Can We Pretend

Bei meiner alten Freundin Staraja Riba!!!

Mir ist vorhin was eingefallen. Ich weiß nicht, ob ihr jemals Wilde-Kerle-Fans wart und die Bücher gelesen habt, aber im 13. (?) Band - “Markus” - gibt es eine Stelle, die ich tumblr nicht vorenthalten will.

i need jasons first day of school for him to seemingly go missing cause he didnt think he was going to picked up and was responsible for getting himself home

i need jason checking in on bruce like a parent bruce thinking jason has opened his door cause he wanted to stay in his bedroom but jason is checking that bruce is still alive

i need jason to be cautious around moods ready for chaos to break out and even more ready to placate

(Keep in mind that he's 12-13 years old here)

He's so dedicated to being Robin that he doesn't do any kind of extracurricular activities, even though he'd really like being in a play. Instead he goes straight home and does homework in the Batcave on the weekdays and patrols on weekends/holidays.

It gets worse, he later describes the guys below as "the closest things to friends I've got". He never actually had a close knit group of friends his own age. On the superhero side the only other kid his age I've seen him with is Kid Devil/Eddie Bloomberg. Everyone else is either Dick's generation/Titans or the new gen that came about after Jason's death.

These kids take him to the main faculty office where they plan on altering their grades to passing scores and flunking at least one other student. Jason is opposed to this and wants to stop them, but is torn on how to go about it cause he still wants to hang out with them and doesn't want them to hate him.

He keeps asking himself "What would Bruce do?" cause one of the most important things is making him proud even if he's not there to see it.

(Side Note: Jason is so smart! 94.8 average!)

In the end he doesn't have to do anything himself. He realized the school will check current records against their backup discs and notice the sudden discrepancy in their scores. So he lets them unknowingly hang themselves out to dry.

The fact that both Az and Nesta are canonically interested and fascinated by history, constellations and different worlds, only for Cassian to either forget or shut off any questions

I’m just glad Nesta and Azriel got to experience their little history crash course together in hofas. Even though they had to deal with

A) Bryce

B) a Daglan

"Nesta, open your eyes. Come on, breathe!"

Azriel hadn't felt a fear like this since Cassian had nearly been killed in their first battle.

Except, Cassian wasn't here. And hadn't been. Not since he'd gone to Illyria "for space to think" after he and Nesta had one disagreement too many. That had been three months ago.

Now, his brother's mate was bleeding out after, once again, saving all their skins.

"Nesta, stay with me," Azriel repeated, pressing his hands over the wound in her chest.

She'd gotten them out -- escaped from a mission gone wrong with that Harp, except the blade had already been thrown, catching her before they could disappear. He'd regained his bearings just in time to see her pull it out in shock before collapsing to the ground.

Surely, Cassian would feel her distress, and help would be there any moment.

She had to live until then.

"Az..." She wheezed, her head rolling to the side, her lashes fluttering.

Relief unlike he'd ever felt washed over him, so intense he nearly wept.

"Right here," he swore. "I'm not going anywhere."

A soft sound left her throat, either from pain or in acknowledgement.

"Tired..."

"I know you are, angel," he said, leaning forward to press his brow to hers, if only because his hands were too busy to stroke her cheeks or her hair. "I know. But you need to stay awake until I can get you out of here."

He was already hearing the lecture he'd get from her Valkyries.

Nesta blinked with more intention, and then her eyes were staring up into his, glazed with pain.

"Azriel."

"Yes, love."

She let out a heaving sigh before her hand lifted, her fingers catching his cheek.

"I have to tell you something."

"Don't say that like you're going anywhere." He snapped, even as his throat was tight and blood continued to pool over his fingers. "You stay right here with me. And when Cassian-"

Nesta shook her head. "No listen. It's always been you, Azriel."

Azriel froze, his eyes widening. In his chest, he felt as though his heart would burst. This female, so radiant and ethereal and caring and stubborn. He'd been hers from the moment she ripped the head off that kelpie. Or maybe before, when she'd given so much during the war.

"Nesta..." He breathed. "But Cass-"

"Cassian isn't here," she sighed, looking genuinely heartbroken about it. "You are. I just... I've always...You have to know. Just in... Just in case."

All the words winded her, and her eyes fluttered again as her exhaustion took hold. It sent that fear piercing through him, at the idea that he could lose her like this.

"I know," he said, even if he hadn't. Even if the news had turned his entire world on its head. "I know, Nesta."

Driven by adrenaline, newfound confidence, fear, or a mix of the three, Azriel pressed a kiss to her brow, her cheek, and then, gently, her lips. It made her eyes open again, which he took as a victory.

"It's you too," he whispered. "You should know that too. I tried to forget and make myself not believe it, because it isn't right. But I can't. It's always you."

Her fingers lifted again, to stroke over his jaw, before dropping to catch somewhere on his leathers.

"Kiss me again," she replied, her voice a rasp.

Azriel shuddered, helpless against her command.

1. The FBI's Famous Cases & Criminals archive (fbi.gov/history/famous-cases) has detailed breakdowns of real fraud cases, Ponzi schemes, and confidence operations. The language they use is clinical and precise, which is perfect for getting the procedural details right.

2. The FTC Consumer Sentinel Network publishes annual reports on the most common fraud tactics in the US. Great for understanding how modern scams actually work and what makes people fall for them.

3. The Smithsonian's American Art Museum has a free digital collection of forgery case studies. If your character forges documents or art, this is gold.

4. Court Listener (courtlistener.com) is a free legal database where you can read actual court transcripts from fraud trials. Want to know how a real con artist talks under oath? This is where you find out.

5. The Internet Archive's collection of old newspaper crime sections. Search for "confidence man" or "swindle" in papers from the 1920s through 1960s and you'll find incredible real stories that would feel too dramatic for fiction.

Bonus: The Psychology of Fraud section on the Association for Psychological Science website has accessible articles about why people trust, how deception works cognitively, and what makes someone a convincing liar. Essential reading if you want your con artist characters to feel psychologically real.

1. The FBI's Famous Cases & Criminals archive (fbi.gov/history/famous-cases) has detailed breakdowns of real fraud cases, Ponzi schemes, and confidence operations. The language they use is clinical and precise, which is perfect for getting the procedural details right.

2. The FTC Consumer Sentinel Network publishes annual reports on the most common fraud tactics in the US. Great for understanding how modern scams actually work and what makes people fall for them.

3. The Smithsonian's American Art Museum has a free digital collection of forgery case studies. If your character forges documents or art, this is gold.

4. Court Listener (courtlistener.com) is a free legal database where you can read actual court transcripts from fraud trials. Want to know how a real con artist talks under oath? This is where you find out.

5. The Internet Archive's collection of old newspaper crime sections. Search for "confidence man" or "swindle" in papers from the 1920s through 1960s and you'll find incredible real stories that would feel too dramatic for fiction.

Bonus: The Psychology of Fraud section on the Association for Psychological Science website has accessible articles about why people trust, how deception works cognitively, and what makes someone a convincing liar. Essential reading if you want your con artist characters to feel psychologically real.