#Roy Harper and an accidental arrow

[daewithmon]

OC redesign, Rory H🩹

[jinxs-gf]

The Human Spider

The Team x Spider!Reader

summary: you are this universe’s one and only spider-person.

warnings/content: set before the 1st episode of young justice s1, a few marvel references, this whole thing is from the perspective of the reader who’s basically Spider-Man so the writing is a bit silly…but I like it

word count: 2.1k

a/n: this is essentially an introduction to this world, I’m really hoping I can pop a couple fics within this little universe 😭🙏🏽 if not then…I’m sorry LMAO. only time will tell. ENJOY!!!

Life was good.

I mean, how could it not be? You got to fight side by side with some of Earth's greatest heroes. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash...oh and Black Canary and—

Yeah. It was great. Not to mention how incredibly easy it was for you to defeat the bad guys you'd fought. You definitely didn't have four near death experiences because of them!

Well you did, but they were completely your fault and not at the hands of a couple of phony villains. They happened before you got used to your powers and gone through extensive training.

It seemed like a curse at first, but now you take them with stride. Your super strength foreign as you'd broke nearly everything in your apartment (that hadn't been a fun thing to explain to your Aunt and Uncle when they came home to a trashed place). Sticky hands well...getting stuck to literally everything. The amount of money you spent replacing your clothes after accidentally ripping up your whole closet only trying to get ready for school...that was also not fun explaining to your guardians.

And the webs. Oh boy. You didn't want to think about it. The hole in your wrist that shot out webs like a proper spider freaked you out the most. You nearly turned yourself in to the government after that one. It was something that took the most mental work to control, the weird hole (yuck) closing up when you didn't need it.

The one thing you did appreciate immediately was the abs. Yeah, those were nice to wake up to one morning.

Today was just another day in your life. A simple mission happening in the middle of the city. Actually it was a pretty unusual mission, it wasn't the regular Ice Family or Joker cult you were fighting...but a Rhino. Seemingly a man in a Rhino cosplay. And his henchmen? Definitely not something you see everyday, but you have seen weirder.

Speaking of his henchmen...there was a lot of them. Enough to keep each member of the team occupied. They had insanely advanced weaponry, surprisingly keeping the fight going for a while.

You hadn't realized so many of the guys were on you now, all surrounding you and trying to shoot at you with guns that weren't spitting out regular bullets.

You look to your side and see your best friend (he doesn't think so but that's what you tell everyone so deal with it sucker). Speedy, Green Arrow's sidekick, Roy Harper under the mask, and Pain in the Ass (a nickname you'd affectionately given him) to you.

You were in a compromising position, one that you could easily get yourself out of. But now you've spotted an unoccupied Roy and you wanted to have a little fun admist the chaos.

"Hey pain in my ass! A little help here!" The men were now taking shots with their fists, all failing to land their hits of course. And your best friend had completely ignored you.

"Hellooooo you know I'm talking to you!"

"I told you I wouldn't answer when you called me that. And I thought I made myself very clear." Definitely referring to the embarrassing way he took you down in front of the team after harassing him all week with the nickname a month ago.

"Well you answered right now soo...."

An arrow suddenly flew right past you, nearly grazing your cheek. A couple more followed.

"Um hello?! You nearly took me out!"

"That's my way of saying cut it out while saving your ass. And don't your spidey senses detect that kind of stuff? Danger and threats? You should've seen them coming."

"Huh. Guess you aren't as threatening as you think you are. At least not with that silly little hat on."

He simply glared at you. He was definitely going to kick your ass later. (Again).

With your guys dealt with, you turned to watch as Flash and Kid Flash emptied out a school bus on the road. Well, watched was a strong word. The job was done before you could fully process what was happening.

And suddenly that same school bus was being throw your way by the Rhino-man. Directly above your head actually.

Uh oh.

CRASH!

This was the third time that's happened to you this week!

He had good aim, you'll admit. It landed on you perfectly, but thanks to your incredible strength he seemingly didn't know about (how could he not? You're literally the Spider-Person from tv! Spider-Person...pfft what a stupid name. No one seemed to come up with something better), the biggest indicator to this being his shocked face. Oh how you loved that look. You threw it right back at him. Jokes on Rhino-man, you also had incredible aim.

"It's gonna take a lot more than a school bus to take me out!" Although you could feel the nearly broken rib and bruises you'd need to get checked out before you went home today.

You sighed happily, dusting your hands, "light work to me. Maybe try one of those city buses next time? Might be heavier and more effective-"

The words barely left your mouth before a city bus was being throw at you, "Wait I didn't actually mean it!" You caught the bus this time. And although your senses knew the danger was coming, it was still a bus that caught you off guard with its weight. Your legs and arms quivered at the force of having to hold it up, you could feel every bruise spotted on your body with the strain and it was not fun. While your body healed faster than the average human, it definitely wasn't fast enough to recover from the previous hit.

The back of the bus was fully tipped to the sky. You prayed there was no one in this thing. And sure you were strong, but there was no way you could tip it back on its wheels without potentially hurting someone.

Luckily Superman helped you with that, seeing you struggle. He easily took it off your hands (show off) and maneuvered it so it was placed safely back on the road.

"Thanks Supes!" He gave a nod and his famous smile.

It was only a couple more minutes of fighting and cars being thrown around before the whole thing was wrapped up. The adults would give their words to the police and news reporters, blah blah blah...

While they did that, you and your best friends, the teens (the cooler ones) got together like you always did after a mission.

Superman is being interviewed by the infamous Lois Lane (the talk of the teen team, there was definitely tension there).

All while Wally stands a little behind them making faces and ridiculous poses for the camera. The rest of you stood out of shot either cackling or rolling your eyes.

Wally steps back, clearly offended. "What? All he's doing is flirting with her in front of a live audience. Remember what they said last time? No one's gonna be paying attention to me."

Robin snickers, "What? The whole 'no one can take Superman' 'but you sure can'?" He repeats their words in poorly done impressions.

"That was totally an innuendo!"

"Very mature KF."

"Hey! Robin and Spider laughed with me. And I saw Speedy’s smirk, he sat there trying to pretend he didn't find it funny. Maybe you should get that stick out of your ass, Aqualad?"

Roy, completely serious, replies, "Now that's no way to talk to the adults' favorite."

You perk up, "oh, me?"

Your friends immediately explode into disagreement, apparently in disbelief you'd think such a thing.

It was a simple story, how it all came to be. You got bit by a spider (totally cool about it).

Totally didn't scream your ass off because of it and stay paranoid the rest of the day, constantly thinking there was a creepy crawler on you...no. You found out the next day that you weren't actually paranoid—if you were in the first place, which you were not! Because apparently the spider had camped out in your clothes all day and night...

You totally didn't scream your ass off again that morning at the revelation.

You did scream at the sight of abs on your body that same morning though. And that's the only reason you'll ever thank the spider, forget the cool powers.

After that you thought it would be cool to use your powers for good, inspired by your uncle. You decided to have your own cool hero costume, symbol, and name (which you still haven't gotten. You originally thought of the Human Spider. People on the streets called it dumb, claiming they would not be calling you that). You had (unfortunately) been (TEMPORARILY!) named the Spider-Person. Which was insanely stupid and you needed to come up with something quick before it stuck completely. Maybe the Human Spider wasn't so good but it wasn't as bad as your unofficial name now!

Anyways, as for the cool hero costume. You had to use what you had at the time, which was...your normal clothes. Getting a costume online seemed cheap, and dressing up as an existing character in the media and saving people seemed wrong. It would only deny your identity as a hero. So you put on whatever clothes (mostly colorful pajamas) that you had, covered the bottom half of your face with a bandanna, and called it a night. And boy did that get you a lot of ridicule, but you got the job done, right? The only thing it didn't do was protect your body from scrapes and...stab wounds. You hated little knives.

You're not the smartest in the world and it's not like you had the money someone like Bruce Wayne could pull out of their ass and make cool superhero wear.

Once you were recruited by Batman, he gave you your own hero costume—no, suit. Every suggestion you made was followed. It was perfect. The mask had to be your favorite part though. Something you didn't suggest was the some type of magic on it, something called hammerspace. Basically you could have any type of hair, or ears...probably even a pair of headphones on your head and it won't show through. It'll seemingly disappear to this hammerspace (you weren't sure how it worked exactly, but it works nonetheless so you won't question it). The magic was done by a team member who was needed very rarely named Zatara. Another man with a silly hat on his head.

You attempted to try it with Batman to see if his bat ears would disappear (which was completely encouraged by Robin by the way. No- completely his idea!) He was not happy. (You got benched for a month...no patrols, no missions...and Robin got off scott-free! How was that fair?!)

Wally starts to bring up your part of the fight, specifically the bus incident.

"Hey isn't that the third time that's happened to you this week?"

You sigh, exasperated and playing it up, "yes."

