. He liked to get it twisted up close to his head, but he always got shapes and patterns and things twisted into it, real fancy stuff. Their mother used to do their hair every week, one at a time, washing it and twisting and asking how they wanted it. Then she got too busy, and stopped asking. Then she stopped washing. Then she stopped twisting.

The hairdresser used to pull too tight. He always had to mess with Benten's hair so he wouldn't have a headache later. He got real good at ignoring his own.

His grip was always awful, and his hands were always shaking, and he always had to section it at least twice, but Benten can't cornrow to save his goddamn life, and he needed his hair done right for dance. If Ma had her way, they'd have chopped it all off by now– "Less of a headache," she'd said. She didn't make them, though. She'd threatened them, sure, grabbed the clippers and pulled Juno by his scalp, kicking and screaming, all the way to the bathroom sink, but she just… stopped. Let him go, told him to take care of it himself, or she would. Benten said she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Looked like she saw a monster. She did, Juno thought. But that's never stopped her before.

He tried to keep his hands steady enough to do the winding patterns he likes, or just straight lines, or really to do anything right so Ma wouldn't change her mind again, but it wasn't easy. And Benzaiten Steel definitely didn't make it any easier. He was tender-headed, he couldn't sit still, he always, always forgot he was holding the goddamn grease– he was a pain in the ass. But no matter how bad it looked, no matter how much it didn't look like what he asked for, no matter how uneven it was, he always said he loved it. What's more, he looked like he meant it. He'd do anything to keep a smile on his brother's face. Even if it meant spending less time on his hair. Even if it meant the same old boring braids for a month, or more. Whatever it took.

His hair was straight and thin, but still dark. It was always dry, and always frizzy, and it broke off a lot more, and he couldn't figure out how to fix any of that, but it was technically more manageable now– if he was careful with it. He didn't really know how to style it on his own when it was like this, and it sorta made him feel like a kid, but he didn't mind too much. Diamond liked it this way– said she liked being able to run a hand through his hair, liked being able to style it for him, liked the way it looked. And Juno– Juno liked Diamond happy. He felt guilty that he wasn't more grateful, though. She was doing something nice, right? She wanted to do his hair for him, to take something off his plate. He just had to make his hair easier for her. That was all. That was fair.

He'd cut it all off. He'd had no other choice; It was deep fried and frayed and there was nothing else he could do to save it. In all honesty, right then, when he was waking up, shaking and sweating bullets in the middle of the goddamn night only to roll out of bed and work off the debts he made getting himself that sick in the first place, even if he hadn't nuked his scalp so bad it looked like he spent a sunny day out in the Martian Desert, he'd have had to chop it all of anyway, 'cause he could hardly feed himself, let alone keep himself presentable with a whole head of hair. He hated the way he looked, he hated the way he felt and he hated the way he got where he was. But at the very least, he could maybe– just maybe– get his own head back.

It took him a long time to grow his hair that long again. To be honest, at first it was all Rita. Even when he said he didn't care, that it wasn't a big deal, that she should stop leaving those homemade leave-in conditioners she makes all over the goddamn office– she stuck around and she made a fuss, and secretly he was grateful. The first time she did his hair, they were watching Bad Cops 3 (it'd been that kinda week) and Rita had all her stuff with her, 'cause she did her hair while they were watching, and Juno was so caught up in the movie that he didn't notice what she was doing until she was already halfway through doing it. Maybe he did, and he was just too tired to stop her. Either way, she started helping with his hair, at least when he couldn't muster the energy to do it on his own. And when he could, they did it together. Wash day was a ritual for them, full of streams and shampoo and shouting at each other. It was nice. It was needed

Juno didn't trust him at first. Sure, Nureyev never touched his hair, not until he made it clear he wanted it at least. Sure, he never had a bad word to say about it. Sure, he always watched with rapt attention when Juno did his hair, always seemed to care, always seemed to notice, even if his hair was straight and shiny in ways his own couldn't be– he didn't trust him. Juno couldn't shake the feeling he was just itching to make a request. And as it turned out, he was. For once, it was something he could get behind. You don’t have to, Nureyev added, quickly. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to.

So once a month, on those rare lazy days on the Carte Blanche, Juno Steel sat in front of Peter Nureyev, and waited. With his hands that learnt to treasure all the most valuable things in the galaxy, he still had yet to find anything that was worth as much reverence and care as his lady's head of hair, dark and thick and kinky, just reaching his chin when he stretched it out. He gripped a section of hair, with grease on the back of his hand and a tail comb behind his ear and said, "Tell me if I'm pulling too tight, love."

Juno smiled. "I will."

