#mama curtis and father curtis taught them right

[illfoldthelaundry]

okay like i just know in my soul that the curtis brothers are like so very here for the curvy queens, like they would worship a bit of a tummy. YOU CANNOT TELL ME that every curtis isn’t like awestruck by a woman with curves

and dawg they all get so flustered too, so they’re just lookin at beautiful women and they’re just speechless.

i just. yeah.

[wheremytwinwatches]

[Where My Twin Watches]: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 12

Episode 12 - “One is All, All is One” We open with whoawhoawhoa it’s Beardy from the intro. Papa Elric? Do we finally get backstory on Absent Dad this episode?

Beardy doesn’t look happy about something. And Ed wakes up in shock. More points towards it being Papa Elric, and also it not being the healthiest of families. But hey, this is anime, good luck finding any Protagonist families without Drama. Al says they’re almost at Dublith, asks if Ed was having a bad dream. Then stays oddly quiet when Ed says it was about ‘him’. Jeez, what’s with this guy? In town, both boys are very unenthusiastic about seeing Teacher again. And now the screens suddenly shaking, the door creaks open ominously gah bloody knife what the Oh dear. A very very big man has just stepped outside. Seriously, this guy looks like he could give Armstrong himself a run for his money. [Ed]: “Um… hello, Sig.” [Al]: “Long time no see.” Ah, a butcher! Got it. He’s rather chill about seeing the Elrics after so long, just patting them on the head and commenting on how they’ve grown (and can I just say how it’s adorable for the Giant Fanged Suit of Armor to be happy about having his head rubbed? Daw.) Sig pokes his head through a window, tells “Izumi” that the “Elric Shrimps” have come for a visit, she puts down an Alchemy book and says that she’s feeling a little better today. You’re right Al, that doesn’t sound good. What’s wrong with Teacher? Oh. Oh dear. Ed just got done kicked in the face across the street. I believe I have a good read on Teach, now.

To menacing music, McKickyFace steps outside, looking down on Ed with shadowed face and glowing red eyes. [McKickyFace]: “Hello, my stupid pupil! I hear you’ve become one of the military’s dogs!” And then the creaky door betrays Al’s hiding spot, she turns… and Al’s cuteness factor is unstoppable, McKickyFace instantly transforms to Izumi, commenting on how Al has grown. Aw, that’s nope never mind just a ruse to easily throw Al to the dirt. Jeez, for someone “not feeling well” you’re tossing these chumps around like ah that’s blood. No Teach, I don’t think you’re “perfectly fine.” Sig tells her not to exert herself and oh they’re married. One, that’s adorable, and two, ok that explains why they went to Sig. But above all else that’s adorable. Also funny how their love is so overpowering that Ed’s just standing there unnerved, getting bumped in the head by floating hearts. Inside, the four are sitting around a table, the conversation as typical being about the Philosopher’s Stone. Teacher doesn’t know much about it though, says it doesn’t hold much interest for her. Why’s that, do you know the secret or just have that much faith in your own abilities? Sig contributes that there was one guy in Central who knew about it. A guy called Hohenheim? Whoa Ed what’s wrong? And Al, do you recognize it too? Ah, image of Beardy! Teacher asks why the reaction to the name, Al confirms that it is indeed Papa Elric. Who “ran out” on them when they were little? Damnit man, why do you have to perpetuate the trope of Absent Anime Father? Flashback! Mama and Papa Elric are standing at the door, Baby!Ed and Baby!Al happened to be up early in the morning. Mama’s of course all over her children, but Papa Elric… just glares down at Ed, that’s the only description I can use for that look. Then he turns without a word, and walks out the door. ...seriously? Dude, dick move. So Mama Elric did say later that Papa left, but not with any finality. Then we get various scenes of Mama Elric and the Babies being cute, until… Mama Elric collapsed on the floor. Back in the present, with Ed still lost in Flashback-Land, Ed asks if Papa Elric had said anything about the Stone. Teacher says it was something about a life-long dream coming true. Even happy when he said it. Then she gets up, punches Ed out his sulk, and says that they’re going to eat.

At the dinner, Sig offers Al some food… uh oh. Have the Brother’s really not explained about Al’s state? Wow, really subtle attempt to change the subject to the last episode there Ed. I can tell Sig’s not buying it, he just looks to Izumi drinking her tea. Another flashback? A big storm in their hometown, the young Elrics are looking down with the other townsfolk as men try to keep a sandbag barrier holding against a flood. The wall’s breaking, everyone’s pulling back- except for Teacher, who’s striding past them as the epic string music picks up. With a clap of her hands (ooh, so Ed picked up on not using TCs from her!), she earthbends a bunch of walls up to hold back the river. And then Sweetie Sig walks over with an umbrella as she turns to the crowd. Who don’t recognize her? Ah right, a passerby, she lives in Dublith after all. And then she vomits blood again. Oh dear. Ah, so the boys were too short to see the blood this first time, all they saw was someone being Awesome and Saving The Town. So of course they run up and ask her to be their teacher. Buuut maybe don’t call her “Old Lady”. She refuses at first, she doesn’t teach and she’s just passing through, but when she’s told that they two boys clinging to her arm are orphans? [Pretty Lady]: “How am I supposed to say no to that?” And now for the first lesson: apparently, getting dropped off on an island and left to fend for themselves. Without any alchemy, even. Lady, I have to question your teaching methods.

Titledrop! “One is all… and all is one.” They have- one month?! Good Leto woman, you’re leaving them on their own for a freaking month? Yeah, the boy’s aren’t doing too well their first night. Trying (and failing) to sleep on some palm leaves, stomach’s rumbling. A lesson in wilderness survivalism, then? Ad-break picture of Sig and Izumi looking ready for a fight, shows last name of ‘Curtis’. So what’s their story? Sig seems to be working away as a butcher, a proper butcher unlike a certain Pudgy we’ve met before. But what about Izumi? Where did she get her training, and learn how to do non-TC Alchemy? Aaand where the first picture was of them looking tough, the second is of Big Tough Sig fanning his blood-spitting wife. Lady, maybe you should get that looked at. Oh, show’s answering my question already, apparently they work the butcher shop together. Sig’s wondering if they’re doing alright, Izumi stands by her lesson as being the best way to learn the essentials of alchemy. The same way she was taught, even. Casual throw of sharpened knife to Sig who does a two-finger catch (making me wonder if he has any training?), Big Butcher says he’s more concerned about their lives being in danger. Izumi scoffs, saying her training began with fighting bears for a whole month in the mountains. In winter, no less! ...couldn’t help but notice that you look a bit older that the Elrics in that picture, Izumi. On the island itself, the Brothers have just caught a rabbit in a snare! However, it leaves them with a live rabbit, so they’ll have to kill it themse- Oh that is just not fair. Rabbit’s going full Cute Anime Mode to avoid being dinner. The Brothers are playing Hot Potato with the knife to avoid using it. Until a passing fox takes advantage of the easy meal, and runs off with the rabbit. But look! The fox took the rabbit to feed its cubs! Aw, that’s sweet. Then the cubs start eating, and the Brother’s quickly decide to try fish instead. Yep, kinda hard to fish without rods. Maybe you can carve a spear? Or just build a lean-to, and go without food for a few more days. Yeesh, Ed’s not doing too well. Had a moment where he hallucinated Al as food and chomped, and now is alternating between nomming on ants and screaming about how gross they are. Oh, turning point! Ed’s talking about how he’s alive because he ate the ants. Um, no? I seriously doubt those few bugs gave you enough calories to make up for a few days foodless. Or rather it’s a metaphorical thing, how Ed’s alive because he consumed life. And then I guess he resolves that if he’s going to eat life to live, and by Leto he’s going to be at the top of the food chain! Cue montage of the Brothers going all Lord of the Flies, fashioning tools, chasing down a rabbit and killing it before a passing fox this time, starting a fire. They even get to the point that they toss some cooked food to the fox cubs in passing. Finally, it’s the night before Teacher’s to come back. Al asks Ed if he’s figured out what she meant by “One is all, and all is one.” Ed confirms that after he ate the ants, he thought his body feeding the ants, going to earth and becoming grass that the rabbits would eat... ...if I wasn’t doing a Professor Moody theme this episode, this would be a perfect spot for a Lion King gif. So yeah, Ed thought about the food chain. But also the island, how long ago it was under water, and thousands of years from now it could be the top of a mountain. It’s an “all things are connected” lesson, how in the span of the cosmos even our Main Characters are smaller than ants are to them. Test time! Teacher arrives and asks for their answer. [Al]: “All is one!” [Ed]: “And one is me!” Teacher… bursts out laughing? But she accepts the answer, and says the real training starts now. Now in Dublith, Teach is casually reading a cookbook while she lectures about TCs as the basis of Alchemy and absently spars with the Brothers. Sick moves lady, her technique seems to be all about deflecting and redirecting their attacks. That’s Judo, I think? Reviewing the lesson, Al calls her out on not using TCs when she casts, they ask how she does it. Teacher says something cryptic about herself being the matrix, that it might be something they learn if they see the truth. Wait… truth, or ‘Truth’? And yup, Ed wakes up with a realization: Teacher has seen the truth too. The next day, the Brothers are meeting with Teacher in the front yard, presumably to ask her. But she suddenly Alchemizes a spear from the wall, strikes out at Ed who has to TC-less change his arm to a blade in defense. That, on top of Al being armor and Ed missing two limbs confirms it for her: Edward’s seen it too. Which begs the question: how did Izumi see the Truth? Did she try Human Transmutation too? Yep, she did. And the rebound struck her… stomach. And in the center… Ah. That’s who she was trying to bring back. Izumi confirms the sad tale, why she committed the taboo. And when she says that it must have been awful for them, the Elrics adopt their customary bravado about it. ‘Not a big deal’, Al’s got his list of stuff to do, ect ect... [Izumi]: “You darling little idiots. It’s ok to hurt.” ... [Ed]: “Forgive us.” [Al]: “We’re so sorry, Teacher.” [Ed]: “Please forgive us.” [Al]: “We’re so sorry.” [Ed]: “Please forgive us.” [Al]: “We’re so sorry.” Flashback to the island, the young brothers expounding on living being the deconstruction and reconstruction of old life to new life [Ed]: “Alchemy is part of that flow. And the flow is life itself.” End-credits. Oof. Started out as a mostly amusing episode, was mostly looking for details on Absent Papa Elric. But nope, Brotherhood continues to be brutal to my emotions.

[bootz-n-catz]

Nicole has always been the best competition shooter. Then Waverly waltzes in and turns everything on it's head for her. One shot. Based on the movie "Annie Get Your Gun".

Read here or on AO3

Waverly took a deep breath in, eyes steady as she focused on the target ahead. The metal under her fingers was cold still, the winter air making it hard. Her finger tensed on the trigger, the metal cutting into her skin with a sting that she had become familiar with over the decades of shooting.

Her father taught Willa and Wynonna to shoot. But Waverly, six years their junior, had never been allowed to touch a gun. Until Wynonna had taken her out to teach her. Waverly would sit on the fence for hours while Ward ran his oldest daughters through the ringer with drills and lessons. Willa had been a natural, Wynonna was less of a natural which made her more resistant to the sport. She had always been resistant to people telling her what to do, and this was no different. Still, she could shoot decently.

Waverly would constantly bother their daddy about letting her learn to shoot, but Ward always said no. When she was five, Wynonna took her out to the edge of the property and handed her a gun.

“Shoot,” the eleven year old said, “Just point at the can and shoot it off.”

Six year old Waverly gave her a dubious look and tried to pretend the handgun wasn’t bordering on too heavy for her. “I think there’s more than that, Wy.”

“Smart mouth,” Wynonna said pushing her a little bit, “Just point and shoot. That’s the basics.”

Waverly held the handgun with pudgy hands, trying to copy the stance she watched her Daddy do. Lifting the handgun at eye length, she squeezed one eye shut, looked down the sight and shot.

The power of the bullet leaving the barrel almost knocked her onto her butt, but the sound of metal against metal as the can flew off the fence gave Waverly a rush she’d never get over. Wynonna would train her as best she could when their Daddy was away or so drunk that he didn’t hear the shots happening on the far end of his property. Willa hated that Wynonna was teaching Waverly. But she had always been a bitch that way.

She would torture Waverly, sometimes within what felt like an inch of her life. The only time Willa and Wynonna ever had a fist fight was when Willa made Waverly run out on thin ice and she fell in the river. After Wynonna pulled her out and made sure she was okay, she punched Willa and gave her a black eye. Wynonna got away with only a split lip.

At their funeral, Waverly would pretend to cry. But she remembered how her Daddy had beat on Wynonna and Willa beat on her, and she didn’t care much. She had her favorite big sister and she would always protect her.

Curtis and Gus took them in. While Gus didn’t particularly like how Waverly was so keen on shooting, Curtis encouraged it. He saw a natural talent in her. Wynonna swore it off as soon as she could, choosing to sit on the fence and watch Curtis and Waverly instead.

Now she was an expert. At least she considered herself so. Twenty-one and able to hit a bird blindfolded, as Curtis would say.

Today she was out practicing her trick shooting. Wynonna standing at the end of the shooting range with a playing card in her hand.

“You better not fucking shoot me again!” she shouted to her sister too loudly, the headphones on her ears making her compensate too much.

