#THEN he thinks I’m s3 they’re gonna go to the c realm but really they go to space/the moon

[hoelko]

HOLD ON HOLD ON

HOLD ON

HEAR ME OUT

…what if we have to go back to the underworld to fix the scroll?

[hornyweasel]

i’m usually very easily entertained but i was left feeling rather empty after the finale, i do hope they fix their pacing issues for s3 and adopt a more show don’t tell attitude bc we’re tired

what annoys me most is the fact that season 1 was super fast paced and season 2 began with b&c and the twins killing e/o then NOTHING. i mean rook’s rest and the build up to it were rather good but you can’t have /nothing/ happen for the most part of three episodes at the very end of your season???

v disappointed at having been shown aemond looking at the pyre he created rather than seeing him actually do it or how/when/why he decided to do it when the whole season for him was about his descent into madness? reminds me of what they did to aegon at the end of s1, throwing shit at the wall and making it stick forcefully like?

speaking of aegon, what was the point of making him this horrible person just to turn back around and make him sympathetic this season….? i love tom to bits and he’s singlehandedly managed to make mr aeg one of my favourite characters but i really can’t wrap my mind around the fact that they made him a literal child r@pist in order to give rhaenyra a better claim only to make him this sad little pookie bear in s2 like….? ok

also the smallfolk? hello? going back to my argument regarding aemond, the only people we’ve seen him harm/kill were family/nobles, people that he had ties to and mostly (not you luke) had something to do with the war, SHOW HIM BEING CRUEL TO INNOCENTS IF YOU WANT HIS DESCENT INTO MADNESS TO HAVE IMPACT GODDAMN i don’t care about these nobles and their little family issues, i’m a left wing bitch, give me the people and their grievances and opinions on what’s happening. we only had dyanna and the madame for half a second + hugh who’s very compelling and i can’t wait to see his story moving forward but like. that’s it? mf they’re gonna kill the dragons, have them be more important BEFORE the last ever second before chaos (hey helaena and jaehaerys) i beg

the whole tyland arc? couldn’t we have had that earlier? or later? like… during the finale is INSANE 😭

showing tessarion in the teaser only for her to only appear at the end of the episode…? could have not teased it beforehand and let people feel that excitement when watching the episode bc i was expecting daeron to at least get off her and do a little one step two step but no it was the same literal thing as shown in the teaser like? ok (x2)

daemon having one facetime call with helaena and reverting back to being a rhaenyra loyalist and kneeling in front of her (and his men doing the same) at the very last minute when the whole season was about his self-entitlement and jealousy? make it make sense

at least alicent’s arc made sense, she spent the whole season chastising herself for her past decisions so it… kind of…. makes sense….. for her to turn her back on everything? she was never a righteous/selfless person so yeah i can let that slide

criston throwing all caution to the wind. we love to see it honestly but why would gwayne put him on blast in front of their troops like that 😭 homie that is your widowed sister the dowager queen 😭

rhaena… nobody moved. why is she chasing that damned dragon at her own peril? i mean i do get why but AGAIN you can’t just show us a glimpse of someone without having taken us through the whole process of them coming to that decision I’M SO PISSED OFFFFFFJFHRHFJFJFJ

p sure they’re going to merge maelor’s storyline with jaehaera’s bc why wouldn’t they? but also 😭 jaehaera and aegon not leaving at the same time or him not having been shown thinking about his only living child or wife or mother like????

also did we hear anyone call rhaenyra ‘the realm’s delight in s1’ because I don’t remember anyone doing that so it makes aegon using it so useless in regards to the gp like who the fuck knows what it means if they haven’t read the book and are just casual watchers?

[lovelylogans]

,,,,can I get some opinions on lorelai, specifically Lorelai's Love Interests?