#tpp #the penumbra podcast #juno steel #jupeter #peter nureyev #dils declares

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onlyinthepasttense · 3 years

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OK SO THE ‘THOUGHTS’ THAT I ‘HAD’ TONIGHT DURING THE ‘EPISODE’ that i have only listened to once, so this isn’t really coherent

something something so i can turn on the bullet points

jet’s insistence that what dark matters wants is no longer on the ship. he’s not a big liar. it’s completely possible he believes that the ruby-7 is the second class-x radical, but i don’t know how he would know that the car is gone in the first place.

i’m also still not convinced that the ruby-7 is the radical. it’s an interesting, potentially not-car (theory with no basis) car, but i don’t see it being as significant to human history as a class-x radical was explained to be. totally open to argument on this, but still.

i’m still leaning towards juno being the second radical, because of the blood thing and because of the curemother prime... pulsating, thing. which leads me to believe that jet really thinks it’s the car, which is possible, and that he knows the car is gone, which is possible but unconfirmed-- ‘ruby’ has 0 find results in the episode transcript so i know i’m not just completely forgetting it. i don’t think dark matters would recognize it, either. and if they could see it and it was the radical, they’d know, somehow? i’m not sure how you scan for, like, idealogical possibility, or whatever.

OR jet doesn’t believe there’s a second radical on the ship. this isn’t my favorite.

OR jet knows that it’s juno, somehow, also. or suspects as much. and he doesn’t want sasha catching on or even considering it. she probably wouldn’t, because she’s known juno for so long and isn’t terribly impressed with him, but you can never be too sure. which means that vespa and buddy might also know, or at least be considering it themselves, because of the blood thing and the curemother prime pulsating thing.

we’re all basically in agreement that nureyev took agent g’s uniform and then took off in the ruby-7, or is presently hiding in the walls of the ship, but i really don’t think he’s gone far. it’s possible he got past dark matters quick enough to disguise himself and escape but improbable he managed to nab all of the items he was meant to steal before he left. he can’t have taken off to pay his debts, but he has a reason not to let sasha see him because she’s already met him.

even if he could have left with the goods to hand off to whoever he owes, i don’t think that he would do it so soon. i almost feel like he won’t do it at all. time has passed and he likes it here. if he leaves now, he won’t be able to come back. also we still haven’t solved the puzzle in the journal, which is definitely linked to this debt in some way. seriously, i don’t think he’s going to leave without at least leaving a clue as to where he’s going, how long he’ll be gone, if he’ll be back, if there’s a meeting place because the others won’t trust him anymore, etc etc.

like the idea that he left is almost messy enough that i want it to happen, but it’s just SO messy.

ok i kinda want it. i want to see nureyev get MESSY because he’s always so put-together but in the man in glass he seemed so concerned with how he’s losing his edge. i think he might panic and go, and i want him to because i think it’ll be a turning point for his character, but i also want him to turn as a character... INTO his family. i just don’t know if i want that turning point to be before or after something goes HORRIBLY, HORRIBLY WRONG and tests a lot of trust.

also it would be REALLY funny if he’s just like, hiding under the back seat of the ruby-7. like he’s just laying on the ground, like under a blanket or a newspaper or something. he hasn’t come out of hiding yet because he doesn’t know if those were good explosions or bad explosions.

i really spent like thirty minutes thinking buddy aurinko drinks nail polish remover, like a clown

#or #the penumbra podcast

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gemsofthegalaxy · 3 years

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OKAY OKAY. Some of my Juno Steel Season 3 Finale gripes (warning for negativity! if you adored the finale this post might not be for you.)

Things I was bothered by, in no particular order:

1. Way too many questions and way way too few answers. Like. The only answer we got that was super notable, to me, was Ruby7 not being “just” a car. Good to have confirmation, but the huge overarching things of Dark Matters, the CMP, and Peter Nureyev’s debts were nowhere near to resolved and I found that frustrating.

2. Speaking of too few answers- god was it really necessary to introduce the mystery of “Who is Juno going to find on Io?”. Like, I can’t see any benefit of keeping that a mystery. If the point is to give us something to ponder about A) we have enough shit to ponder about imo and B) telling us who it is would still allow us to ponder, e.g. what is Juno gonna say to them? How will they react? How are they gonna be helpful to the situation??

2.5 I don’t get why going after Peter Nureyev would be detrimental to Juno’s goals to save his family. Therefore, I feel like Juno deciding not to go after him is just a somewhat weak plot device to draw their conflict out longer. Yes, this is harsh, but the entirety of Season 1 was about Jupeter, and Season 3 was also made out to be about Character Development and Jupeter and I really just haven’t been satisfied with how either of those shook out tbqh.

The reason why I don’t “get” why Juno can’t look for Peter is this: one of the many huge questions I personally have is “How much does Peter know about Dark Matters?”. Was it a coincidence that he was preparing to leave the day DM showed up and he was actually entirely motivated by his debts? Or did he somehow know DM was coming so he timed his escape at that time to make use of the confusion*? Like I don’t know how or if this would be answered but if I were Juno I would think it’s important to find that out. I guess that could be dangerous for him but, I dunno, I still feel like there’s not enough justification for keeping Juno and Peter separate again.

*and IF Peter used DM to cover his leaving- like. What? I don’t actually think Nureyev is a bad guy and I like to think he’s genuinely in love with Juno, but I find it hard to believe he would abandon Juno with DM. I get that they put in that “save yourself first” bit partially we can assume that’s ~possibly~ what he’s doing, like he did in Season 1. but this feels different, and we know about his debt motivations. I just find it a weird decision to make for his character, and still playing up the “Can we Really Trust Peter Nureyev” thing which is. sigh?

