| Peter Nureyev | Gallery |
| “ | You know, Juno…call me a fool if you like, but…I think I may have fallen in love with you. | ” |
—Peter Nureyev[src]
Peter Nureyev is a charismatic, quick thinking master thief who hails from the streets of Brahma. He first crossed paths with Juno Steel under the alias Rex Glass, pretending to be a Dark Matters Agent to get into the Kanagawa Mansion with Juno and obtain the Death Mask of Grimpotheuthis for his current employer.
Early Life[]
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Spoilers Below!
Proceed at your own risk if you have not yet listened to Season 1 and beyond of the Penumbra Podcast. |
Peter grew up on the streets of Brahma among a group of streetchildren, and was eventually adopted by Mag, a thief and rebel, when he was very young. Mag aimed to take down the oppressive Guardian Angel System weapon and surveillance system that defended the floating city of New Kinshasa from the squalor on Brahma, and Peter was recruited into that cause.
Early on, Mag told Peter a story about his father, a brave man who posed as a constable in order to get down to Brahma and pass the plans for the Guardian Angel System on to Mag. Mag also claimed that Peter's father did this to hide Peter on Brahma, away from his childhood home on New Kinshasa. In the story, Peter's father was shot before he could enact his plan, but years later Mag found Peter on the streets and recognised the resemblance immediately.
Mag taught Peter how to be a thief. The two were close, working well as a team while undercover, often posing as father and son. Peter found it hard to imagine that Mag would ever retire and claimed that he would never do as much, instead making his name famous across the stars.
Upon seeing the square and hearing the music on New Kinshasa, Peter felt he remembered his life there before his father left him on Brahma.
During Mag and Peter's infiltration of the Guardian Angel Core, Mag's plan to crash New Kinshasa into Brahma was fully revealed. Peter protested strongly, expressing his concern for his childhood home, and the two had an argument in which it came out that Mag had lied about ever meeting Peter's father and even Peter ever having lived on New Kinshasa.
Angry at Mag's lies and his ruthless plan, Peter refused to help him take down the city. He was sure that this was too much of a sacrifice and that even if he didn't have family on New Kinshasa, somebody did, and that was enough of a reason. Peter drew a knife on Mag and demanded he turn around and face him. Mag refused to fight Peter, so he was forced to stab him to death.
Peter replaced the reactor, and when he was identified by the constables that found him, vowed to return should the tyranny of the Guardian Angel System continue. He renounced his old name and disappeared with the appropriate level of flair.
Eventually, from Peter's notebook left for Juno, we learn that his life afterwards was not as impressive as it sounded in the mind of a 16-year-old. In truth, the Guardian Angel System became fully active again within several months, and Peter was in hiding on Brahma, terrified and lonely. He was hiding away in basements and had given up on living when he, by accident, ran into his old friend Slip Jackson, one of the street kids he lived among before Mag. Slip is happy to see Peter again and steals tickets so they can escape Brahma together several weeks later.
To escape Brahma, he fakes 'Quick Rot', a disease common in the Outer Rim, with help from Slip's drugs.
After waking from a drug induced comas five days after arriving in Saraswati, Peter finds Slip's behaviour suspicious and decides to fake sick so he can follow him. Peter finds out that he’s planning to play Rangian Street Poker to get the formula for a chemical compound. He confronts him with what he saw and Slip eventually agrees to let him come with him.
During the game, one of their competitors asks what his name is and wins, however Slip gives them the name Arthur Dodger instead, saving Peter.
The Executives track them both down, having figured out the lie. Slip tells Nureyev to keep using the name Dodger. They interrogate Nureyev using vivid hallucinations, including one where he sees an undead version of Arthur Dodger, the man whose name he stole. Then they have him hallucinate living a life with Slip and growing to an old age before he finally gives up his real name. The hallucinations stop, and The Executives inform Nureyev that Slip is on life support. They manipulate him into agreeing to work for them in exchange for Slip's care. He steals many precious things for them to pay for various medical procedures, always reporting back to the Dokana Group headquarters on Amun. He works for them for twenty years.
