Last summer I was hit with an intense yearning for some twisty plots, cynical protagonists, femmes fatales, and a touch of evil.

It was a reasonable request, so I set a challenge to bring me all your anti-heroes, danger, and corruption, to show me characters with tragic flaws in a world that's a bleak and lonely place.

And boy did you guys deliver (in fact, the postman had to ring me twice). I got 7 wonderful entries:

lingering darkness by @grumpy cat — A gritty and glittering collection of poetry — part drunken angel and part woman on the run -- twisty, atmospheric, and at times darkly nostalgic

A (Really) Cold Case by @juls — A vampire from the Middle Ages and his detective nephew attempt to solve the centuries-old mystery of the Princes in the Tower

The Color of Violets by @kuusi palaa — A former detective, haunted by memories of those he couldn’t save before, investigates the forensically unexplainable death of a homeless man, hoping to solve the mystery before the killer can claim a second or a third man

velleity by @la_topolina — For Minerva, the new teacher at Hogwarts is a blast out of the past, and the war may make lovers of enemies and vice versa

The Cover Up by @Mottsnave — When Goyle goes missing in violation of his parole, a group of Slytherins call in a favor from Neville, who needs to go against some of his most basic instincts to make it through this scheme

The Outsider by @Pixileanin — Hermione clings to her independence, her dignity, and her job after losing her magic, and attempts to understand what is happening to her in the wake of a mysterious vampire attack

Amid a Castle Crumbling by @TidalDragon — A jaded detective is caught in the middle of a power struggle between two corporations competing for control of a sin(ful) city

I loved every single one of these entries -- and the problem with that, is that judging them and selecting winners has been ridiculously difficult. I may never judge another challenge again in order to avoid having to make this kind of decision.

Thank you so much to everyone for entering and writing these — I’ve had so much fun reading them and I’m in awe of all of you and these twisty ideas.

So, shall we get to it?

HONORABLE MENTION

The Outsider by @Pixileanin

A gritty noir with a female protagonist feels like a rarity, and I loved Pix’s portrayal of a Hermione who is isolated — partially by circumstance and partially by choice — against a bleak backdrop, dealing with demons that are both external and internal.

Prize: award graphic, 1 additional review, and a special commendation for writing a Dramione with failed Ron/Hermione where Ron isn’t a dick

THIRD PLACE

The Color of Violets by @kuusi palaa

What I love about this is that Abby gives us murder and corruption, a jaded and reluctant hero, and a femme fatale (so far so noir), and takes us on an exploration of what is often viewed as the seedy underbelly of society — but with empathy and humanity, eschewing the typically unsentimental aspects of the noir genre.

Prize: award graphic, story link in my profile for a month, 3 additional reviews, and a curse upon your house for writing some of the most heartbreaking shit I’ve had to read recently 

SECOND PLACE

Amid a Castle Crumbling by @TidalDragon

My favorite thing about Kevin’s story is its use of the classic hardboiled, pulp fiction narrative style — first person, blunt, unsentimental despite the sordid plot — in a contemporary urban setting with a corporation bent on keeping the system under its thumb. A cynical antihero and a devilish woman with an angel face solidify the vibe.

Prize: award graphic, story link in my profile for a month, 4 additional reviews, and a lifetime supply of nihilism

FIRST PLACE

The Cover Up by @Mottsnave

I asked for moral ambiguity and Mottsnave delivered it in Spades in this at-times darkly humorous crime fic where the protagonist is no hardened detective but our beloved Neville, who has to return a favor for a group of Slytherins who were good...ish guys during the war. Neville serves as a sort of proxy for the reader learning about the Slytherin moral code — which is basically that there are no morals and there is no code, except that you definitely don’t talk about Fight Club.

Prize: award graphic, story link in my profile for a month, and 5 additional reviews (or alternatively, 2 additional reviews plus a podfic of questionable quality of a story up to 3000 words)

Congratulations! Winners, please DM me to let me know what stories you’d like reviewed!

Awards graphics by @aurevoir — please rehost and credit her if you’d like to use them
 

 Oh, and PS -- I've sprinkled a bunch of noir film titles throughout this blog post (either the literal film title is there or it's very closely referenced). First person to respond in a comment listing all of them (or, whoever finds the most, if nobody finds them all) will get a review. Anybody can go for this, not just the challenge entrants. The titles could be classic noirs or neo-noirs. -- Congrats to Abby!