3. Annnnndd then, the flashback itself. I liked listening to it because of the Jupeter, but at the same time it sort of felt, um, cheap? Like you’re telling me NOW that they actually got back together, jumped into a full blown relationship the day after the Zolotovna Heist and yet we only got to see flashes of their relationship after that point? It ALSO felt cheap to put in this “save yourself first” stipulation and I can’t help but wonder what the season would have felt like had they put that in the narrative chronologically.

Like I know the reason they chose to do it was to play on emotions in the moment of the finale, and it worked, but that’s also why it feels cheap to pull it now? Idk. I feel very mixed on the flashback moment, leaning towards distaste for it.

I’m sure I could go on, and this is definitely ramblely.

To be CLEAR, I’m putting it out in the world for those of us who want to commiserate with our criticism, for those who like being haters or at least find some joy in discussing why something felt like a letdown. Again, if you loved the finale and don’t see it the way I do, that’s fine! different people like different things from narratives.

#juno steel spoilers #juno steel #tpp spoilers #negativity #critical

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stainedglassthreads · 3 years

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Honestly... when I first heard What Lies Beyond part 2 it felt like the finale, and I would’ve been happier if I’d been right?

Part 3 felt less like a finale and more like a transition to me. It got the characters where they needed to be for season 4. And in setting up for season 4, it felt like it didn’t completely belong to season 3. It repeated the ‘slowly picking crew members off’ scenario, with someone needing to trust the crew members (for Vespa, knowing Juno would never call her crazy. For Juno, knowing he needs to prioritize his safety in order to rescue his family)

And it is a theme that was brought up before, in Rita’s and Buddy’s episodes specifically. That sometimes you can’t help people, you need to trust they’ll help themselves. But I just don’t feel like that specific theme was consistent enough, both in the season and this episode? Not to mention, what I’ve seen other people bring up, that no pressing questions this season were really answered.

Yeah, the Curemother Prime was telepathic, but that was kinda already stated. We know Dark Matters was after the Ruby7, but not why. We don’t know what Ruby7 is, where Nureyev is, who his debtors are or why he’s indebted, what the deal is with Juno’s part-Martian blood, what the deal with that book and Nureyev’s first love was... they can’t even profit off the Curemother-Prime.

It felt like the season was aiming for a happy ending but instead we got a tragedy, or something bittersweet but heavy on the bitter. And I wasn’t given enough time to digest how this ending was going to be tragic. Most of the Juno Steel endings do tend to be kinda bitter, but things felt here like they were going to be BETTER. Juno’s been working on his mental health! He and Nureyev are trying to make it work! Buddy and Vespa open up about their problems, that Buddy wants to live, they get married! Jet accepts his past and Juno swears he won’t leave Rita behind!

And instead we get Nureyev gone and Juno feeling betrayed, and the whole rest of the family captured, and Sasha willing to kill her childhood friend. And we don’t really know who that friend on IO is, which makes me not as excited? If we KNEW it was Diamond or someone, then that would be a definite promise of an answer... but right now it’s just another question. :/ So if not at the finale, when WILL we get answers?

#tpp spoilers #penumbra podcast #juno steel #just kinda rambling

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blue-mood-blue · 4 years

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I've been thinking about Peter Nureyev for hours now, so let's talk about Peter Nureyev, shall we?

I'm going to start this by saying that I don't see Nureyev as a manipulative villain. That just doesn't fit in with his characterization so far, to me, and if I'm wrong about that and end up feeling betrayed I'll still have no regrets about placing my trust in the inherent goodness of this character.

On the other hand, do I see Nureyev as a competent thief who is a disaster of a person, just an absolute mess all the time, who's probably making terrible decisions left, right, and center? Oh absolutely I do.

Here's the thing: if I believe Nureyev has sneaky, secret plans at all (and the comms conversation seems to imply that he does), I don't think it's for the curemother. It sounds a lot more like he's promised the tools to get the curemother to someone, which makes sense because those are some very useful tools. There's no reason why he couldn't take them after the big heist and make a run for it, especially with those creds he got from Nova. (And if that someone was actually looking to take the curemother themselves with those tools, well, they really should've been clearer with their wording.) It would be a win-win situation in Nureyev's mind, I think - he gets his debts cleared, and the team he worked with is left with their actual, ultimate goal.

So Nureyev signs up with Buddy Aurinko, either because her reputation promises a good payoff or because he was directed there deliberately. He boards the ship, possibly, with every intention of keeping his distance and remaining professional; he sticks his feelings in a drawer in his brain. And then Juno fucking Steel shows up.

That's fine, Nureyev probably thinks. He knows Juno. If he puts up a wall between them, Juno will definitely not have the self-worth to try scaling it for an honest conversation - he'll take that rejection as confirmation that Peter is better off without him.

What he doesn't expect is a healing, more open, working-very-hard-and-very-sincerely-on-his-problems Juno Steel. Shutting him out doesn't work. Trying to ignore him doesn't work, for reasons that aren't entirely Juno's doing. They spend just a little time together and before he knows it Nureyev is getting emotional, getting distracted, generally making a mess.

