Columbo~~~
So, I’ve got a few ideas for a story set in the Columbo universe. My first one:
Someone from our universe, or another universe that also has the show Columbo as a fictional series (and happens to be an avid fan like I am) gets transported to the universe wherein our dear detective resides.
Now, this person, they’re a real piece of shit. They realize with all the differences in the world they’re now in that they’ve gotten transmigrated or something along those lines, and they’d already been killing off lovers and competitors in their own universe so they decide ‘well, why not keep it going here?’
And so they do, they acquire fake Identification through unsavory means, build a new life for themselves, and then continue to take lives surreptitiously and occasionally. But ya see, there’s one thing this PoS didn’t realize. They’re in Columbo’s universe, in LA, the city in which he’s employed.
Now this scenario in particular really cracked me up because I had the specific scene in mind of them slipping up somehow and their latest victim not being properly disposed of, and getting discovered, starting an investigation.
Now of course, for a murder like this along with a string of disappearances all possibly linked to this case, Columbo gets called in. And of course, he immediately clocks the murdery vibes coming off our main character as soon as he gets a good look at them, as he always somehow does.
Boy let me tell you, our piece of shit universe hopper nearly has an aneurism when they spot that old trench coat and messy black hair.
They know exactly how fucked they are and that if they don’t either A:keep the farthest distance they can from the detective or B:hire the best damn lawyer they can find (probably both if they’re being safe) then they’ll be arrested with a slew of improbable but still somehow damning evidence before the week is out.
I like to imagine a hilarious fic just having Columbo doing his usual routine of fucking with the suspect and main character freaking out internally every time Columbo gives them any sort of attention, both in fangirling and excited dread-because that is the Lieutenant Columbo about to tell them ‘oh one more thing’ and then lay out step by step exactly how they messed up the murder.