#merlyn meta

[merlyn-bane]

i rarely come up with anakin-centric fix-its because i,,,,dont like anakin, but consider:

they should've put him on the créchemaster track, and early

no no, hear me out. i have a list

1. constant exposure to the Warm Fuzzies

2. it's hard to feel isolated from and distrusted by your people when they've literally got you caring for the most vulnerable among you

3. sorry sir chancellor sir i cannot visit you on account of I Have So Many Diapers To Change

3½. no time for Secret Marriages either

4. it would also humble him. hey chosen one you've got spit-up on your tunics. also children will absolutely ratio you entirely unprovoked. it would be good for him

5. literally who would understand letting go better than the jedi that have to watch all of their babies grow up (into somewhat bigger babies) and leave the safety of the créche to go be padawans in the field. the strength of créchemasters is unrivaled

[kirbybecomesastarwarrior]

Happy Father's Day~ (for the Dads of KBASW)

Did you think I would be late for Father's Day (like last year)? Hahaha yes!

King Dedede & Banadana Dee:

I've kept King Dedede's Arc pretty hush (since it does dive into pretty dark territory) and Bandee is extremely integral to his change. And you can understand why Dedede's incredibly attached to Bandee (vice-versa).

Bandee is one of the only ones who believed in the king and stayed by his side. And King Dedede growing a drive to change... wanting to become someone worthy of Bandee's trust and loyalty.

After Escargoon quits on him (which affects & hurts him greatly), he promises to do everything he can to "treat dis boy right!"Which results in King Dedede treating him more like a son than his right-hand man.

King Fisher, Prince Fluff & Falspar:

As I've said before Fisher King adored his son to bits and pieces ... and gave his life just for the chance to be a father. And never regretted having Fluff... if his accident is what leads him to have his son then he doesn't regret that either.

(Basically, a near-death experience was what led him & his wife to be unable to have children... an accident that Falspar was blamed for by Uther & the Ancients to save face...)

After the whole debacle with the Grail & Faspar wants to make it up to Fluff, (even though Fluff has already forgiven him). However, that's not good enough for Falspar so what does he do...

This is basically Falspar's walk of penance (similar to his counterpart Sir Percival)... And he does this by finding out what happened to Fluff's mom for him. They were both able to give each other the closure they needed: Falspar with the King Fisher incident with the Grail & Fluff with the disappearance of his mom...

Falspar becomes a second father to Fluff he's affectionately called Uncle Parry by him (Fluff). Falspar's laid-back nature was just what Fluff needed in his life. Being there for Fluff gave Falspar this unspeakable sense of fulfillment... finally understanding what the Grail meant... and King Fisher's attitude of gratitude for him.

Fisher was always thankful to Falspar for his accident because it's what led him to have a son... and Falspar in turn becomes grateful to Fisher because of his son (Fluff).

(Gah~ still weeping)

Sir Arthur & Meta Knight:

As I've said before, when Meta Knight was born he was sent through the dream fountain as a living bomb by Nightmare. He (MK) would not obey him and saw him as a failed experiment so he expelled him hoping he could do a little damage... believing he would die on arrival.

He was wrong... Meta Knight's creation was blasphemy and the fact he didn't have a warpstar was proof of that. He was an astral that was born out of the creation of Void.

And of course, Sir Uther tried to execute him immediately... but Sir Arthur wasn't having it. Everyone saw a monster, but all Sir Arthur could see was a frightened little boy begging for someone to save him... (it was a feeling all too familiar when he dealt with Sir Uther's cruelty).

Not only that he couldn't bear to see another innocent being accused of treason *cough* Celestine.

Using all the knowledge & the lessons he's had (with Celestine/ Merlyn) he manages to convince the Ancients to spare Meta's life and allow him to take the baby in. And his new status as "holy knight" protected him so Uther couldn't do anything to override his decision.

However, the old toad had one last (pathetic) try and exclaimed, "IF YOU KEEP THAT SPAWN OF NIGHTMARE YOU WILL NO LONGER BE MY RIGHT HAND AND I WILL DISSOWN YOU!"

Uther had assumed he'd come crawling back believing he still had Arthur under his thumb. (Little did he know Arthur had changed a long time ago.) Instead, he turns to his old mentor "Then I would formally like to abdicate my position as your right-hand man."

Arthur turns back to Meta and scoops him in his arms wrapping him in his cape (the red cape). "And besides I'll have my hands full and won't be able to properly take care of this one."

"WHAT!?"

He walked away from his cruel master and never looked back. Meta Knight always saw Arthur as his savior, but in reality, it was Meta Knight who saved him.

After Celestine's death (or that's what he thought), Arthur was really struggling, and even more so after she was erased.