Robin butts in before you could say anything more, "Couldn't you have caught them? Y'know with your spidey senses and incredible strength?" He has the nastiest smirk on his face. His smartass totally figured you out.

"Well yeah, duh. But it's fun seeing the looks on the bad guys' faces when they realize I'm not dead and I can carry a however many pound bus! Is that so bad?"

"No but it's embarrassing for us."

"What? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Yeah, our best friend who's powers include crazy senses that gives them insane reflexes? That best friend can't catch a big, yellow bus being thrown at them? Embarrassing." The one time Roy will take the claim as your best friend is when he's insulting you? Unsurprising.

Kaldur cut in, sensing your defense a mile away, "It is pretty shameful of you."

Your jaw dropped, even Kaldur of all of people was agreeing? Oh this is insane!

You point a figure at your friends, trying to get your threat across, "Well I find that incredibly offensive and you should all take that back before I-"

"Isn't the point of your powers to detect danger before it comes? How come that's the third time this week you've been hit by a school bus? It's embarrassing, Spider." Batman's monotone voice made his words all the more insulting. Your frown deepened.

You sigh, "Yup. Real embarrassing for me. I got that."

"No, embarrassing for me. I've got a reputation to keep up."

He walks away without another word.

"I can't tell if he was trying to joke around like you guys were, but I'm still offended."

"He was being dead serious. And for the record, so were we."

I wrote this before I wrote my Conner fic. I just realized I made Batman tease reader at the end of both fics…??

[gilverrwrites]

Two Wrongs

Roy Harper/Reader, 1.1K words Kinktober entry 14: Voyeurism Warnings: (Accidental) Non-con voyeurism | Tight spaces Requested by: Authors choice

Watching your roommate getting off through a crack in his wardrobe door certainly wasn't how you’d planned to spend your evening, but it was just one of those situations, you know, like quicksand, once you're in, it becomes increasingly difficult to get back out.

It had all started months ago when he had eaten the last of your leftover pizza. You'd gotten him back by putting glitter in one of his caps. He'd retaliated by stealing ALL of your socks, so you'd tied all of his shoes together by their laces with the most complex knots you could find tutorials for online. The war had been raging ever since. Most recently, Roy had ‘you-proofed’ every drawer, cabinet, and door in the apartment with a bunch of contraptions of his own design. Many of which now lay broken in his scrap bin, destroyed by your impatience.

You'd been in the process of hiding a series of miniature Green Arrow figures around his bedroom when he’d unexpectedly arrived home early. With zero forethought, you'd simply thrown yourself into his closet and hoped he'd either leave or fall asleep soon. Neither were the case.

You watched through a seam in the hatch as Roy entered his room, your jaw falling slack when he'd immediately unzipped his cargo trousers and started palming his dick through his boxers upon closing the door.

He doesn't bother surveying his surroundings, why would he? This should be his safe space. As he approaches the bed, he kicks off his shoes and socks. You're treated to the sight of his captivatingly firm and freckled ass when he removed his bottoms before finally, he falls unceremoniously upon the bed, still donning his cap and tank top.

You shouldn’t look, you tell yourself. You absolutely should not look. This is a huge breach of trust, and you'd never intended to see Roy naked, at least not like this. Yet, a depraved curiosity possesses you.

It's big. Bigger than you’d imagined, but not intimidatingly so. More, mouth-wateringly so. Thick, cut, straight, and surrounded by a thicket of fiery red hair to match that on his head.

The whole scene is strangely hypnotic; his even, rhythmic strokes, the sordid slap of his spit-slicked hand meeting the base of his cock while he so casually scrolls through his phone. You could watch him all day, but you can't. This goes far beyond a prank, and it certainly isn't fair to him.

You're not brave enough to come clean, you've seen too much. So you gently lean away from the door, closing your eyes and trying to block out the raunchy sound of Roy's heavy breathing until it’s over. Hopefully, he’ll shower or fall asleep after and you can sneak out then.

You're not expecting to hear a voice, so your heart almost stops when you hear someone squeal his name. Shit. Had he called someone? Was he seeing someone? You're struck with a pang of jealousy until you realise the voice in question is your own.

“Ahh, Roy! Are you filming me?” It’s quiet, and tinny but there’s no doubt in your mind. You can even recall when he’d recorded it; Back in the early days of your prank battle, on a hot summer day. You'd been strewn out on the couch, half-asleep in a moderately skimpy outfit that you certainly hadn’t hoped would grab Roy’s attention when you'd noticed him hovering over you with his camera. At the time you’d just assumed it was ammo for some harmless joke. Evidently not.

Peeking through the door again, you watch once more as he continues to stroke his dick, freckled cheeks growing ruddy, jaw tight as he loses himself more and more, eyes fixate on his phone screen as he uses his thumb to repeatedly rewinds back to the first few seconds of the clip. “Ahh, Roy! Ar- Ahh, Roy! Are y- Ahh, Roy!”

The debauched symphony of Roy getting off to the sound of your voice has your body feeling feverish, and you have to fight the urge to grind your nails into the wooden panel that separates you from your housemate. You’re not sure which you want more, to stuff your hand between your legs and knead you’re aching sex in time with Roy’s thrusts, or to exit your hiding spot, climb his husky, tattooed body, and ride him until you’re both completely and utterly fucked. Paralyzed by indecision, you instead watch him, restlessly motionless as he starts to lose control.

The phone falls from Roy’s hand as he bucks his way to the finish line, your name becoming a quiet, breathless prayer on his lips whilest he fucks into his hand from beneath. His eyes close, and he chews on his bottom lip, muscles growing tight until he finds his climax. You watch spellbound as an obscene amount of thick, white cum leaks from his cock, dripping down onto his hand. Wilder, stray droplets launch high, landing on his shirt but Roy neither cares nor notices as he writhes deeper into the mattress, riding out a full body high until he has nothing left to give.

You’re just as fascinated, watching him lay near motionless, enjoying the aftershock, as you had been observing the climax. There had always been tension between the two of you, but you’re starting to realise that you might be down worse than you’d thought.

Eventually, Roy returns to the land of the living, slowly shifting back up. With his clean hand, he removes his cap and pulls his soiled shirt over his head, using it to mop up the mess he’d made of himself and throwing it out of your limited line of sight. Whatever he was aiming for, you don’t doubt he made the shot.

Though you’re disappointed that the show is over, you’re growing angsty at being confined to the four walls of his closet, so when he kicks his legs over the side of the bed you get excited. The prospect of escape is so close you can taste it, until he grabs his phone once more. If he goes down a rabbit hole, you could be stuck here for hours you think, as he taps away at the touchscreen. You’re about to slink back against the wall and try to get comfortable when you’re heart drops. You feel it first, the buzz in your back pocket followed by the custom ringtone Roy had picked out for himself. Instinctively, your arms fumble to grab your phone and turn it off but Roy’s head has already snapped in your direction, his face looking as pale and as panicked as you feel on the inside.  

If you're reading this, you have impeccable taste.

Kinktober Masterlist

[ghostbsuter]

Dani travelled, like, a lot.

She stopped in a city, not too big but not too small either, where arrows wielding heroes residet in.

That's where she met her.

Blue haired, her face covered in a wicked cat-like mask and absolutely smashing the face of a thug.

Elle was invisible, following her and witnessing her transition from vigilante(?) to civilian! She didn't mean to!

A bit of begging to clockwork and some careful crafting had her meet the kick ass girl during rush hour, accidentally causing her drink to spill and fumbling with her words.

To apologise, elle bought her a new drink, gotten her name even (go dani! go!) and they parted ways with her blushing furiously and a smile thrown her way.

Oh Lian Harper, she had her swooning like no other ever managed to do so.

(When she returns to her temporary home, she finds out her landlord and current boss (aka Jason) knows her crushes dad, Roy harper, she might as well have just gotten on her knees and begged him to wingman her.

Jason, from the goddess of his heart (or more like amused beyond measures), did so under certain conditions.

Nevertheless, Ellie is on the war path of wooing the kick ass girl.)