History[]
Season 1[]
Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask (Part 1) and (Part 2); Update (Part 1) and (Part 2)[]
Peter went on to spend his time as a thief for hire, and was eventually hired to steal the Mask of Grimpotheuthis from Croesus Kanagawa for Miasma. After being interrupted during his attempted robbery, he went undercover as Agent Rex Glass of Dark Matters in order to steal the Mask from under Juno Steel's nose.
He reappears as Valles Vicky's contact for stolen Martian Artifacts in Juno Steel and the Midnight Fox (Part 2) and takes Juno on a mysterious night ride. He reveals to Juno that he needs the detectives help for a two man job at the Oasis Resort Casino where he wants to obtain information from former jewel-thief Brock Engstrom. Juno is suspicious but also intrigued by Nureyev and the case. They work well together, obtain the information and the item Nureyev was after but are caught by Miasma, Nureyev's employer whom he tried to cross. She wants to kill Nureyev but Juno threatens to kill himself (and the Martian grow) if she does so and saves his life. After some mind reading shenanigans they are able stop Miasma's sinister plan. It seems that Juno and Nureyev will have a romantic ending, but Juno leaves after having spent the night with the thief.
Season 2[]
Peter appears in Juno's dream once and there are many direct and indirect mentions of him in Juno's interior monologues. At the end of the season it is revealed to Juno and the audience, that like Juno and Rita, Peter is now a member of the newly founded Aurinko Crime Family. He makes his entrance sitting on hood of the Ruby 7 saying "Hello, Juno. It's been a while."
Season 3[]
Returning to the name "Peter Ransom," his alias on Brahma, Peter becomes a member of the Aurinko Crime Family.
In Juno Steel and the Man in Glass (Part 1) his inner monologue reveals that Peter initially joined Buddy Aurinko's enterprise to settle a huge debt that caught up with him. During his first mission for the Family where Juno and Peter impersonate newlyweds (Buddy's idea) at a high society charity event he realizes how Juno has changed and what the man means to him, as a partner in crime and beyond. He even turns down a proposal by Nova Zolotovna which could have enabled him to settle his debts, due to his feelings for Juno.
His relationship to the rest of the crew is troubled by the fact that they are aware that Ransom is an alias but Peter refuses to tell them his real name. While Jet and Vespa seem highly suspicious, Buddy seems to have quite a good idea of who Peter is as a person.
By the End of Juno Steel and Juno Steel and the Mega-Ultrabots of Cyberjustice (Part 2) Peter takes a call on his comms from a person reminding him of his liabilities and he promises them the items and reclaiming his role as "elusive homme fatale".
In Juno Steel and What lies Beyond (Part1) he is giving Juno, who seems to have been in a bad mood since the wedding is coming up, a tech-journal with 6 mysteries to solve. During their conversation the two very affectionate, but there also seems to be something that is troubling him deeply and that he seemingly wants to talk about with Juno. Peter plays his instrument for Buddy's and Vespa's wedding, but when Dark Matters approach he does what he does best and disappears even before they board the ship. It is not quite clear if they are looking for him, but it seems highly likely.
Personality[]
Nureyev comes off as rather confident and slightly camp. He is rather flirtatious and claims to "acts solely in his own self-interest." He changes his speaking patterns and behavioral patterns often, as he spends most of his time pretending to be someone else, though he usually remains some similar characteristics. When working a heist, Peter is always quick to charm people, to the point where he has convinced them into handing him their valuables with very little resistance on more than one occasion. He has also pointed out at several different points that as a thief, he has made it a habit to memorize entire floor plans of the buildings he enters by glancing at them in case he needs to make a quick escape.
In Peter Nureyev and the Angel of Brahma (Part 2) we learn how the younger Peter envisioned his future "I want to be big, Mag, the biggest. I want everyone to know who I am. I want the wealthy to fear me and those in need to call for me. I want--", which sounds more like a Robin Hood type of a thief or a super hero than a famous master thief.