“That was once, Wynonna!” Waverly said under her breath. She took another breath, exhaling and lining up her shot before pulling the trigger. Wynonna blinked and looked at the card in her hand, examining it.

“Goddamn, baby girl,” Wynonna said as she took the headphones off, “Shot the heart right out of the middle.” She held up the card to show her sister, but Waverly was too far away to see the small hole in the middle of it.

Wynonna threw her a thumbs up and Waverly gave her a big smile back. “Now put it in your mouth!”

“If I had a dollar every time I heard that,” Wynonna said chuckling at her own cleverness as she slipped her headphones back on. If Waverly wasn't several yards away, she would punch her arm.

“Just put it between your teeth!”

“You're no fun,” Wynonna whined before sticking the card between her teeth and standing profile. The thin profile of the card gave off the barest glint in the sun. Waverly lifted her rifle to the eye, stock against her shoulder. Blink. Deep breath. Exhale. And-

She pulled the trigger, breath still held as she lowered the rifle. Wynonna pulled the card from between her teeth, throwing her head back in laughter as she held up the card. It was cut width rise, straight through the center.

“Woo! You're so lucky I love you, baby girl,” she said walked back towards Waverly, headphones back around her neck, “I'd never let anyone get that close to the money maker with a bullet.” She gestured vaguely to her face and held the card up between her fingers. Waverly snatched it away with a triumphant smile. She ran her finger along the rough edge made by the bullet and smiled proudly. Wynonna rolled her eyes despite the proud smile on her face and looked her arm around Waverly’s neck. “Come on, loser, let’s go get some drinks. Mama’s thirsty.”

***

They walked into Shorty’s and Gus looked up from behind the counter. She paused as she wiped it down and pointed at Waverly who still had her rifle slung over her shoulder.

“Hey!” Gus said walking around the counter and up to the girls, “What have I told you about bringing that thing in here?” She used the damp rag that she was wiping the counter with to slap Waverly’s arm. “Leave that over by the door if you’re gonna bring it in here.”

Wynonna checked Waverly with her hip so that she could stand fully in front of the older woman. “Gus,” Wynonna said with a smile, “It’s Waverly, the golden child. She’s only shot me once and we all know she’s had opportunity and motive for more than that. It’s safer with her then by the door where anyone can grab it.”

Gus frowned but seemed the bend under Wynonna’s logic. She slapped both of their arms with the rag. “Don’t let it out of your sight and don’t you dare let me see you aiming it at anything.”

“Thank you, Gus,” Waverly said with a smile. Wynonna grabbed her wrist and pulled her over to a table. She pushed her into the chair before walking behind the counter to pour them drinks.

Waverly took her rifle off of her shoulder and leaned it against the table just as Curtis sat across from her. He silently slid a flier over to her and she squinted at him. “What’s this?”

Curtis shrugged, but the excited look in his eyes gave him away. “A shooting contest.”

The youngest Earp shook her head and looked down at the paper. At least the design was a little classier than the other ones he usually tried to get her to pay attention to. This one lacked the neon paper stock and typical obnoxious word art she was used to. It looked like someone had actually spent more than five minutes on this flier.

Shooting Contest! Compete against the world’s greatest trick shot, Nicole Haught. Win $5,000!

There was a picture of an attractive woman with short red hair on the bottom, fancy rifle slung over the back of her shoulders and a cocky smile on her face. Waverly found herself staring at the picture a little too long and blushed, looking back up at Curtis.

“I don’t know,” she said trailing off and handing the flier back to Curtis, “You know I don’t like doing these things.”

Wynonna set a whiskey and coke in front of Waverly and a straight whiskey in front of herself. She spun her chair and sat backwards on it, snatching the flier from Curtis’ hand. “Holy shit, Waves,” Wynonna said shoving the flier in her face, “Five grand!”

Waverly took the flier from Wynonna and put it back on the table. “I’m not doing it.” She took a sip from her glass, letting the alcohol burn on the way down as Wynonna looked at Curtis incredulously.

He shrugged. “I tried.”

Wynonna turned back to Waverly with a shake of her head as she took a long sip of her own drink. “You disappoint me. You know what we could do with five grand?”

“You mean what I could?” Waverly said raising an eyebrow, “My shooting, my money.”

“I taught you everything you know,” Wynonna scoffed, “You’d be nowhere without me.”

She opened her mouth to respond when the door opening caught her eye. She looked up and saw a familiar head of red hair walk through the door and felt her mouth dry up. Nicole Haught walked through the door of Shorty’s, black brimmed hat tipped back on her head. Her hands were on her belt and she looked around for a moment before walking up to the bar.

“Speak of the devil,” Wynonna said not bothering to hide her staring, “It’s like she thinks she’s some kinda cowgirl or something.”

Nicole ordered then turned her back to the bar, elbows leaning on the counter as she looked around. Her eyes landed on Waverly and the brunette quickly looked away with a blush. She was...a lot prettier in person. Waverly picked up her drink again, rattling the ice a little before taking another drink.

“You could totally beat that tool,” Wynonna said with a roll of her eyes. Waverly noticed brown eyes turn towards their table and she kicked her sister under the table, quickly dodging the retaliation kick she knew was coming her way.

“Girls,” Curtis said with a sigh, “please behave. You're supposed to be adults.”

Waverly opened her mouth to argue but a soft voice by her side distracted.

“Hey.”

She looked up and saw Nicole standing next to their table, hands still on her belt. She smiled weakly, struggling to get her voice to work. “H-hey.”

Wynonna raised an eyebrow at Waverly's voice crack. She decided ignoring her big sister was probably the best way to handle that. Nicole smiled at her and Waverly’s heart fluttered a little. She licked her lips nervously as the red head talked.

“You shoot?” she asked Waverly, pointing to the rifle leaning against the table.

Waverly just blinked at her and looked down at her rifle like she couldn't even remember what it was used for.

“Our Waverly here is the surest shot around,” Curtis said clapping her shoulder proudly. Waverly smiled shyly and shrugged.

“Are you gonna compete?” Nicole asked pointing to the flier.

Wynonna squinted at her suspiciously. “Why do you want to know?”

Nicole looked at the older Earp for the first time and shrugged before looking back at Waverly. “I might have a little skin in the game,” she said with a wink.

Waverly chuckled nervously and played with the ends of her hair. The heavy wooden door of Shorty’s practically banged open and everyone looked up. A shorter man with white hair and a moustache looked around before his eyes landed on Nicole.

“I should have known I'd find you where the booze and girls were,” he said gruffly. He acknowledged their table with a short nod.

Nicole pushed away from the table by the tips of her fingers and grabbed the shot Gus had poured for her from the bar. She tipped it back into her mouth and Waverly definitely was not watching her throat flex as Nicole took the shot.

“Nedley,” Nicole acknowledged the man at the door before putting a bill on the bar. She spoke to Gus then, “For mine and for Little Sure Shot over there.” She winked at Waverly and the brunette was pretty sure her heart stopped.

“Come on, you got that luncheon,” Nedley said rolling his eyes.

“I recall. Why do you think I was drinking?” she said walking away from the bar, eyes back on Waverly, “See you at the competition?”

Waverly just nodded wordlessly, even after the door closed and Nicole was gone. She let out a soft breath, jumping when Wynonna kicked her foot. “Hey!”

“That was payback for you kicking me!” Wynonna said finishing off her drink, “And also for being all starry eyed over that cowgirl.”

Waverly blushed, “She bought me a drink.”

“You drink for free here!”

“So?”

Curtis sighed in exasperation but ignored the sister’s bickering. “Does this mean you're gonna join the competition?”

Waverly gave herself away with a blush. Wynonna rolled her eyes so hard Waverly was surprised they didn't roll out of her head.

***

“Don't be nervous now,” Curtis said wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. The fairgrounds had a special arena set up for the competition. It was more of a show then Waverly had initially thought. Nicole was going to show off some of her tricks before the competition. They say on the sidelines in some of the front benches set aside for the competitors. Waverly looked around but didn't see anyone familiar.

Wynonna kept her sunglasses on and arms crossed as she checked out the competition. They had given Waverly a big number five to pin on her back and she leaned back against the wall, wrinkling it. Waverly just sat watching the dirt arena, waiting for Nicole to make her appearance. She held her rifle loosely between her legs, fingernail running over a knick in the barrel. It caught in it, her nail bending back a little. She hissed in pain and shook her hand.

“Hey hey, careful with the merchandise,” Wynonna said taking Waverly’s hand to examine it. She would have pulled her hand away but was distracted when some loud music started in the arena. It was music like you’d expect to hear in some kind of old Western movie, all fiddle and guitar. A group of horses came shooting out of the backstage, being ridden by men in matching black outfits with red bandanas tied around their mouths. They hollered and ran in a group together along the perimeter of the dirt stadium.

An announcer came over the intercom and said, “And now, the one who always saves the day, Nicole Haught!”

Waverly watched in rapt fascination as Nicole shot out of the backstage area on a horse, wearing a 1950’s style cowboy shirt with matching pants and hat. She looked...surprisingly good in it. Well, maybe not so surprising. Waverly suspected she could be in a potato sack and be just as pretty. She looked down at her old jeans and crop top she had thrown on that morning, wishing she had thought to dress maybe a little nicer. She felt her braid to make sure it all felt in place as Nicole rode her horse into the middle of the arena. She aimed her rifle at the group that was riding around the arena and began to shoot the hats off their heads, cleanly and easily. The crowd went crazy, yelling and cheering.

Wynonna scoffed, “Trick shooting. Just a bunch of show really, you could do that too.”

Waverly just looked down at her rifle and wished she had shined it up or something. The show went on a little longer, mostly just Nicole shooting things off people’s heads or while she was on the back of a horse. Her skills didn’t intimidate Waverly at all, but her face did. Once between her shots, Nicole made eye contact with her and smiled. Waverly nearly choked on nothing.

“And now,” the announcer said as people came out to clear the arena and drag in a clay pigeon machine, “Five competitors will take on Haught. Winner will walk away with a five thousand dollar prize.”

The crowd cheered again and the other competitors began to stand up. Wynonna pushed her so she was standing and she took a deep breath before standing on a line they had put down in the sand. She made sure to stand as far away from Nicole as possible, remaining on the opposite end of her.

“The competitors will shoot at clay pigeons, increasing in number until they miss. If you miss, you’re out!” The crowd cheered as the announcer spoke and Waverly rolled her shoulders in preparation.

“Yeah, Waves!” Wynonna yelled from the sidelines, Curtis hollering next to her. They went down the line, shooting one pigeon each. When it was Waverly’s turn, she lifted her rifle to her shoulder and looked through the sight, shooting the clay pigeon with ease. Wynonna and Curtis cheered like she’d actually done something impressive. The other competitors began to fall off until just Nicole and Waverly were left. They were up to five pigeons at once. Waverly dispatched all five quickly and with ease, all her nerves gone.

When she got into the zone with her shooting, it was easy to forget everything else. She had completely forgotten the crowd or Nicole standing next to her. All she was focused on was getting the targets. Nicole shot the five targets with as much ease and turned to look at her competitor.

“Hey, Little Sure Shot,” she said quietly so that only Waverly could hear, “Good to see you again. Want to up the competition a little?” She raised an eyebrow at Waverly. The brunette licked her lips and nodded curtly, trying not to let herself get too distracted but the dimples in Nicole’s cheeks. Nicole turned around, her back facing the pigeon machine and rifle resting on her shoulder. She nodded towards the kid activating the machine and he sent two birds up into the air. Standing backwards and looking over her shoulder, Nicole shot the two birds out of the air. The crowd went wild and Waverly couldn’t help but smirk at her.

“You think you’re so cool,” Waverly teased as she copied her position. She turned around and rested her rifle on her shoulder, nodding at the target shooter. He let them fly and she shot them out of the air, looking over her shoulder. Nicole chuckled and nodded, tongue poking the side of her cheek. Waverly smiled at her. “Intimidated?”

“Nope,” Nicole said calling the assistant over again. He handed her a mirror and she remained turned around before yelling, “Pull!”

Looking in the mirror, she aimed and hit the two pigeons to a loud roar of applause. Waverly sighed and plucked the mirror from Nicole’s hand, adjusting her position. “Pull!”

She shot the two pigeons, aiming through the mirror. Wynonna hollered louder than Waverly ever heard her yell and she rolled her eyes. She looked over at Nicole who was still smiling but looked much less amused than when they had first started. Nicole rolled her shoulders and took a second rifle that the assistant handed her. She balanced both on her hips and took a deep breath. “Pull!”

Both pigeons were gone in a cloud of dust, the crowd going wild again. Waverly smirked and took the second gun that the assistant handed her. She held them both under her arms, widening her stance. “Pull!”

In another cloud of colored powder, the pigeons were gone. Waverly’s chest swelled with the loud applause from the crowd and she looked at them for the first time. It was actually a lot more people than she had been expecting. She raised one rifle in the air and the crowd yelled even louder.

Nicole placed one rifle on each shoulder and turned around, her assistant holding up the mirror for her to aim. “Pull!”

Two shots rang out in the air, but only one clay pigeon exploded.

Nicole had missed.

There was still a smattering of applause. Waverly heard her curse under her breath and Nicole handed both rifles to the assistant who put them both on a stand. The assistant held the mirror up for Waverly the same way and she focused, both guns on her shoulders. “Pull!”