*cracks knuckles*

i just answered an ask about rory’s main love interests but now i’m gonna go into lorelai’s

quick disclaimer: i have seen s1-s5, read scripts of key episodes of s6/s7. so. let’s get into it.

jason:

jason is literally trash lmao and i Dislike Him. least favorite of lorelai’s love interests. garbage man. if men have one thing it’s the Audacity.

okay first of all his whole introduction to canon was that he wanted to leave the business his dad groomed him for..... to piss off his dad. like. that’s his reasoning. that’s why he wants to go into business with richard. literally just to piss off his dad. Sir You Are Nearly Forty.

and then. and THEN. like his FIRST scene!!!! with lorelai!!!!! is when lorelai is like “hey you shouldn’t have gone behind my mom’s back and planned this business trip when she was planning a party! that’s kinda shitty of you!” and his response was to REMINISCE about their time at summer camp and he’s like “you still hold a grudge” because. BE. CAUSE. he stood up and tipped over the canoe when lorelai was fully clothed, and when lorelai pointed this out, this man. has the AUDACITY. to say. “i remember. green t-shirt, no bra. trust me, i was the hero of cabin five for the rest of the summer.”

GROSS. GROSS GROSS GROSS GROSS GROSS. FUCK MEN. as if THAT isn’t gross enough he came up with the nickname “umlauts” because her nipples were showing through her shirt!!! diSGUSTIN!! men! are! nasty! and literally less than TEN one-sentence lines later he ASKS HER OUT.  

and then literally the rest of his character is basically just “business.” like. that’s it. when he takes the day off to come to stars hollow literally almost the Entire Time he’s focused on business calls and not on lorelai, his girlfriend who he came to spend time with. and then when richard, being a Shady Bitch, double-crossed him and went back into business with his dad, jason wanted to SUE HIM??? BRO???????? YOU STILL EXPECTED LORELAI TO STICK WITH YOU WHEN YOU ARE SUING HER FATHER?????????

this doesn’t even go INTO all the other stuff about hidden relationship and they’re literally dating just bc it pisses off their parents, it’s just. jason sucks. dude sucks. don’t like him. not one bit.

christopher:

i have..... complicated feelings toward christopher. to steal a quote i saw from twitter when someone was like “he knows lorelai so deeply!” they said “he knows her past, it doesn’t mean he knows her.”

so, like, on one level. i think that christopher was a bad dad to rory. right. like, he isn’t a good dad. i come from a home with split up parents, so, like, i understand the complexities there, but. he wasn’t a good dad. he just wasn’t.

that episode in season one? it’s the first time he comes to stars hollow. the. first. time. in sixteen years he has never gone to see where his daughter (and friend/romantic interest) lived, which follows: he hasn’t been to any of her parent/teacher nights, he’s never gone to any of the performances she was in as a child, he’s never participated with her when it comes to town events that she’s so passionate about (being a pilgrim, all the things taylor lists when she turns down being ice cream queen, etc) he wasn’t there. he wasn’t there for all the small moments that make up being a dad. no helping with homework, no sitting with her and listening after a long day, no actual parenting—no being there when she’s sick, no disciplining her if she does something wrong, no being there to celebrate her victories. he isn’t a good dad to rory. he has his occasional moments (he starts calling her more often post that visit, but it drops off again post-sherry) but all in all? not a good dad. i would go far as to say “deadbeat dad” as the first significant financial help he offers, that we see in canon, is him paying for yale. not helping with chilton, or any other childcare costs.

that’s an important factor when it comes to evaluating him and lorelai. because, quite honestly? i think that if rory didn’t exist, christopher and lorelai would have been firmly in the realm of “we dated in high school.” maybe a former flame that gets a fling when there’s a high school reunion. but since rory exists, they’re tied together forever, and therefore those feelings keep cropping up and flourishing (esp in situations when they shouldn’t) and they’re so stuck in the past.

i think that teenage christopher and teenage lorelai are well suited. i don’t think adult christopher and adult lorelai are well suited. lorelai had to grow up very quickly when she had rory, so she got a job, settled down in stars hollow, and put in the work of being a responsible parent who provides for her child. christopher doesn’t start keeping a job until s2/s3, he’s still very much stuck in the past. his pursuit of her is almost entirely rooted in nostalgia, as is her returning interest. they keep coming back to each other because it’s comfortable, it’s what they know. but once they look past that lens of nostalgia, their compatibility kind of falls apart. christopher is still immature in general (getting angry over the character reference she writes for luke, getting drunk at emily and richard’s vow renewal and basically shoving himself in the middle of their relationship like “but THE OOOOOLD DAAAAYYYS” and that WHOLE storyline of where he turned off his phone and ignored lorelai’s calls when richard had a heart attack, do NOT get me started) and lorelai is very independent and she likes her life where it is and how it is.

