— his bizarre machinations.

private   &   selective  𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍   𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐃   of   tnt's   𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦

[anhonestarchive2023]

                            𝐀 𝐍        𝐇 𝐎 𝐍 𝐄 𝐒 𝐓       𝐌 𝐀 𝐍                             𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝

this is an indie, private, and highly selective rp blog for NATHAN FORD from the original run of tnt’s leverage.   written by mags.    first established in 2014.   very trigger-heavy,   especially related to alcohol and manipulation.   18+ interactions only please.   click here to view full rules,  character bio, and verses!   aesthetic sideblog. 

[anhonestarchive2023]

[anhonestarchive2023]

today was nate's bday, just keep that in mind

[anhonestarchive2023]

happy spring break!  and happy opening day!   baseball season is the one thing combatting my incoming seasonal depression.  i hope my trip to boston next week will somehow awaken nate in me.

[fearlastyear]

insane the way these stories always ask is it worse to be betrayed by god or by your father. is it worse to be hurt by the devil or by your father. is it worse to be abandoned by the angels or by your father. but it doesn’t actually matter how you answer, because there is no god or devil or angels, it’s only your father in disguise, and even if they were real, they wouldn’t save you anyways

[anhonestarchive2023]

my son would be ashamed of me if I was a murderer.  but my father, on the other hand .  .  .   he'd buy me an ice cream.

[browndresswithwhitedots]

The most frightening sound in the world is your own heart beating. No one likes to talk about that, but it is true. In the midst of deep fear, it’s a secret beast pounding a giant fist on some inner door, demanding to get in.

Jonathan Carroll (via browndresswithwhitedots)

[anhonestarchive2023]

episode where nate has to lead the team while suffering from a man cold

[wordsnquotes]

prom·ise (ˈpräməs) n. pl. - es. 1. The lie you want to keep.

Nicola Yoon, Everything, Everything (via wordsnquotes)

[anhonestarchive2023]

@thisismystage​  sent :    “thank goodness we’re proper thieves.”

❝   thank goodness,   ❞     he echoes,  but he’s not really listening.     she’s right,   of course.  today was an objectively close call that a lesser team might have fumbled.    down to plan r and parker had needed more time and hardison’s fingers were flying at inhumane speeds and eliot was getting antsy .  .  .  and sophie had been perfect.    one room,  two glasses of champagne,  three aliases,   4x what they’d promised their client in a payout.    and he’s going to get a talking - to from eliot,  probably,  for the way he ran the back - half of the operation,   but looking at her,    he doesn’t care.    

thing is,   the closer the call,  the hotter it is.   and the harder she has to work the room,   the harder he is.    and it’s a problem,  the way the slow and sultry cadence she uses is delivered directly into his ear,   how her legs look in surveillance cameras when she struts confidently in those stilettos other women would die in,    how she picks up so quickly and so brilliantly the vicissitudes in his planning .  .  .   

ever the mastermind,   he already has a solution in mind.   ❝   think proper thieves have,  ah ------    ❞    tongue darts out across his lower lips.   her dress exposes her collarbone,  and he’s officially ogling  now.     ❝    a little time for some impropriety ?   before they have to get back to the rest of the team ?   ❞    

[anhonestarchive2023]

someone make a sentence starter meme using the new national treasure series bc a lot of this sounds like shit that the leverage team would say

[anhonestarchive2023]

gone for a few days on a retreat..... love you 

[anhonestarchive2023]

@violinc​ (breanna) sent :    “i’m a creature of habit.”