I think that moment where he asked Juno to call him Nureyev is the first, and permanent, chip in that shield of detachment Peter was attempting to build. That is a vulnerability and a risk that Peter didn’t have to allow and did anyway. Because let's be honest about this - Peter Nureyev is a person who feels a lot very quickly. He fell for Juno like he was determined for a crash-landing, and I don't think that's a "Juno is the exception" situation. I don't think he ever would have been good at blocking other people out, not entirely - he can keep an even face and pretend, but that doesn't mean he's impervious to the influence of others. That doesn't mean he doesn't care.

If Nureyev is feeling nervous, or guilty, I think that has a lot less to do with inevitable betrayal and much more to do with the fact that he is stuck with a secret that he can't figure out how to get out from under. I think the more time he's spent with the family, the more the family has come to mean to him, and the more any hint of backstabbing could destroy that trust and wound Peter horribly as a result ("not you, Juno" anyone?). We already know what trust means to Nureyev; if he's terrified of anything I think it's the prospect of losing what he's gained with the Aurinko family.

I am waiting - and hoping - for the moment of growth that is Peter Nureyev leaving himself vulnerable and asking for help, instead of assuming he has to keep facing the world alone.

(And I didn't even touch on who the blackmailer might be - given the type of tools they could well be another thief, but they could also be Dark Matters. If Peter has somehow gotten mixed up with them again, it may not be a matter of whether or not the schematics were upside-down; it could be far more likely that the organization is leading all of them into a trap, Peter included, because why would a government entity need to be honest with a criminal they have leverage over?)

#the penumbra podcast #tpp #tpp spoilers #peter nureyev #listen it’s his TURN to be the disaster #whatever’s coming next is almost certainly going to hurt me somehow

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genderbinaryisforlosers · 3 years

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everyone on the carte blanche for the ask meme

everyone? oh boy this is gonna get long ajfhdsf

JUNO

First impression: i, like a lot of people who get into the podcast without knowing a great deal about it, was expecting at most an ambiguously bisexual angst machine with a closely-guarded heart of gold. juno being an explicitly bisexual genderqueer angst machine is perhaps the most pleasant surprise of my life. the angst machine heart of gold characters were kind of my type at the time, so i loved him right away

Impression now: every time i think about juno’s arc from depressed mess held together by bad coping mechanisms, safety pins, and a few good strong puns into someone who can talk about his feelings, feel comfortable about being happy, and recognise when he needs to change, i want to cry about it a little bit. the depth of my love for juno steel has only grown along with him

Favourite moment: juno has a lot of great one-liners and i’m still a big fan of the “on the other hand i wasn’t wearing a watch” bit and who can forget such classics as juno finally deciding to stop moping over nureyev and move on only for him to open the door to his apartment and find nureyev sitting in the dark dramatically, but honestly nothing will ever hit me harder than his sudden, pissed-off declaration of “i can’t die yet, i still have shit to do!” in promised land. god.

Idea for a story: oh i have so many and i want to write most of them so no spoilers, but juno accidentally kidnaps a baby during a carte blanche heist and shenanigans ensue

Unpopular opinion: obviously we all know he’s dummy thicc but i feel like a lot of people forget he’s an actual genius, like the stuff he notices and how he strings it together is sometimes so obscure and he’s almost always right. oh, also juno is not skinny and i will not be taking criticism on that

Favourite relationship: this is so tough because every dynamic is so good, but i think it has to be juno and rita. those two are so good! the best best friends in the world!! i’m really a sucker for any dynamic that’s ridiculously in-sync so i loved these two as soon as juno saw rita’s notes in prince of mars and went “makes perfect sense to me” (which it probably didn’t, because rita, but he trusted that she knew what she was doing which is the important part)

Favourite headcanon: this isn’t really a headcanon but i still think about how juno is (was?) deathly afraid of heights but when he heard rex glass coming he still attempted to climb out of the window. either his aversion to working with dark matters/other people in general was so strong is overrided his fear, or his office was actually on the ground floor. not sure which of these is funnier.

NUREYEV

First impression: we’ve all seen the memes about nureyev knowing juno steel for one (1) day and deciding to Risk It All by leaving him with his name, look at this Hopeless Romantic, this utter DISASTER of a homosexual. the fact the very next time we hear from nureyev (at least directly) he’s patiently waiting in juno’s dark apartment to surprise him with a heist definitely supports this image.

Impression now: even after literally being inside peter’s head, i feel like we didn’t get a real sense of who he is until man in glass, where we find out he aggressively compartmentalises everything that causes him stress. he’s also distinctly someone who’s had his heart broken before, i think, which makes those first appearances of his very strange. but it does remind me of what juno says about diamond, and how he decided to provide the trust first and wait for the trustworthiness to grow in (only to get severely hurt), and i think that’s exactly what nureyev did. i am also... very uneasy with how suspicious he’s behaving this season because obviously i want to believe he’ll sort it all out and not betray the crew but... oof

Favourite moment: the beginning of what lies beyond pt1 where he’s affectionately bullying juno into taking care of himself? cleared my crops watered my skin etc etc etc

Idea for a story: i’d love to hear more about his past as a young thief idolising buddy and vespa (i can’t actually remember if that’s canon or fanon but anyway i wanna read it!)