so to sum up: christopher and lorelai’s relationship is almost entirely doomed to fail because they can’t remove their rose-colored glasses when it comes to their (mutually romanticized) past together, and when the glasses are knocked off, they aren’t compatible. they just aren’t. what ties them together is that nostalgia, where they’re most natural is when they’re joking and being friendly (like the old times!) and when it turns into a romantic relationship, reality is too much for that tenuous connection to handle.

luke:

OBVIOUSLY i am team luke. this is the ship i’m most dedicated to within the gilmore girls fandom. he’s there for her, they push each other to become better (lorelai keeping his father’s boat, for example, and him encouraging her throughout the opening of the dragonfly) they have that Longing and Yearning. they have amazing chemistry, they’ve been crushing on each other since SEASON! ONE! and honestly they are fantastic when they work together.

i will say that they have their issues, and it almost entirely boils down to lack of communication.

if lorelai had communicated the occasions in which she had seen chris, luke wouldn’t have been so caught off-guard at the vow renewal and cut off their relationship. if luke had communicated about april’s existence with the full honesty that he didn’t know about her existence, lorelai, as a mother, as someone whose child’s default father figure is luke, would probably take some time but ultimately understand the importance of a child. they should have communicated about the wedding being too soon, and all their other issues. that bickering that makes their flirting and crushing so great also gets in their way sometimes; it’s hard for them to have a serious conversation without lorelai deflecting or luke shutting down. honestly i think it would have been great if they’d gone to couples therapy (okay, look, almost everyone in gilmore girls needs therapy, including emily and lorelai, so i’m glad that at least that one got tackled somewhere in canon) and it would have really helped fix that main problem.

frankly, i think a lot of their problems are bc ASP and the other writers wanted “drama.” which fair, it’s a tv show, but frankly leave the drama to rory and there are other ways to manufacture drama other than breaking up your main couple: dragonfly drama, for instance, or liz and tj and jess, or dealing with rory’s dramas, or something like the emily and richard and luke drama but sustained to a point where it causes a similar family fight that might have even paralleled lorelai leaving the gilmore household for someone she loves, and seeing that relationship knit up. like i get this show was in the 2000s but honestly let the couples actually Be Together!!! let them explore those dynamics!!! the whole “break them up, put them back together, break them up, put them back together” thing is tired and it seems unrealistic. like!!!! luke says “i’m all in” to lorelai and less than like TEN episodes later he’s like “it’s too much. this relationship is too much.” LET THEM WORK THROUGH THEIR STRUGGLES AS A COUPLE AND LET THEM C O M M U N I C A T E. LET THEM!!!!!

otherwise? iconique. the Flavor. the taste. the vibes are immaculate. chef’s kiss. luke/lorelai is So Good. their chemistry is unparalleled. their support of each other unmatched. 

i can’t really remember any other love interests lmao OH SHOOT

max medina:

lol forgettable uh, i think that he and lorelai had an interesting partnership, but it clearly wouldn’t have worked out to the point of a wedding, which i feel like lorelai knew because she kept holding back on actually answering him for the proposal after the s1 finale. i think that his dynamic could have also really been utilized to play with the dynamic of lorelai re-entering her parents’ world and the different expectations that that maintains; i don’t think it should have gone so far to, like, proposal, i think it could have been maintained then max wanted to get serious and lorelai hesitates and pulls something similar to the show. anyway, interesting first love interest for lorelai, also helps ground the world of chilton, so nice little twofold purpose for max there

i will say his proposal was super cute tho the thousand yellow daisies thing was Excellent

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S3 Ep 10: Tristan is Now a Robot Monkey

Been a hot minute since I did a Wednesday update...in fact, I may have never done a Wednesday update so like...may as well, right? What better time to discuss a Yugioh?

Last we left off, times have truly fallen for the Yugi team in the wake of Tristan’s death, who died because he backseated too much during a card game and thus was tossed into a pool of lava as a result. Which is a moral standpoint I stand behind 100%.

In this episode, Serenity has progressed from “ ✿*✫ I am a hot mess!!! ✫*✿ “ and now has turned into “ ✿*✫ I am no longer participating!!! ✫*✿ ”

And now Serenity will skip like I feel what was 8 turns. She just kind of sobs in the corner and Duke does all the dueling. Kinda like Yugi and Pharaoh in Season 1.

