My Storage Space

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.

Here is what the backside looks like. OP notes this takes more fabric than paper piecing, but that excess fabric makes it already triple-layered. Besides not needing backing fabric, I don't think you'd need batting for this quilt at all. It's already thick and soft just from folding all that fabric into a hexagon.

Each hexagon begins as a 6" circle. camelscrafts does this by creating a paper template using a compass. According to the video, a 6" circle will create a hexagon that is 2.5 inches tall.

These hexagons are hand-sewn. Thread the needle.

With the fabric right side facing, find the center of the circle by folding it in half right sides together, then folding it in half again (wrong sides are facing). The top of the triangle shape is the center of the fabric circle.

Make a small stitch into the center of the fabric. The wrong side is still facing.

Unfold the circle. There will be a small stitch in the center.

Now the hexagon is created by folding the circle into itself: Take the needle to one of the edges of the fabric (it doesn't matter which one). Pull the needle through and pull the thread tight. This will fold down the fabric and create an edge of the hexagon. Crease the fold with your finger.

This fold has two corners, one at the top and one at the bottom. Put the needle into one of the corners and pull the thread taut. This will create another fold.

Continue this going around the circle until all of it is folded down, creating the hexagon. camelscrafts notes that the last corner pulled in may be a little bit "wonky" (no precise point in the corner) if the corners were not done precisely. However, that corner is pulled into the back, so is not visible from the front.

The hexagon is now formed. Sew around the folds in the middle of the circle to hold the folds in place. Tie off and cut the thread.

ten year old Tim Drake who already knew who Batman and Robin were, finding out he now has a secret tunnel in his garden connecting his house to their lair, and he’s just like ‘fuck yeah that’s cool.’ and starts exploring.

thirteen year old Jason Todd bored and fucking around alone in the batcave system when he comes across a fucking ten year old who knows his identity, clearly idolises the hell out of him, and is just kinda wandering around the cave system alone and completely chill about it. they see a super dangerous spider and Tim just starts info-dumping on the species. when asked if he has a curfew to go back home by he goes ‘uh, July i guess? that’s when mom and dad get back.’ it is early February.

thirteen year old Jason Todd who takes a minute and then goes ‘ok this is funny as fuck i promise i won’t snitch to Bruce.’

Jason Todd and Tim Drake being secret cave buddies. Jason Todd and Tim Drake hanging out in the tunnels and making fun of Batman and Nightwing from the shadows. Tim Drake who has to buy a whole new set of night-vision camera lenses for his new photo album that’s just photos and selfies of him and his new best friend Robin fucking around in the underground pitch-dark.

Jason Todd who dies, gets revived, is told by Talia that Tim Drake has ‘replaced him’ unknowing they’re already friends, and Jason who all he can think of is that time they played hide and seek in the cave system and Tim clung to the fucking ceiling via a stalactite for 45 minutes straight. Jason Todd who just looks at Talia and goes ‘yeah sounds about right for him.’

Jason Todd being told he has to deliver Damian to Bruce and he decides ‘absolutely the fuck not’ to the idea of even touching the front door. they have a Ring camera he is not getting caught on that bullshit.

Jason Todd who just goes to Drake Manor and uses Tim’s old entrance to get into the tunnels, his home away from home, dragging Damian along, until he gets to a spot where he can secretly signal into the batcave for Tim to sneak the fuck away.

fifteen year old Tim Drake who gets called into the tunnels to find the Red Hood, unmasked as Jason, presenting to him a random child which he declares to be the son of Batman.

fifteen year old Tim Drake who comes full circle and says ‘ok this is funny as fuck i promise i won’t snitch to Bruce.’

the cave boys are reunited. a third is added to the club. a new photo album is filled. when Tim brings Damian up through the tunnels into the cave he looks Bruce dead in the eyes and says fully straight-faced ‘this is your cave son. i found him wandering, he was born from the shadows of the bat.’

eleven year old Damian Al Ghul-Wayne who’s spent the past three and a half years under Jason Todd’s influence and sombrely declares ‘the cave birthed me for you, father. i am darkness. i am your child.’