Being one of the only people who remembered her, apart of him thought she might have been a figment of his imagination. But he didn't care "Even if she was just a dream... then she was a beautiful dream..." and as long as Merlyn existed... so did she.

He held on to the memory of her for dear life... "that there was always something to live for... "Meta Knight was that something to him.

Kirby & Meta Knight:

Guys, I don't think I need to explain the last one that much cause... come on it's "Meta Dad."

(I'd expand on this more but then we'd be here for hours/ also that would be spoilers to KBASW: The Knightmare's End... I really got to finish the next chapter)

Basically Sunshine heals old lonely war veteran~

The whole father-son relationship between Kirby & Meta Knight is two outsiders finding this family within each other... and then in turn being able to make a safe space for everyone and each other.

Their Father-Son relationship ultimately made each other grow closer to their respective destinies. With Kirby becoming a Star Warrior and Meta Knight becoming the leader of the GSA,

So anyway I hope you enjoyed the dads of KBASW!

[thequiver]

Woah, woah, woah. Pause. Back up. I'm going to need you to elaborate on the "implication that he was molested" bit. What goes ON in the green arrow comics???

Ollie on page in Green Arrow (2016) #19 (I think it’s issue 19 but it’s definitely around that issue) says that he was groomed by Malcolm Merlyn, that Malcolm wanted to take something from his powerful father, and that Ollie and Malcolm had an “unnatural interest in each other.���

I have a meta post about it floating around my Oliver Queen tag.

But uh lots of things go on in Green Arrow Comics- none of these things are the exploration of Ollie’s trauma though. Hope that helps.

[fanfics4all]

Dream Shop

Request: Yes / No List was made by @alpaca-clouds

Requests are open only if its CHRISTMAS/HOLIDAY/ WINTER related <3 Have a nice day/night

Tommy Merlyn x Fem!Smoak!Reader 

Word count: 1304

Warnings: Nothing!

Y/N: Your Name 

Y/N/N: Your Nickname

Y/H/C: Your Hair Color

Prompt(s):

PLEASE DO NOT STEAL MY WORK, I WORK HARD ON MY FICS AND IT’S NOT COOL TO STEAL SOMEONE ELSE’S WORK! 

If you want to be on the tag list for anything (My series fics, specific character fics, or just all of them) All you have to do is send me an ask and I will add you! 

Masterlist 

If you enjoy my work, you could also show support by buying me a coffee! 

(Not my photo, credit to whoever made it!)

Living in Star City was anything but easy. There were criminals learking around every corner, as well as meta-humans. However, the Green Arrow was there to keep them in check. Most people didn’t agree with his methods, but he was keeping our city safe. I was grateful that the Green Arrow was around, it meant less people that could possibly rob my little shop. I owned a tea and coffee shop near the former Glades. It wasn’t the best area for business, but everyone loved my shop so much that I was able to make a living. It was always my dream to run a tea shop, so I was proud of everything that I was doing. 

*Tommy’s POV* 

I opened the door to the little tea shop. I looked around at everyone sitting around at the tables. Most were people that lived near the area, there really weren’t many people from my tax bracket that came around the area. I took a seat at the only empty table and looked at the small menu. Everything was very affordable, which was perfect for the area it was in. The most appealing thing on the menu was a cinnamon tea. I normally just had coffee, but cinnamon tea sounded good. I also picked the plate of different cakes they made in house. I placed the menu down and looked up to see a waitress walking towards me. She was very cute and looked to be around my age. She was shorter than me, with Y/H/C. Her eyes were shining brightly, it matched her smile. She stopped in front of my table and pulled out a pen and a notepad from her apron. 

“Hi, welcome to Cuppa Corner! What could I get you?” She asked in a friendly and light voice. I gave her a small smile and glanced at the menu one more time.

“Can I get a cup of the cinnamon tea and that sampling of the delicious sounding cakes?” I asked and her smile seemed to brighten. 

“Amazing choices! I’ll get that started for you.” She said and went behind the counter, punching in the order. I looked around and noticed a few other workers in here, but the girl who took my order seemed to be doing the most. She was back behind the counter, making my tea and placing it on a small silver tray, then she reached into the display case and pulled out a little tower filled with small cakes. She placed that on the tray next to my tea and headed my way. She placed them each gently in front of me, all with a smile. 

“Thank you.” I said as I lifted the cup to my lips. It smelled like the perfect drink to have this time of the year. I took a sip and hummed happily. 

“This is amazing.” I said, looking up at the waitress. 

“Thank you, it’s my absolute favorite tea we make here.” She said and I smiled. 

“I can see why.” I said. 

“How long have you worked here?” I asked as I placed the cup down. 

“Since we opened.” She said with a small giggle. 

“Oh really? You know the owner?” I asked and she giggled again. 

“You’re looking at her.” She answered and my eyes widened a bit. 