She watched the dots of the pigeons fly up in the reflection and she squeezed the triggers, her breath held until she saw two little puffs indicating both had been hit.

“And it looks like competitor number five wins!”

The crowd cheered and WAverly handed the extra rifle to the assistant. She could see Wynonna and Curtis standing in their seats and cheering. She turned to Nicole who smiled tightly at her and shook her hand.

“Good job,” Waverly said with a small smile, her heart fluttering at the hand contact, no matter how brief.

Nicole’s smile widened just a little. “You got lucky, kid.”

Waverly blinked at her for a moment, gripping Nicole’s hand tighter when she tried to pull away. A small seed of anger was planted in her chest. “Excuse me?”

The red head smiled wider, almost like she knew that it would upset Waverly even more. “You got lucky.”

“I could outshoot you anyday, Fancy Pants,” Waverly said tightening her grip on Nicole’s hand.

“Fancy Pants?” Nicole chuckled with a raise of her eyebrow.

Waverly nodded and crossed her arms over her chest. Nicole looped her fingers over her belt buckle and they just stared at each other for a moment. “I’ll prove it. Let’s do this again. Double or nothing.”

Nicole shook her head, looking amused. “Really? You want to do this again? Why don’t you just take your money and be happy?”

“Are you afraid of getting beat again?” Waverly challenged.

“No,” Nicole scoffed.

“Then what’s the problem?”

Nedley, Curtis and Wynonna had wandered out to them by this point, Nedley besides Nicole with Curtis and Wynonna behind the brunette.

“What’s going on here?” Nedley sighed.

“I’m challenging Nicole to a second match. Double or nothing, but she’s too scared to accept,” Waverly said, the edges of her mouth curling in a smile.

Nicole rolled her eyes. “I just don’t want you to embarrass yourself.”

Wynonna made a move towards the red head, but Waverly stuck out her arm to stop her just in time. Curtis scratched the back of his neck. “I hate to say it, Ms. Haught, but I did say that our Waverly here was the best shot around.”

Nedley chuckled, “And with all due respect, Haught here is the best shot in the world.”

“Maybe not after being beat by my little sister,” Wynonna said raising an eyebrow.

Nicole stepped between everyone, hands up asking for everyone to stop talking. “Okay, listen, “I’ll take the bet. Okay?” Her eyes were on Waverly and the brunette couldn’t help but stare hopelessly with a small nod. “Next week. You name the time and place.”

“Deal,” Waverly said with a triumphant smile, “Let me know if you need any shooting lessons before then.”

Waverly turned on her heel, throwing a wink over her shoulder at Nicole before putting her rifle on her shoulder and walking away. She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and hoped she looked way more confident than she felt.

***

Waverly had all her usual targets lined up on the fence and she was shooting them one by one easily. She hardly even had to look at this point with the easy targets. It’s like her muscles knew these things by heart. She had been coming to this little fenced off area since Wynonna was trying to teach her to shoot. She heard the crunching of the grass behind her and assumed it was Wynonna.

“I’m thinking of shooting a cigarette from your mouth,” Waverly said lowering her gun.

“I’d rather you didn’t, Little Sure Shot,” came Nicole’s voice from behind her.

Waverly spun around quickly on her heels, almost losing her balance. It was more then a surprise to see Nicole standing behind her, hands on her belt per usual. The sight of the other woman still made Waverly blush. She wondered how many girls she had that effect on. Probably more than enough.

“Nicole,” Waverly said with a nod, leaning on her rifle.

“Ms. Earp,” Nicole said tilting her brimmed hat in Waverly’s direction. She tilted her chin over towards the targets. “Seems a bit amauter for you.”

“I was just warming up,” Waverly said with a shrug, wandering closer to the taller woman, “And you can call me Waverly. Unless you prefer I call you Ms. Haught.”

Nicole chuckled and leaned with her elbows against the fence, “That won’t be necessary, Waverly.”

They just looked at each other for a moment, a small smile lifting Waverly’s lips as she looked into brown eyes. She realized she was staring and cleared her throat, looking past Nicole to the Homestead instead. “What can I-...why are you here? Not that I mind but-...” Waverly pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, “Wynonna might actually kill you if she thought you were spying on me.”

“I didn’t come to spy,” Nicole said, “I don’t need to.”

Waverly rolled her eyes but kept walking towards Nicole anyways. It was like she was some sort of magnet that Waverly couldn’t resist. It was the worst. “You’re reaaaaal confident about yourself huh? For someone who’s already lost once.”

Nicole lifted her hat from her head and ran a hand through her hair. She looked at the ground as she placed the hat back on her head. Waverly knew she'd hit...come kind of nerve. Nicole rubbed the back of her neck and looked back up at Waverly with a strained smile. “We shouldn't be talking about the competition.”

Waverly shrugged as she leaned on the opposite side of the gate next to Nicole. “Fine. No competition talk.”

“Thank you,” Nicole said smiling again in that way that made Waverly blush.

“You never answered why you were here,” Waverly said taking in Nicole’s much more casual appearance. She was wearing a casual buttoned up shirt with some jeans. Waverly smoothed out the front of her shirt.

“I just wanted to say hi,” Nicole said with a shrug, “Maybe...I also wanted to tell you your shooting stance is a little off.” Waverly shot her a look and Nicole held up her hands in surrender. “Hey, you don't have to take my advice, it's just something I noticed.”

Waverly licked her lips and really took a look at Nicole. She seemed genuine, not like she was trying to be rude or manipulative in anyway. It was...she was charming. It was really unfortunate how charming she was. She pushed off the fence and held her rifle out to Nicole. “Fine. Show me.”

Nicole smiled widely and hopped over the fence in an impressive show of strength. Waverly couldn't help but giggle when Nicole stumbled on the landing a little. “Shut it,” she said, playfully pushing on Waverly's shoulder, “Now get in your stance.”

Waverly tried to have a serious face as she got in her shooting stance. Nothing happened for a moment and Waverly looked over her shoulder to see Nicole looking decidedly below her waist. Nicole noticed Waverly’s gaze and chuckled nervously with a blush. “Your hips. They're crooked,” she said stepping forward and settling her hands on Waverly's hips.

Her hands were warm, even through the fabric of Waverly’s shorts. She tried not to think about how gently Nicole was holding her and how nice it was. That would be dumb.

Nicole put a little pressure on one side of her hips to even her out, stepping a little closer so that her front barely touched Waverly’s back. “And then lift this,” Nicole placed a light hand on Waverly’s elbow, lifting it ever so slightly, “Now, breath in.” Nicole’s hand moved over Waverly’s stomach and she nearly had a heartattack. Her trigger hand tensed and she let out a harsh breath through her nose.

“Relax,” Nicole said softly, her breath tickling the hairs on the back of Waverly’s neck. Waverly blinked a few times and tried not to think about how close Nicole was to her. Really, she could just turn her head and kiss her. Not that she would...maybe. “Now shoot.”

Waverly pulled the trigger and realized she was basically just shooting at air. There were no targets up, she’d already hit them all down. They stayed like that for a few moments, Nicole’s hand warm and gentle on her stomach before she stepped away. “See, your aim and your stance is better.”

“How do you know if my aim is better if I didn’t shoot at anything?” Waverly said frowning over her shoulder at the red head who had the prettiest blush on her cheeks.

“I just know,” Nicole shrugged.

Three quick shots rang out in the air, birds scattering from some of the nearby trees. Waverly rolled her eyes and slung her rifle over her shoulder.

“What was that?” Nicole asked looking around for the shooter.

“Just Wynonna thinking she’s funny,” Waverly said walking over to Nicole. She pushed on her knee playfully and smiled up at her. Wynonna may be saying it was time for dinner, but Waverly was definitely not ready to say goodbye to Nicole. She was sweet and smelled nice...and had a nice smile. Taking a deep breath, she squinted up at Nicole and asked, “Want to stay for dinner?”

Nicole smiled wider, dimples distracting Waverly as she said, “Sure! As long as you think Wynonna won’t kill me.”

“No promises,” Waverly said as Nicole jumped off the fence to follow her towards the Homestead.

***

Dinner was going relatively well despite Wynonna’s first reaction to Nicole which was to point a gun at her. Waverly told Wynonna she wasn’t allowed to have any guns at dinner anymore. This more than pleased Gus, but Wynonna was very moody about it the whole time. The talk was good, easy. Curtis and Gus asked Nicole a lot of questions, most of them only semi-invasive. So now Waverly knew that Nicole had grown up in a big town where her dad was the sheriff and that she had a younger sister. She left when the pressure about her sexuality had become too much and she hadn’t spoken to her parents since.

They didn’t talk about the competition, thankfully. Waverly kept catching Nicole’s eyes across the table and blushed every time. She wished she was smoother, more charming. Nicole was charming. She was almost positive the couple of times that their feet bumped under the table was not by accident.

Nicole easily charmed Gus, insisting on doing the dishes after they were done eating. Waverly stood next to her at the sink, drying. Their elbows brushed every now and again, making Waverly blush like a schoolgirl.

“Thank you for having dinner with us,” Waverly said placing the last dish on the rack, “My mismatched family can be a little overwhelming.”

Nicole shrugged, “I think it’s nice.” She turned off the water and took the towel from Waverly to dry her hands, “I’m just glad I got to spend more time with you.” Her sleeves were rolled up past her elbow and her hair was sticking up a little in the back. It was a very different picture from the pressed shirt, done up version of herself that had been at the competition. Waverly liked it. Even if her fingers itched to reach up and smooth her hair.

Waverly blushed and looked down at the dishes, adjusting one unnecessarily with a chuckle. She opened her mouth to say something that she was sure would be embarrassing, but luckily Wynonna knocked on the window in front of the sink. She was standing on the porch, holding up a bottle of whiskey and motioned for the two of them to go outside. “Bring some glasses!” she said, her voice muffled through the glass.

With a sigh, Waverly grabbed three glasses from the cabinet and walked out to the porch, Nicole close behind. Wynonna poured some whiskey in the glasses that Waverly was holding and took one. She handed one to Nicole who took it with a nod. Wynonna drained her glass quickly and poured another two fingers of whiskey for herself before leaning against the porch rail. Nicole leaned next to her and Waverly leaned against the house, looking at the two of them.

“So, Haught Stuff,” Wynonna started. Waverly silently hoped that she just wouldn’t continue, but she knew her sister better than that. “You spent all this time over here just to spy on my sister? How’d you even find us?”

“Wynonna-” Waverly began but Nicole shook her head at her with a small smile.

“I’m not here to spy,” Nicole said taking a sip, “And I found your address on the entry form she turned in. I just...wanted to come by.”

Wynonna squinted at her and Waverly quickly drained her own glass out of nerves more than anything. “Seems suspicious.”

“Why’s that?” Nicole asked with an amused smile.

“You just seem suspicious,” Wynonna said with a slow nod, “I find all of Waverly’s suitors suspicious. So take that as it is.” Waverly choked on air and kicked Wynonna’s foot. “Ow! What the fuck, Waves?”

Waverly huffed and took the bottle from Wynonna’s hand, pouring herself another drink. “Learn when to stop talking, Wy,” Waverly mumbled as she set the bottle on the ground, her cheeks bright red. She chanced a look over at Nicole who was looking at her with a smile. It only made her blush harder.

The older Earp just rolled her eyes dramatically and picked the bottle off the ground, foregoing the glass and drinking straight from it. “Hey, weren’t you supposed to shoot a cigarette from my mouth?”

“Yeah, and you blew me off,” Waverly said looking back at Nicole who still had her eyes trained on her. She blushed impossibly deep, watching the way the red head’s tongue darted over her lips to collect all the alcohol there.

“Then let’s do it now,” Wynonna said taking a cigarette from her pocket and placing it between her lips.

“You’re drunk,” Waverly said feeling the alcohol in her veins. She wasn’t drunk, but she could feel it loosening her limbs.

Wynonna shrugged, “When am I not?”

“I’ll do it,” Nicole said setting her glass down on the rail, “If Little Sure Shot over here doesn’t want to.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to,” Waverly argued as Wynonna fist pumped the air in celebration, “And why are you so excited about getting a cigarette shot out of your mouth?”

“I imagine I can sue Haught Pants over here for all her fancy shirts are worth if she shoots me,” Wynonna said walking onto the front property of the Homestead, far enough away from the house. She stood against the lone tree in the front, handing Nicole the gun from her hip.

Waverly sighed and followed them, glass still in hand. “Nicole, are you sure about this?”

“I know I can do it,” Nicole said feeling the weight of the gun in her hand and practicing her aim as Wynonna stood profile in front of the tree.

“Just don’t shoot my sister,” Waverly said scratching at the back of her neck nervously.

Nicole let the gun fall to her side and held her pinky out to Waverly. “I pinky promise I won’t shoot your sister.” Waverly looked at her hand for a moment before rolling her eyes with a smile. She linked her pinky with Nicole’s and smiled at her, their fingers remaining linked longer than necessary before Nicole dropped her hand. She stood a few yards away, aimed the gun at the cigarette held between Wynonna’s teeth and shot. They all held their breath for a moment before Wynonna took the cigarette from her mouth. Nicole had shot it in half.

“Told you,” Nicole said with a cocky smile.

Wynonna threw the cigarette at her. It fluttered uselessly to the ground halfway between them. “Waverly, your turn. Up the ante a little, huh? Do something interesting.”