So Duke finally gets to play a normal game, I guess. Like this is just 1-on-1 and it should have been fine? Honestly, this show just really wanted to dump on Duke. He works alongside Pegasus youknow? The boss from Season 1? But while the show definitely wanted him to appear to lose, although it doesn’t make sense to me, at the same time they wanted to show how extra cool the Yugioh spinoff game is.

What makes this even weirder is that one of you guys mentioned that apparently this card didn’t come out until way after it aired on the show, but like I have no idea where to check that to see the exact date. But ya, it is basically what it looks like--they took the board game and just pasted it on a twisty filter. You can tell where they wanted to put their effort and it wasn't on this glorified box.

(read more under the cut)

Noah’s still around casting shade every so often from his shade-casting chair.

And, remarkably, Noah just straight up doesn’t know what robots are?? He goes off about how sad and pathetic it is that Nezbitt thinks he’s a robot and it’s like...Noah...You’re in a VR world, my dude.

Then I’ll have you know Steve-o just went on a rant about how, since our entire non-blimp cast has all been turned into AI floating in a computer, maybe, they’re all hypothetically robots right now. And, the only difference between the core cast and these ghosts is that our core cast with bodies on the other side have the ability to leave. And then Bro and I got into a way deep discussion where I was like “no you cannot BE a robot if your body still exists connected to yourself somewhere else” and he went down that well of “what is a body but a machine” and y’all we never came to a consensus of whether or not being an AI makes you suddenly not even human anymore.

It got way too deep for Yugioh because in actuality, this is what was happening on screen.

At this point our A team has caught up with our C team, and as typical, they’re all smiles and cheers when it’s like...y’all just walked in on a funeral. Again. (In Yugi’s case, for the second time in 6 hours.)

Ah, it took Joey and only Joey to convince Serenity to stop freaking the hell out. Feels like Serenity likes to freak out and roll into a little protective ball the moment something scary happens and Joey isn’t around. Not sure how this girl has survived the last 7 years their parents have been separated, she is so dependent on Joey.

Suddenly makes a lot more sense why he’s friends with Yugi, who freaks out a lot less than he used to, but still freaks out...kind of a lot. Joey just thinks this behavior is normal, I guess.

RIP the deadline to remember to cry about Bakura before it’s just way too late to even address it.

The AUDACITY of this show right now. 

Thing is...as I type this I’ve been thinking, the way that Bakura died was in the same Shadow Realm that made the memories of Mai’s friends disappear from her mind...so maybe Bakura has vanished from theirs?

I mean, that would be very convenient for the show and it would also explain how it is episode 10 and the power of friendship troupe still hasn’t discussed it.

But, then again, Yugi clearly remembered that Bakura died in a flashback in the first episode so like...I don’t know anymore. At least I get to mourn the loss of Bakura.

It’s gonna be really awkward when they all get magically reunited/reincarnated and Bakura realizes no one bothered to tell his parents he was even freakin dead.

And then, while Yugi’s off being completely rude, he does this.

The robot did not let Joey participate and that was the only reason he didn’t jump down there to “save” Duke Devlin, who has been playing for years longer than Joey has even known about these cards. Duke Devlin, who has engineered the very card he is using right now.

Anyway, Serenity is spurred on by her brother’s encouragement, as well as her card mascot basically telling her what to do, and they all win. Which they could have done a few turns earlier, if Serenity wasn’t like...12.

It would have been a good moment for Duke to realize that this girls he likes is a little girl and that little girls are unprepared for an actual mature relationship, and that maybe she only likes the attention of having two guys like her at once. But, in reality, she shuts down when this fun love triangle turns into people actually getting hurt. I say that with very high hopes because I’m gonna assume that after all of this nonsense, he’s going to go right back to robbing that cradle.

JK, no one wins.

So I have a list of everyone who’s died in it’s own post so I can keep track of all the numbers, and Bro and I had to really do some debating about how many times Tristan has died, since after Bakura killed him by turning him to a card, then Tristan was sent to the Graveyard and sort of double-died. In my mind that should only count as one death since the Graveyard keeper didn’t snatch his soul, but Bro thinks Tristan’s now been dead and revived 3 times.

Because yes, he does get revived and it’s like........this?

Really thought it would take more than 5 minutes for Tristan’s digital ghost to start possessing other people’s body. Did not expect it would be a monkey. But, it’s better than boarding the ghostbus Tea.