[thinkingofausername]

Here are some random (fun/informative) facts about Roy Harper I just felt like sharing:

(Possible spoilers below)

- used to go by "Speedy" (Oliver Queen's sidekick; they met when Roy stole his wallet)

- has an adoptive brother Bird and daughter Lian (with Cheshire, whom he was supposed to capture but fell in love instead)

- former member of the Titans (and Teen Titans)

- former mercenary (a teacher after that)

- lived on Spokane Indian Reservation

- lived in a mall (after his adoptive father - Navajo medicine chief Brave Bow (rebooted Big Bow) was murdered and he ran away)

- designed Green Arrow's arrows

- benched while Speedy because his grades were slipping

- got addicted to painkillers (to deal with chronic pain) which turned to heroin; Oliver kicked him out because of this, came back to reconcile but was disgusted and left Roy again, came back yet again but Roy refused help

- after Jason died, his addiction got worse and he tried to die by Croc's hand (Croc caught on and refused)

- Killer Croc sponsored his recovery program

- lost an arm and was in a coma because of it

- he formed a team of mercenaries but had to kill them as they killed an entire town while trying to take over

- Jason and Starfire saved him from a death sentence due to war crimes (that's how they teamed up)

- he and Starfire got captured by the League of Assassins as they were trying to rescue a kidnapped, amnesiac Jason

- he was going to ask Oliver and Dinah for help but didn't get to

- he helped Jason after his fallout with Bruce

- accidentally killed at a rehabilitation center (Wally tried saving him; his last words were for his daughter; he was buried at the place he decided to get sober)

- Bruce resurrected him (Roy didn't contact his friends)

- he was the Black Lantern (the ring possessed him) and Red Arrow

- the Titans tower was turned into a school with his name

- titled World's Greatest Marksman

- he can ride horses, hack, fish with a bow and arrow, speak Japanese and understand Russian

- struggled with alcoholism since he was 10

- had ADHD and tattoos he didn't remember getting

- his father was a forest ranger also called Roy (he died in a forest fire)

- never knew his mother (in the rebooted version she also died in the fire)

- dated Donna, Hawkgirl, Starfire, Huntress

- Black Canary helped him with withdrawal

- he was a private detective

- lived in Ireland (where his ancestors are from)

- Dick helped him reunite with Lian (that's when Cheshire gave him full custody)

- unwillingly led the Titans in Dick's place after Dick and Kori's wedding was stopped

- he and his daughter were almost harvested for organs

- shaved his head after Donna's death

- survived getting shot in the chest five times and having his throat cut

- formed a children's shelter "Lian's place"

- let a man beat him (he didn't fight back) and he was rescued by a bartender who looked like his daughter

- was a drummer in his own band, volunteered a lot

- Mia Dearden took on his mantle of Speedy (he helped her)

- he was gunned down while searching for his daughter

[sexsylexi]

His Speedster

Roy Harper x speedster reader

Summary-

Roy Harper (red arrow) from Young Justice is on lookout duty when his speedster partner arrives. They share a playful moment and race to a coffee shop, where the reader wins and buys breakfast. During their conversation, they receive a mission call from Nightwing. Hand in hand, they head off, ready for their next adventure, with Roy cherishing every moment spent with his speedster partner.

--------------------------------------------------- The sun had barely risen over the bustling city, casting a golden hue on the skyline. Roy Harper, also known as Red Arrow, was perched on the rooftop of a tall building, his sharp eyes scanning the horizon. He was on lookout duty, but his thoughts were elsewhere. Specifically, they were on you.

You, the speedster who had run into his life and turned it upside down. Literally. The first time you two met, you had accidentally knocked him over while chasing a villain. Since then, your paths had crossed numerous times, eventually leading to a relationship that Roy cherished more than anything.

As if on cue, a gust of wind signaled your arrival. You stopped beside him, a playful smile on your face.

"Hey, slowpoke," you teased, leaning in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Any action?"

Roy smirked, wrapping an arm around your waist. "Nothing yet. Just the usual early morning peace."

You nodded, your eyes twinkling with excitement. "Want to race to the coffee shop? Loser buys breakfast."

"You're on," Roy said, already knowing he would lose but not caring. It was these moments with you that he treasured the most.

With a flash, you were off, and Roy followed, using his grappling hook to swing from building to building. Despite knowing he couldn't match your speed, he pushed himself, enjoying the thrill of the chase and the sight of you in your element.

You reached the coffee shop first, of course, already holding two steaming cups of coffee by the time Roy arrived. You handed him his with a grin. "Better luck next time."

Roy took the cup, his fingers brushing yours. "I'm starting to think you just like seeing me sweat."

You laughed, the sound making his heart race faster than any villain ever could. "Maybe. Or maybe I just like spending time with you."

The two of you found a quiet corner table, the morning rush yet to hit the café. As you talked about upcoming missions and personal anecdotes, Roy couldn't help but marvel at how lucky he was. You were his partner in every sense—on the field and off it.

Suddenly, your comms beeped, a call from Nightwing. You exchanged a look with Roy, both knowing duty called.

"Ready to save the day?" you asked, already vibrating with excitement.

"Always," Roy replied, standing up and taking your hand.

With you by his side, Roy felt like he could take on the world. And maybe, just maybe, keep up with you one day.

As you sped off to your next mission, Roy couldn't help but smile. Life as a hero was unpredictable, but with you, it was always an adventure worth taking.

[the-person-on-the-bridge]

Jayroy Prompt №1

We all know that the owners of some attractions at fairs cheat.

Imagine that Jason and Roy accidentally got on such a fairs. Walking between the tents, they stumble upon a shooting gallery.

Roy: Hey, jay, look what a cute bird. A jay for my Jay. Do you want me to win it for you? Jason: Roy, don't, you know they're... Roy: One for me, please. Jason: ..scammers.

It amuses me so much to think that Roy Harper, a former protégé of the Green Arrow, once a Red Arrow, and now an Arsenal, cannot hit a target in a shooting gallery at a fair.

As a result, Roy loses 50 bucks, a good two hours, and Jason unsuccessfully tries not to laugh

Roy: DID YOU SEE THAT? I HIT THIS FUCKING TARGET AT LEAST 7 TIMES Jason: * Barely suppressed giggles* Shopkeeper: Maybe you need to practice more, guy Roy: * unintelligible sounds of swearing* Jason: HAAHAHAHAHAHAH

The next day, Roy in an Arsenal costume repeats a scene from Despicable Me.

Shopkeeper: YOU BLEW UP MY TENT, MAN Arsenal!Roy: I HIT A FUCKING TARGET, BRING THE TOY HERE BEFORE I BLOW YOUR BRAINS OUT Shopkeeper: * Throws like she's a leper* Arsenal!Roy: Jay, here's your bird 💞

[mrnoital]

Ollie has some different iterations of how he got his start, what's your favorite?

Golden age(More Fun Comics #89)

Way off from the rest, this isn't very close to any other origin

Oliver was never even stranded, instead Roy was trapped on a mountain called lost Mesa with his father's servant after they were in a plane crash that killed Roys father.

Oliver was a wealthy archeologist with a fascination of native Americans instead of Robin Hood, and that's what led him to practicing the bow.

His collection was destroyed during a failed robbery, and soon after he was off to start a new collection, with some goons on his tail going to steal some gold.

Chaos ensues

Good guys win, bad guys die(but the good guys didn't technically murder, so it's all good) crushed by gold, the same gold or heroes use to fund their heroic adventures

Silver Age(Adventure Comics #256)

This is much more in line with the story we know, rich playboy accidentally falls off his boat and is deserted on Starfish island, here he created trick arrows as a way to survive(line arrow to bring in fish, meet arrow to catch more, drill arrow for coconuts) and continues to note native culture influencing his weapon choice

Soon he notices a ship which he swims to only to learn he's not out of danger yet is there has been a mutiny, chaos ensues and so Ollie begins his life as a hero using trick arrows as his saving grace

Post-Crisis 1 (Green Arrow(1983) #1, DC Super Stars #17, & Secret Origins(1986) #38

Here our rich playboy was having troubles with his girlfriend(or he might be in a singles cruise .... whatever) and goes for a calming boost ride when suddenly...PIRATES

He's thrown overboard and is stranded on the island where he perfected his archery skills and was able to defeat the very same pirates that marooned him and thus...chaos ensues

Ends up staying on the island for about 11 weeks

Post-Crisis 2 (Secret Origins(1989) #38 Green Arrow: The Wonder Year & Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters)

This one starts with workaholic Oliver Queen taking his first vacation in years on his boat with a few women and his hero Howard Hill(the trick archer from Robin Hood) and after a few too many drinks(and some bad lobster) he falls off the ship while throwing up.

After being stranded on the island he eats some lizard and gains archery skills, until the island is visited by a couple of stoners checking in their plants and he was able to just take them to the coast guard (even though they probably would've just given him a ride)

Post-Crisis 3 (Green Arrow: Year One)

Andy Diggle kept the fandom of Howard Hill, but this time Ollie was buying his bow at a charity auction, after a few too many drinks he made a fool of himself and decided he would invite himself on his security guards vacation(using the Queen yacht).

Turns out "vacation" was really code for stealing $14 million and dumping Ollie into the ocean

Ollie washes up on an island that's a little less deserted then usual. Finding a village without any living people he was able to craft a bow and gain the skills needed to survive, but when he tries to get help from a passing plane....danger!

Ollie kills some folks and gets blowed up a bit, ends up with a bone sticking out his arm. Luckily a "worker" from the nearby opium slave farm helped him heal, and gives him a little something to deal with the pain, which works until his arm is healed, then he just needs to heal his new addiction.

Freshly clean he finds Howard Hills bow and gets ready for the final showdown, in the chaos that ensues he helps the escaped slaves takes down the entire cartel. Afterwards he's able to convince everyone that showed up(maybe the Navy?) that it was maybe mutineers or a couple stoners or something.

