#au detectives

[skepticbeliever-bookclub]

Hiya shippers & readers!

Just as we're feeling a fresh breath of life into our shipper souls thanks to the return of our boys going on fun dates, our book club raffle winner pitched a very familiar theme we hadn't had a chance to revisit in years. Casefic! We wanted them detecting; we wanted them navigating a mystery and with ten nominations pouring in, we found one that many of us had been saving for a special treat A Thread of Lavender by breathtaken.

This brilliantly crafted noir fic, set in the 1950's during the worst of the Lavender Scare, positions Ryan the PI, still so very much Ryan in all his endearing qualities and flaws, in a juxtaposition of trying to get his job done and wavering under the influence of his best friend and partner Shane. We as a book club agreed that-- with its very well-researched setting, plot execution and the author's unflinching look at what it was to be queer in this era and how that speaks to our experiences now--this particular casefic deserves a ribbon in the hall of fame of its genre.

Rating: M

Summary:

In the two years they’ve been in this business, Ryan’s heard countless husbands and wives tell the tale of their spouse’s infidelity, and this one’s textbook: the late nights at the office, the flimsy excuses. A receipt in his wallet from a downtown jewelry store, for a hundred dollar purchase he never told her about.

“I just need proof.” Miss Esposito is wringing her gloves in her lap, but her voice is clear and resolute, her dark eyes dry. “Then I can hang him out to dry.” For the first time since she walked in their door, she looks anxious. “Please—Ryan. Get me those pictures.”

Book Club Thoughts

I definitely felt like this one hit different in a number of ways and it could stand on its own as an original but I want to compliment [the author] deeply on their use of Ryan's quirks to imbue the plot with what we needed in a protagonist

one thing i love about [the author's] fic in general and this on especially is that they have no fear (at least that's apparent) in being realistic about writing how hard it was for queer people in this time period and piece and not shying away from bringing in alcoholism and other classic tropes of the genre

I'm both incredibly unfamiliar with the genre and the time period, but there's something so evocative and vivid about the prose, that it was very easy to feel the setting, very cinematic

yes i love an AU that is Seamless, where there are little easter eggs of irl for us to find but it's really different in key ways

It paints a picture in the mind both the glitz and glamour, and the desperation bubbling under its the surface, that characterized old Hollywood and the city that surrounded it. Efficiently creating atmosphere all without giving off the slightest hint of purple prose

i definitely think sometimes with the historical fic, especially the tinsworth of it all, can get a leeeeetle (or a lot) ooc so it's always a treat to have one that doesn't

overall i just got so absorbed in this world and every scene i pictured was in black and white. loved ryan's focus on Queers and that kind of like… fascination and confusion about it all. shane's stalwart beliefs and ryan's acceptance of it even when he didn't Get It. ryan's big brave hero moment and the vulnerability. augh. just a REALLY GOOD READ

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[crowkip]

yeehaw, baby!

[lonelyzarquon]

# taking “undressing her with my eyes” to a whole other level

[oifaaa]

Hey look I actually did a follow up to my Jason stays dead for one hundred years AU (ft. old man McGinnis)

[keferon]

Snow bots au anyone? :D

They're back together a year later because it's snowing again❄️

All right! For context: I imagine them hanging out every winter in some kind of resort (a resort that Blurr owns. Because his bar business has expanded that much over time.)

[alikunsblog]

My new au

[gardenveela]

dead girl detectives 🔍

dbd and it’s the same but everyone is gender swaped so it’s not

[luniise-kel]

no context paranormal au doodle

[soapyakships]

a kamiyama mystery is afoot...

[arberspin]

A shoot out!

(Detective au?)

[verianal]

Uhm waiter theres a payneland in my yuri... 😬

[hannaloony]

Modern AU where the boys save each other from their canonical deaths

[pappelsiin]

it turned into au art 💫

[professorcalculusstanaccount]

An AU where Tintin is a crime lord, inspired by @jerseyhobby 's post here!

Detective Rastapopoulus is one of the most brilliant minds in his department. His talent has been long overlooked due to his status as an immigrant, but when a new teenage menace starts to stir up the streets, Rastapopoulus's knack for digging into the murky depths of the criminal underworld is called upon.

His target is only known by his alias, Tintin. At just seventeen he already has a few bank heists, smuggling operations and a chain of illegal clubs under his belt. He operates like a phantom, making himself hardly known. Those who have had business with him never recall him raising his voice, as he simply does not need to. Manners go a long way, and manners are an effective mask for the brutality required to maintain such an operation.

Few are confirmed to know him personally. He has his beloved dog, Snowy, who has a taste for expensive jewelry, and his right hand man, a pickpocket-turned jewel thief he met in Shanghai. Together they are unstoppable, nothing is outside their reach - and when the Karaboudjan, a large shipping vessel goes missing, along with its crew and captain, Rastapopoulus just knows they are involved. If only he can keep his temper and ego in check, he might just be able to finally put an end to Tintin's reign of chaos, and perhaps earn the recognition he so desperately craves.

I think an AU where Tintin uses his abilities for crime would be an interesting way to see how he's impacted people he's met, so for this take I have only inverted Tintin and Rastapopoulos - Haddock is still an honest man, but his vulnerability leaves him open to being manipulated. He becomes Tintin's equivalent to Allan Thompson, only this time motivated by fear for his life rather than money. Alcohol, threats and his rock-bottom self esteem keep him in line.

Calculus is scammed by Tintin for his inventions, leaving him feeling deeply betrayed as he is someone with strong morals. He vows revenge, his tunnel vision leading him down incredibly destructive paths. He was initially targeted by Tintin because he just seemed naive and easy to exploit, but Tintin severly underestimates him, despite Chang's warnings. Not only does Tintin have the law on his tail, but a mad scientist with nothing left to lose, who has access to devastating explosives.

Chang simply wants somewhere he belongs. Canonically he's stolen from cops before, so there's no doubt that if Tintin dragged him into crime he would follow along - but he may start to doubt if their bond is built more on what he can do for him rather than his value as a person.

Rastapopoulos this time gets to use his cunning to catch a slippery crime lord, but he still has the same shortcomings as his canon counterpart. He sorely craves attention and praise. He has a terrible short temper. He craves power and influence. He starts to use increasingly questionable methods for his investigation, as his higher ups breathe down his neck for being incapable of catching a couple of queer teenage hoodlums.

Tintin himself isn't motivated by money or power, he's looking for thrills and control over his life. Canonically he's rather emotionally shut off, and he's no different here. He doesn't let himself get too attached to anyone else. Unlike canon Rastapopoulos, I can imagine a crime lord Tintin pouring money and resources into communities in need, and opening up spaces for marginalised groups like bars for queer people. He still wants to do good deep down, but just doesn't quite believe he is a good person.

[oifaaa]

Hey look more of my 100 year au Ft Damian this time looking way younger and way more alive then he should for 106 years old

[jaysbraindump]

Dead Boy Detectives but make it Scooby Doo