Waverly shrugged and drained the rest of her glass, whiskey burning her throat. “Fine. I’ll one up you, Haught,” she said taking the gun from her. Wynonna put a fresh cigarette between her teeth and assumed the position. Waverly stood with her back towards her and held the whiskey glass up in front of her, using it to reflect her target.

“Waves,” Nicole said cautiously, “Are you...sure?”

“Anything you can do I can do better,” she said with heavy alcohol fueled lips. Nicole scoffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest as Waverly aimed over her shoulder and shot. Wynonna took the small nub of the cigarette that was left from her mouth and held it up triumphantly.

“Damn, baby girl!” she said holding up the small piece, “That was right against my lips.”

Waverly looked at Nicole who was just standing with her arms crossed tight in front of her chest. She looked down at her boots for a moment before nodding. “I’m gonna go.”

The brunette blinked at her as she turned around, confused as to what just happened. She jogged up to the retreating woman and reached for her arm. Nicole shrugged her off as soon as Waverly touched her and she recoiled, hurt.

“What’s your problem?” Waverly asked tucking the gun in the back of her pants.

“Nothing, I just have to go,” Nicole said shortly, “I’ll see you at the competition. Yeah?” She gave her a tight smile and curt nod, signalling Waverly to stop following her. Waverly stopped in her tracks and watched her retreating back as Nicole walked down the long road back into town. A ball of anxiety and hurt settling in her chest. She stood staring at the spot where Nicole disappeared for a moment and it turned into anger.

“You’re a stubborn dumbass!” she shouted into nothing before turning on her heels and walking back to the house.

***

“Hey, Little Sure Shot.”

Waverly hated that her heart jumped a little at the voice and she looked up from the table she was wiping, fixing Nicole with the best neutral look she could. “Can I help you?”

Nicole looked at her sheepishly, sliding into the bar stool with her hands folded on the table in front of her. “I came to see if you would let me take you out tonight,” Nicole said with a small smile.

With a scoff, Waverly picked up some boxes and began to walk towards Shorty’s storage room. “Yeah, okay,” she said, “You just storm off and now you want to take me out.”

Nicole scrambled off her stool and followed Waverly. “I’m really sorry, if that makes you feel better?”

Waverly kicked open the door to the storage room and let it hit Nicole as it swung back shut.

“Ow! Waverly, please,” Nicole pleaded as Waverly put the boxes down, “I know, I'm a...what'd you call me? A stubborn dumbass?”

Waverly blushed and opened one of the boxes. She began to angrily stack the pickle jars on the shelf as she spoke. “I'll go out with you if you give me one good reason.”

Nicole stepped forward and stopped Waverly's hands as she picked up another jar. She covered her hands with her own and looked down at the shorter woman. Waverly’s stomach clenched at the contact but she looked up, attempting to appear unphased by the soft hands covering her own.

“You should let me take you out,” Nicole began, eyes soft, “because you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen and I might actually die if you don't let me.”

Waverly's cheeks flushed a deep red and she looked down at the pickle jar they were holding together. She rolled her eyes playfully as she tried to think about something other then how soft and warm Nicole’s hands were over hers. “That’s a bit dramatic, don’t you think?”

Nicole’s face lit up and she smiled, Waverly’s heart fluttering. “Is that a yes?” she asked hopefully.

Waverly looked at her for a moment stoned face before she let a smile creep onto her lips. “Yes. I’ll go out with you tonight. On one condition.”

The red head smiled impossibly wide, “Anything.”

“No guns.”

“Why would I bring a gun to the fair?”

“Just promise me.”

“I promise.”

Waverly nodded and returned the smile. “Then it’s a date.”

Nicole took the pickle jar from Waverly and set it on the shelf before taking her hand and kissing the back of it. It felt like Waverly’s entire body was on fire just from the brief contact. Nicole held her hand between them as she straightened up.

“So, I’ll pick you up at seven?”

Waverly could only nod as Nicole dropped her hand, tipped her hat at the brunette and slipped out of the storage room.

***

Even though they were barely into the date, it was still the best one Waverly had ever been on. Nicole picked her up at the Homestead, all neatly pressed sans hat. Waverly was thankful she had the foresight to get dressed up this time instead of her usually thrown on clothes. She actually threw on a skirt and cute top, letting her hair hang loose around her shoulders. It was enough to make Wynonna roll her eyes when she came down the stairs.

They were strolling through the livestock area when Nicole laced their fingers together for the first time. Waverly pretended her smile was so wide because a baby goat had just jumped over another baby goat and definitely not because they were holding hands. She hoped her hand wasn’t clammy...she wished that she had wiped it on her skirt before Nicole had taken it.

When she was in high school, Champ had taken her to the fair as a date and laughed when one of his football buddies was messing around and knocked her into a cow pie. Champ just laughed. This was far far better then that.

They were walking through the rides, still hand in hand when Nicole stopped in front of a fun house. “Wanna try this?” she asked squeezing Waverly’s hand.

“Sure,” she said gripping Nicole’s forearm with her other hand. Honestly, Nicole could ask her to do anything right now and Waverly would say yes. As long as she kept holding her hand that way.

Nicole gave their tickets to the bored looking teenager at the booth and they stepped into the funhouse. It started with the hall of mirrors. Waverly made Nicole go in front of her so she wouldn’t embarrass herself by running into a mirror. Nicole rolled her eyes but tugged her along behind, hand in front of her so that they wouldn’t smash into one.

They both laughed as they emerged from it and went up the loud metal stairs that led to the top level. The spinning tunnel was next and Nicole took the lead again. Waverly kept her eyes trained on her back and not the brightly colored tunnel spinning around them. In the middle of the bridge, Nicole stopped abruptly and Waverly ran into her back with a squeak. Nicole turned and placed her hands on the rail on either side of the tunnel, effectively making it so Waverly couldn’t squeeze past her. She had a small smile on her face and Waverly looked up at her with a blush. Their faces were fairly close and she could see every freckle on Nicole’s cheeks, even in the low lighting.

“Sorry, I’m going to need payment for you to pass,” Nicole said with a smirk.

Waverly felt her stomach flutter and she looked up at the red head, fingers finding the bottom edge of her jacket and twisting in the fabric. “And what kind of payment would that be?”

Nicole’s smile got wider, a blush tinting her cheeks as her eyes darted down to Waverly’s lips. The brunette felt like her whole body was set aflame just at the look and she licked her lips in anticipation.

“I’m sure you can think of something,” Nicole said. Waverly’s fingers inched up the front of Nicole’s jacket zipper, counting the teeth nervously as she went.

“Maybe,” Waverly said with a small shrug. She finally reached the collar of Nicole’s jacket and looked up into brown eyes before tugging her forward and connecting their lips. The kiss started off soft, chills tripping over Waverly’s spine like cold water, heart pounding in her ears. Nicole’s hands found Waverly’s hips and she let her lips press more insistently against the shorter woman’s.

Waverly sighed into the kiss, her arms looping around Nicole’s neck as she felt her tongue flit along the seam of her lips. She opened her mouth and let her tongue curl with Nicole’s for a moment before someone cleared their throat behind them. She pulled away with a blush and looked over her shoulder where a group of preteens were staring at them. Probably a little upset that they were blocking their way.

“Sorry,” Waverly said pushing Nicole’s back against the rail and flattening herself against her so that they could pass. They shuffled past them awkwardly and Waverly pressed her face into Nicole’s chest to suppress her giggles. Nicole wrapped her arms around Waverly’s body and chuckled into her hair. She kissed the top of her head and laced their fingers together again.

“Come on.”

Waverly pulled them into the “haunted house” ride next. Partly because it was one of her favorites but mostly because she knew it was three minutes of dark alone time. Which she took full advantage of by cupping Nicole’s face and connecting their lips as soon as they had turned the corner where they boarded and all the lights went out. That’s also why she made them get on the ferris wheel. There was a pretty view at the top, but both of them were too occupied with each other to be bothered with that.

They were wandering through the games, the Carney’s yelling at them from their respective booths. Waverly still held Nicole’s hand, holding her arm to her chest as they walked.

“Hey!” a kid called from a shooting booth, “Aren’t you that Nicole Haught I’ve seen on the fliers around town?”

Nicole stopped and shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Why don’t you try this here? Should be easy for you,” he said pointing to his game. There were pellet guns set up and a target at the end with a black star in the middle. “Just punch out the star and you get a prize for your girl.”

“Um, it’s fine,” Nicole said shifting awkwardly on her feet.

Waverly tugged on her arm and looked up at her. “Just try it. It’s just a dumb game,” she said with a shrug, “Could be fun.”

“Fine,” Nicole said kissing Waverly’s forehead before approaching the booth. He gave the guy her tickets and picked up the light rifle, testing the weight in her hands before testing the aim on the sight. “All right, go ahead.”

The guy flipped a switch and a whirring sound began as the gun turned on. Nicole shot a quick burst of pellets into the target until it turned off again. She cursed and set the gun back down on the counter. The guy walked over to the target and pulled it down, pointing at one small corner of the star that hadn’t been shot out.

“Close,” he said with a shrug before nodding towards Waverly, “What about you?” Waverly froze and laced her fingers with Nicole’s again.

Nicole nudged her, “You should try it.”

Waverly was torn. She wanted to try. She was sure the whole thing was a scam anyways, probably impossible to win like all the other games here. But shooting with Nicole never ended well.

The Carney held the gun out to her and Nicole put a hand on the small of her back, inching her forward. Nicole put a few more tickets on the counter and Waverly rolled her shoulders. “Fine fine.”

Nicole kissed her temple as she held the gun up to look through the sight. The guy flipped the switch and the gun whirred to life again. Waverly aimed on the edges of the star and shot. Waverly set the gun down as soon as it stopped, anxious to see what the results were. The guy pulled down the target and examined it before sliding it over to Waverly.

“Congrats!” he said taking a teddy bear down from the wall and putting it on top of the perfectly shot out target.

Waverly smiled at him and took it awkwardly, turning to look at Nicole. “Those things are all rigged,” Waverly said with a shrug, despite the pride swelling in her chest.

Nicole smiled tightly at her and pushed brown hair behind her ear. “It’s okay to be proud, Little Sure Shot.”

The brunette leaned into Nicole’s touch, her chest expanding at the nickname. Nicole leaned down and pecked her lips, Waverly chasing them for a moment before a final feeling kiss was placed on her forehead.

Nicole put her arm over Waverly’s shoulders as they walked away from the both. “Sorry to cut this night short,” Nicole started, “But I have to get up early tomorrow. Nedley has me doing a thing.”

Waverly nodded and laced her fingers in the hand that was hanging over her shoulder, teddy bear clutched tightly to her body. They didn’t talk much as they walked back to Nicole’s car, but she still held the car door open for her and kissed her lightly after she got in. Waverly could feel the tension coming off of the red head and fiddled with the edge of her skirt as they drove. After a few moments, Nicole reached over and placed a hand on Waverly’s thigh. She took some comfort in it, covering the hand with her own. It was silent until Waverly finally spoke up.

“Are you mad at me?”

Nicole blinked and looked over at her briefly before turning back towards the road, “No.”

Waverly ran the tips of her fingers over Nicole’s, feeling every bump of her knuckles as she went. “Are you sure?”

Nicole sighed and squeezed Waverly’s thigh before pulling her hand away. “I’m not mad at you.”

“But?” Waverly said sitting on her hands to try not to think about how she missed Nicole’s touch.

“This has been my thing my whole life,” Nicole began, “When I needed to get away from home, I went to Nedley and he taught me to shoot. When my dad kicked me out, he took me in and made me who I am today. This has always been the one thing I’m good at, and I’ve always been...the best.”

Waverly bristled a little and looked straight ahead at the road. “And now you’re threatened because there’s someone better then you.”

Nicole scoffed, “I wouldn’t say...better.”

“Then what would you say?” Waverly asked curtly, “I’ve beat you every time.”

“You didn’t-” Nicole’s grip on the steering wheel tightened as she breathed harshly through her nose. “You’re good. I get it. But it really feels like you can’t go a day without showing me up.”

“I’m not showing you up,” Waverly said turning to face Nicole as best she could, “You’re just a whiny child who can’t stand being beat.”

Nicole sat straighter in her seat and pressed on the gas a little harder. “I’m not a whiny child,” she said evenly, “I just don’t understand why you have to constantly prove you’re better than me.”

“So you admit I’m better then you?”

“No! I-” she paused as they pulled up in front of the Homestead, “I’m just saying, I wish you’d stop trying to one up me all the time.”

“I’m not going to suck just to make you feel better,” Waverly said.

“I’m not asking you to!” Nicole said running a hand through her hair, “God, Waverly, stop being such a-”

Nicole stopped herself but Waverly could fill in the blanks. “Whatever, Nicole,” she said opening the car door angrily. She pushed it open with such force that it bounced back and almost closed again before she stopped it. “I’ll see you in a few days when I beat you. Again.” She got out of the car and slammed the door shut behind her.

“Waverly!” Nicole shouted as the other woman stomped into the house. Waverly ignored her, teddy bear still clutched in her hand. She threw it at Wynonna who was passed out on the couch before going up to her room. She threw herself on the bed and tried not to think about how Nicole’s lips felt against her. Instead she thought about all the ways she would be her in the competition.

***

Three days later and Waverly had run the night at the fair through her head a thousand times. She had said some pretty awful things to Nicole, but she had said some things too. For a night that had started out so wonderfully, it really turned sour quickly.

