Ugh, Eliot and Hardison were so ON.

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Originally posted by hackerhitterthief

honor among thieves

• Bonus:

Hey nonny~! Thanks for stopping by and sharing!

I have to say that I 100% agree with you on the uncomfortable part. I also read it as a hard “NO” from Hardison.

 And you bring up a very good point. Sparring is definitely something where you need to have trust that your sparring partners are gonna STOP when you have had enough. Tapping out is just that – you’re signaling that you’ve had enough and you want the action to STOP.

Hardison’s aliases being so good they cause problems by being too realistic is my actual favourite thing.

One of my favourite things in The Queen’s Gambit, apart from the HardisonxParker dance, is how Eliot reacts to realizing that he’s been drugged. He’s out almost like a light, but he catches on a second before he passes out and his first instinct is to swing a punch at Sterling.

Iconic.

dammit, hardison! (affectionate)

what’s the matter with you? (loving)

Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Leverage
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: N/A
Relationships: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer
Characters Parker (Leverage), Eliot Spencer (Leverage), Alec Hardison
Additional Tags: Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Domestic Fluff, Grief/Mourning, Panic Attacks, Nightmares
Summary:
“Archie’s daughter called me and asked to meet up.”

“Oh, yeah? How’s he been?”

“He’s dead.”

–

Written as a gift for @delektorskichick as part of the @leverage-secret-santa-exchange!

Read it on AO3
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bringing back the leverage demigod au, I have made a series of fic title ideas for people to use

(these are all 5+1 titles because 5+1 fic titles and fics in general are easier to write because they don’t have to be continuous)

• Five Times the Crew Used Their Godly Talents And No One Noticed + The One Time Everyone Noticed
• Five Times the Crew Used Their Godly Talents And No One Noticed + The One Time They Couldn’t Help But Notice
• Five Times They Didn’t Talk About Their Godly Heritages + The One Time They Had To
• Five Times Parker Was the Daughter of Hermes + The One Time She Was Nate’s
• Five Times No One Realized Hardison Was The Son of Hestia + The One Time Everyone Figured It Out
• Five Times No One Knew Sophie Was The Daughter Of Hecate + The One Time Everyone Knew
• Five Times the Leverage Crew Brought Down Human Monsters + The One Time They Took Down An Actual Monster

and an ot3 centered one because I can’t help myself

• Five Times Parker, Hardison, and Eliot’s Godly Parents Were Proud of Them + The One Time Aphrodite Was

eliot spencer is the embodiment of let me die first or I will die twice and I for one think that is very sexy of him

yo if i made a leverage discord channel would any of u guys be interested to join?

(if theres already a leverage discord channel PLEASE invite me!)

as I now have realized, I have a million different nonhuman!parker headcanons and I love them all dearly

chaos demon or trickster parker? amazing

fae changeling parker? awesome

dragon parker? quality content

parker: let’s play 21 questions, you start

eliot: okay, hardison, what’s your favorite color?

hardison: triangle. are you into men?

Hey, nonny, thanks for dropping in and sharing :)

Everyone’s entitled to their own reading of the scene. If you came across the post I’m thinking of, I had commented on it during the time that the George Floyd / BLM protests were really starting to gain steam.

In context, the Parker and Hardison sparring scene is within character and a continuation of the established dynamic, ie Hardison isn’t very athletic and Parker (and Eliot) tend to force him into situations that Hardison will complain about but do anyway.

The scene was not racial at all, especially given the characters and the year it originally aired. 

However, viewing it through a 2020 lens can certainly change one’s opinion. For one, consent. Hardison says no, he’s had enough; the other two keep going. And two, two white people ignoring a Black man’s plea to stop hurting him. 

So viewing through that lens? Yeah, not a great look. YMMV.

Was that the intent of the scene? Absolutely not – it was Parker and Eliot fucking with Hardison, as they tend to.

About the “so it’s a black thing now” line, here’s my take:

Hardison: I could have taken you down to mama’s fish shack and got you a catfish, two pieces, and a biscuit for $5.99. But instead you got us out here with trigger-happy Joes trying to fish us! And he’s all too happy to shoot himself a Negro!

Eliot: Oh, so it’s a black thing now? Is that it? They’re hunting me, too, all right? (continues laying false trail)

Hardison: Damn Skippy, it’s a black thing! Who they try to shoot first, Eliot? Who got punched first, Eliot? Me! I’m about tired of this redneck…

This is a learning moment.

For me, the line, “Oh, so it’s a black thing now?” coming from Eliot is disappointing but it’s also believable. It’s a line that shows Eliot’s ignorance of his own white privilege.

Eliot is a former soldier who sees people hunting them because they (Eliot and Hardison) are a threat to them (the militia.) For him, race is not a factor. 

As a white man in America, race is not going to be factor. He likely has never had to think about it.