New 52(Green Arrow(2011) #0, 26-28, Secret Origins(2014)#4

In this one we get a partying Ollie throwing a rager on one of his father's offshore oil rigs, which is attacked by high tech pirates, who want to steal the oil, but Ollie intervenes, and chaos ensues.

Everybody dies (except a Merlyn fill-in)

After drifting to the island he hones his skills to become a skilled hunter, up until he's kidnapped and tortured for a few weeks until he made a daring escape(murder may have been involved)

Once out he fought the man that set up the entire thing, he didn't know it at the time, but it was his daddy

His father held a magic arrow and saw the future and what it would take to make Oliver become Green Arrow so he set it all up himself.

A couple weeks later his rescue boat arrived and Ollie clocks in about 12 months on that island

A Justice League comic hinted at Aquaman helped Ollie get off the island, but that didn't go anywhere

Anything I miss?

[ao3feed-jaydick]

Ginger Snapped

read it on the AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/43761780 by KingExplosionMurd3r “He slipped,” the kid says subdued, sulking again.  “Sure,” says Roy, “we’ve all been there. Sometimes they slip, sometimes my  hand slips on the arrow, shoulder shot goes straight through the cranium.” “I didn’t." The kid's face twists in anger. “I really wanted to but I didn’t. Fucking should’ve since I’m getting blamed for it anyways.”  “You do that next time.”  He turns to offer the kid a hit. And catches a whiff of a faint sweet smell, the kind that happens when an Omega is wearing out their scent patch.  Roy freezes. Don’t smoke weed with teenage Omegas you're alone with them. Roy drops the Juul, and leans back. Don’t smoke weed around them period. Fuck, he’s sitting at  Roy’s feet. This looks so fucking bad.  Or, Roy accidentally gets high and watches soft-core porn with Robin, while babysitting him. He thought the kid was an Alpha. Words: 2084, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 1 of Roy is the middle of this idiot sandwhich Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: M/M Characters: Dick Grayson, Roy Harper, Jason Todd Relationships: Dick Grayson/Roy Harper/Jason Todd, Dick Grayson/Jason Todd, Dick Grayson/Roy Harper, Roy Harper/Jason Todd Additional Tags: Prequel, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Jason Todd, Alpha Dick Grayson, Alpha Roy Harper, Dick being mad at Bruce, And Jason, and just being angry, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Dick Grayson is a Ray of Sunshine that will give you skin cancer, Pre-Relationship, Smutty pay off is in the next works of this series read it on the AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/43761780

[jbuffyangel]

3/9/24 Sorry guys. I accidentally deleted this review while trying to clean up broken links. Luckily, 2015 Jen wasn't an idiot and I still have the review. I just need to re-gif it, which I'll do later when I have more time. So for now, it'll just be the text.

THANK YOU JESUS!!!!

Prayer circle worked.

Oh Colton. How you will be missed. I was so nervous for this episode I was sick to my stomach. A swarm of butterflies. There was no way Colton wasn't leaving the show. The tweets, the Instagram, the spoilers...it wouldn't have made any sense otherwise. In the world of Arrow an actor departure typically means death. Needless to say I am beyond THRILLED with the way they handled Colton's exit.

Let's dig in...

Roy Harper

What does it mean to save a man's soul? When there's red in your ledger can you ever wipe it clean? Is that even possible? And if it is... what penance must be paid? Those are the questions that haunt Oliver Queen. Those are the questions that stop Oliver from living his life. He doesn't deserve a life; there's too much red. Too much blood. Too many lives lost. It's a question that haunted Roy Harper this year too, but tonight Roy found the answers he was searching for.

Roy Harper started out as an angry, impulsive, stubborn kid. A high school dropout, with a record and a history of violence. The entire world abandoned him. He was left to fend for himself and to fight for those who couldn't. Then, one day, he stole a purse. And everything changed. His entire universe...changed.

That's how life works. It's not always the big moments that change your life forever, but the little ones. The times where you simply go left when you could have easily gone right. The winds of change come along like a whisper and you find yourself in a place you never conceived of.

Thea Queen changed Roy Harper's life. She was the first person to reach out to Roy. To see more than what the rest of the world saw. To see more than what Roy saw. Thea was the connective thread from Roy to The Arrow.

"You really don't care if you live or die?"

"No one is going to miss me. I'm just a waste."

Thea cared. She cared so much than when her friend was kidnapped, to be punished on live television for his crimes, she ran to the only person she could think of for help. Her big brother Ollie. Thea didn't know she was running directly into The Arrow's arms. Oliver would have tried to save Roy regardless, but somehow because it was Thea made it...more. Oliver would give his life to protect Thea from even an ounce of pain.

"If you kill this kid, he'll never get an opportunity to change. You can give him a second chance."

Joseph Falk refused to give Roy that chance. The Arrow killed Falk to save Roy. Oliver put more blood in his ledger...for Roy. So, he could have a second chance. A life for a life.

It put Roy on a collision course with Oliver. Up until tonight, my favorite Roy & Oliver scene was from 2x01. Oliver saw himself in Harper. It's why Oliver asked Roy to join Team Arrow.

The world doesn't work anymore. It broke a long time ago, but it was like you were the only one who noticed. That makes you angry. And you're afraid that anger is going to burn you up inside if you have to live in the world one second longer knowing that you could do something to fix it.

What fuels Oliver, what kept him alive all those years, is a deep rage. An anger. A ferocity. A will. Roy Harper has the same fuel. The same anger. The same will. Oliver Queen, The Arrow, just taught Roy where to aim. He gave Roy a target...Arsenal.

I loved Roy's fight scene in the prison because it was the culmination of all Oliver's training. Remember the beginning? Slapping the water, crushing the table, his awful aim. Roy was so much like Oliver and Oliver so much like Yao Fei. That's the point you know of surviving, of living. You survive so you can pass on what you learned to the next generation and they become better for it.  Later in the episode, Oliver tells Ray Palmer not to depend on the tech.  Oliver doesn't depend on the bow. He is the weapon.

Oliver wanted to break Roy out of prison, or at the very least, fight by his side, but what Oliver failed to recognize was he was already there. It was Oliver's voice in Roy's head. The anger, the will, Oliver saw in Roy two years ago was there, but now it was controlled. His head was on a swivel. Roy Harper was the weapon. 

"Just remember; that was without arrows."

Roy did a lot bad stuff back in his days in The Glades, but he never killed anyone. He never had blood on his hands, not like this. There's a reason why the Roy centric episode this season was entitled "Guilt", because that is the singular emotion Roy Harper has been struggling with. The season theme is identity and tonight Roy came to terms with his. Roy Harper was a murderer and Arsenal was the penance. Arsenal was suppose to wipe the ledger clean, but somehow it wasn't enough. No matter how many lives Roy saved, it never alleviated his guilt. Saving lives wasn't the penance Roy needed to pay. Giving his life was.  More than anything, Roy wants to trade places with that cop; to give his life for the officer. It's the same desire Oliver carries with him. If Oliver could trade places with his father, mother, Shado, Yao Fei, Tommy...he would do it in a heartbeat.

"It should have been me."

But that's impossible...or is it?

Before Roy could serve his penance he needed to make a confession. Confession is always the first step to absolution. He needed Lance to know it wasn't his life that needed saving. He was a murderer and he absolutely belonged in prison. He wasn't worthy of the mask he wore. He wasn't a hero. The minute someone says they aren't a hero is the minute you know they are.  Maybe Lance tried to save Roy from the collision course The Arrow set him upon, but it's The Arrow that would lead to Roy's absolution...his salvation, not Lance. In fact, the episode Oliver saves Roy was entitled Salvation. From the moment Roy Harper met The Arrow salvation was the destination. It's why Roy made the choice to join Team Arrow, to become Arsenal and to do what comes next.

Tonight, Roy put blood in his ledger. Just as The Arrow did for him two years ago.

A life for a life.

Roy sacrificed his life, so Oliver could have a second chance at his.

Roy did for Oliver what he couldn't do for the police officer. He traded places with him. And for the first time in a long time...he was okay. Roy may not know where he's going or who he's going to become, but  he can look himself in mirror again. His identity as Roy Harper and Arsenal are gone, but somehow that doesn't matter. He is absolved. He is free.

Team Arrow

Malcolm Merlyn and Tatsu once said to Oliver, "Only the student has hopes of defeating the master." Nothing Roy Harper or Team Arrow did tonight was anything Oliver Queen hasn't done a thousand times before. Time and time again Oliver sacrifices himself to protect those he loves. In fact, protecting those he loves is the only way Oliver Queen knows how to love. However, Oliver's "protection" often comes at the cost of a person's free will. Oliver makes the decision without discussion. Yes, Oliver protects but he also controls.

He's done it to Diggle.

He's done it to Roy.

He's done it to Thea.

He's done it to Laurel.