Waverly tried to stay mad at Nicole. Every time she went out to practice her shooting she would imagine her. She would start mad, but quickly she’d just start to think of how it felt to kiss her and hold her hand. She thought about the way her heart fluttered when she smiled at her. She told herself a thousand times over that she would get over her. She was just a girl. Who knew if she was even going to stay around Purgatory after their competition. But her heart ached every time she thought of her and she missed her. And she had it bad.

Wynonna told her Nicole was an idiot that didn’t deserve her. But to be fair, Wyonnna said that about everybody. Waverly came to a decision on the way to the competition that day. Something she hadn’t told her sister or Curtis. She knew they would talk her out of it.

The arena was set up in the same hoopla as it was the first time, except this time she was the only competitor. She made the excuse of going to look for the bathroom and managed to duck behind the curtain that led to the backstage area. She ducked and weaved through the guys dressed in their all black uniforms, the ones whose hats Nicole shot off. She finally found where the horses were lined up, waiting to take the arena. Waverly saw a tall figure in a cowboy hat that matched her shirt and her heart leapt.

She jogged up to her. “Nicole?”

The red head turned around and Waverly immediately leapt into her arms. Nicole caught her around the waist and Waverly’s arms looped around her neck. She kissed her hard, the force knocking the hat off of Nicole’s head. They kissed desperately, open mouths and hands gripping each other like their lives depended on it. They pulled back for air after a few moments, foreheads resting together as they breathed.

“Not that I’m complaining,” Nicole panted, “But what are you doing?”

“I needed to talk to you,” Waverly said playing with the fine hairs at the base of Nicole’s neck.

“I’m sorry,” they said in unison. They chuckled and Waverly licked her lips.

“I’ll go first,” she said, unable to resist pecking Nicole’s lips once more, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry you felt like I rubbed winning in your face. I really am. That’s why I’m going to lose. On purpose. I’ll lose a thousand times over if it means we can be together.”

Nicole shook her head and placed a soft kiss at the corner of Waverly’s mouth. “Waves, no. I’m sorry. I was stubborn and stupid. My pride was hurt and it was-...I didn’t react in the right way at all. I don’t want you to lose on purpose. I want you to beat me fair and square.”

Waverly smiled, “Fair and square?”

Nicole nodded. “I’m going to give you a run for your money though. I’ve been practicing extra hard.”

Waverly laughed and kissed Nicole hard, sighing against her lips. She shook her head and pulled back just enough to speak. “I can be told I have to shoot a fly of my sister’s head and not get nervous, but three seconds around you and I’m shaking like a leaf.”

The red head kissed each corner of Waverly’s mouth reverently, dropping a final kiss on the tip of her nose. “Babe, you make me feel more than winning every shooting competition in the world.”

They kissed again, bodies pressed together and hands gripping each other like it would be the worst thing if they let go.

“Five min-, goddamn it, Nicole,” Nedley said turning his back to them as soon as he walked up to them kissing, “You got five minutes. Can you collect yourself, please?”

They pulled away and Nicole smiled sheepishly over at the man. “Sorry, Nedley,” she said before placing a series of soft kisses on Waverly’s lips. She let her go and Waverly sighed as she picked up the hat and adjusted it back on her head. “I’ll see you out there then?”

Waverly nodded and couldn’t resist kissing Nicole once more before running back to her seat. Wynonna looked unamused but Curtis just gave her a knowing smile as she sat down. The beginning of the show was the same as the last, but Waverly clapped through the entire thing. She actually felt herself swoon a little when Nicole looked over and winked at her from her horse.

She barely heard when the announcer called her up for the competition she was so excited. She took her rifle and walked to the center like she did last time. Nicole shook her hand and winked at her.

“Good luck, Little Sure Shot,” Nicole said with a smile.

“Back at ya,” Waverly said returning the wink before they got in position. It was the same format as last time, shooting at clay pigeons in increasing numbers until someone missed. They were up to six clay pigeons at once. Waverly hit every target and held her breath as Nicole went next. She missed the last one and set her gun down. Nicole rook a breath before turning to Waverly, smile wide.

“Congrats,” Nicole said, almost drowned out by the crowd. Waverly smiled back and Nicole walked over to her. She scooped her up in her arms and twirled her. Waverly let her rifle fall to the ground and kissed Nicole square on the mouth.

“Waves,” Nicole said as Wynonna and Curtis began to walk up to them, “will you be my girlfriend?”

Waverly just nodded and kissed her again.

[tcxastough]

First Blood

Warning, the following story is set in Texas during the 1940′s and contains racial prejudice and slurs, along with a child’s death. Knowing that these are very sensitive subjects and given it’s length, I have decided to tag and put this story under a read more. Please note that these ideas were wrong then and they are wrong now, but I am choosing to write about the subject because Dolly lived in the Southern United States and grew up in that time, and to not have it brought up in her back story would be like saying the prejudices back then never existed. Please let me know if I should add any more tags to the post.

November 18th, 1942.

Dolly’s father was usually on the job site for most of the day, and would only be home at night or on the weekends. On weekdays after school, Dolly would walk with her younger friend and neighbor, Ashley Curtis, to their house where Ashley’s father would watch them until supper time came and Dolly was sent home. Ashley was a black girl who went to a different elementary school than Dolly, so the two of them after school would meet atop a bridge overlooking a concrete ditch, where from there, they would walk home together.

One day, however, the two would meet another on the bridge besides themselves, one of Dolly’s schoolmates and the school bully, Roger Burbank. Roger, who was twelve, wasn’t all that much bigger than Dolly, but he was older, stronger, and had a mouth on him that could use it in just the right way to hurt people. The two of them had gotten into a few scuffs before, with Dolly either having her toys or money taken from her, or their arguments ending with Dolly going home with a few bruises on her arms or legs. Most of these conflicts probably could have been avoided on Dolly’s end if she just swallowed her retorts and ignored him, but at a young age when your father never really taught you the importance of being a ‘proper lady’, you were bound to get into trouble like that.

Roger had skipped school to fish on the bridge-- after it rained, the river further down would pour access water and fish into the ditch and it made a perfect place to catch yellow perch. As he reeled in his rod, he noticed the two of them meet with each other and then begin to walk side by side down the road. Roger, having had no one to interact with for the day, decided these two would be his playthings for the afternoon.

“Well lookie who it is,” said Roger, sneering at the freckled brunette as he followed behind them, one hand in his pocket and the other on his fishing pole slung over his shoulder. “Hey Dilly, does yer daddy know about yer pet chimp?”

Ashley scowled, clearly upset at the comment, but ultimately said nothing.

“Does yer daddy know yer a retard?” Dolly retorted, looking over her shoulder to stare the older boy straight in the eye for a moment, then took Ashley’s hand and started walking faster.

“All I’m sayin’ is that maybe y’ should put a leash on it, y’know? I heard they c’in tear a man’s face off.” His comment was met with silence as the two girls tried to walk away from their harasser, only for them to be pursued even more vigorously. “Oh wait, or is it yer kin ‘r sumthin’? With how kinky yer hair is, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Roger said, “so does that mean y’all have yer Thanksgivin’ in th’ jungle n’ pick bugs off each other instead ‘a eatin’ turkey?”

Dolly stopped walking and turned to face their bully, scowling and glaring daggers at the boy, but before she could say anything, her younger friend finally spoke up. “Don’t lissen t’ him, Dolly; he’s just mad cus his mama drank away all the food stamps again.”

A smart comeback, but unfortunately, Roger didn’t find it as amusing as Dolly did. Before she knew what was happening, she was pushed down to the ground and a pocket knife was out, and the racist held a handful of Ashley’s braided raven locks to hold her in place.  “Watch yer mouth, nigger,” Roger threatened in a low growl, pressing the blade of the pocket knife to the girl’s cheek. 

It took her a moment, but Dolly got up, and held her hands upwards in a surrendering motion, wincing as a small trickle of blood dripped from her elbow, having gotten it scraped from the fall. As much as it killed her to swallow the insults and apologize, the last thing she wanted was seeing Ashley get hurt because of her school bully-- a strange sense of feeling responsible for the incident. “Roger look, we don’t want no trouble, okay? We’re sorry, just... just let ‘er go.”

“Oh, yer both sorry, huh?” The older boy repeated, turning his head to stare at the girl, then back to the one he held by the hair. “Well? Is she right? Are you sorry?”

Ashley didn’t respond. Her face was twisted in a scowl as she trembled, lips tightening into a fine, defiant line. The grip Roger had on her hair tightened, and he moved the knife to the corner of her mouth. “Maybe I oughta loosen those lips up fer ya, huh? What’d think ‘a that, ni--”

But he was cut short when Ashley reared her leg back and launched it into the boy’s testicles. It caused him to jerk the knife away, lightly cutting Ashley’s face as he let out a shriek, and placed his hands over the area. Seeing the opportunity, Dolly charged forward and grabbed the knife, attempting to snatch it way from him. In their struggle, the boy’s footing gave way due to the slippery pavement from the rain, and the ten-year old girl wound up pushing him off the edge of the bridge, over the flimsy rope that held as a railing for the structure. He fell into the shallow water below, a sickening crack as he hit his head against the concrete of the ditch. Ashley and Dolly slowly looked over the edge, staring down wide eyed at the boy, who lay motionless in the water.

“Is... is he...” Ashley swallowed a lump in her throat. “He ain’t dead, is he?” She asked. Dolly didn’t respond, eyes fixated on Roger’s neck. If she had learned anything from her dad’s co-workers in their occasional visits to the Conagher home, it was that with a neck bent that way, there was no way he was alive. She looked down at her right hand tightly balled into a fist with the weapon in it, the skin between her thumb and pointer finger cut from the blade. The nine-year-old grabbed her younger friend’s wrist and started pulling her away wordlessly. They didn’t need to be here-- she didn’t need to be seen here.

The two of them were silent as they walked to Ashley’s house; fortunately, her father wasn’t home just yet, so the two of them had time to get some clean water and bandages for their injuries. Luckily, Ashley was relatively uninjured for what had happened; there was a small cut on her cheek, which had already stopped bleeding by the time they got home.

“Dolly... what do we do?” the six-year-old asked finally, taking a wet rag and pressing it to her cheek, but her older friend wouldn’t answer. Dolly just sat there, staring at the pocket knife in her tightly balled fist, the blood from the cut dried onto the blade. “Dolly!”

“...I-I... I don’t know,” the older girl spoke, her shaking fist opening as she folded the blade of the knife back into the square, then tucking it away in her pocket. “We... we cain’t tell nobody,” she said. “Ever.”

[talkgreasytome]

Do You Want to Play?

Ship(s): Ponyboy x Sodapop Character(s): Sodapop ; Ponyboy ; Darry ; Mary ; Darrel ; Words: 1884 Warning(s): Incest ; Self Harm Mention ; Death (of parents) ;  A/N: I got the inspiration for this from “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” in Frozen because i suddenly remembered the song and it just. Gave me strong Ponypop vibes. So enjoy!

Ten years old.

Ten years old.

Sodapop Curtis was hitting puberty too fast. Along with the pimples, random erections, and times of embarrassment, came romantic feelings for people. What he knew was that those feelings were supposed to go towards girls, not a boy who was related to him. He was too young to feel things like depression or anxiety, but every time he thought of his younger brother, he couldn’t help but want to just hide away.

And so he did.

He confined himself to his room, not ever coming out unless he had to or was forced to by his parents. Sure, everyone worried and tried getting him to talk to them, but Soda wouldn’t open up. He was too scared and disgusted with himself. He knew that wanting to spend an excessive amount of time with his younger brother wasn’t normal, and though it hurt, he wanted to tear himself away so he wasn’t seen as ‘weird’.

One morning, the young boy woke up feeling exhausted like he always did. He couldn’t barely open his eyes without the need to shut them again. It was winter break and he and his brothers were off of school for about two weeks. He shivered thinking about his brothers. They were always so kind and patient with him, and so were his parents. He felt bad, and to make them happy for their efforts, he gave them all smiles when he could muster one up.

Sighing deeply despite the slight pain in his lungs, he pushed himself up and turned to look out the window. The glass was frosted over and he could see it snowing slowly outside. The ground was blanketed in that white dreaminess and it looked beautiful outside. Soda used to take the first opportunity he could to run outside and make tracks in the snow before his parents could reprimand him and warn him of getting a cold, but now all he wanted to do was stay curled in bed and sleep the day away like he always longed to do.

Before Soda had the chance to fall asleep again, there was a light rapping at his door, and he opened his eyes just enough to see his father walking in with a tired, gentle smile on his face.

“Mornin’ Pepsi-Cola, how are you feeling?” Darrel treaded over to Soda’s bedside and sat on the edge of the bed near his stomach, looking down at his exhausted son with those clear oceanic eyes. Sodapop gave his father a small smile back.

“I’m okay…”

“Your mom made some pancakes, why don’t you join us for breakfast, huh?” Soda gulped, then nodded, pushing himself back up to give his father a hug. Darrel hugged Soda back, placing a kiss on the top of his head before standing and swooping him up in his arms. Lucky for him, he wasn’t exactly too old to be carried yet.

When the two made it into the kitchen, Mary was putting pancakes on plates and setting them in front of Darry and Ponyboy. The young seven-year-old Ponyboy was happily pouring syrup onto his plate with the help of his mother, and Soda smiled gently and tiredly as his dad set him down in the chair next to his. When his mom set a plate in front of him, she, too, pressed a kiss to his head.