Unpopular opinion: i think people often cling to an image of him that more resembles his first impressions in season 1 instead of seeing the depth that we’ve been given about his character in season 3

Favourite relationship: him and juno but honestly it’s a close call between them and his budding friendship with rita. even though she learned it by accident, his name is still a point of intimacy and it’s one less secret to keep around her which has to be a weight off his shoulders, at least a little? they seem like they could be really good friends once ultrabots is out of the way. juno steel love (and also bullying) zone activates whenever they’re together

Favourite headcanon: i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again - nureyev has never done a household chore in his goddamn life. he doesn’t know the water needs to be hot when you wash dishes.

RITA

First impression: honestly i’m not sure? i don’t remember having a big awareness of her in murderous mask but i remember loving her “note-taking” in prince of mars, i thought she sounded really fun and cute

Impression now: rita is really fun and cute, she’s also an extremely hardworking and dedicated woman who had the guts to throw in with a detective fired from the force and then invest all of her time and money into helping him help people.

Favourite moment: Rita Gets A Knife. enough said

Idea for a story: i don’t know honestly! i really struggle to write rita because her thought processes are so wild and i don’t think any story i could come up with would match mega ultrabots of cyberjustice.

Unpopular opinion: this shouldn’t be unpopular because juno steel himself shares this opinion but all future-jupeter headcanons are incomplete without rita also being a huge part of their lives

Favourite relationship: rita + franny 4ever obviously.. jk it’s juno & rita have you heard rita minute 3 they’re too adorable for this world. im still Soft over their conversation at the end of soul of the people when he said he couldn’t stay in hyperion anymore but he wouldn’t leave with the carte blanche if rita wasn’t coming because he was done leaving her behind, and she threw out all her hesitations on the spot and said call the big guy. speaking of, rita & jet are a close second. instant best friends i love them.

Favourite headcanon: i think this is basically canon now but rita being literally half the height of jet is so good

JET

First impression: “haha lorge funny man puts juno in the trash”

Impression now: jet sikuliaq is one of the dearest characters to me out of anything ever. he is a huge, menacing, polite, kind, sincere man who i would very much like to give me a hug. he’s the best aro ace in outer space and while being generally very levelheaded and straightforward, also takes every opportunity to fuck with juno because it’s very easy and very hilarious to him personally. he is everything my autistic acearo ass needed and i’m so glad to have him

Favourite moment: all of them every single one. him putting juno in the trash is of course a classic and every moment jet chooses to be funny makes my heart happy, but also every piece of genuine advice he gives. i’m a particular fan though of buddy recounting her years in the lighthouse and him saying he became concerned when she didn’t come downstairs at the usual time. “you took the door off its hinges.” “i was deeply concerned.” king of understatement

Idea for a story: again no spoilers for you but..... tools of rust time loop au

Unpopular opinion: this isn’t “unpopular” as much as it is unknown but jet is buddy’s queerplatonic partner and i will keep saying it until everyone believes it

Favourite relationship: jet and buddy,,, just everything about them. the way he suspects when she’s lying, the way she makes tea for him when she expects him to drop by. the fact he comes to check on her when she is 41 seconds late to the family meeting because it’s unlike her to be late and the last time she was late for something her brain was turning to radiation soup. but most especially the way she snaps at him to stay out of her business and he said he could not because he made her promise eight years ago to never stay out of the business of her health, no matter how many times she asked. they r literally in a qpr

Favourite headcanon: i don’t think this is true but i still think it would be funny if the ruby-7 used to be painted red but when jet got it he had it painted green because he Just Really Likes Green (as evidenced by his hovercycle). it’s very funny to me.

BUDDY

First impression: it’s been a minute since i relistened to time gone by but i’m pretty sure the first thing she ever says in the podcast is sliding up to depressed accidental whiskey thief juno and say “that’ll be ten million creds,” scaring the shit out of him, so needless to say i was in love instantly.

Impression now: my love for buddy aurinko has only grown and if it sounds like i already said that in this post it’s because i did about juno and it’s appropriate because the parallels are astounding. the heart of it all gave us such depth to buddy’s internal monologue and why she always sounds like she knows exactly what to say and what that’s like and honestly will i ever be over the heart of it all as an episode? unlikely. i think i’m gonna have a little piece of it in MY heart forever.

Favourite moment: everything she’s ever said is iconic as hell i especially like “in an impressive fit of hubris i’ve decided not to prepare my words for this vow” which made me laugh out loud but once again i must give it up for her iconic “I WANT TO LIVE” moment. honourable mentions to her taking rita out for ice cream and giving juno shooting lessons while she’s in her actual wedding gown. i love her

Idea for a story: buddy and vespa as sun/moon dieties.... that’s all

Unpopular opinion: stop drawing her with a fancy high-tech eye like the theia!! it canonically looks like garbage and it’s described in detail, please, i’m dying, also don’t minimise her scars you bastards

Favourite relationship: buddy and vespa invented romantic love and the entire carte blanche crew’s relationship to her is great but you know by now i’m a slut for buddy & jet out-of-this-world queerplatonic partners. the way she checks in on him during tools of rust to make sure he’s not relapsing and he comes to find her when she is 41 seconds late in the heart of it all to make sure she’s not having a heart problem!! it’s the trust,, the devotion,, the mortifying ordeal of being known

Favourite headcanon: she can sing. absolutely tears it up at karaoke. i’m right

VESPA

First impression: knife lesbian goes STAB. she will heal your wounds but she will be threatening to give you more the whole time