❝   uh -  HUH.   ❞     wrist - deep in suds,   right hand scrubbing vigorously around the inside of a bowl of oatmeal that sat too long,   crusted over.      ❝   you know what the funny thing is about habits,    though ?      you can break them.   ❞  

a pointed glance in her direction.     breakfast bar,   normally destination for evening red wine nightcaps and weekend brunches,    currents hosts a laptop that he regards warily.    ❝   i let hardison do whatever he wanted when we bought the place.    and i let him keep an eye on digital security threats.     but this — this is a no hack zone,   alright ?     you can sit there and hack other people ‘til the cows come home.    but stay out of sophie and my accounts,   alright ?      we pay our bills here.     if i don’t get appropriately charged for our water bill or something next month,    your snack supply disappears too.     got it ?   ❞  

[kirbyprompts]

𝐒𝐈𝐗 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐒 ( 𝐋𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐔𝐆𝐎 ) 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒

feel free to change the prompts as you see fit! warnings: mentions of death and murder and violence.

❝it’s almost midnight.❞

❝i’m not going to bet on my own death.❞

❝you’re a thief.❞

❝i know it comes easy, but try not to play dumb with me.❞

❝i’m fairly sure you’re threatening me. but i want to be more certain before i decide to what to do about it.❞

❝i can’t wait to wipe that look off your face.❞

❝things aren’t going quite as planned, are they?❞

❝do you really think that secret would die with me?❞

❝shame holds more value than coin ever can.❞

❝always one step ahead, aren’t you?❞

❝i’m a creature of habit.❞

❝when everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing.❞

❝men mock the gods until they need them.❞

❝get away from me.❞

❝i need a mug of the darkest, bitterest coffee i can find. or maybe a real punch to the jaw.❞

❝you look exhausted. will you sleep at all tonight?❞

❝if i want to watch men dig holes to fall into, i’ll find myself a cemetery.❞

❝you’re smart, but you need to learn patience.❞

❝are you going to explain any of this?❞

❝brick by brick, i will destroy you.❞

❝fate has plans for us all.❞

❝the brain is just another organ.❞

❝if you’d wanted to help me, you know you could have.❞

❝when have i ever done something for nothing?❞

❝i may die, but i’ll die on my feet with a knife in my hand.❞

❝i can take it.❞

❝you could have come to me on your hands and knees, and my answer would be the same.❞

❝you can keep your money. choke on it.❞

❝don’t i have a say in this? i’m sitting right here.❞

❝i’m not useless.❞

❝you wouldn’t know a good time if it sidled up to you and stuck a lollipop in your mouth.❞

❝the easiest way to steal a man’s wallet is to tell him you’re going to steal his watch.❞

❝it’s hard to keep track of all your wisdom.❞

❝i worry about everything. that’s why i’m still alive.❞

❝there’s a difference between confidence and arrogance.❞

❝the heart is an arrow. it demands aim to land true.❞

❝i’m not sure i have a heart to give any more.❞

❝you at least owe me your best imitation of a human being.❞

❝i can tell you how this one ends, but you’re not going to like it.❞

❝did we win?❞

❝i don’t want to die.❞

❝you came back for me.❞

❝i protect my investments.❞

❝say you’re sorry.❞

❝you’re making me nervous.❞

❝i’m just doing my job. stop glaring at me.❞

❝my ghost won’t associate with your ghost.❞

❝don’t try to move, just rest.❞

❝i’m fine. you’re the one who got stabbed.❞

❝it’s just so much easier to kill people than take care of them.❞

❝don’t make me laugh. that feels awful.❞

❝how long was i out?❞

❝there was enough blood to paint a barn red.❞

❝i’m not a criminal.❞

❝if you aren’t born with every advantage, you learn to take your chances.❞

❝why do you think you know everything about me?❞

❝i want to show you something.❞

❝i’ve been looking for an excuse to talk to you for two days.❞

❝i’ve never heard you admit you’re not good at something.❞

❝i don’t want this.❞

❝unclench your jaw. you’re going to grind your teeth down into nothing.❞

❝shut your eyes.❞

❝you don’t smell like roses any more.❞

❝it’s not normal for someone to be as stupid as they are tall, and yet there you stand.❞

