History FanFic / FlashByNorthwest

** Late into the story, Katma Tui--who in the book's universe is one of John's maids--is revealed to have been this toward him. [[spoiler:They were lovers during his war service, then he set her up as a maid in his wife's employ and put his mistress Shayera in a comfortable house close by; Kat resents that she never got that kind of treatment, the kind she believes she rightfully deserves]].

* TheUnreveal: It's never made clear just ''what'' Mari's intended announcement in the book's plot was going to be.

* GenreSavvy: As soon as he realizes they're in a detective murder mystery and that they are all potential suspects, Bruce advises the others to find any evidence that could eliminate them from having a motive (as all of them start the mystery with having an opportunity). Unfortunately, it turns out that ''all'' of them have viable motives, direct and indirect, to kill Mari.

* YouKilledMyFather: The book's version of Oliver Queen murdered Helena Bertinelli's father.

* AbsenceOfEvidence: In the book's plot, Mari [=McCabe=] is killed via gunshot. The gun is at the scene of the crime...but there are no fingerprints on it. Plus, EveryoneIsASuspect, but there's no hard evidence at the scene of the crime to implicate any one particular person...though there ''is'' plenty of circumstantial and disconnected evidence elsewhere throughout the story to implicate each of the Original Seven.

* {{Blackmail}}: [[spoiler:Clark's possible motive to kill Mari. He was blackmailing her with scandalous photos and forced her to pay him for his silence, and she was refusing to pay him another cent prior to her murder]].
* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler:Bruce's character]] is killed this way.

* HeKnowsTooMuch: The heroes discover in their investigations that Mari's character in the book was planning to make a big announcement at Bruce's party, but was murdered before she could do so; the theory is that the announcement must have included a secret that somebody didn't want getting out. [[spoiler:This is also revealed to be Diana's specific motive to kill Mari. Both women were in some of [[{{Blackmail}} Clark's scandalous photos]], and Clark notes that if the intended announcement was about the photos, Diana's reputation would have been sullied]].

* AlternateUniverse: Invoked in-universe with the magic book--the setting of the story takes place in a crime-noir world where the heroes don't have their superpowers and everyone they know is in a completely different role from canon. For example, Wally West becomes a rather seedy detective in the mold of Sam Spade, John Stewart (Lantern) is a rich socialite, J'onn J'onzz is a shady accountant, and Bruce Wayne is a movie producer and a ''genuine'' playboy. However, certain characters' book counterparts don't share the same name, such as Carter Hall being named Joe Gardner in the story (which gets Shayera into trouble when she repeatedly calls him Carter).

* HeKnowsTooMuch: The heroes discover in their investigations that Mari's character in the book was intending to make a big announcement at Bruce's party, but was murdered before she could do so; the theory is that the announcement must have included a secret that somebody didn't want getting out. [[spoiler:This is also revealed to be Diana's specific motive to kill Mari. Both women were in some of [[{{Blackmail}} Clark's scandalous photos]], and Clark notes that if the intended announcement was about the photos, Diana's reputation would have been sullied]].

The story starts when Vixen drops dead immediately upon reading a book she finds in the founding Leaguers' conference room. Turns out the book is in fact a magical puzzle-trap that transports anyone who reads even a word or line of its text inside the realm of the book's story; said story happens to be a Sam Spade-esque murder mystery where Vixen's alter ego Mari [=McCabe=] is the murder victim. The League's Original Seven soon get transported into the story, as well, and find themselves de-powered and in various roles according to the book's plot; the central role goes to the Flash, whose identity in this universe is that of the main detective, Wally West.

* EasterEgg: One review for the fanfic actually used this term to describe various elements that show up in the story, which are part and parcel of both DCAU and comic-book continuity. Chief among these is the fact that several characters, major and minor, are re-cast in different roles in the magic book's in-universe tale, including established comic characters who didn't actually show up in DCAU canon proper. Examples include Guy Gardner as John Stewart's chauffeur, Livewire as a random prostitute, Bane as a briefly-mentioned drug addict, and General Zod as a mentioned-but-never-seen political figure in Los Diablos.

* SituationalSexuality: In the book's universe, Diana is in a relationship with Audrey, her Kasnian friend in the real world. She also flirts with a female receptionist, the book's version of Thanagarian officer Paran Dul, in an attempt to get information Wally can't get the normal way.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: The book universe's version of Harvey Dent, here an un-scarred District Attorney.

--> '''Wally:''' Skin discoloration, bright pink pigmentation. Crusted vomit around the mouth, indicative of nausea. No visible trauma to the rest of the body, though for now victim must remain clothed. Looks like he was poisoned.
--> ''(he sees Lantern and Shayera staring at him)''
--> '''Wally:''' You know I do this for a living, right?
--> '''Shayera:''' Um...
--> '''Lantern:''' It's easy to forget.

--> '''Wally:''' Skin discoloration, bright pink pigmentation. Crusted vomit around the mouth, indicative of nausea. No visible trauma to the rest of the body, though for now victim must remain clothed. Looks like he was poisoned. ''(sees Lantern and Shayera staring at him)'' You know I do this for a living, right?

* MoralityPet: The book's version of Vic Sage ''wanted'' to be this for Helena Bertinelli. Sadly, as he reveals to Wally, it didn't work.

* RedHerring: [[spoiler:The book-universe's Joker, for book!Tim's murder]].

** The Flash advising [[HarmlessVillain The Trickser]] to take his medication (in the book, James Jesse is one of Oliver Queen's henchmen and Wally has to bite back the urge to ask about his meds when he sees James).

** [[spoiler:The Joker's [[MoralEventHorizon brutal torture of Tim]]]] is mentally referenced several times by Bruce.

* ContinuityNod: Several throughout the story.

* ConspiracyTheorist: The book's version of Vic Sage, who in its story used to work with Wally before mysteriously disappearing after making wild claims about government conspiracies. He shows up in Chapter 9 to give Wally some cryptic information.

* StealthHiBye: Vic Sage, Wally's former detective partner in the book, pulls this on him late in the story after paying him a visit at his office [[spoiler:to reveal that Helena Bertinelli killed Oliver Queen]].

* MurderTheHypotenuse: Within the book's universe, there is suspicion that Lantern may have killed Mari (who is his wife in the story) so he could be with Shayera.