Impression now: she is extremely strong, heart-rendingly tender, and despite being in the older half of the carte blanche crew somehow has unmistakable little sister energy which makes her downright hilarious. i’m so glad she got to marry buddy and they’re official space wives now they’re so good for each other

Favourite moment: both from shadows in the ship, either “GUN!!” “KNIFE?!” (iconic) or when she clocks the dark matters drone pretending to be juno because it called her crazy and juno wouldn’t call her crazy. i’m always a sucker for “shapeshifter fails to fool mark because they Know Each Other Too Well” and it was just *chefs kiss* so good

Idea for a story: i really want to write something about when she was first staying at the lighthouse with buddy post-reunion, and getting to know jet and stuff. i think it would be cute

Unpopular opinion: i know vespa doesn’t canonically have lots of scarring but people who don’t draw her with scarring? cowards.

Favourite relationship: once again, although buddy and vespa invented romantic love, i just love the dynamic between vespa and juno so much. they’ve come so far with each other and their weird sibling dynamic gives me life. at the end of what lies beyond when juno says “we’re not gonna kill her, vespa” and instead of sounding full of Rage and Suspicion she’s like “whyyy notttt?” and he’s like “because i said so!” and that’s just good enough for her even if she’s a bit grumpy about it. i love it.

this took.. a hot minute to do! jshkfjsdgsa thank you dyl ily <3

#michaelburnnham #riley replies #be gay do crimes in space #the penumbra #juniverse

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prydon · 4 years

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oh i adore ur writing, do u take prompts by any chance? if u do, would u ever consider writing a fic inspired by the recent drunk juno and smitten peter art? thank u, have a nice day 💞

thank you for liking my writing!!! :D tbh i haven’t considered myself enough of a fic writer to take prompts in years, but i loved that art and i love writing jupeter so much that i just had to give this a go.

so here you go! inspired by this WONDERFUL art by @honeyjarr. you can read it on ao3 here or down below!

set post-man in glass but pre jupeter being in an established relationship. CWs for alcohol consumption, brief reference to sarah steel being sarah steel, minor injuries, and non-explicit talking/joking about sex.

----

Nureyev had never seen Juno Steel drunk before.

For all his insistence that he was ‘getting drunker by the second’ back in his apartment on that fated night when Nureyev had gifted him a name and kiss, Nureyev knew he had been far from truly drunk, then. Juno was a broad man, and one with a long history of drinking. Unlike Nureyev, he held his liquor well.

Now, on board the Carte Blanche, he had been trying to cut down on his alcohol consumption. It was part of his recovery, part of leaving behind the mess of poor coping mechanisms and bad decisions that used to make up Detective Juno Steel.

So when Buddy had pulled out the bottle, it was only with assurance from Jet and Juno that they were both okay with it- and when Juno had asked her to pour him a glass, he did so with the promise that he wasn’t using the alcohol to deal with any bad feelings that ought to be handled another way.

“Rita and I used to get drunk sometimes and watch the lowest-rated streams we could find,” he said. “It was…fun.”

Rita nodded enthusiastically. “Mistah Steel would always start yelling and throwing popcorn at the screen!”

“Very well, then,” Buddy said. “I trust your judgement, Juno.”

Nureyev kept one eye on Juno as he sipped his own drink, curious. What kind of a drunk was Juno? Sobbing? Angry? …Handsy?

He folded his hope for the latter away.

Nureyev seldom ever drank, and never on the job. It was too risky. Drinking meant losing your inhibitions, losing control over your emotions, and if there was anything that Nureyev desperately didn’t want to lose, it was that. His persona was perfectly crafted. He couldn’t risk letting a bottle of wine or liquor crumble it.

He was already tipsy after his first glass, which was embarrassing. He intended to stop there- to perhaps ask for a refill, but only pretend to sip it before surreptitiously dumping it. As soon as the second one was poured, however, he found himself actually drinking it.

Something about these people made him feel safe enough to allow some loss of inhibition. That realization terrified him, but he kept drinking nonetheless.

Juno had almost finished his third glass, and only now seemed to be feeling the effects of it. He was talking more loudly than he had been before, and his eyes were slightly unfocused. He shot Nureyev a glance and the thief took another sip, mostly just to hide the blush that was creeping up his face courtesy of both the alcohol and the sight of Juno, who was looking handsomely disheveled with his hair mussed and his sweater slipped down around his shoulders.

After Jet excused himself to bed early, they somehow ended up in a game of Never Have I Ever, which Nureyev had never heard of but Juno insisted was a staple among schoolkids in Oldtown.

“All right!” Rita said. “Never have I ever…done it in a public place.”

Nureyev raised an eyebrow. “If by ‘it’, you mean sexual intercourse…” He took a drink, and then nearly spat it back out when he saw Juno drink, too.

“What?” Juno said innocently. “You drank.”

“You’re both gross,” Vespa growled at them.

“Really? In all your life, you’ve never once given in to the heat of the moment?” Nureyev asked, trying to distract himself from his own brain, which was currently insistent on conjuring up artist’s interpretations of Juno on a park bench, or in a theater, or-

“It’s private! You do it inside!”

“Sometimes you just don’t have many options!” Juno protested.