“You own this place?” I asked and she nodded. 

“How’d you manage to get this place?” I asked. 

“It’s always been my dream to run a little tea shop, so when this building became available I jumped at the chance. My sister helped me out, but I paid her back everything she let me barrow.” She answered. 

“It’s really an amazing place. I don’t come around this part of town to often, but your place just caught my eye.” I said and she smiled. 

“That’s what I like to hear.” She said. I heard the little bell to the front door chime, but neither of us looked. 

“Y/N?” I heard a familiar voice call. The girl I was talking to turned her head and her eyes lit up. 

“Felcity! What are you doing here?” She asked as a familiar face made her way over. 

“I came to get a cup of coffee, gonna be a long night, oh, hey Tommy.” Felicity said when she noticed me after pulled away from hugging the girl, who’s name was apparently Y/N.

“You guys know each other?” Y/N asked. 

“He’s friends with my boss, Oliver Queen.” She said, like she was reminding Y/N. Y/N rolled her eyes. 

“I know who your boss it, Fel.” She said and Felicity laughed. 

“Then you must reconize, Tommy Merlyn.” She said and motioned towards me. Y/N looked at me and her eyes widened. 

“Oh my God.” She said and Felicity laughed. 

“Thanks Felicity.” I sarcastically said and she laughed again. 

“If I didn’t tell my sister now, she would have never figured it out.” She said and my eyes widened. 

“This is your sister?” I asked Y/N and she nodded. 

“What a small world.” I said and Y/N nodded in agreement. 

“Anyway, one extra strong coffee, coming right up!” Y/N said and headed back behind the counter. 

“When were you going to introduce us to your sister?” I asked as Felicity took a seat across from me. 

“Y/N’s always busy with the cafe, I have to literally drag her out of here sometimes.” She answered and I chuckled. 

“Has Oliver met her yet?” I asked and she shook her head. 

“Like I said, trying to get Y/N out of here is probably the hardest thing to do. She loves this place and don’t get me wrong I’m so happy for her, but she hardly has a life anymore.” She answered sadly. Y/N walked back over with a large coffee and placed it in front of her sister. 

“Here you go! One extra strong coffee, on the house.” Y/N said with a wink. Felicity rolled her eyes and reached into her purse. 

“Don’t you dare! I told you a million times, you do not pay here.” Y/N said sternly. 

“Come on, Y/N/N, you deserve the money.” Felicity said and Y/N shook her head. 

“Nope, I refuse to take anymore of your money.” She said while crossing her arms. 

“Fine, but you have to promise me that you’re gonna take at least two days off this week.” Felicity said and Y/N sighed. 

“I have a lot of work to do here, Fel, you know I can’t just take a day off.” Y/N said and Felicity shook her head. 

“You’re the owner, Y/N, you can take some time off once in awhile, you don’t need to be here 24/7.” Felicity said. 

“How about you take tomorrow off and I take you to one of my favorite placed for dinner?” I asked and the girls looked at me with wide eyes. 

“Huh?” Y/N asked confused. 

“It’s only fair since you told me this was your favorite tea.” I said and she smiled with a small blush. 

“Um… I-I guess I can take tomorrow off.” She said with a slight stutter. 

“Oh so that’s what it takes? A date?” Felicity asked and Y/N blushed deeper. 

“He never said it was a date!” Y/N said and her sister rolled her eyes. 

“Tell her it’s a date.” Felicity said to me. 

“If you’d like it to be, I’d be more than happy to call it a date.” I said and Y/N smiled shly at me. 

“Okay… then it’s a date.” Y/N said and I smiled. 

“Perfect.” I said as I took a bite of one of the cakes. It was just as delicious as I thought it would be.

Tag list: @les-bio-lie @tashy-bear @ashwarren32 @hollie-blogs-blog1 @lover-of-books-and-tea @nerdygaloresposts @teenwolfbitches28 @kmc1989 @drw0301bieber @lady-of-lies @ravenmoore14 @ravenempress101 @cillianchamp @rowanthomasknapp @rachelxwayne @ready-4-fanfiction @bruisedfists-and-splitlips 

[sundove88]

Super Smash Bros. Memento Mori AFK AU

You know how the game MementoMori is celebrating its 1st anniversary?

Well, guess what I made.

A SSB AU, in which the characters of the infamous fighting game play the roles of the characters!!

Roster down below. HUGE thanks to @lunartearrose, @busy-dadzawa-fish, and @ultimatestellar for all their help!