Not sure what the wires are about, considering that nothing here is tangible, but it’s not like I really know how VR works.

And yes, Bro went right back to “so is Tristan even human anymore now that he’s been a robot monkey” and like that’s a whole thing I...don’t think Yugioh was designed to think about so Don’t Think About It.

If you want to read these recaps from S1 Ep1 in chrono order like a book, you can click this link right here.

[darklygophilia]

Hey hope all is well with you. Want to pick your brain. What do you think laurel would have done i f she found out about Thea's paternity in season 2 before Oliver or felicity? Would she have kept Moira 's secret to gain her favor or tell oliver?

I’m doing well-ish. I’ve recently recovered from shingles (wince), & before that I had a wretched cold. It feels like I’ve been sick for forever. I’m finally feeling well enough to get back to work & catch up on stuff.

Warning: Like all my responses this is likely gonna be unnecessarily long.

Hmm. This question is very much in the AU realm of “What if.” I wanna start off by saying that I LOVE the scene between Felicity & Moira where Felicity confronts her & tells her in a very non-threatening way that Moira should be the one to tell Oliver the truth. Felicity never even gives Moira an ultimatum & she doesn’t threaten to tell Oliver herself b/c, at the time, Felicity didn’t know what she’d do! Felicity simply points out that Moira she’d tell Oliver the truth herself. I agree. When it comes to guilty truths, it really is better hearing it from the guilty party themselves rather than from someone else.

The scene parallels how Oliver had the chance to tell Slade the truth about how Shado died, but didn’t (following Sara’s advice instead). What happened? Slade found out from someone else! In that context, not only was Slade hurt by the tragic truth, he was also hurt by the fact that Oliver wasn’t the one who told him. The truth of Shado’s death was made worse b/c it was compounded by Oliver’s betrayal of secrecy. Moira choosing NOT to tell Oliver the truth not only shows how similar Oliver is to his mother in his choices regarding family, it also pushes Felicity into an internal war with herself. Should she get involved in the Queen family drama & go against Moira’s wish to keep it a secret, or does she go with her instincts as a loyal friend to Oliver & tell him the truth? Not only was it a great scene between two powerful actresses (Susanna & Emily knocked it out of the ball park), it also showed Felicity’s own personal internalized conflict.

Now, how would Laurel react if she’d been in Felicity’s position?

“What do you think laurel would have done if she found out about Thea’s paternity in season 2 before Oliver or felicity?” Well, first we need to think about how Laurel would find out about this secret in the first place…

Maybe while she & the DA were doing some digging on Moira’s relationship with Malcolm during the trial, & Laurel found about their affair. But she also figures out that said affair also lead to Thea!

So, after that, we get into the concept of Laurel’s own manipulative side in regards to, “Would she have kept Moira ’s secret to gain her favor or tell Oliver?” Moira & Laurel are similar, to an extent, & their similarities are pretty straight forward.

They both have a major blindspot for family; both go into extremes when their family is threatened. Look at Moira’s cooperation with Malcolm - she was willing to risk the entire population of the Glades in order to ensure Oliver & Thea’s safety! Look at how revenge-hungry Laurel was when Sara died in S3.

Both women are also shown being driven & ambitious when they want something.

Moira always seemed far more forgiving (IMO) than Laurel, & I think that had 60% to do with how she was written. We the audience can logically & emotionally understand a mother going to extremes for her child. The other 40% being how Susanna Thompson portrayed Moira. Even in Moira’s most manipulative, villainous moments, Moira was still likable, b/c Susanna focused on Moira’s “motherhood” & the emotions behind that.

There was always a hint of reluctance & feeling behind what she did. It wasn’t all about bitterness or revenge! The essence of Moira was a mother’s unconditional, sometimes blind, love!

A lot of what Moira did came from a genuine place of love for her children, to the point that she was willing to turn herself into a villain to ensure her children’s happiness & safety. Her ability to go to such extremes is disturbing, but its compounded by the truly heartfelt reasoning behind Moira’s actions!

What Moira did is no less excusable, but its very clearly explained within the show’s narrative as to WHY she did what she did. B/c of this, what she did may not strictly be forgivable, but its easier to sympathize with her as a character.