In Juno Steel and the Man in Glass (Part 1), we hear Peter in the role of narrator for the first time and hear his internal thoughts. His tendency to compartmentalize becomes apparent, and he reinforces his love of freedom and flexibility. Hurt by Juno's departure in Juno Steel and the Final Resting Place, Peter is initially irritated and impatient with Juno, avoiding interacting with him and suppressing his persistent attraction. By Juno Steel and the Shadows on the Ship (Part 2), however, it appears that he has at least somewhat worked past this initial resentment, as it is noted by Vespa and Jet that the two spend hours together in Peter's room on the Carte Blanche each night. Similarly, in Juno Steel and the Mega-Ultrabots of Cyberjustice (Part 1), it is pointed out by Rita that the two are on much better terms.
In Juno Steel and what lies Beyond (Part 1) he seems worried and by the end of the episode it seems that he has fallen back into his old ways of "disappearing when trouble arises".
Abilities[]
Having been trained under Mag, Nureyev has proven himself to be a master thief in every way. He is incredibly cunning, able to quickly read a room and plan his actions from there. He can also easily adapt his plans as things go awry. Most notably, he has the ability to disappear from sight, using whatever he has on hand or the general layout of the room. Even after being arrested, Nureyev was able to escape a police car after stripping the officers down and handcuffing them together on the side of the road. Nureyev is also a skilled fighter, showing particular finesse with knives and daggers.
Nureyev is quite competent at disguising himself, having gone through multiple personas and personalities for various jobs, to the point where even Juno questions if the Nureyev he knows is the "true" Nureyev. He usually takes on a name that holds a royal or high-ranking connotation, such as Duke or Rex. Based on extensive research on his target, he can use what information he has to manipulate and charm his way to his goals, and many people find themselves enamored by him.
After season three he gained the ability of being rude to Juno.
Peter has proven that he can work quite well with others, most of all with Juno and recently also with Rita.
Apparently Buddy has been helping Peter and Juno to communicate about their feelings and relationship and it seems to have worked.
Rita mentions that he has been playing a "depressing instrument" recently. In Juno Steel and What Lies Beyond, it is confirmed that this instrument sounds similar to a modern day violin, which is said to be a traditional Outer instrument. Harley Takagi Kaner calls it "viola-ish."[1]
List of Aliases[]
Relationships[]
Juno Steel[]
Nureyev's relationship with Juno Steel can only be described as complicated and changes a lot over the course of the series. He originally joins Juno Steel under the guise of Dark Matters Agent Rex Glass, using him as a way to get into the Kanagawa mansion and retrieve the Mask of Grimpotheuthis for Miasma. Under this persona, Glass is openly flirtatious with Juno, much to the detective's chagrin. They realize that they work quite well together and Peter shows trust towards Juno several times, for example by letting him rummage through his pockets, when they are chained up. When Juno is injured and Nureyev is attending his wounds, Juno admits that he likes the scent of Nureyev's cologne. However, Juno eventually deduces that Nureyev is attempting to steal the mask and arrests him right after they shared a kiss. Juno demands to know his real name, but Nureyev refuses, saying that he would just share this information with "someone special". Nureyev offers Juno an opportunity to travel with him throughout the galaxy, but Juno refuses. Before Nureyev is picked up by the cops, he hides a note for Juno in which he tells him his true name and calls himself Juno's "better half".
Nureyev later runs into Juno as Valles Vicky's contact on Martian artifacts. No longer acting under a persona, Nureyev is far less flirtatious than Glass, but still demonstrates his affection and trust for Juno in other ways. He brings Juno with him to Engstrom's casino to attempt to find a way to break into the train that held the Egg of Puris, the Utgard Express. Thinking he is being used by Nureyev as collateral Juno is initially upset, but eventually enthralled by their amazing team work. The two manage to retrieve the Egg of Puris but are then intercepted by Miasma.
Juno expresses concern about the fact that he barely knows who Nureyev is and, thus, does not know whether to trust him. After the two are forced to partake in Miasma's mind reading experiments, Nureyev encourages Juno to reach into his memories, hoping that Juno might trust him more that way. Juno manages to dig through Nureyev's memories of Mag and New Kinshasa and grows to trust Nureyev for who he is.