“Ugh, whatever. Here, I’ll go next…”

Nureyev was very, very bad at the game, as it turned out. What could he say: he was an adventurous man, and one who’d lived a rich life. He wasn’t going to apologize for that. It didn’t hurt that Juno was drinking almost as often as he was, either. He carefully filed away all of the lady’s responses to the various statements, mentally marking some as being in desperate need of further follow up.

Juno Steel had never swum in the ocean.

Juno Steel had set a cop car on fire.

Juno Steel had participated in a foursome.

It was all very important information. Nureyev only hoped he’d actually remember it tomorrow. That was seeming less and less likely, the tipsier he got. He tried to take small sips throughout the game, but by the time it had ended, he knew he was gone. He’d regret letting that happen once he was sober, of course, but right now he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“I think that’s enough for this evening,” Buddy said after a while, seeming to sense that both Nureyev and Juno were looking rather worse for the wear.

“One more!” Rita insisted. “Never have I ever…almost fallen out a window ‘cause I was chasing after a love letter.”

“Rita!” Juno exclaimed. “I told you that in confidence! Plus, that doesn’t count. It’s targeting! That’s…against the rules!”

“There ain’t no rules, Mistah Steel!”

“Ugh, fine,” Juno said, and drank.

Nureyev couldn’t help being curious, and even- ridiculously- jealous. Who had written Juno a love letter? Who had Juno cared so much about that even he, acrophobic as he was, had been willing to nearly jump out a window to save a note from them?

By all means, it could have happened decades ago. There was no reason to be envious. Nureyev had realized that he was prone to envy when it came to Juno Steel, however, and the alcohol was likely just heightening the emotion.

“Mistah Ransom’s got a funny look on his face,” Rita commented.

“Yeah, ‘cause he knows it was his letter,” Juno grumbled.

“Really!? Mistah Steel, you never told me that!”

“…Didn’t come up.”

Nureyev froze, feeling something warm spread through him. Ah. “You…kept my note? I didn’t realize.”

“Don’t have it anymore. It got lost somewhere along the way. It’s been…a hectic past few months,” Juno said, sounding genuinely upset by the loss. Then he frowned. “What, Ransom, did you really not realize Rita was talking about your note?”

“I…”

A wide smile spread over Juno’s face. “Oh, my god. Your expression a moment ago…were you jealous of yourself!?”

Nureyev felt himself turn beet red. “N- no.”

“You were!”

Juno burst out laughing. Unlike his usual laughs, which on the rare occasions that they surfaced were quiet and restrained, almost as though he didn’t believe he was deserving of laughter, this one was loud and unburdened. It was a full body laugh, and it lit Juno up so beautifully that Nureyev could almost forget that it was at was at his expense.

Nureyev could guess, then, what kind of drunk Juno was. He was the kind whose current predominate emotion, whatever it was, was exacerbated by the alcohol. When he was sad, he’d end up crying into his drinks. When he was angry, there would be yelling and picking fights.

Right now, Juno was happy.

Even just the flickering, uncertain smiles he had shot Nureyev during their mission to retrieve the map had been enough to nearly bowl the thief over, and now here he was. Smiling a smile big enough to cut the moon in half.

“You know, one time Benzaiten won an award for having the Galaxy’s Best Smile. Can you believe that?!”

Nureyev had never known Juno’s brother, of course, and all he knew of him now came from those little glimpses that Juno gave him when he felt safe enough to voice them. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Benzaiten had deserved the accolade, though, if he had indeed had the same smile as Juno.

Juno definitely had the best smile in the entire galaxy. In all the galaxies, surely. And it made Nureyev feel emotions of an enormity that he had never before experienced. He wanted to live in that smile. He wanted to make a home in it. He wanted to lean forward, grab Juno by the face, and kiss him in front of everyone. He wanted to feel that smile against his lips.

It took every ounce of self restraint he had not to do so, and he gripped his glass, begging the last sober vestiges of himself to keep him from acting on any ridiculous notions.

He didn’t kiss Juno, thankfully.

He did do something else, though.

Crack.

“Oh. Dear,” he said. “These things aren’t very sturdy, are they?”

Before he could even realize what was happening, his glass had shattered to pieces in his hand, and his nice clothes that had surely cost the person he’d stolen them from several thousand creds were drenched in alcohol and littered with shards of glass.

“Nur- Ransom!” Juno exclaimed, immediately concerned, and in the moment all that Nureyev could think was how sad he was that the smile had vanished from the lady’s face. “What the hell happened?!”

“I believe I broke the glass.”

“Christ! Do you have the grip strength of a goddamn metal vice?” Juno’s voice sounded shocked and more than a little bit impressed. Nureyev couldn’t help feeling rather pleased about the latter. Then, suddenly, the ex-detective was back to looking concerned. “Ransom, you’re bleeding.”

He looked down at his hand. “Ah.”

“We- we need to get this cleaned up. Get you cleaned up,” Juno said. He swayed slightly as he made his way to Nureyev’s side to worriedly inspect his hand. If his drunkenness had been boosting his happiness before, it was now boosting his anxiety and fear.

“I’m all right,” Nureyev insisted. “Just a cut. Barely even hurts.” He didn’t want Juno to worry. He just wanted to see that smile again.