He's done it to Felicity.

And tonight...the students  defeated the master. After all, they learned from the best.

For the first time, Oliver couldn't control everything. He couldn't be The Arrow, he couldn't break Roy out of prison, he couldn't turn himself in, he couldn't stop Lance, he couldn't stop the meta human and he couldn't save Felicity. He was completely powerless. This was a different kind of powerless from what Olivet felt after surviving the duel with Ra's. He wasn't stuck on a mountain top healing from a stab wound, drinking magic penncilin tea. He was healthy and strong; forced to sit on the sidelines and watch.

To be honest, it was a little strange that Diggle & Felicity wiped The Foundry leaving only Roy's fingerprints. Even stranger? They weren't rallying the troops. Roy is Team Arrow, through and through. No different than any of them. If Felicity & Diggle were willing to go to the mat to save Oliver, they would do the same for Roy. Yet, at every turn Oliver is met with resistance. Diggle & Felicity had logic on their side, and without their help, it made breaking Roy out of prison infinitely more difficult. The reality was, in order for their plan to work, Team Arrow needed Oliver to sit on the sidelines. They needed Oliver to throttle back. Roy definitely drew the short straw on the plan, but Diggle & Felicity weren't too far behind. Get Oliver to throttle back?

After Roy is attacked, Thea comes running into Ollie's arms, just as she did two years ago, asking him once again to save Roy. Apparently, Lance failed to mention Roy fought off the attack like a bad ass, but I digress. Oliver breaks. He absolutely cannot stand to sit on the sidelines anymore. Not when Roy is in danger. Not when Thea is in pain.

Diggle tries to logic with Oliver. This isn't anything new. Diggle is Oliver's voice of reason, his counsel. But Diggle put his body in Oliver's way, to physically block him. That was new. Oliver was like a caged animal and Diggle held out a wary hand to keep him at bay. Immediately the tension rose. The two of them haven't had a confrontation like this since Season 1. The last time Diggle put his hands on Oliver, it was to prove a point. This time it was to stop him. The minute Diggle's hand touchef Oliver's shoulder to restrain him, Oliver reacts violently. THIS is why The Arrow is so vital to Oliver Queen's psyche. Without an outlet, that anger, that powerlessness, burns Oliver Queen up inside. But Diggle doesn't back down. Instead, with tears shining in his eyes, Diggle begs Oliver to. Diggle knew it would come to this and so help him God, Oliver was staying put. Ultimately, it's thanks to Felicity that Oliver does back down (more on that later). When Oliver returns to the loft, Lance informs him Roy died. The grief is overwhelming and absolute.

This is why Oliver Queen loves through control. If he can just protect the people he loves, no matter the personal cost, then he won't lose them. But time and time again, Oliver fails. No matter how much he sacrifices, no matter how hard he tries to protect them, the people Oliver Queen loves are always the ones to pay the price.

An arrow is symbolic for defense & protection from harm. An arrow's very nature is forward motion, direction & certainty. It is straight, sturdy and steady. Apollo, the god of light, healing and truth, was known as The Archer. The god that brought sunlight to the world, used a bow & arrow to defeat his enemies & protect those who worshipped him. Underneath the darkness of the Island is a light, an innate goodness, in Oliver Queen that he is destined to shine on the world. Stephen Amell even looks like a modern day Apollo. However, an arrow's purpose is only fulfilled when it takes flight and finds its target. An arrow's purpose is only fulfilled when it protects and defends. Left stagnate, or worse broken, an arrow is without purpose.

Oliver kneels in the trashed Foundry, in the dark, holding a single broken arrow. Everything he's built and everything he's sacrificed, was all for nothing. He is without purpose, without direction. The very weapon he uses to defend his city, The Arrow, is no more. The man he trained in his image is dead. Oliver tried to do everything his father asked him - right his wrongs and be the hero Robert Queen lacked the courage to be. But what does he have to show for it? So many dead, so much loss. And Oliver, the sun, sits in total darkness, as broken as the arrow he holds in his hand.

Oliver hears Diggle & Felicity enter the Foundry, but he doesn't turn around. Instead, with a shaking hand, he covers his eyes, the grief welling up again, intermixed with a hefty dose of anger.

"I shouldn't have listed to either of you. I might not have been able to break Roy out of prison, but I'd feel a lot better right now if I tried."

"We know that Oliver. We also know that you may never forgive us."

"I make my own choices John. I made this one."

Oliver has been desperate for control the entire episode. He seizes control over the only thing left - who to blame. At every turn, Diggle & Felicity stood in Oliver's way and yet his anger is targeted at himself. This is the wonder that is Oliver Queen. He's not angry at Diggle & Felicity's advice, he's angry he listened to it. Oliver absolves Diggle & Felicity of any wrong doing while simultaneously blaming himself. It goes to the essence of who Oliver Queen is - forgiving and selfless but also self-condemning.

"He doesn't mean forgiveness for that. He means forgiveness for this."

My reaction? YES!!! Praise Jesus.

When the camera first opened on the scene, it panned past an overturned dummy, like a fallen solider.  But the fallen solider returns. The moment Roy steps into the Foundry, Oliver rises from his knees, stands and faces the group. Immediately the total darkness is replaced with stray beams of light from knocked over equipment, illuminating behind Oliver. And just like that...all is not lost.

Flashback storytelling can be a bit lazy, but in "Broken Arrow" it really works. Turns out Diggle & Felicity didn't do a bunch a drugs. They are still Diggle & Felicity - refusing to let Roy take the blame. But Roy's plan was genius and so Diggle & Felicity agree to put it into action and more importantly, not tell Oliver.

"You could have gotten yourself killed for real."

See, that attitude is the exact reason why they can't tell you stuff Laur- I mean Oliver. Roy knew the risks, but he also believed in himself. Roy knew he had the talent & skill to fight off any attack.

Your goddamn right.

Thatta boy. I am like a proud mama. Roy has gone from the boy who believes he's a waste to a man with total faith in himself. He was able to buy enough time for Lyla to get her ARGUS contact in place. Yahoo!!!! Mrs. Diggle was even in on the action. Please tell me that Laurel knew too and her little stunt in the precinct was all part of the plan. That means the ONLY person who didn't know was Oliver and that's just too freaking delicious for words. Apparently knowing how to knife someone in exactly the right place to give the illusion of death is a marketable skill. He probably lists it under Special Skills on his resume. I digress.

"Everyone thinks the Arrow is dead, which means Oliver Queen is innocent."

BOOM BITCHES. That's how it's done. In one foul swoop, Team Arrow gives Oliver back his life. Maybe they couldn't save The Arrow, but they were damn well going to save Oliver Queen.

"You did all of this without asking?"

Please tell me Oliver didn't say that. Please. Oh Lord boy. Anyone have a frying pan? I need to smack Oliver upside the head. THAT'S ALL HE DOES. I have to admit, I love Stephen's delivery of the line. Oliver spits out the words like it physically pains him that not only did his team orchestrate a genius plan to save his ass; they did it without any help from him.

And Roy tells Oliver where to stick it. Boy, the writers are giving Roy quite the send off. Genius plan? Check. Heroic sacrifice? Check. Kick ass fight scene? Check. Telling Oliver to shove it? Check. Oliver Queen usurps control from those he loves ALL THE TIME. So right back at ya fella. How's that other shoe feeling? Not so comfy? Maybe think about that the next time Felicity wants some autonomy. Get a cup of coffee with her Oliver. Go see a movie. Make some babies. Jeez.

Roy Harper leaves Team Arrow the same way he joined it. With a handshake and a thank you.  He may be gone, but he will not be forgotten. Roy Harper will always be part of Team Arrow.  His final lesson was one Roy was meant to teach, not learn. Through his selfless & heroic act, Roy taught Oliver Queen how to accept help from those that love him. That a single arrow can be broken, but a bundle of arrows is nearly indestructible.

Olicity (Raylicity)

You know what's going to be super fun? When I can write Olicity without writing Raylicity in parenthesis next to it. Patience friends...patience. Our time will come. Apparently the writers felt they weren't hitting the Ray/Sara parallel on the nose enough, so they are holding off on a Raylicity breakup until 3x20, just like Oliver & Sara broke up in 2x20. So, for the three people left in the audience who were unclear on the comparison...ya good now? Cause the rest of us want to move on.

One thing I particularly liked about this Raylicity scene, other than the embarrassing train wreck Palmer was about to ride, was how Ray addressed why Felicity is always at Palmer Technologies at times of Team Arrow crisis. It's something I theorized awhile ago. It's not because Felicity doesn't care. Quite the contrary. Work, staying busy, is a coping mechanism for Felicity. Like Oliver, it gives Felicity a sense of control. Okay, enough of that. On to the train wreck. Choo! Choo!

