Alternate Universe - Criminals — Tag Meaning
The general-purpose crime AU for thieves, con artists, getaway drivers, and heist crews who don't fit the mob or assassin molds. Found-family heist teams are the genre's sweetheart configuration — Leverage proved a crew pulling jobs together is just an ensemble romance with lockpicks — though grittier takes exist alongside the capers.
What to Expect From "Alternate Universe - Criminals" Fics
Jobs, double-crosses, and loyalty among thieves; the cop/criminal pairing across the legal line is a frequent bonus.
How to find Alternate Universe - Criminals fics on AO3
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Related Tags
Alternate Universe - Mob
Reorganizes the cast into organized crime: dons and capos, enforcers and accountants, loyalty oaths and territory wars. The canonical tag covers mafia AUs broadly, and the genre splits between glamorous danger-romance — falling for the boss — and grimmer studies of violence, debt, and the impossibility of getting out.
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Alternate Universe - Gang
Organizes characters into street gangs — turf wars, initiation loyalty, leather jackets and territory lines — with a register grittier and younger than mob AUs' organized hierarchies. Especially prolific in K-pop and anime fandoms, it often pairs a gang member with a civilian who should run and doesn't.
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Alternate Universe - Police
Puts characters in uniform or detective shields: precinct partners, beat cops, internal affairs friction, the works. Partner dynamics carry the genre — two people trusting each other with their lives daily tends to accelerate everything else — and writers calibrate tone anywhere from Brooklyn Nine-Nine comedy to grim crime drama.
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On the Run
Keeps characters moving — fugitives from law, empire, or their own pasts, living out of stolen cars and assumed names. The road-trip structure with teeth: constant motion enforces constant proximity, trust becomes survival equipment, and the question of what happens if they ever stop running hangs over every motel.
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