Evening Dress

Girolamo Giuseffi

c.1912

Author/illustrator Trung Le Nguyen has been live posting reading Pride and Prejudice for the first time on bluesky and just hit the first proposal. The replies are basically the sickos meme

The Beginning (as above) (2026-05-28 19:20 UT)

Jane's mother and sisters visit her while she's sick at Netherfield (05-31 5:10 UT)

Introducing Collins and Wickham (featuring some GREAT analysis of Wickham as malignant social engineer) (06-05 14:03 UT)

Netherfield Ball (beginning) (06-11 14:14 UT)

Netherfield Ball continued ("This party is taking forever, and I’m moving through it so slowly, which is the experience the other characters have every time Mr Collins decides to give a speech, which happens more than once somehow.") (06-19 3:15 UT)

Mr. Collins's Proposal (06-23 4:42 UT)

Charlotte's Options (06-24 19:40 UT)

The Gardiners come for Christmas (and further character discussion) (06-26 5:08 UT)

Going to Rosings (at least, going after Mrs. Gardiner's opinion on Wickham & Mary King) (06-30 21:34 UT)

Meeting Lady Catherine (07-07 3:53 UT)

"Wait is Colonel Fitzwilliam hot?" (07-07 18:22 UT)

Elizabeth warns Darcy about her favorite walks (07-09 1:41 UT)

The Hunsford proposal (07-09 20:35 UT)

Darcy's letter (part 1) (07-10 4:23 UT)

Darcy's letter (part 2) (07-10 5:02 UT)

Elizabeth's reaction (07-10 22:19 UT)

Back to Meryton (07-11 17:17 UT)

"EVERYONE SHUT UP; HE'S HERE!!!!!" (07-12 4:21 UT)

Georgiana introduced (07-12 5:09 UT)

wait is that all for today

it's all Chapter 45 and that's it and only about one page of posts?

"Chapter 46 — Jane has a flaw! Her handwriting is ass. God bless." (07-13 23:40 UT)

The thread breaks oddly after "💞💞💞DARCY💞💞💞" but don't worry, we continue at Lambton (07-14 00:05 UT)

And back to Longbourn (07-14 00:43 UT)

"Mr Bennet assumes responsibility for this catastrophe, so I suppose that’s growth?" (07-14 1:33 UT)

"It is time for the wedding nobody wants except for Mrs Bennet and likely also Lydia." (07-16 21:37 UT)

"I’m a little annoyed with myself for dipping into this little chapter this early in the evening because now I am off to play D&D and will not be able to find out what happens next for several hours 😭😭😭" (07-16 22:43 UT)

Also: going to shift the actual links to the timestamp, because I think it'll be more legible that way.

Chapter 52 — Mrs Gardiner sends a reply to Elizabeth’s letter, and it is very long (07-17 19:20 UT)

"It would be so nice to go to Pemberley again" (07-17 20:27 UT)

"Mrs. Bennet is acting like Bingley broke up with *her*" (07-18 01:15 UT)

Why is Darcy sitting next to Mrs. Bennet?? (answer in replies) (07-17 4:15 UT)

Elizabeth walks in on Jane and Bingley and... (07-21 15:01 UT)

"HBIC Lady CdB has shown up for some reason" (07-21 19:14 UT)

"Pride and Prejudice as a shonen jump action epic when" (i.e. wrap up to Lady Catherine's visit) (07-21 20:06 UT)

"Bingley brings Darcy to one of his near-daily visits of his betroth’d, Jane. They want to be alone together, so they ask everyone to go out on a walk." (07-21 21:03 UT)

Chapter 59 (07-23 00:14 UT)

Mr Bennet is surprised that Elizabeth doesn't hate Darcy (07-23 1:21 UT)

"Oh we're both writing to our aunts" (07-23 23:44 UT)

An examination of Mrs. Bennet (07-24 00:10 UT)

"And that's the book!" (07-24 13:29 UT)

09/04/2026 • every time @softinvasions writes a villanelle about how sonnets suck i write another suckful sonnet*. metrical malpractice!

more merms!!