Meanwhile, Hardison, a Black man, sees armed angry white men who see a Black target and think it’s open season. (I’m a non-Black WoC. If I encountered angry white men with guns? Yeah. I’d shit myself if I wasn’t armed. I can only imagine the terror being so much worse for Black folks.)

So for Hardison, yes, race is definitely a factor and he’s letting Eliot know that.

One of my biggest criticisms of Leverage is how blindingly white it is. Like, would it kill them to have some melanin on this show?

(I believe there was an outtake for The French Connection Job where Hardison goes up to a Black student in the cooking school and was like, “OMG, the only other Black person in Portland~!”)

Race is something that the show tends to tiptoe around. And frankly, with a cast that is 4/5 white (or white-passing in the case of Sophie), they can get away with that because race tends not to be a factor when the white characters are running around. (Meanwhile, Hardison being the sole Black member of the team does run a much higher risk if they ever get caught.)

Watching The Three Days of the Hunter Job and, at the end, Nate pours Sophie a glass of wine. Meanwhile, Hardison is drinking orange soda out of a wine glass and swirling and sniffing it like the orange soda connoisseur he is and it is cracking me up.

“ It’s supposed to be a walk away. I’m never supposed to see you again. ”

Eliot x Hardison song of the day.

Originally posted by leverageepisodegifs

Originally posted by leverageepisodegifs

Originally posted by leverageepisodegifs

Originally posted by leverageepisodegifs

Was watching Leverage w my mom bc we both love that show and I was like yeah so they’re (the ot3) together. Like together together. And she was like yeah Hardison and parker are but not eliot. And I was like bitch u wanna see the tweet?? So I showed her the tweet proclaiming their canon status and she was like well that wasn’t what they did back then they must’ve changed it recently and I was like no. The tweet is dated 12/27/12 and she shut up quick. Then a few scenes later it was just parker and Sophie and she was like (somewhat meanly) so are they together too? And I was like is that what your problem is? Are you that homophobic?? Blatantly?? In the year of our Lord 2021?? But I didn’t say that bc I’m not out yet to her but I gave my sister (who I am out to) a look™ and she was like 🤷

Anyway, fuck homophobic parents, my mom’s the reason I haven’t come out yet bc I know my dad wouldn’t rlly have a problem w it, he’d still be as weird ab my dating life as he always has been. But my mom is a lot more traditionally thinking. I’ll work on her tho.