Oh Ray. You poor fruit fly bastard. I'm sorry - I feel bad for the guy. Anytime you say "I love you", whether it's a capital or lower case L, and it's not reciprocated, it hurts. It's also the proverbial nail in most relationship coffins. Watching Ray try to walk it back, so he can continue to live in the land of denial, was about forty different kinds of awkward. What's worse is Felicity didn't do much to help the guy out, other than sit quietly. Look man, when the girl walks out after you say it - that's pretty bad. When she doesn't throw you a life raft when you try to walk it back...that's worse. So over.

"You're okay with this?"

Of course not.  Your metal mitts all over his soul mate, the future Mrs. Queen and mother to the Olicity Triplets. Oliver would much rather kick you in the balls again Palmer, but he has limited options.

And the high five. Ray Palmer is Mister Magoo in Superman's body. It's documented fact.

Ray Palmer babbling.

THIS is what has been missing from the Ray Palmer character. An entire season of Oliver interacting with Palmer? Ratings gold. Palmer interacting with just Felicity for 90% of the season? Yeah, not so much. For a character like Palmer to work, you need a straight man like Oliver Queen for him to bounce off of. Otherwise, the jokes fall flat and Ray is just...weird. Get Sara & Palmer in a room together STAT writers if you want that spin off to get picked up.

"Oh I could kiss you right now..oh! Boundaries. Working on it."

Look, I can tolerate Felicity bringing Palmer as her plus one. Knowingly kissing Palmer in front of Oliver? No no boo boo kitty. Based on Oliver's reaction, we reached his patience threshold as well. Before people become irate with Felicity this scene served two VERY important purposes. First, I think Felicity is over compensating. She shot down Ray's "I love you" not once but TWICE. Ray also had his ass handed to him by Oliver last week. Is there a little ego fluffing happening in this scene? Yes. Is it fatal? No. In fact, this scene serves as a triggers for the Olicity scene of the night.

"Stop calling it a team up Ray." Oliver just cannot with this guy. Is it possible to love this man more? I didn't think it was, but I do.

"nervous in the field."

Jealous Oliver is the best kind of Oliver. Honestly, this was pretty fascinating to watch. Oliver is always out in the field. He never sees it from Felicity's end. He doesn't know if her anxiousness is specific to Ray or if she reacts that way with him. Oliver Queen is a competitive guy. If Felicity is worrying she better worry about him the most. It's a rare moment of insecurity and Felicity's answer is diplomatically perfect. But nothing beats that raised eyebrow from Diggle that said, "You hesisted!" You keep on captaining that ship Diggle.

"There's a decent chance you and Palmer are related."

I spit out my drink. Sassy Oliver throwing shade? Who knew such a glorious combination even existed. Why didn't we get 15 episodes of THIS? Trying not to let my bitterness at missed opportunities ruin the moment.

Diggle. Barry. Oliver. All the boys are 100% done with Palmer. I know guys, we all thought it was 3x19 too. Hang in there men. It's almost over.

Oliver's inheritance from Moira's life insurance might be running low. Why doesn't he start a superhero training program? He'd make a killing. He can give Barry a discount and fleece Palmer.

"I've already lost everything"

There's a difference between feeling like you've lost everything and actually losing everything. It's a distinction Ra's Al Ghul knows well. Right now, Oliver feels like he lost everything. Ra's Al Ghul is going to teach him the difference.

It's not necessarily that Oliver has lost everything, it's more that he cannot lose one more thing. His parents, his company, a life as Oliver Queen, life as The Arrow...Felicity. Roy was just another person to add to an ever growing list of things Oliver loves and lost.

When Felicity absentmindedly says she could kiss Ray in front of Oliver, it served to confirm Oliver's belief that he's lost her. He sees the way she is with Palmer. She's happy. If that was true, Felicity would have stayed by Palmer's side and let Diggle go after Oliver. But she didn't. There was only one man Felicity was chasing after.

And here we are. The Olicity scene of the night.

"Oliver!"

"You know I can't believe that you and Diggle are okay just sitting on your hands while Roy fights off all of Iron Heights."

Oliver is furious with her. He doesn't understand what's going on. He doesn't understand why Diggle & Felicity are refusing to back him up and help Roy. This isn't the woman he knows and loves.

"It is not that simple!"

"No Felicity is anything was ever simple it's this!"

"This what? You going to jail too?"

Felicity isn't backing down though. She has logic on her side, and a ingenious plan in the works, but she needs Oliver to calm down and listen. I know that it's been a long and difficult season for Oliver and Felicity. They've spent the majority of the season apart and for a good portion of that time apart they've been fighting. It wasn't for nothing though. Over the course of the year, Oliver & Felicity have learned how to fight, which is crucial to a lasting relationship. This fight is proof of that. They've learned how to yell without going too far. How to express their anger without hurting the other person. Most importantly, they've learned how to listen to one another. Oliver hears Felicity's logic and that she's simply trying to protect him, to help him. He softens.

"I can't just do nothing."

And Felicity hears Oliver's pain & sense of powerlessness. She softens.

"I think John's right. I think you're struggling with doing nothing; with Roy, with Ray. But right now? You need people to help you. You need to let them. Maybe there is something more going on with you than just what's happening with Roy and this meta human. You have sacrificed everything to be The Arrow, even you and me, but whether or not you break Roy out of Iron Heights there is no more Arrow. Ra's took that from you."

No matter how hurt Felicity is that Oliver chose The Arrow over her, she understands why he did it. Felicity understands that sacrificing their relationship was just that...a sacrifice for Oliver. It caused him an immeasurable amount of pain. Pain that only Felicity truly understands because she feels it too. Oliver could live with that pain if it was serving some greater purpose. The Arrow was that greater purpose and Ra's took that from him. Oliver cannot be The Arrow. It was all for nothing. He lost her...for nothing.

Oliver cannot be with Felicity. He cannot be Oliver Queen. He cannot be The Arrow. Oliver doesn't know who he is anymore. He no longer knows his way ahead and that's why he feels like he's lost everything.

But he hasn't lost everything. It's why Felicity chased after him. It's why Felicity walked out of the hospital room. It's why Felicity didn't offer Ray anything but silence. Oliver hasn't lost Felicity. To be honest, I don't think he ever really can.

Oliver Queen or The Arrow? The never ending internal battle. Who is he? Roy Harper struggled with the same crisis. Was he Roy Harper? Was he Arsenal? Was he The Arrow? Or none of the above? Ultimately, Roy learned what Oliver is struggling to learn. The name doesn't matter. It's the man that counts.

It's a lesson Oliver cannot learn without Felicity. Suit or hood. Rich or poor. In sickness or in health. None of that matters, not to Felicity. From the moment she met him, underneath all the ridiculous lies and phony charm, she saw a good man. A trust worthy man. A honorable man. Felicity sees Oliver for who he truly is, even when he cannot. It why she's the person who can harness Oliver's light. She sees his light...she always has.

Felicity stopped the "I love you" from tumbling out of her mouth and you can literally pinpoint the second Oliver's heart stops. Loving Oliver Queen is as natural as breathing to Felicity. She doesn't think about it. She doesn't run from it. It just is. She's in. All in.

In a beautiful call back to the clock tower scene in 2x22, Felicity stops the "I love you" and offers up a "I believe in you" instead. There are millions ways to say "I love you." For Felicity Smoak "I believe in you" is just one in a million. Felicity told Oliver she believed in him in that clock tower because it was the only way she could say "I love you" that Oliver was ready to hear. It's why that moment is Oliver falling in love with Felicity all at once. Oliver could feel Felicity's love in her belief.  And Oliver knew he loved her. It was a moment of certainty, a blinding clarity, in the darkness. 

It's almost a year later and Felicity still can't say "I love you. Because of Ray, because she & Oliver are not together, because Oliver has yet to make a different choice. So she offers him an "I love you" the only way she can. And once again, Oliver feels Felicity's love in her belief. Once again, Felicity gives Oliver certainty in a moment of confusion. A blinding clarity in the darkness. Oliver still has Felicity's love, which means he has everything.

Of course Felicity goes to the power grid where the meta human is because that's her life. But you aren't going to fool me writers! My little cupcake has a Season 4 contract and Trollenheim gossiped like a 13 year old girl about her big season four storyline. I'm good. Cool as a cucumber.

DO NOT TOUCH MY BABY.

If Oliver was ready to throw down with Diggle over Roy, just wait until Felicity's in trouble. If Diggle stood in Oliver's way a second longer he would have ended up in the hospital. Best friend or not...this is Felicity. His Felicity. The only reason Oliver let Palmer go was because he could get there faster.

Essentially this scene was a mash up between Reel Steel and Rocky. Air punching. Stephen made air punching look cool. Is there anything he can't make look cool? Food for thought. Felicity used her God given brains to escape from the meta human. Unfortunately, she didn't make it very far. Luckily Oliver (in Roy's body...it sounds sexual but don't go there people) showed up just in time, but it lasted all of two seconds before Ray's tech was damaged. You could hear Oliver internally screaming "I told you so!"