❝i can’t believe your face is going to be the last thing i see before i die.❞

❝i hate the way you talk.❞

❝do you think i care what you like or don’t like?❞

❝there’s always more to lose.❞

❝what’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get home?❞

❝i have been made to protect you. only in death will i be kept from this oath.❞

❝are you afraid of me?❞

❝all right, what do you do for fun?❞

❝what are you so afraid will happen? afraid you might start to like me?❞

❝let me go.❞

❝i will always be a threat to you.❞

❝we’re under attack.❞

❝you did everything but tell the truth.❞

❝what was that?❞

❝just keep talking.❞

❝doesn’t matter how big the gun is if you don’t know where to point it.❞

❝we’re either geniuses or the dumbest sons of bitches to ever breathe air.❞

❝what good is a lockpick without his picks?❞

❝you aren’t going to kill me, and i’m not going to pretend everything is okay.❞

❝stop being dense. you’re cuter when you’re smart.❞

❝have you ever been in a fight?❞

❝i don’t want to kill people, not really.❞

❝you’re obviously dangerous. i’d prefer you never became dangerous to me.❞

❝better terrible truths than kind lies.❞

❝your death belongs to me.❞

❝i want a job.❞

❝i practice the art of ‘pull his shirt over his head and punch till you see blood.‘❞

❝a good magician isn’t much different from a proper thief.❞

❝why didn’t you tell me?❞

❝thank goodness we’re proper thieves.❞

❝if you survive and i don’t, make sure i have an open casket. the world deserves a few more moments with this face.❞

❝if we don’t survive this night, i will die unafraid. can you say the same?❞

❝you don’t have to do this, you know.❞

❝i’ve done worse.❞

❝i’m not sure why i began this, but i know why i have to finish. i know why fate brought me here, why it placed me in the path of this prize.❞

❝you’re very graceful in battle, just not while you’re plummeting.❞

❝you presume a great deal.❞

❝i learned the same way you learn about anything. take it apart.❞

❝who am i now?❞

❝you stink of decency.❞

❝we have a party to go to.❞

❝i’m afraid for you.❞

❝i need a dose of imminent peril to get my head straight.❞

❝you can help by shutting up and staying out of the way.❞

❝i don’t like that sound. what’s wrong?❞

❝i don’t love killing people.❞

❝i don’t have any business criticizing you.❞

❝you gave me the tools for vengeance when i needed them the most.❞

❝if we make it out of here alive, i’m going to kiss you unconscious.❞

❝have you come to kill me?❞

❝you shouldn’t make friends with crows.❞

❝you’ve cheated death too many times.❞

❝you won’t shoot me. you need information.❞

❝i. should. let. you. die.❞

❝don’t touch me.❞

❝you almost drowned. you should have drowned.❞

❝this would be a really good time to say you saw this coming.❞

❝i didn’t see this coming.❞

❝they won’t take me alive.❞

❝we’re all someone’s monster.❞

❝you look radiant.❞

❝it seems you prayed to the right god.❞

❝you know you can’t stop them all.❞

❝what will you do when there’s no more blood to shed or vengeance to take?❞

❝was there never another dream?❞

❝what do you want, then?❞

❝stay. stay here. stay with me.❞

❝i want you to stay. i want you to… i want you.❞

❝i don’t want you to see me like this.❞

❝we all carry our sins. i need you to live so i can atone for mine.❞

❝i want to feel safe again. i want to go home.❞

❝i’d like to say it’s been a pleasure, but i’m not that good a liar.❞

❝maybe i liked your stupid face.❞

❝i’m going to invent a new trick.❞

[anhonestarchive2023]

 @agoodthief​​  sent :    “you don’t have to do that.   not for me.”