“Good morning, baby,” she hummed, and Soda smiled up at her.

“Mornin’, mama.”

“How’d you sleep?”

“I slept okay,” he lied as he reached for a fork to dig into his meal with. His stomach was starting to rumble and the sweet smell of his mother's cooking was too enticing for him to fight. As he ate, the only thing on his mind was how good his food was and wanting to go back to bed. He felt like he could sleep for a million years. He could feel himself start to fall asleep as he ate, but when he heard the few keywords ‘depression’ and ‘therapy’, he began listening to his parents talk to the best of his abilities.

“It’s only been a few months…”

“Ten year-olds should want to go out and play, not stay in a dark room all day, Darrel!”

“Give him some time, honey, he’ll be feeling better in no time.”

“Guys, I don’t think you should be talking about this right now...” Soda heard Darry mumble, and suddenly all attention was on Soda. Soda was looking at his parents with wide, observing eyes, and when their eyes were on him, he could feel his heartbeat start to speed up. Before anyone knew it, Sodapop was up and running back down the hall, tears springing into his eyes as he slammed the door shut to his bedroom. As he ran, his youngest brother watched him with sad eyes. When the door shut, Ponyboy was hopping down from his chair and scurrying down the hall to Soda’s door. He knocked softly, and when all he heard was sniffles, he huffed.

“Soda?”

No response.

“Do you wanna go outside and play?”

“Go away, Ponyboy…” Pony sighed and looked down, turning on his heel to do as his brother asked. Meanwhile, Sodapop was feeling pretty rotten and tired. “I’m not crazy…” he muttered to himself, wiping his eyes free of tears though more continued spilling from his voids, “I’m not crazy…”

*****

“Sodapop!” Mary called from the hallway, “Darrel, Ponyboy! Wake up! It’s time for school!”

“It’s the last day before winter break… Can’t we please stay home?” Soda asked miserably and tiredly as he exited his bedroom, still in pajamas. Mary looked down at her fourteen-year-old son and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek and ruffled up his bed head some more.

“It’s just one more day, baby. Then you can sit in the living room by the fireplace and warm up with some cocoa when you get home, how does that sound?” Soda gave his mother another pleading look before sighing and shrugging.

“I guess,” he muttered in response before backing into his room to find a new pair of clothes to wear. He had been wearing the same shirt for three days and he was starting to stink. Meanwhile, Ponyboy and Darry were trudging tiredly out of their rooms already dressed in their attire and going to eat cereal at the table.

Soda felt like his fourteen year-old mind couldn’t handle waking up at six in the morning every morning just to go to school and learn nothing. He hated middle school. All he did was learn to fail an assignment because he couldn’t grasp the subjects. The teachers always taught too fast and he didn’t care to learn it. He just wanted to be home with Ponyboy, that eleven year-old kid who was still in elementary school and still too young to even know what being in a relationship even is. Whatever the case, he still kept himself from his youngest brother to avoid any temptations. Even the thought of that made him feel disgusting and perverted.

Finally, when the boys were all finished eating and getting cleaned up for school, Mr. and Mrs. Curtis kissed their sons on the head and sent them off in their winter coats to the bus stop. On their walk, Soda walked behind Darry, and Pony walked behind Soda. While lost in thought, Pony started tapping on Soda’s arm, then began pulling on it to get his brother’s attention.

“Soda?” Soda tensed.

“Yeah..?”

“Do you wanna play in the snow..?” Pony asked carefully, giving his brother a hopeful look. Soda felt like his heart was tearing in his chest upon seeing that  false glimmer of hope in his brother’s green eyes, and it made his stomach turn when he shook his head.

“I don’t want to play.”

“Oh… Okay…”

*****

Christmas Eve. Sodapop has been sixteen for only over two months and he was as miserable and sick as ever. All the Curtis boys and their friends were. It had only been two weeks since the deaths of Mary and Darrel, and though the guys were getting better at keeping themselves from bursting into tears every five minutes, they still weren’t handling it too well.

It especially hurt Soda since his parents weren’t there to hug him tightly and tell them that whether he was sad or happy, or no matter what happened, they’d always be there for him.

Tonight, Soda was sitting on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands and elbows on his knees as he tried to clear his thoughts of negativity. The only things coming to his mind, though, were that his parents should be there, and now he’s truly all alone. He knew that wasn’t true, though- at least that second part wasn’t- but without the love and support of his parents, what was he supposed to do about his little problem with Ponyboy?

Sure, they didn’t know the kind of feelings he harbored toward his brother of now thirteen years-old, but every time they would hear him sobbing and ripping his heart out through tears and screams into his pillow, they’d always be- or try to be- there for him when they could be. That was the greatest thing Soda could ask for in his time of need, but now they’re gone.

He could feel his heart start to ache at the thought of his parents. They’re gone.

They’re gone.

They’re gone.

Suddenly, throwing him off of his train of thought, was a light rapping at his bedroom door. He looked over toward it to see light slowly spilling in from the hallway and living room, and to see a boy with brown hair and soft, sad green eyes. Of course he didn’t knock.

“Soda..?”

“What?” Soda snapped coldly, narrowing his eyes. They were glossy, puffy, and red from crying so much. So were Pony’s, and it hurt Soda like the dickens to see Pony so torn up. Pony flinched slightly, now unsure if he should come in or really be talking to Soda at all. He was convinced Soda hated him from the years of being ignored.

“I-I know…” Pony gulped, shutting his eyes and taking a breath, “I know you’re sad… A-and y-you pro-... p-probably don’t wanna talk to me… But I was wondering…” Soda looked away and rose his hand to stop him from talking. The shakiness in Pony’s voice indicated he was probably about to cry or was scared to be talking to him, and Soda hated hearing it.

“Breathe, Ponyboy,” Soda said carefully and quietly, “It’s okay.” Pony opened his eyes, blinked away some tears, then looked at Soda again. Soda looked like nothing more than a ghost.

“Do you… Do you wanna play outside? J-just us?” Soda lowered his hand and bit his lip, giving Pony a helpless look. He wanted to shake his head no and make Pony leave him alone, but his heart was yearning painfully as if he were cutting his heart rather than his arm. So for Christmas- and for Christmas only- he stood up and walked over to his little brother, wiping the tears from his own eyes. He then gave Pony a small, quavering smile, and caressed his cheek with a shaking hand.

“Sure… Let’s go play…”

[jbuffyangel]

The Shift Begins: Arrow 5x10 Review (Who Are You?)

Wow. I mean... WOW. "Who Are You" was an amazing episode. 

Probably my favorite of the season. I liked it even more than 5x08 and I LOVED 5x08. It had unbelievably tight pacing, great action, strong (and necessary) character development, wall to wall Olicity and fabulous subtle LL shade. It integrated the new characters almost seamlessly too. 

Y'all... I even liked Wild Dog.

But best of all? The shift has started for Oliver and Felicity.

Let's dig in...

Olicity (and Bl*ck S*ren)

Storytelling is never an easy journey, especially in television. It is a long, arduous, sometimes infuriating, and at times boring, process.  It can also be exhilarating and heart wrenching. Our emotions fluctuate as does our investment. Watching a television show as it airs, with a 23 episode season, is full of ups and down. There will be good episodes. There will be bad episodes. It's a roller coaster ride. 

But every once and awhile there's that fantastic episode. The one that shines above all the rest. The loopty loop. The diamond in the rough so to speak. The episode that makes all the patience worth it.

"Who Are You" is that kind of episode. There's a significant amount of pay off from the set up of the beginning of Season 5, but also for those of us who've been religiously watching for five years. The shift in Oliver and Felicity's dynamic started tonight and it's launching them in an entirely new trajectory. And it's exactly where we need to go.

"Laurel's" return isn't really all that much about Laurel. I mean... it IS, but I've always said that as long as they bring KC back for specific ways, this guest contract can be extremely effective. As irritated as I was at how quickly Arrow brought KC back after we JUST said goodbye to Laurel, this was an effective use. It highlighted the emotional shift between Oliver and Felicity, by examining their vastly different perspectives on what Laurel's return means. It's not even about Laurel. This is about world view.

For Oliver, it's a miracle. Listen, as cover stories go, Bl*ck S*ren's was a spectacularly bad one. Sure the "time travel" excuse works, especially when you throw in Sara and the Wave Rider, but once you dig into the details a bit it makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE.  

Details Felicity rapidly picked up on and Oliver was blind to.

For Felicity, it was too good to be true, so she was suspicious. It was too good to be true for Oliver, but rather than be his pessimistic, distrustful self, he just embraced it full on. It wasn't just that Oliver believed Laurel was a miracle. He needed her to be one. 

Whereas for Felicity, we can finally see the events of the last four years finally taking a toll on her. She's sees the darker underbelly of this supposed "miracle" because history has taught her that when something is too good to be true on Arrow... it normally is.

Felicity: After the past four years it's hard for me to accept good news.

But the fact that Oliver is essentially throwing caution to the wind, ignoring all signs, and embracing the freaking rainbows, is such a freaking massive character shift, it's almost mind boggling.  This is the Oliver Queen version of Rainbow Brite.

It's also a massive character shift for Felicity to be the one who is not hopeful. To be the one who is suspicious and distrustful.

So, it's strange when it's Felicity who wants to throw the party celebrating Laurel's return. Have you ever seen a less enthusiastic party? Nobody wants to celebrate Laurel's return. 

Of course, Felicity isn't celebrating Laurel's return. She's getting her Nancy Drew on with an elaborate ruse in the form of a “Welcome home Laurel” party. 

She's using the party to analyze "Laurel" more and then, literally analyze her, by using her glass for a DNA analysis. Did you notice that "Laurel" almost reached for the glass of champagne instead of the glass of water? Somebody forgot to do their homework! Tsk tsk.

To Bl*ck S*ren’s credit, she figures out Felicity’s on to her almost as as quickly as Felicity figures it out.

You pretended to be Laurel for a hot minute Bl*ck S*ren. Slow your roll. Although, maybe a minute was long enough.

Of course, Oliver shows up just as Bl*ck S*ren is attacking Felicity and Rory. 

HE RUNS TO FELICITY'S SIDE.

Oliver needs to know she's safe; to know that she's not hurt.  He uses his special “hey.”

Like he’s done so many times before...

Felicity reassures Oliver, but 

 He can't even take his eyes off of her. Felicity is his only concern.

Words are never enough for Oliver in these situations. He needs to touch Felicity. He needs to feel her. The physical connection is the only way Oliver can reassure himself. Oliver has done this again

and again

and again

and again

and again

and again

This is no different. As much as some things change... some things never do. 

They grip each other's forearms, as Oliver holds Felicity steady, but he doesn't help her stand up. In point of fact, there's absolutely no reason for the two of them to be holding onto each other so tightly and for so long other than ALL THE FEELINGS. And, once again, Olicity is surrounded in green light. The ever present, unbreakable connection. For Oliver to feel, in her bones, that she is safe. It's his tether. The same tether Oliver needs. The same tether he will always need. 

These two wreck me.

After a nasty run in with Prometheus, Bl*ck S*ren reaches out to Oliver and the team arranges a meet by that god awful statue. 

Don't worry, it's on its last legs.

This when we see the shift in Oliver and Felicity clash. 

Honestly, his crabby voice is even hotter when he’s crabby with Felicity.

Oliver is trusting Bl*ck S*ren. He believes she can offer intel and he tells the team NOT to move on her. Felicity argues with him, but Oliver holds firm. Felicity pretends to agree, but then she switches "the boys" (there's no limit to how much I love that Felicity called them that) to a separate channel. In one of the best lines of the episode, Felicity tells the boys to "light her up." 

Commence the fist pumping.

My parents have had similar arguments, with my mother issuing orders that differ from my father's to me and my two sisters. So, Oliver and Felicity are Mom and Dad of Team Arrow, and "the boys" are trial run triplets. Come fight me.

But you know what my sisters and I did? We listened to our mom. And that's exactly what Curts, Rene and Rory are going to do.  Where Mama goes so goes your nation.

Of course, the team jumps the literal gun and spooks Bl*ck S*ren, prompting her to unleash her sonic scream and, in the process, DESTROYS LAUREL'S STATUE. This calls for the Numfar Dance of Joy.

Goodbye statue. We knew thee for a short time and yet we shall not miss thee.

Loyal little children that they are, Curtis, Rory and Rene try to cover for Felicity, but she comes clean with Oliver. She gave them the order to go. What I love about this is Felicity's isn't sorry about what she did. She firmly believes she was right.

QUEEN. 

This is the start of that split in tactics we've been hearing about. Felicity liked that the team listened to HER. They followed HER orders. They used HER tactics. When Oliver wouldn't listen and do things Felicity's way, she ploughed right through him. This is very S1-S3 Oliver Queen esque behavior. It strongly points to Felicity setting up her own team to go after Prometheus once she grows tired of Oliver's opposition to her tactics and his approach.

And this is all about approach. Felicity doesn't trust Bl*ck S*ren and, while Oliver recognizes there's good reason not to trust her, he can't let go of the hope that there's a piece of goodness in Bl*ck S*ren. That there's a piece of Laurel in her.