Oliver doesn't like Ray Palmer. He's sleeping with his dream girl and he's annoying. But Ray put his body between danger and Felicity. He took an arrow for Felicity. An arrow meant to take what was most precious from Oliver, to force his hand. The only reason it's not Felicity's body going into the Lazarus Pit is because Ray Palmer protected her. For as long as Oliver lives, he won't forget that.  Nor will he allow Ray to. Oliver reminds Ray that it wasn't the suit that protected Felicity...it was him. He doesn't need the suit to be a hero. He just needs the will to fight back. It's the same will Oliver, Roy and Diggle have. Oliver's will formed on the Island, Diggle's in the war, Roy's on the streets. Ray's willed formed the night Anna died. Oliver simply reminded him of that fact. 

For as much as Oliver detested Ray's "team up" reference, it truly was. Felicity, Ray and Oliver each played an equal role in saving Felicity and stopping the meta. Put down the pom poms people. No need to get overly excited. Palmer still sleeping with Oliver's lobster.

But not for long!!!!!

Sorry not sorry.

"So on a scale of 1 -10".

Obviously, Felicity was concerned Oliver would be angry with them for letting him believe Roy was dead. However, I think her concern was more than that. Diggle, Felicity & Roy knew the plan would work because they know Oliver. They know him better than anyone. Death and loss are all Oliver knows. They knew he'd believe it.  They played upon some of his deepest fears & psychological scars.

I don't know Oliver...3.8?

Luckily, Oliver sees the forest through the trees.  Thy name is character growth! Don't you love the back half of the season?

In a subtle "my OTP needs alone time" move, Diggle heads to the car. Felicity and Oliver stand side by side, their arms only micro inches apart, grazing just a little bit against each other. So achingly close and yet...a distance still remains.

Suddenly Felicity turns and she threads her arms through Oliver's, pressing her body against his, in her signature "arm cuddle" that up until this point has been reserved for Mr. Palmer and Mr. Palmer alone. Damn boy...you don't even get to keep arm cuddle. This day sucks Ray. FYI.

The moment Felicity's arm touches Oliver's, the moment he feels the weight of her body shift into his, her chin against his shoulder, and her voice reminding him once again there are people who love him...that she loves him, Oliver struggles to fight back tears. He's missed her so much. He's so tired of missing her.

There's always one moment in Arrow when a character realizes Oliver & Felicity belong together. Tonight was Ray Palmer's moment.

Thea & Roy

The only piece of Roy Harper that truly mattered to Roy was...Thea Queen. Like Felicity is to Oliver, Thea is all that is good and pure and wonderful in the world to Roy. Thea set Roy on his path to salvation and there is no person he loves more. Roy can't tell Thea the truth, but he swore he would never lie to her again.

He tells her he's going to be fine. Thea asks if that's the lie and Roy doesn't answer. How can he? If he's not with Thea, he'll never really be fine. A piece will always be missing. But that's why they call it a sacrifice. No one said salvation was easy.

Thea Queen

He buried her heart still

He buried her on her own

By the cool ferns

In the rained on river bed

He took her in his arms

He carried her ghost

Through grey stone fields

He could feel her float

She said, “I would die for you

“I would die for you”

And it all came true

It all came true

He lay her down In the gentle earth And kissed her eyes closed Like it didn’t hurt

And whispered

I would die for you

I would die for you

I would die for you

And it all came true

It all came true

There's a reason this section came last. I dreaded writing it. From the moment we saw the cast images filming in Nanda Parbat and Willa was there; from the moment Marc said a character was dying; from the moment Ra's showed up at Thea's loft in the promo; from the moment Thea got into that limo with Merlyn...we knew this was where the story was headed. We knew the only way Oliver Queen would ever join the League of Assassins, the only reason he would sacrifice himself, would be to save someone he loves. Malcolm Merlyn's plan, for Thea to kill Sara so Oliver would be forced to fight Ra's, was always leading here. To the moment the Demon Head took Thea's life.

Thea knew she was dead, but she fought back. I was so proud of her.

"How many people can Oliver Queen lose before he's no longer Oliver Queen?"

Ra's Al Ghul will make sure Oliver knows the difference between feeling like he lost everything and actually losing everything. For five minutes, Team Arrow won Oliver his life back. Only for Ra's to take it.

At least he made it quick.

Ra's took Oliver's city, The Arrow and his sister.  Now, to save his sister, Oliver will lose Felicity...seemingly forever. Oliver may not know who he is, but he does know two things. He will do anything to save Thea and he is in love with Felicity Smoak. Thea & Felicity are Oliver's only two certainties. Thea is the first piece to the Oliver Queen puzzle and Felicity is the last. Without either of these women...Oliver Queen ceases to exist. And that's how he becomes Al Saheem. That's how the darkness overtakes him. Thus answering Slade's haunting question.

Stray Thoughts...

Captain Lance continues his impressive Ahab routine. His axe to grind with Oliver is so apparent, his boss gives him a word of warning. Maybe a bump down to beat cop will knock some sense into Quentin. Worked the last time.

Hong Kong continues to get suckier. Now it's the US army after them and some wack job general that wants to unleash bio weapons on China. Upside? Aikko lived to see another day!!!

Raylicity break up is coming. Sorry folks. I was wrong about 3x19. Look, it doesn't matter when it happens. It's going to take all of 2 minutes. But I want Felicity to break up with Ray. I want Felicity to make a conscious choice. I do not want Felicity to pull and Elena Gilbert or Rory Gilbert.

ONE. MORE. WEEK.

Predictions

I thought Ray was going to die and Thea would be severely injured. So I'm giving myself a B overall but A for effort. Once Roy survived, I knew Thea was a goner. Aces on Thea going into the Lazarus Pit but that's a small comfort because she's going into the freaking Lazarus Pit. Ugh..

SARA LIVES.  No buckles and that walk was pure Caity Lotz.  That was the original Canary in that promo. Now, before everyone gets too excited...it is NOT Sara who's coming back. As Malcolm said in the promo, the Lazarus Pit changes people in their soul. I'm hoping length of time dead equates to level of crazy. Why? I think Sara is coming back bat shit bonkers, but I'm hoping Thea doesn't. Thea can be just angry & crazy enough to put on a mask...you know like Laurel. But I think two loony female superheroes will be a bit much and Sara has that spot sewn up. Hello White Canary.

Al Saheem. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I want everyone to get prepared. Things are going to get worse. MUCH WORSE. This Al Saheem persona is NOT GOOD. Oliver is going dark...really dark. In fact, my guess is the things he's required to do as Ra's Al Ghul will reverberate into Season 4. That being said, I think the LOA storyline will resolve itself by the end of the year. Oliver will battle his way back from the darkness, reclaim his identity as Oliver Queen and potentially make some pretty stunning decisions about what that means. (wink) It's also entirely possible Original Team Arrow comes up with a plan to fool Ra's and Al Saheem is part of the ruse. However, regardless if it's an act or real...the consequences of Oliver's actions will be real.

Alright...enough of that. Let's talk wedding. For those of you who don't know, Marc Guggenheim has spoiled that a second wedding will be taking place on Arrow.

Given Colton Hayne's departure, he and Thea are out of the running. So that leaves the #1 spot for rationale possibility open. Who's taking the spot? Oliver Queen marries The League of Assassins. Merlyn mentioned Oliver wearing the Demon Head's ring on tonight's episode. As a Catholic, the idea of a man marrying an institution or belief system is not a foreign concept. Priests marry The Church. So theoretically, Oliver could simply be "marrying" the LOA and Al Saheem is the marriage.

Couple of issues

First, if this is the case, that's some serious fucking trolling on Guggenheim's part and I'm going to be pissed. It's an odd way to describe Oliver's relationship with the League. Now, Marc teases and he trolls but he doesn't out and out lie. Marc said the wedding would result in a marriage. To me that says long term and the relationship will continue into S4. Given that I believe Oliver's LOA storyline wraps by the end of the year (to bring in the S4 big bad Hive and Felicity's father), I can't believe Oliver's marriage to the League is long for this world. So why describe it as a marriage? That's more of a divorce in my mind. Why not simply describe it as a wedding? Why would Marc make the distinction? Food for thought. Furthermore, Stephen said Oliver would have a reason to smile at the end of the year and I cannot imagine that a "marriage" to the League would give Oliver any reason to smile. Getting divorced sure. But then it goes back to my original issue of why did Marc make the marriage distinction? Moving on.

Nyssa & Sara: Okay folks. Stop sending me Nyssa and Sara theories. I thought of them way before I ever posted my Olicity wedding theory. Trust me, there isn't a permutation Calli & I haven't discussed. I discounted them for two reasons. First, I don't believe it's Sara who's coming back. I think it's Coo Coo For Cocoa Puffs Sara. This isn't Nyssa's Sara. Second, Sara is a series regular on the spin off. Nyssa is on Arrow. It's the same Roy/Thea issue. They aren't going to marry two characters and have them on two separate shows. That's a scheduling nightmare. It just isn't feasible.