Vespa let out a long groan. “Ugggggggh. You two are the worst. I’ll go grab the nearest first aid kit. Ransom, Steel can get you your bandaid. I’m going to bed. You got this, Steel?”

Juno nodded. “I’ve patched myself up enough times to know how.”

“Great.”

She was back in a moment with the kit, handing it off to Juno before dragging Buddy off to bed.

“Good night, darlings,” Buddy said as she was pulled away. “Rita, I think you’d best leave them be, too.”

Rita frowned. “But what if they need my- Oooooooh. Okay.” She waved and winked comedically aggressively at Juno. “G’night, Mistah Steel and Mistah Ransom! Mistah Ransom, I hope you feel better soon!”

“Good night, Rita,” Nureyev said, feeling vaguely lightheaded. It wasn’t from the wound- that wasn’t nearly bad enough to warrant such a response. If he had to guess, it was from Juno being so close that he could feel his breath. From the soft, reverent way he was currently cleaning the cuts on Nureyev’s hands.

Juno looked up to watch Rita go. “What was that about?”

“No idea.”

Juno’s next words were softer and slightly slurred. “…Are you mad at me?”

Nureyev stared at him, completely lost. “What? Why would I be mad at you?”

“I was…I was laughing at you. Then you broke the glass. Did you break it because you were mad? Ma did that sometimes. I- I shouldn’t have laughed. Shouldn’t have done that. I’m so sorry-”

“Hush, Juno,” Nureyev said. “I’m not angry in the slightest. Really, it was rather funny. And I’m touched that you went that far just to rescue my note.”

“Then…why?”

“Why did I break the glass? I suppose I underestimated my own strength.”

“Why were you gripping it so hard, though?!”

What could he tell Juno? He studied his hand, not wanting to admit the truth. He couldn’t very well say, I found your smile so beautiful that if I hadn’t held onto something as hard as I could, I would have surely lunged forward and kissed you right there.

He looked up to find Juno staring at him, wide-eyed. “Really?”

“I…did not mean to say that out loud,” Nureyev said. “Apologies, Juno. I seem to be rather drunk.”

“You don’t say.” Juno snorted. A glimmer of a smile reappeared on his face, to Nureyev’s delight. “That’s really why, though? You wanted to kiss me?”

“Well, yes,” Nureyev said, flustered. “You have a very…nice smile.”

“Well, I’m not stopping you.”

Juno suddenly looked embarrassed, almost shy. Hopeful, too.

Nureyev had lost the ability to think coherent thoughts.

“Oh. Okay,” he stammered.

He gently took Juno’s face in his freshly bandaged hand as he’d imagined doing not much earlier, and pulled him into a deep kiss. The lady’s lips were as soft and warm as always. They still tasted like drink, but also something so purely Juno that Nureyev was certain he could have gotten drunk on that taste alone.

He shifted, moving closer. Juno mirrored his actions, shuffling across the carpet to reach him, and then-

“Ow!”

Juno swore and broke away, to Nureyev’s dismay. It took him a moment to figure out what was wrong: there was still broken glass on the carpet.

“Are you all right?” Nureyev asked.

“Mm. Just pricked me. We should really get this cleaned up.” He hesitated. “On second thought, picking up glass while drunk might not be a good idea. Let’s just…mark it off so no one steps on it and then go to bed. We can deal with it in the morning.”

They did just that. Nureyev hated that even though Juno had drunk much more than him, he was the one leaning on Juno for balance as they walked back to his room. He couldn’t stop thinking about that smile. He wondered what it would take to make Juno smile like that while sober, and decided that whatever it was, he was going to figure it out.

When they reached the door to Nureyev’s room, Juno paused.

“Make sure you drink some water before you go to sleep,” he said. “And don’t use your right hand more than you have to, so it can heal.”

“I know, I know.”

There was an awkward but companionable silence for a moment. Nureyev wanted more than anything to invite Juno into his room to stay the night, but he knew he shouldn’t. They weren’t there yet, and besides, that wasn’t a step that he wanted to take while under the influence.

“I can’t believe you really broke a glass because of me,” Juno said finally, smirking.

“Oh, shush. It’s your own fault. If you hadn’t…looked like that, it wouldn’t have happened.”

“Well, I’m so sorry. In the future I’ll refrain from ‘looking like that’.”

“Please don’t,” Nureyev said immediately.

“…Okay. Then I won’t.”

Nureyev moved to open his door, then hesitated, chewing his lip. “Juno…there’s something I need to ask you.”

Juno immediately knit his brow, his shoulders tensing. “What is it?”

“About the time you had sex in a public place-”

The ex-detective groaned loudly and gave him a good-natured shove. “I don’t want to talk about it!”

“Could you at least tell me about the foursome, then?”

“No! God, I am never playing Never Have I Ever with you guys again. Good night, Nureyev.”

Nureyev grinned. “Good night, my dear.”

#asks #the penumbra podcast #jupeter #peter nureyev #juno steel #my writing #i'm working on several other writing projects rn #so if others send prompts i can't guarantee they'll get done #at least not as thoroughly/quickly as i got this one done lol #but you're welcome to send them and i'll at the very least save them for when i do have the time/inspo to write them!

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