Felicity believes Oliver has blinders on. Is Felicity right? Yes. But oh... isn't it wonderful to see him so doggedly optimistic? So blindly and stupidly hopeful. That's what heroes do. That's who heroes are. And that's the question Arrow is really asking. 

It's the question Oliver asked Bl*ck S*ren, but it's really the question he is asking himself. It's the question Diggle and Felicity are asking themselves as well. We decide, every day, who we are, with every choice we make. Our souls, are simply a reflection of the circumstances we are presented, the choices we make and the consequences of those choices. Which then lead to more circumstances and more choices. And so on and so on and so on and before you know it, you've built a lifetime of choices. And in their wake is the legacy you leave.

Oliver believes if you change the circumstances, you are giving someone the chance to choose again. He wants to give Bl*ck S*ren love, trust, compassion and hope because maybe she hasn't been given those things before. Maybe that's the shift that will make all the difference for Bl*ck S*ren to choose again, and be someone else. It's certainly something Oliver has felt in his own life. It's the gift Diggle and Felicity gave him and Oliver is trying to pay it forward. It's the question that haunts him, especially in light of Prometheus and Billy, because it is Oliver's choices that led to the creation of Prometheus. He believes it led to Billy's death. If Oliver could just change the circumstances... would he do it all differently? He's offering Bl*ck S*ren the redemption he so desperately craves. Not just for Laurel's death, but for every mistake he's ever made.     

Oliver, Felicity and Diggle have all chosen to be heroes, but now it's about choosing what kind of hero they are going to be. Every season, Oliver misses a piece to his evolution to the Green Arrow. This time, this season, he's finally starting to see the whole picture.

And for Felicity as well. This is not just about Billy. He was just the last straw in a house made of straw. She has suffered so much. She has endured so much pain and loss. Felicity has always taken the higher road. She's always been the believer, but she's really asking herself, "Where has all that belief gotten me?" Felicity is tired of losing. She is tired of hurting. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. So, Felicity is adapting. She's going to fight fire with fire this time and maybe it'll yield a different result. Maybe this will make the pain go away.

Felicity works out some major rage, by beating the crap out of punching bag. Oliver comes in and ever so softly, in that gentle voice reserved only for her, tells her to extend her wrist. Y'all he just gave her a training tip.  And that sweet little smile he gives, scrunching up his nose, when Felicity says “Ow” because he can’t handle her adorableness? Fabulous.   IS THIS REAL LIFE?

Felicity can't even stand to hear Oliver use "Laurel's" name. Bl*ck S*ren isn't Laurel. She's a bad guy and she's thrown in with the Big Bad. Felicity isn't interested second chances. She doesn't want to hear about how Oliver is trying to save Bl*ck S*ren . She's using Oliver just like Prometheus did. Felicity wants Oliver to stop Bl*ck S*ren before anyone else gets hurt... before he gets hurt. 

But Oliver pushes back just as hard. If there's anything the past five years has taught Oliver, there is so much in this world he doesn't understand. Instead of closing himself off to that, Oliver is trying to expand his world view. He's trying to be more accepting, more understanding, more compassionate. He needs to reach Bl*ck S*ren because once upon a time, not so long ago, someone came along and reached for Oliver. 

Someone changed Oliver's circumstances. 

Someone gave Oliver a second chance at life.

Felicity.

(And Diggle too). But what's so heartbreaking about this scene, is that Oliver is still Oliver. He can be obtuse, oblivious to the what's right in front of him. As he waxes poetic about changing Bl*ck S*ren's circumstances, he fails to recognize that Felicity's circumstances have changed to. And those circumstances are changing Felicity.

Felicity: You think you can save her?

Bl*ck S*ren is just a symptom of a much larger problem that is brewing between Oliver and Felicity. This shift in dynamic has a purpose. 

This line is an important callback to the same line Helena said to LL in Season 2 when she was facing her island. Eventually, every character on Arrow goes to the Island. Every character lets the darkness in, because we all have a dark side. That’s just being human. Felicity is the last to go to her island because of who she is. She’s the strongest among them and because of that strength was able to hold onto her light. But everyone has a breaking point and Felicity has found hers. The darkness is setting up shop. There will come a time when it will be Felicity who needs to be saved. Only, she won't want to be. Felicity won't want Oliver to reach her, or anyone else who loves her. Yet, Oliver remains doggedly determined about Bl*ck S*ren. Imagine the determination he will have for Felicity. Oliver will reach her. There won't be a choice. Not when it comes to Felicity.

But the darkness never comes out. It always stays. It will always be something Felicity has to face, understand, and overcome. Just like every character on Arrow, but most especially Oliver. The key is that she has the person who brings out the best in her. The person who harnesses her light - OLIVER. This brings another level of connection to their relationship. It’s equal emotional support... and that is one area Felicity has always done the heavy lifting. This shift is necessary. 

Whooo! Both are bringing their zinger A game.

But first, we have to allow Felicity to go down this darker path. We have to allow Felicity to get lost, so she can be found. This season is all about Oliver and Felicity walking in each other's shoes. Oliver is being the light, the source of hope and belief. And Felicity... is taking matters into her own hands. She's going to protect those she loves, especially when they cannot protect themselves. Felicity lost Billy to Prometheus' deception. That deception caused Oliver incalculable guilt and pain. Felicity can't save Billy, but she will save Oliver. She will protect him, especially when Oliver cannot protect himself. Felicity will protect Oliver even though she knows he will disagree with her methods.

It's a very Oliver Queen like move. Why is it so important we walk in our partner's shoes? Why is it so important we understand their perspective on a deeper level. Because it's the catalyst to change. It ignites our compassion, our understanding... and our forgiveness.

Felicity faces off with Bl*ck S*ren, and I have to say, it's an exceptional scene. Emily Bett Rickards is bringing this unflinching, uncompromising, darkened steel to Felicity Smoak. It's fantastic and Emily is chewing up this meaty storyline. They are only going to give her more and it's only going to get better. I feel it in my gut.

Honestly, this scene with Bl*ck S*ren is straight out of fanfiction.

Although, that "taller" remark fell a little flat. Is LL taller than Felicity? Does Oliver have a height preference I was unaware of? I was so confused. 

Maybe some fanfiction authors should send the Arrow writers some better zingers. They did pull their ace though, a line I am sure they have been waiting a loooong time to say.

I cackled. Arrow having the balls to make fun of their exceptionally horrible romantic backstory with L*uriver will never get old with me.

Felicity knows what's really going on with Oliver. He feels guilty over Laurel's death and Bl*ck S*ren is a shot at redemption for him. Felicity Smoak knows Oliver Queen in his bones. Yes, I know what I did there.

Bl*ck S*ren escapes and Oliver is basically WTF because they followed Cisco's specs and no one ever escapes from The Flash! Felicity levels with Oliver. Bl*ck S*ren didn't escape. She let her go.

Oliver uses his angry voice. It's super hot. The exchange goes something like this:

Felicity: Don't worry. I put nano tech in Bl*ck S*ren's water. We'll be able to track her.

Oliver: (in his hot angry voice) That's a horrible idea. WORST IDEA EVER.

Felicity: Hey buddy, you taught me how. You did the same thing with Anarky!

Oliver: Oh.  (whispers) Damn it.

Awkward pause...

Oliver: (in his deep angry voice that keeps getting hotter) Can we have the room please?

It would be at this time I shouted at my television, "For hot, angry sex! SAY FOR HOT ANGRY SEX!"

He didn't say it. Damn it! The boys have to leave and Wild Dog is bummed. He wants to watch Mom and Dad fight. 

HA! Sucker!!! We get to stay. Muhahaha.

But hot angry Oliver doesn't yell. He immediately softens. 

Felicity does not soften, however. In fact, the gloves are off.

It is the first time Oliver is really realizing how far Felicity is willing to go to get to Prometheus. 

Felicity risked her life and not only is it worrying to Oliver... it's scaring the crap out of him. 

SHOTS FIRED! I didn't take this as Felicity blaming Oliver for Billy's death. It's clear that she doesn't. It is, however, a condemnation on Oliver's attempt at the moral high ground. He's killing again. Morally justified? Perhaps. Goodness knows Felicity has advocated for Oliver killing the Big Bads before and she certainly has no problem putting Prometheus in the ground now. However, Felicity doesn't believe Oliver has the right to argue the moral high ground. He's taken the darker path too. He's doing whatever is necessary and so is she.

And yes, maybe, there was a little dig in there. If Oliver was holding to his "don't kill" code then he would have never tried to kill Prometheus... and Billy would be alive. Change the circumstances... change the choice... change the result. She's uses his Bl*ck S*ren argument against him, and twists the knife a little as she does it. This is an angry, frustrated, grieving Felicity. This is Felicity in pain.

Oliver promises justice for Billy, but Felicity jumps in with yet another zinger. Felicity NEVER refers to LL as Oliver’s ex, so she is really angry. And maybe Bl*ck S*ren’s digs got to her a little.

Honest to God, I thought he was going to kiss her. The way she's inches away from Oliver, challenging him. Remember, Oliver has a thing for strong women! 

Yes, they are fighting but it's been so long since she stood this close to him. It's almost like Felicity is daring him to. Oliver glances down at her lips and hesitates. Then, he takes a deep breath, almost like he's holding it, willing himself not to just lean in and... 

Is it warm in here? Wowza.

This one of the reasons I didn't mind the more subtle touch with Oliver and Felicity's scenes in 5A. Sometimes, when you pull back on characters it's almost like recharging a battery. Then, when you let them loose again the chemistry is electric. It's shooting sparks on steroids. 

That was this scene. This is the push/pull dynamic we've been waiting for between Oliver and Felicity. Neither of them is backing down and it is so hot.  As they say, opposites attract, but what's so interesting is that they've role reversed. The believer versus the cynic. The hopeful versus the disillusioned.  The light versus the dark. Yet, the role reversal still maintains their opposite corners. This is a fight Oliver and Felicity have had before... many times. Only this time they are walking in the other's shoes.

Felicity and Oliver both take a step back, retreating to their separate corners, if not to just  break the physical temptation, but allow themselves a moment to regroup. 

Oliver watches the video between Felicity and Bl*ck S*ren and acknowledges what we all know... Felicity Smoak knows him best.

He comes towards her again, only this isn't a confrontation. Oliver has softened. He extends an olive branch. Oliver acknowledges that Bl*ck S*ren isn't their Laurel. Their Laurel is gone and they are never going to get her back. (This is yet another big blazing sign to the LL fandom that she is gone forever). But that's why Bl*ck S*ren is so important to Oliver. He's acknowledging that Felicity is right. He failed Laurel. This is a shot at redemption for Oliver. Without Bl*ck S*ren there's no chance of that. Or is there? We'll get to that later, but right now, Oliver feels like he's failed so many he's lost without the chance to fix it. Felicity is arguing it's an illusion, but Oliver argues back it's an illusion he needs right now.

And then he just says, "Okay?" 

It's soft, gentle and pleading. This isn't Oliver demanding. This is Oliver asking. This is Oliver asking Felicity to please do this... for him. 

That goes both ways. If it's Oliver asking... Felicity will do it.

This is an exceptionally beautiful, heart wrenching scene, because at the core of this is Oliver and Felicity's relationship. Oliver failed Felicity on a massive level. All he wanted to do was fix it, but he couldn't. She shut the door on them forever. Oliver feels he's lost any chance of redemption with Felicity as well. Oliver needs to reach for Bl*ck S*ren because he can't with Laurel, Moira, Robert, Tommy, Shado, Billy (even Prometheus in a way)... and most especially Felicity.

OR CAN HE? The whole point of this Dark Felicity story line is to offer Oliver that chance at redemption. It will open the door both Oliver and Felicity feel is long closed. Oliver will reach for Felicity the same way he's reaching for Bl*ck S*ren, only this time it will not be an illusion of what he lost, but the real thing. When Oliver reaches for Felicity she will eventually reach back.

Oliver puts Felicity in the field because Curtis needs help with the tech that'll stop Bl*ck S*ren's scream. Felicity is helping Curtis. The world makes sense again. Also, Felicity in the field so ...

Oliver and Prometheus face off. 

Prometheus informs Oliver he can either stop him or save Felicity. It's 100% ridiculous that Prometheus thinks there's a choice. Dude, you need to watch Arrow.

Take it away Damon Salvatore.

Bl*ck S*ren goes after Felicity.

Can't you hear all those horrid anti Felicity fans cheering? This line is the writers thumbing their nose at that incessant request however. 

See, this is why I love Arrow. Never have I seen a show so unabashedly play favorites. Bl*ck S*ren is the bad guy. Arrow won't let the bad guy win. Hell will freeze over before Arrow lets Bl*ck S*ren, or any version of LL, kill Felicity. Hell will freeze over before Arrow ever chooses LL over Felicity. There's no choice to make with them either.

Oliver chooses Felicity because DUH. Once again, they are enveloped in green light. The tether, the connection, the impossible dream, the minute and far away, is always there. 

Oliver gives Bl*ck S*ren the hard sell.  Yet, even when presented with love and compassion, Bl*ck S*ren still chooses evil.

Thus, cementing her as a real and true bad guy. The force of her sonic scream blows Oliver and Felicity backwards. 

Oliver grabs Felicity and she holds on for dear life. 

Once they hit the ground, Oliver shields Felicity with his ENTIRE BODY. 

He even covers her ears with his arms, giving absolutely no thought to his own life. He couldn't protect her from the bullets. 