If you want to read the rest of my "rationale" suspects, you can review them here. My same issues still apply with the rest of the candidates.

I'm trying very hard to stay impartial, but Thea & Roy were my best "rational" guess. Colton's departure and Thea's death/resurrection, and Emily's dolled up appearance while filming the finale, only serve to bolster my Olicity wedding theory. Yes, Oliver & the League is a very viable option, but there's more evidence in the show pointing towards Olicity.

***FYI: Calli & I saw the video of Emily. Yes, we know she's in pants, but that's not a t-shirt. That's a very sparkly white top. It's entirely possible that Emily changed into pants when she's not filming. It's Canada. It's fucking cold. Yes, we know Marc said they already filmed the wedding scene but they film out of order. Second, the video of EBR signing the shirt was filmed several days ago, possibly before Marc's ask about filming the wedding. She signed the shirt before Brandon Routh and Brandon Routh left Vancouver the other day. At the very least, it was before Barrowman signed it and he finished filming a couple days ago. Anyways...long story short...it is possible that video was taken BEFORE Marc answered the ask on filming the wedding scene. Whew.

#1 Rational Theory: Oliver marries the League of Assassins (and Trollenheim gets a strongly worded letter from me)

#1 Crazy Theory: Oliver marries Felicity. (The term crazy is relative right now, because this theory is looking more and more sane by the minute)

So the updated odds are...

60/40 in favor of the Olicity wedding

Second Chance Fulfilled: Broken Arrow Arrow 3x19 Review

THANK YOU JESUS!!!!

Prayer circle worked.

Oh Colton. How you will be missed. I was so nervous for this episode I was sick to my stomach. A swarm of butterflies. There was no way Colton wasn’t leaving the show. The tweets, Instagram, the spoilers…it wouldn’t have made any sense otherwise. In the world of Arrow an actor departure typically means death. Needless to say I am beyond THRILLED with the way they handled Colton’s exit.

Let’s dig in…

Keep reading

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Instead Of Getting Locked Up Were Getting Knocked Up

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/ILOT46V by The_stars_ship_us Jason finds out some shocking news while trying to take down a smuggling ring. Words: 3484, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: DCU (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Green Arrow (Comics), Red Hood/Arsenal (Comics) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Jason Todd, Roy Harper, Lian Harper, Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen, Alfred Pennyworth, Batfamily Members, Arrowfamily Members Relationships: Roy Harper/Jason Todd Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Accidental Pregnancy, pregnancy announcement, Trans Jason Todd, Fluff, SO MUCH FLUFF, Marriage Proposal, The Author Regrets Everything, this tag is bc the author is squicked out by pregnancy but still wrote this fic, Hurt/Comfort, Humor, POV Multiple, held at gunpoint (as a prank), brief mention of starving yourself (as part of a hunger strike) read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/ILOT46V

[scifi-and-realism]

Like You Never Lost It

There are many individuals in comics that are amputees, Bucky Barnes, Roy Harper, Cyborg, and even Aquaman and Thor in some continuities. Yet they usually have a prosthetic limb (or in cyborg's case his almost entire body) that works just as well as the actual limb, like missing a limb isn't even an issue. In real life while there has been great strides in progress to make up for injuries, accidental, or genetic loss of limb, they are not anywhere near the level as fictional prosthetics. Let's explore how they differ.

Roy Harper, Green Arrow's past sidekick going by Arsenal, has a prosthetic arm that can turn into a variety of weapons in addition to a function as his arm/hand and seeing how guns or lasers could almost definitely be impossible to add to someone's prosthetic realistically, I am not going to touch on his or any other enhanced prosthetic. I am more so going to talk about the kind like the one above. Bucky Barnes (I would say spoiler but its likely you already read my Cryostasis post so you know he lives) fell down a mile deep ravine and most likely either broke his fall with his left arm, causing him to lose it complete up to the shoulder. Hydra wanting a weapon of war couldn't have an assassin with on arm, so they soldered (and I mean soldered) a new one onto him. As you can see in the gif the plates shift and move instead of muscles flexing and he can control it as much as it's his own hand.

Real life prosthetics are a different story, while lower limbs are easier to compensate for, as you just need to articulate an ankle and a knee, in arms you have the elbow a kin to the knee more you also have your hands, which consist of 27 bones. You have 8 carpals (bones in your wrist), five in your palm, and then the last 14 are in your fingers, all covered in tendons so you can have fine motor control. When losing an arm you lose all of that dexterity. With a prosthetic you can make something that looks like the limb you lost or you can have better functionality in something that looks much more mechanical, you sadly can't have both you need to compromise somewhere. Not to mention the more functional ones are still not much more than a claw or a few pincers for a hand and a pulley attached to the working shoulder to move the elbow and claw. There are more intensive ones that you can put sensors to pick up the electrical signals being sent out and measured to the real one to garner the desired reaction but most cases you have to set up a means to know what to do beforehand and program it that way you cannot simply tell it to move and it will. So, sadly despite all the innovations of getting closer to an on par prosthetic, there's no Hydra limbs

[ao3feed-timkon]

Jason’s gay awakening

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2PFa1vw

by The_4am_Writer

Jason’s not sure how they ended up talking about gay awakening but somehow the subject came up, somehow Jason knew it was dicks fault

Words: 2804, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Jason Todd, Roy Harper, Wally West, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Kon-El | Conner Kent, Koriand’r

Relationships: Roy Harper/Jason Todd, Dick Grayson/Wally West, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent

Additional Tags: Mentioned Bruce Wayne, Mentioned Oliver Queen, Mentioned Barbara Gordon, she there but has no speaking line, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Oliver Queen is The Green Arrow, Jason Todd is Robin, Roy Harper is Speedy, Wally West is Kid Flash, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Flashbacks, First Crush, Feelings Realization, Denial of Feelings, Baby Jason Todd, Hes not hes 13 but whatever, locked in?, Closets, Jasons a mess a Roy’s accidentally making it worse, Jason Todd Has a Crush on Roy Harper, Jason Todd calls Roy “Dove”

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2PFa1vw

[lorbanery]

So the practical answer here is: Batman Beyond exists in the DCAU, the universe where the Batman the Animated Series/The New Adventures of Batman & Robin, The Justice League/Unlimited, Superman the Animated Series, and Static Shock cartoons all take place. In the DCAU, the only sidekicks Bruce had as Batman are Dick, Tim, and Babs.

Tim shows up in the Return of the Joker movie.

Dick is more complicated. They Gesture Vaguely at him (at one point Terry borrows a suit from Bruce, looks at the label, and asks "Who's 'DG'?"), but he never actually gets to make a real appearance. Because of DC corporate.

At the time, Dick Grayson was one of several characters under what they called a "character embargo". Basically, certain characters weren't allowed to appear in more than one property at a time, the justification being that it could "confuse" younger kids. Because Batman Beyond was running at the same time as TNA, which featured Dick as a recurring character, Batman Beyond wasn't allowed to use him at all.

This was also true for JLU, which was running at the same time as TeenTitans. Roy Harper/Speedy/Red Arrow, who was not embargoed, made an appearance helping out Green Arrow; and Wally West/Kid Flash/Flash, who also wasn't embargoed, was a founding member of the DCAU League. But Dick only ever appears as blink-and-you'll-miss-it background cameos, because he was already appearing in Teen Titans.

It's actually kind of sad, in-universe. If you take the DCAU canon as a whole at face value, the embargo accidentally created a Dick Grayson who's the polar opposite of comics!Dick. He had no Teen Titans (the cartoon doesn't technically exist in the DCAU), he never met the Supers, he has nothing to do with the Justice League. Comics!Dick is referred to all the time as a lone cornerstone, the one person in the superhero community who everyone knows, trusts, and respects. DCAU!Dick, on the other hand, is the single most isolated character in his universe. Tim and Babs have teamed up with the Supers, Tim teamed up with Static, and literally every other superhero that exists did at least a stint in the Justice League. Except for Dick, who was barely in Gotham working with the rest of the Bats for a couple of years before moving to Bludhaven and after the flashback events of RotJ, cut off contact completely, implied by Babs.

Comics!Dick is the person people call when they need to get in contact with as many superheroes as possible and rally them to fight together.

Meanwhile the closest DCAU!Dick had come to interacting with a non-Bat was watching Black Canary drive into Bludhaven from a rooftop.

DCAU!Dick is quite literally the loneliest Dick in the multiverse.

But yes, they did remedy this when they adapted Batman Beyond to the comics universe.

I kinda feel bummed out that Dick, Jason, Tim, Stephanie, Cass or Damian isn't in Batman; Beyond

I love Terry as a character, but where Bruce's other kids at😭😭😭

[halion-halion-aito]

i don’t trust a scenario where roy harper doesn't accidentally adopt a kid every five weeks and somehow manages to be a great father to each of them