Nureyev manages to take out a guard and wants to escape with Juno. When he finds that Juno is too injured to leave he promises to come back for him, which he eventually does.
The two later escape from Miasma, and Juno traps himself behind a door with the idea that the Egg will kill both him and Miasma. Nureyev is distressed, banging on the door and crying that Juno does not have to go through this alone. Once the bomb goes off and Nureyev enters the room, he finds Juno alive and reacts in shock and relief. The two spend the night together, with Nureyev extending his offer to go explore the stars yet again. However, he also states that if Juno never wants to see his face again, he will understand and accept it too. Juno tentatively agrees to go with Nureyev, but ends up leaving in the middle of the night. They are reunited when they both join the Aurinko Crime Family.
During Juno Steel and the Man in Glass (Part 2) Nureyev declines the proposal of Nova Zolotovna when he realizes that he is still in love with Juno and wants to be with him. At the end of the episode, him and Juno have a long conversation in which Juno apologizes for leaving in the middle of the night, and it seems that Nureyev decides to stay with the Aurinko Crime Family to be with Juno.
Juno knows about Nureyev's debts, probably because he told him. He seems understanding, which makes sense, considering that Juno once owed Valles Vicky so much money that he had to work for her several years.
In Juno Steel and the Shadows on the Ship (Part 2) Vespa mentions that Juno spends hours in Nureyev's room each night and Jet complains about them being quite loud. Apart from implying that they are having sex, Jet mentions that they are "reading poetry" to each other, to which Juno replies "It is not poetry! And we get loud because... we’re just trying to... communicate things with each other!". In Juno Steel and the Mega-Ultrabots of Cyberjustice (Part 1) Rita states that Juno and Nureyev now "kiss and stuff". Overall they seem to act quite affectionate towards each other. During Juno Steel and the Mega-Ultrabots of Cyberjustice (Part 2) the script says that they lean in for a kiss after Rita and Juno saved Nureyev from Dark Matters agents.
In Juno Steel and What Lies Beyond, the episode begins with Juno and Nureyev waking up in Juno's bed together. Juno refers to himself and Nureyev's "y'know," when discussing his role as his partner. Nureyev appears happy with Juno, and the script indicates a consistent effort for communication. Juno states that he's "got it bad," for Nureyev. At the end of the episode he realizes that he does not know all the answers to his own feelings and probably never will. But that love is something that he is making with Peter and he wants to talk about their scars from the past. However, before Juno can do this, Dark Matters appear and Peter is gone.
Mag[]
Mag was something of a father figure to Nureyev, taking in the orphaned boy at a young age. He would tell Peter the story of when he met his father often, telling Peter he had been an incredible thief. Mag was also a mentor to Peter, teaching him how to steal while hiding from the Guardian Angel System (GAS). When Peter and Mag attempted to take down the GAS, Peter found out that Mag had been lying to him. Mag had never met Peter's father, and he had also planned to take down the GAS by turning off the levitation reactor and sending it crashing into Brahma. Peter didn't agree with Mag's plan as it was at the cost of the lives of an entire city, and he attacked him when he refused to call it off. Mag refused to fight Peter because he considered him to be family, and Peter killed him.
Buddy Aurinko[]
Though Peter thinks of Buddy as a legend in crime, he seems to be her "least favorite child", metaphorically speaking. While the two respect each other as thieves, Peter was very skeptical of her insistence that the Carte Blanche's crew function as a family when she first brought it up, as he has always worked best alone, and Buddy has expressed that she worries that one day he'll be able to "excise" the "moral core" that she brought him onto her crew for if he one day decides that he wants to.
Buddy seems to have a pretty good idea of who Peter is as a person, pointing out to him that his former crimes imply that "having a heart embarrasses" him.
Buddy calls him "Pete", a nickname that, as far as known, only Mag ever used for Peter. Later he tells Juno that "everyone who's ever called me "Peter" has wanted to be my parent" and this does seem to bring up bad memories.