❝   i know,   ❞     he tells her around the rim of his coffee cup.     and he wishes he could leave it at that,    dodge any further explanation with the simplicity of his response.     not angry,    not unkind,    only simple.     nothing more to be said.      with hardison,   he might have ;    with eliot,  he would  have.     with parker .  .  .

a slow swallow,    a too - short moment of relishing the way the warm brew envelops him from throat to belly.    then he nods,   thumbs the side of said mug as he tells the air vaguely around the space parker occupies,    ❝   that’s what being on a team is,  is — it’s trusting each other’s instincts.   respecting each other’s priorities.      that’s what this is.    not obligation.   ❞  

[anhonestarchive2023]

the mastermind job always makes me cry and i don’t forsee that changing anytime soon tbh

[anhonestarchive2023]

————   send me a # between 1 and 57,   and i’ll post a season 1 or 2 meta from that page in my mastermind meta notebook    /      @analyticallyminded​ asked for #41

#41 comes from the very end of my notes on 2.10 “the runway job,” which is part of two important eras.   1) the tara era, which is always an interesting case study for team dynamics overall, and 2) the part of season 2 where nate reverts back to his old season 1 ways.

** important note before we proceed :  nate’s sobriety during the beginning of season 2 is not up for debate with me.  i know there’s a semi-popular reading that he was secretly drinking behind the scenes for at least a few episodes in here, but i vehemently don’t subscribe to that.    the fact that nate breaks his sobriety for a con in “the bottle job,” which is the very next episode after this one,  is incredibly significant.   i think any other reading is reductive.   and so it’s important to note that this scene i’m about to discuss, nate is dead sober. 

in “the runway job,” after tara, nate, and eliot are captured by the triads.   hardison, on comms, makes the executive call to pull the plug and bring the money to chow.   nate,  while still in cover,   instructs him not to. 

this is the conversation that later ensues after the con continues to go sideways:

hardison:  you could’ve just given russell the money. nate:  If we’d given the money, we would’ve gone back to the client with nothing. eliot: because that’s what it’s about: a chance to run a con on the triads on the fly with tara’s life in danger to take down a bigger target. nate: listen, it’s one thing for florence and those other women to owe money to some local sweatshop.  you want them in debt to the triads the rest of their lives?   parker:  you wouldn’t have left sophie there. nate:  listen, I know what I’m doing.  I got it under control, alright?

some things to unpack here: 

1)  unrelated to nate,  there’s a protectiveness that the team,  but specifically parker,  starts showing to tara around this time that i find really interesting.  

2)  this episode and “the lost heir job” before it really are a reversion back to drunk nate in season 1 losing sight of how far it’s appropriate to go on the con.  it harkens back to the string of episodes between like 1.06 and 1.10 wherein nate is constantly drunk and the team,  but especially eliot,    question him for it.   think eliot threatening to bounce his ass off the floor in “the stork job” (1.06),  eliot and nate’s   “you made this decision when?” / “ hey, i don’t have to run anything by you, eliot”  in “the snow job”  (1.09).  

i think it’s easy to see nate’s falling apart in the second half of season 2,   the arc that leads tara to have to call sophie back for the finale,   as starting later.    starting with his drinking in 2.11,   from his getting triggered by seeing maggie in 2.12,   to his BIG MISSTEPS in 2.14 (think hardison’s,   “you ignored us!  you screwed up!  and you killed lucille!”) 

but his decline started earlier than that,   AND it started while he was,  again,  still dead sober.  his sobriety didn’t fix things,   and i think that’s a big thing he has to grapple with later on.   which is something i explore in later pages of the mastermind notes as well. 

also worth noting that in almost every instance i’ve referenced here in this section,   nate’s justification for going to far is always that he was doing it for the clients.     that’s something that i began to unpack in this meme reply for @abetterthief​ too, because i find it deeply intriguing.

3)  parker’s claim that he wouldn’t have left sophie, which goes unaddressed (obviously) by nate...  i think it’s a good gotcha for the moment,  but i don’t necessarily believe it to be true.   i think he would have left sophie in there,  absolutely,  because he’s left sophie there before in previous episodes and he leaves her there again in later episodes.   but i appreciate her having faith in his love for her lol,  even if it’s misplaced.