Laurel & Moira may both be manipulative at times, but their reasons behind their manipulations are very different…

When Moira’s manipulating someone it always comes back to the happiness & safety of her children. She’s a mother first & foremost; that’s how she’s written & that’s how Susanna portrayed her.

To an extent that same love could be seen as selfish, I suppose. In regards to the Undertaking, Moira’s only thinking about the safety of her children, but seems to disregard the safety of all the innocent people, & children, in the Glades. It’s as disturbing as it is heartfelt!

However, b/c of that same love she has for her children, Moira is talked OUT of her alliance with Malcolm by Oliver who blatantly calls her out, & reminds her that his & Thea’s lives are NOT the only ones that matter. Despite Thea not really knowing as much of Moira’s involvement as Oliver’s aware of, her mentioning Roy & her love for him, also reminds Moira that while her alliance with Malcolm has ensured her children physical safety, her part in the Undertaking could emotionally harm them.

Thus, Moira’s love for her children is the thing that could drive her to ‘burn the world to ashes’ if need be, but that same love is also the thing that stays her hand! This is why, at the last minute she betrays Malcolm & alerts the Glades to the danger of the Undertaking. Moira’s love for her children may be selfish, when all is said & done, but we sympathize & understand it.

Within the first 2 seasons we learned that Laurel & Sara BOTH fell for Ollie. Laurel realized Sara’s crush on Ollie &, IMO, she also realized how similar Sara & Ollie were in temperament & personality. They’re both the wild child of their respective families. What did Laurel do? She conveniently got Sara grounded; by the time Sara regains social freedom Lauriver are together. That sure sounds like Laurel essentially manipulated her relationship with Ollie into being from the beginning! She was willing sabotage her sister’s chances with Ollie & even break her sisters trust to do it!

Laurel’s secret lunches with Ollie that Tommy wasn’t aware of, & how she’d claim to love Tommy but would go running to Oliver with her relationship problems. That sure seems manipulative even if that wasn’t the writers’ intention.

Laurel blaming the Hood for Tommy’s death & using her relationship with the Hood to manipulate & trap him.

Laurel blackmailing her boss to get her job back was pretty manipulative.

Laurel’s manipulation were ALL for the greater good of Laurel! At least Moira’s manipulations almost always went back to her love for her children. 

So, to conclude answering this “What if” question of, “Would she [Laurel] have kept Moira’s secret to gain her favor or tell Oliver?” Is Laurel really that manipulative, to keep Moira’s secret just to gain her favor, or would she show loyalty to Oliver & tell him?!

When Laurel found out about the affair between Moira & Malcolm, she did offer a hand-out to Moira. But, Laurel did NOT tell Oliver or Thea about the affair! Moira told them herself. With that said, & based on ALL of the above…

I feel that Laurel would’ve confronted Moira about Thea being Malcolm’s daughter. Now, b/c Moira knows Laurel, she’d also know how to manipulate her.

Moira tried to manipulate Felicity but, after she gives it some thought, Felicity goes against Moira’s manipulations & instead acts on her own loyalty for Oliver, telling him the truth. Felicity unintentionally & simultaneously gains Moira’s respect.

B/c of Laurel’s history with Ollie, Moira knows Laurel. So, I think Moira would explain herself to Laurel more than she would with Felicity. She’d likely tell Laurel that it would break Thea & Oliver, pleading to Laurel’s own extreme sense of “family.” But she’d also use Laurel’s feelings for Ollie against her the way she tried to use Felicity’s feelings for Oliver against her. I don’t think Laurel would keep the secret to gain Moira’s favor. I think Moira would succeed in manipulating Laurel, & Laurel would keep the secret out of some twisted sense of “love” for Ollie, & by extension that by keeping the secret she’d be protecting Ollie. B/c, as both the show & KC have made it abundantly clear, everything about Laurel comes back to Ollie!

Essentially, Laurel would falter where Felicity didn’t. Laurel would let her feelings for Ollie cloud the issue & that’s why she’d KEEP the secret.Felicity being in-love with Oliver does NOT define her the way it defines Laurel. Felicity may want Oliver’s love, but she doesn’t need it the way Laurel (KC) seems to. B/c Felicity is an individual. I’m not saying this to cast stones at the Lauriver-ship. I’m saying this b/c that’s what’s in the show’s narrative. The Arrow writers defined Laurel by her connection to Ollie & wrote her thus.