He couldn't protect her from Havenrock 

or Billy's death. 

But he will protect her from this.

THIS is the kind of Olicity stunt we know and love. Welcome back old friend.

Curtis saves the day with his tech (more on that in a bit) and no truer statement was ever made...

And because Arrow is unabashedly Team Felicity, they give us this glorious gif:

There will be no end to the reblogging of this gif. This gif gives us life. 

And if you think Arrow doesn't know the underlining meaning behind this scene, trust me, they know. That's why they put it there. It's the proverbial "shove it" to all the anti Felicity fans. Also, I may only refer to Bl*ck S*ren as pumpkin from now on.

And of course, because she is a total cupcake with extra frosting, Felicity excitedly tells Oliver she listened to his training tip and kept her wrist straight.

But Arrow is not done. No sir! Oliver can't hide the pride and heart eyes. Doesn't even bother trying.

OLIVER IS US Y'ALL! I mean, we always knew he was Team Felicity, on account of him choosing Felicity over Laurel every chance he got, but I thoroughly enjoy a little anti Bl*ck S*ren shade coming from him after we've heard him wax poetic about her for the last 40 minutes.

And then... Felicity and Oliver find a peaceful truce. They haven't resolved their issues at all. In fact, they are just ramping up. However, Felicity concedes that what she did was reckless and put the guards' life at risk. Oliver acknowledges that her plan worked. They almost got Prometheus. 

See, this is why when Arrow finally pulls the trigger on an Olicity that stays together it will work wonderfully. There is enough "drama" between these two characters just based on their personalities and approaches to life. The push/pull dynamic is where the heat comes from. You can have Olicity fight and face drama without constantly keeping them apart. What's beautiful about them is even when they disagree, they have each other's backs. They are a team. And they will always find their way back to one another.

Felicity is sorry about Laurel.  

Oliver is sorry about Billy.

The love in her voice fills the bunker. We can actually see Oliver’s heart stop.

Just stop fighting it y’all.

Oliver tells Felicity that "Laurel" isn't back in Central City. He's moved her to ARGUS lock up. He's keeping her close, because he still hasn't given up hope that he can reach her.

Between The Wars by Allman Brown

 Between the wars we dance

Between the wars we left

Don't wake me yet

We're still what's left

Hasn't happened, hasn't happened yet

 Between the wars we stay

Fading echoes spin away

Lost in memories, in memories

We're still what's left

Hasn't happened, hasn't happened yet

It's important that Felicity asked specifically about "Laurel." Note, she doesn't use the name Bl*ck S*ren. It's a tiny little acknowledgment that Oliver's hope is worth something. 

In fact, it's worth everything.

And this is the line. The line that tells us exactly where Arrow is headed with Olicity. This is the line that we will hold on to when times get darker between them... and they will. We are just beginning this dark arc for Felicity. But this line already signals the door is already opening in Felicity. It will be Oliver's optimism, his light, that will help lead Felicity out of the dark and back to him. And when she does, Oliver will be ready for her. He will be the man she's always deserved.

And thus... the shift begins.

Flashbacks

We're back in Russia! Remember Russia? Honestly, I totally forgot what was happening in Russia, so it was good Flashback Ollie did a little recap for me.

Basically, Oliver is getting the crap beat out of him by Pakhan, who's upset that he failed at blowing up Kovar's casino. Instead, Oliver put his own interests (killing Kovar) above the Bratva. Oliver thinks Pakhan is a two faced, lying, SOB, because Kovar is a government agent and the deal he made with Pakhan also betrays the Bratva.

Pahkan argues that Oliver fails to see the bigger picture.  For all Oliver knows, Pakhan could be double crossing Kovar that in serves the Bratva.

Arrow has struggled with tying in the flashbacks fluidly with present day, but they did a little better in this outing. Pahkan does a nice little psychoanalysis on Oliver, post ass kicking. The photo of Laurel falls out of Oliver's pocket, and Pahkan mistakes Laurel for Whatshername. It's important to note that Oliver didn't bother telling Pahkan Whatshername's real name because I'm pretty sure, like me, Oliver has forgotten what it is. When Oliver explains that she's not the woman he's here to avenge, Pahkan is a little, "Dude. How many do you have a thing with" and thus becomes my flashback spirit animal.

Oliver explains he couldn't return to Laurel because he's become a monster she wouldn't recognize. Well... that and you were the douchebag that cheated on Laurel with her sister and then her sister died, but that's just details.

Pakhan has an interesting take on things. He believes Oliver is blaming himself for the darkness inside of him, when really, it is just a product of his time on Lian Yu. It's the circumstances that created the darkness... not Oliver. Pakhan believes that ultimately, Lian Yu, made Oliver who he is today. Otherwise he'd still be a total asshat.

This feels accurate. It's the Bratva way of looking at the road not traveled, similar to what Oliver did in 5x08. Pakhan is pushing Oliver to view his darkness as a positive, to turn it into nectar, by committing himself fully to the Bratva. It's a slightly messed up version of unconditional love and acceptance. It's an illusion of family, but one Oliver needs. Just like he needs the illusion that Bl*ck S*ren is Laurel.

Here's the problem with Pahkan's take. Yes, in many ways Oliver's darkness is a byproduct of his circumstances. However, that eliminates any responsibility on Oliver's part. He still had choices to make. Just like Bl*ck S*ren made choices. Just like Felicity made choices. Oliver shouldn't be hating himself as much as he does for his darkness, but he doesn't get off scot free either - which is what Pahkan is selling him right now.

There is a happy medium here and Oliver will find it in present day. He'll let go of the guilt, but understand that he is still responsible for the choices he makes regardless of circumstance. Which is why, in the end, he will toe the moral line no matter what happens.

Tina Boland: The New Black Canary

Arrow removes the god awful statue of Laurel and Felicity wonders if they are doing the right thing. Perhaps they should rebuild it.

It is absolutely the right thing to remove that eye sore and you should absolutely not rebuild it.

Oliver has a much more poetic response than my, "Sweet Mother of Moses NO!" He's starting to realize legacy isn't about statues. A legacy is a living and breathing thing. He hasn't done enough to honor his promise to Laurel. He's determined to find a woman worthy of the BC title. That's how Oliver finds redemption in her loss. That's how she never truly dies. Laurel's legacy lives on in the people who loved her and those who continue to her fight.

Are they making Laurel more important in her death than she ever was on the show? Yes, absolutely. This is not going to change my friends. This is why they killed her. Her death served more purpose than her life. The good news is we're moving on from the LL piece of the BC chapter. Even better, Olicity is going to find the new BC. Arrow is ready to shift the story to somewhere new.

As we predicted, and as it was spoiled, the new character Tina was introduced at the end of the episode. She has the sonic scream just like Bl*ck S*ren did. So, obviously she's a meta human. It's possible Arrow has another origin planned. Her sonic scream sounded different than either LL's or Bl*ck S*ren’s. But Tina could be connected to Central City and the particle explosion. I'm wondering if Wild Dog is from Central City.  Granted, I can’t tell if Wild Dog knows Tina in the promo, but if he does then maybe he’s hiding from her for a reason.

I'm wondering because the amazing @callistawolf was quick to point out to me the scene where Wild Dog remarks about everyone's blasé reaction to Laurel's return. Oliver tells him the Lance sisters have a habit of coming back to life and Wild Dog is floored this has happened before.

This is a thinly veiled reference to the Canaries coming back to life. I believe there's a Wild Dog connection with Tina. Perhaps they were in a relationship or she’s a family member. It's possible Wild Dog believes Tina died in the explosion. It could explain his angry reaction to the metas in the crossover (Thanks Sara!) In any event, I believe Oliver's "warning," for lack of a better word, to Wild Dog, about Lance women coming back to life, is that tradition will continue with the new BC. Wild Dog's BC. 

I thought it was a great introduction to Tina. Her desire to protect women is a call back to Sara's crusade, the one who started it all... The Original Canary. So this isn't just about Laurel. It's about honoring the history of the Canaries on Arrow. 

I enjoyed Juliana Harkavy's delivery  and her physicality. It was just a brief glimpse, but I liked what I saw so far. The promo looked awesome. Wouldn't it be wonderful to love Arrow's BC? Fingers crossed!

John Diggle

Diggle wasn't in the episode a ton. "Who Are You" was mostly set up for his bigger storyline coming up. Diggle isn't running this time, but he's not giving up like last time either. He's ready to fight the charges. Again, this is about the kind of man, the kind of hero, John Diggle wants to be. And he doesn't want to be the kind of man who lets his demons get the better of him. John Diggle is a man who stands up and fights and he's finding that piece of himself again.

Adrian Chase

Oliver was able to bring in Adrian Chase and I have to say the gelling of this new character was seamless. Arrow did an excellent job of explaining away that pesky detail about Adrian not being a military attorney. The scene in which he instructs Diggle to punch him to delay his transfer and transfer him to civilian court was GENIUS.

There was a moment, between Adrian and Oliver that's worth noting as well. Adrian told Oliver it was important to keep what happened with Billy and Prometheus a secret. He essentially said secrets are the only way to justice. This could be a veiled reference to Adrian Chases' comic book history. SPOILERS.

**************

Adrian Chase is Vigilante in the comics. However, in the comics his identity is revealed and Adrian commits suicide. It's an incredibly dark resolution to this character. Since this season is all about legacy, and Oliver deciding who he is and what kind of hero he wants to be, I think this line is very important. It points the direction where Adrian is going. The amazing @callistawolf, has long believed Oliver will reveal himself as The Green Arrow, Tony Stark style.  If Adrian Chase, The Vigilante, believes secrets are the only way to justice, and is ultimately destroyed by that belief, then he represents a lesson Oliver has to learn. The point is to push Oliver towards a new way of doing things. Oliver can no longer find justice through secrets either. I'm going to meta on this more later because there's a lot there. Stay tuned. 

Curtis Holt and Wild Dog

Y'all... I liked Wild Dog this episode. I was agreeing with Wild Dog. I assure you it was a disquieting feeling.

But then he called Felicity "blondie," infuriated me 

and all was right with the world again.

I appreciate Arrow’s references to Rene being an acquired taste. That’s the writers acknowledging many of us can’t stand him. The reason Wild Dog was easier to take this episode is because he stopped being a dick for the majority of the episode. 

In fact, it was Curtis calling Rene on his general asshatness that triggered the shift in character. So, lets keep that up Arrow. Less dick-douche and more compassionate friend. That’s a taste more to my liking.

Curtis lost his husband and is generally tired of getting his assed kicked. He's tired of failing at being a vigilante. He feels he's lost everything with nothing to show for it.

Arrow used the newbies extremely effectively this episode. Now that they've set the characters up, and we've gotten to know them, they can shift focus back to the main characters and the newbies can become solid B storylines. This is an excellent example of that.

Curtis is the new LL when it comes to fighting.  Arrow isn't doing that great of a job at showing his progression. We sort of jumped to kicking ass in about an episode, complete with parkour moves, but at least they've settled on this "Mr. Terrific gets beat up" theme with every fight. It's an acknowledgment that he has the longest way to go training wise.

Curtis worked amazingly well last season on Arrow because they played to the character's strengths: his humor and chemistry with Emily Bett Rickards, and his technical abilities. My biggest frustration with the evolution into Mr. Terrific is that Arrow seemed to abandoned his technical abilities. Instead of being the Cisco of Arrow, like I hoped, he was taking over areas of Felicity's expertise. Forcing her to act out of character to make it work sometimes.

That was all fixed in "Who Are You" and played heavily into Curtis' arc. Wild Dog wisely told him that instead of focusing on what he can't do (fighting), focus on what he can do (genius inventor).

So, it's Curtis who comes up with the tech to stop Bl*ck S*ren and he ultimately saves the day. Let's stay on this road with him Arrow. Make a clear division of duties between Curtis and Felicity. Let Curtis be Arrow's Cisco and slowly move him along on the Mr. Terrific training. I don't think they'll stop Curtis from becoming Mr. Terrific, but I'll be happy if this slows the train down and refocuses his character like they did in this episode.

Stray Thoughts

Where you lookin’ Oliver? Felicity’s eyes are higher up.

I almost didn't notice Thea wasn't in the episode. That is how bad it's gotten with her lack of storyline. Let's fix that Arrow.

Flashback Ollie actually referring to LL's photograph is something new and different.

Don't try to understand The Flash Wild Dog.

Best Curtis line of the night. Close secod was "Heard what? Just kidding. Pretty sure people in Florida heard that.”

Bl*ck S*ren's black lipstick is so distracting. I dislike it very much.

Oliver should have explained his friendship with Diggle to Adrian this way, "John Diggle is my Yoda. We have the bromance to end all bromances. Save my lobster."

Anti crime unit is still a thing? Billy was part of the anti crime unit? Ugh. I'm trying to remember Billy's 10 minutes on screen, but it's hard.

John Diggle... why is your voice so handsome? Also your face? I ask the important questions.

"I'm use to it." Has anything more accurately summed up Olicity? I think not.

Wig is still worse than Oliver's bloody face.

Felicity has a hard time swearing. Because she's a cupcake

"More tinkering. Less fighting." STOP MAKING SENSE WILD DOG. YOU ARE FREAKING ME OUT.

Talia Al Ghul has arrived! She's pretty. She looks like Nyssa. I am jazzed. My Batman roots demand it