John Constantine (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
talentforlying) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2013-05-15 10:10 am
talentforlying) wrote in fandomhigh2013-05-15 10:10 am
Entry tags:
Working the Long Con: Famous Confidence Artists & Their Gigs [Wednesday, Period One]
It was a grumpy, rumpled librarian that stomped his way into class after the students had arrived, bonelessly dropping into his chair and kicking his feet up on to his desk as he fished about in his coat for some cigarettes.
The school board might make him teach, but they couldn't make him behave.
"Right, I'm Constantine, and you're most likely here because you're gullible and thinking this is going to be an easy 'A', a delinquent, or for some strange reason thought this was an academic class with philosophical value," he said. "More the fools you, but I can work with it."
There was a beat as he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and squinted at it, comparing his class rooster with the number of people in front of him. "Someone hates me. Laufeyson! Whichever one you are...surprise, you get to be the teaching assistant, if only so I can keep a closer eye on you."
John? Distrust someone based solely on their name? And previous experience with celestial deities? Perish the thought.
"So, let's start with the basics. A con is a game, one where hopefully you're the one writing the rules and the people around you are the pieces you're moving. It's a scam, a grift, a hustle, all those words designed to make it sound as shady as possible, although the number of reasons you could be running a con are infinite, at least when you're justifying it to yourself. It usually just boils down to one, very simple motivation: You want something," he said bluntly. "So give me your name - or whatever the hell you want to be called for the purposes of this class, I don't care - and tell me one time you ran a scam on someone. Give me an idea of what you already know, kids."
The school board might make him teach, but they couldn't make him behave.
"Right, I'm Constantine, and you're most likely here because you're gullible and thinking this is going to be an easy 'A', a delinquent, or for some strange reason thought this was an academic class with philosophical value," he said. "More the fools you, but I can work with it."
There was a beat as he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and squinted at it, comparing his class rooster with the number of people in front of him. "Someone hates me. Laufeyson! Whichever one you are...surprise, you get to be the teaching assistant, if only so I can keep a closer eye on you."
John? Distrust someone based solely on their name? And previous experience with celestial deities? Perish the thought.
"So, let's start with the basics. A con is a game, one where hopefully you're the one writing the rules and the people around you are the pieces you're moving. It's a scam, a grift, a hustle, all those words designed to make it sound as shady as possible, although the number of reasons you could be running a con are infinite, at least when you're justifying it to yourself. It usually just boils down to one, very simple motivation: You want something," he said bluntly. "So give me your name - or whatever the hell you want to be called for the purposes of this class, I don't care - and tell me one time you ran a scam on someone. Give me an idea of what you already know, kids."
Re: Talk and Stuff
It was possible, also, that the specifics of that story were a con unto themselves, even if the spirit of it was accurate enough. Sparkle wasn't usually one for blatant honesty.