• How does he make seven dollars a day that doesn’t seem remotely accurate
• WHAT DO THEY GOTTA DO MAN? WhAT DO THEY HAVE TO DO?
• This was so skeevy. DId he get shot up by accident? Did the Castleman guys just start shooting? Like what?
• This poor Doctor. She’s so great, but she really should not have said “that’s not the way the world works.” That seems like such a challenge.
• This is what I mean about the continuity confusion! Why would Hardison have to call them if Leverage was set up at the end of the last episode????
• Sophie’s acting in the commercial audition wasn’t terrible. Weird for an audition, but not terrible.
• Eliot’s so unfazed by having a gun pointed at him, I love it.
• You don’t even SEE Parker I can’t
• I don’t like stuff. I like MONEY
• “I’m not gonna tell a couple of known thieves what i did with a multi million dollar payout” you so smart eliot
• ARE WE NOT GONNA MENTION THAT HARDISON IS UBER ARTISTICALLY TALENTED
• Parker’s so excited by mundane office stuff it’s adorable
• DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN ABOUT IT NOT SEEMING LIKE ENOUGH MONEY FOR THIS WHOLE SETUP? 
• Eliot’s face at the sports. Hardison building stuff for him from day 1 it’s adorable
• IT’S A VERY DISTINCTIVE SOUND!!! I LOVE IT!! SO IT BEGINS
• I love how it all starts out so simple, just get the money it’s fine, and then they always end up like… toppling the entire corrupt system.  
• Where did Parker’s shower cap go in later episodes? Like… she’s a thief. The need for a leather shower cap likely would not disappear…
• SOPHIE’S DRESS I LOVE IT
• …It disgusts me that they can buy congressmen AND IT”S NOT EVEN ILLEGAL!!! 
• LIKE I WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHY LOBBYING AND LARGE SUM CAMPAIGN DONATIONS ARE LEGAL
• How does Eliot just… know what words have the necessary sounds?? How is he so smart? HOW IS THIS MAN A THING I’M IN LOVE
• “Oh, there they are. Really loud too” I love her in this episode
• I think Castleman is one of the WORST groups they’ve gone up against. Not in terms of like, bad for TV, but just in terms of them being super evil. The stolen money, the attempted murder, and things always feel even more disgusting when you include army contracters. 
• OH WAIT I UNDERSTAND WHY HE WAS SHOT I REMEMBER OKAY IT MAKES SENSE IT’S FINE
• Did… Did Perry just grope Sophie? Are we going to just ignore that? 
• So, do docs and nurses really wear crocs that much? I thought good supportive sneakers would be more common
• AVENGING ELIOT TO THE RESCUE!!
• … where did nate just randomly find a defibrillator. 
• IT’S A VERY DISTINCTIVE STYLE
• “…I actually hurt people… so…”
• I FUCKING LOVE ELIOT SPENCER
• I’m sorry, I doubt you’re reading these posts for endless heart eyes for eliot, but THAT’S JUST HOW I FEEL
• SPEAKING OF HOW DOES HE LOOK SO HOT IN A DISHEVELED WHITE BUTTON DOWN
• Sophie already trying to stop Nate’s drinking. Why did they just… forget to address it later? Like when he falls off the wagon in S2, no one cares anymore. 
• HOW IS SOPHIE SO PRETTY
• Nate’s accent is terrible. Why is all their accent work terrible? WHAT DIALECT IS THAT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE
• “Those are the same signs your wife is cheating on you” Or… just the signs that someone is trying to hide something from you? Like in general??
• I always feel bad about the congressman’s cancelled wood panels until i remember how he got them and the lives at stake so he can have a nice house. It’s so icky
• This whole law thing is so clever but is that really how it works?
• I love that Hardison is already in love with Parker. I love it. 
• …The only difference between Sophie and a politician is Sophie doesn’t have the authority but makes up for it with having a moral code.
• “I’m sorry it’s too far away for you to punch I’m sure that really frustrates you” I fucking LOVE HIM
• What’s a better ship? The OT3 or Parker/Money?
• …And another IYS reference. Should I start a tally? How many episodes they mention Nate’s past with IYS or Nate’s past with Sam? How many times they show that fucking Sam clip? I’m gonna start doing that at the end I think.
• “WHat is it like a creepy contest?” CUE PARKER HEART EYES I CAN’T I LOVE THEM
• Is the money story real? Like did the money transfer really happen? Because it sounds like it could be real, like i wouldn’t put it past them, but i really hope its not
• … So I looked it up and there’s much more money in cash per person. Nate’s full of shit. (Or the writers just got bad info but I like blaming Nate more)
• Why does this security guy look like a john cena wannabe i hate it
• NATE AND SOPHIE’S DiSTRACTION IS INCREDIBLE. Can you imagine if they were a real couple though, and the guard was that fucking rude to them?
• ELIOT’S HAPLESS SECURITY GUARD IS SO FUKING CUTE IM DEAD
• What’s a better ship, Parker/Money or Parker/Explosions
• WHY IS THE CONGRESSMAN WEARING A WHOLE ASS TUXEDO???
• … Knowing what I know about black men and cops… why the fuck would they have Hardison driving the truck? I’m just saying that seems like a real easy and VERY AVOIDABLE way of getting him killed. 
• ALTHOUGH THIS IS THE FUNNIEST HARDISON SCENE
• “This is about my eth-ni-ti-city? It’s because I’m Jewish?” AS A JEW THIS MADE ME DIE LAUGHING. I COMPLETELY LOST IT THE FIRST TIME I HEARD AND IT STILL MAKES ME CRACK UP!!!!
• HE’S JUST SO FUCKING FUNNY
• “JUSt cause a brother likes matzah ball soup? What’s wrong with that? Sammy Davis?” I CANNOT
• ELIOT IN THICK RIMMED NERD GLASSES I LOVE IT
• … why did they.. Not check the container number??? I’m so confused?? WHY ARE THEY SO STUPID???
• The PR stunt they’re trying to pull right now… sleazy slimy
• They switched the order of the accusations… like… 
• “We’re gonna lead with Crap.” politicians always do
• …Technically, the money is stolen? Like… I’m not gonna say they don’t deserve it? But… it’s technically stolen
• ELIOT HAS SO MUCH RESPECT FOR PERRY BECAUSE HE WAS ALMOST HIM
• I’M CRYING DON’T LOOK AT ME
• “One more” ELIOT YOU SOFTIE
• “I bought a plant” PARKER YOU SOFTIE
• “What does it do?” YOU’LL FIND OUT
• The cherry red tesla is so over the top i hate it. I hate sports cars though so like

OKAY SO FINAL EPISODE THOUGHTS: 7/10. Characterization was much better. They seemed like more human people. Points off for Castleman becausE as gross as it is to kill people through negligence for money, it’s so much grosser to ACTIVELY murder them for money WHILE PRETENDING TO BE A LEGITIMATE BUSINESS AND HAVE GOVERNEMNT ASSHOLES IN ON IT LIKE I’M SO FUCKING DISGUSTED. Added points for the HUMAN HEART EYES EMOJI THAT IS ELIOT SPENCER. Points off for Perry kind of assaulting sophie AND FUCKING GETTING AWAY WITH IT. Added points for Parker being adorable. THis was one of the episodes that put me on the fence about her when i wa not in love with her. 

IYS count: 2/2
Sam reference count: 2/2 (for the children’s hospital donation in the beginning)