Jet Siquliak[]
Jet is first mentioned when Nureyev gushes about Jets escape with the Ruby Seven. When they start working together it seems that Nureyev is looking for Jets approval, but Jet is very suspicious about the thief who does not want to share his real name. Before Jet is captured he reveals to Juno, that to him Nureyev is part of the family and he believes that he will come to safe everyone, but fail due to his solitary nature and overconfidence.
Rita[]
Rita and Mistah Ransom are trying to be friends, but he is also dismayed that she discovered his real name, Peter Nureyev, through some intensive research she did when Vespa and Jet expressed that they were reluctant to trust him without knowing what Ransom is an alias for. She clarified that it was hard to find, but that only seemed to be mildly relieving to him.[2] Rita apologized for invading his privacy in this way and he did the same for being harsh with her when she first revealed what she knew. Rita has also said that it makes her happy to see that Peter also loves Juno and that "the fact that they kiss and stuff is just oh so nice for her heart."
Slip Jackson[]
Nureyev's first love. They knew each other since they were children on Brahma, even before Peter joined Mag. Slip distrusted Mag and made that very clear, leading to a falling out between him and Pter. It is only after Peter has parted with Mag and returned to Brahma that they meet up again. Peter admits that his feelings about Slip were a mixture of fear and disgust, due to Slip's consumption of hallucinogenic substances. For Slip the use of substances is a way to escape from the misery of life on Brahma. Slip offers Peter some, but he refuses. Slip also tells him that he is brewing his own stuff now, to be safer than in the past. Peter calls him “studious young man with complicated chemical apparatus - Stolen chemical apparatus, to be certain” and that he found this endearing somehow. When Slip confesses his affection Peter kisses him. They decide to leave Brahma together to Saraswati on the search for something for Peters home brew. Eventually Peter decides to take on of Slips pills, because he wants to understand and know him better.
The Executives[]
The heads of the Dokana Group, an organisation that is holding Slip Jackson's ongoing care hostage in exchange for Nureyev working for them. Nureyev owes them a lot of money that he pays off by stealing precious items. They sometimes use Nureyev to steal specific items they want, like the control mechanism for the Prismacrystal Chimes and Grandpappy's Recipe. They know his real name and use it to further their control over him. Nureyev is well versed on the ins and outs of their headquarters on Amun, and can easily create secret tunnels in and out of the building. Whenever he visits, he sits in Slip's room and watches over his hospital bed for hours.
Referred to by Nureyev as "powerful friends" in Murderous Mask whom he wanted to leave behind when running away with Juno.
Episode Appearances[]
Trivia[]
- He is named after the Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev.[3]
- In another life, Nureyev probably could have been a master hairdresser instead of a master thief.[4]
- According to the Season 2 Q&A, Nureyev cannot cook.[5]
- Podcast co-creator Harley Takagi Kaner sees Nureyev as an extremely tall person. [6]
- Asked about Nureyev’s skincare routine in the Penumbra Q&A 2019 Harley just replied that "he waxes".
- "Peter Ransom" is a play on words for Petya(what Slip calls him) Ransomware. A software that "encrypts certain files on your computer, then demands a ransom payment in exchange for a decryption key. But while many other strains of ransomware focus on personal files like documents or photos, Petya can lock up your entire hard drive, preventing your computer from booting up at all." [avast]
- Nureyev's cologne smells of Saraswatan Orchids.[7]
References[]
- ↑ Season 3 Q&A
- ↑ Juno Steel and the Mega-Ultrabots of Cyberjustice (Part 2)
- ↑ https://thepenumbrapodcast.tumblr.com/post/149811357951/how-is-narayev-spelt-is-it-like-that
- ↑ https://thepenumbrapodcast.tumblr.com/post/153387772226/results-of-our-first-art-raffle
- ↑ Penumbra Q&A - 2019
- ↑ https://twitter.com/sophiekaner/status/1123323857954320384
- ↑ Juno Steel and the Recipe for Disaster (Part 1)