Characters:

🗡️- Warrior

📖- Sorcerer

🔫- Sniper

Kirby- The Successor (Yes, he’s a playable character) (LR) 📖 (I pulled off a World of Light)

Aura of Azure:

Zelda- Amleth (LR) 🗡️ (Both are royals)

Diddy Kong- Fenrir (LR) 📖

Robin- Florence (LR) 🗡️

Mario- Illya (SSR+) 🗡️ (It’s pretty obvious why)

Meta Knight- Iris (SSR+) 🗡️

Magolor- Loki (SSR+) 🔫

Simon Belmont- Moddey (LR) 📖 (Both are associated with the dead)

Bandana Waddle Dee- Monica (N) 🔫

Blyeth- Sivi (LR) 🗡️

Pyra- Soltina (LR) 📖 (I made her and Mythra sisters to reflect Sol and Lunalynn’s sisterly dynamic)

Link- Sonya (LR) 🔫 (Link adores Princess Zelda, like how Sonya adores Amleth)

Tails- Stella (LR) 🗡️

Aura of Crimson:

Bayonetta- Amour (LR) 🔫

Roy- Arianrhod (SSR+) 🗡️

Sheldon- Artie (LR) 📖 (Both are mechanics)

Bowser Jr.- Belle (LR) 📖 (Belle sees Val as her mom, while Bowser Jr is Bowser’s Son)

Yoshi- Charlotte (N) 🗡️

Dixie Kong- Chiffon (LR) 📖

Summer Festival!Inkling- Summer’s Reverb Cordie (LR) 🔫

Cilan- Dian (LR) 🔫

Lip- Freesia (LR) 📖 (Both are associated with flowers)

Zoroark - Petra (SSR+) 🔫

Krystal- Priscilla (LR) 📖

Fox-Rean (LR) 🗡️

Cloud- Sabrina (LR) 🗡️

Wii Fit Trainer- Sophia (LR) 🗡️

Shulk- Theodora (SSR+) 📖

Aura of Emerald:

Inkling- Cordie (LR) 🔫 (It was too obvious)

Palutena- Fia (LR) 🗡️

Ashley- Ivy (LR) (Red is Emma) 🔫

Midna- Lea (LR) 🔫

Lyn- Libra (SSR+) 🔫

Samus- Luke (LR) 🗡️

Blaine- Mertillier (LR) 📖 (If you’ve read the Pokémon manga, Blaine created Mewtwo, like how Mert created A. A.)

Isabelle- Merlyn (LR) 📖

Ness- Nina (LR) 🔫

King Dedede- Rosalie (SSR+) 📖

Swimsuit!Cloud- Soldier of The Summer Breeze Sabrina (LR) 🗡️

Takamaru- Shizu (N) 🗡️ (It was too obvious)

Falco- Zara (SSR+) 🗡️

Aura of Amber:

Adeleine- Cherna (SSR+) 📖 (Both are painters)

Corrin- Carol (LR) 📖

Chef Kawasaki- Garmr (N) 🔫

Lucario- Hathor (LR) 🔫

Jigglypuff- Mimi (LR) 🗡️

Swimsuit!Simon Belmont- Gravekeeper’s Summer Holiday Moddey (LR) 📖

Luigi- Olivia (LR) 🗡️

Pauline- Primavera (LR) 🔫 (Both are singers)

Crusty Sean- Richesse (LR) 🗡️

Peppy Hare- Skuld (SSR+) 📖

Lucas- Soteira (SSR+) 📖

Sonic- Tropon (LR) 📖

Olimar- Veela (LR) 📖 (Now imagine the Pikmin as the goldfish.)

Sages of Qlipha:

Marx- Natasha (LR) [The Sage of Mourning Flowers] 🗡️ (Both have a similar color scheme)

Mythra- Lunalynn (LR) [The Sage of Snowy Illusion]📖

Bowser- Valeriede (LR) [The Sage of Conflagration] 🗡️

Mewtwo- A.A. (LR) [The Sage of Rust] 📖 (It’s too obvious.)

Chrom- Fortina (LR) [The Sage of Sacred Swords] 🗡️

Impa- Ophelia (LR) [The Sage of Fallen Crystals] 🗡️

Donkey Kong- Cerberus (LR) [The Sage of Wailing Lightning] 🗡️

Sable Prince- Rusalka (LR) [The Sage of Torrential Sorrow] 📖

DJ Octavio- Armstrong (LR) [The Sage of Lost Souls] 🔫 (He leads the Octarians, for goodness sake!)

Sephiroth- Elfriede (LR) [The Sage of Longinus] 🗡️ (He looks like a Witch of Qlipha to begin with.)

[supeherosunite]

Original Characters

Pax kent ( cousin of kara) ( Kryptonian cousin / adopted earth sister of Clark) face cam bailee madison

Edith Kent (sister of Clark Kent) face cam Heather Rattray

JaKari Kent (brother of Clark Kent) face cam Laird Macintosh

Lara Kent ( daughter of Clark Kent ) face cam Amanda Fein

Lulu Kent ( daughter of Clark Kent ) face cam Caitlin Fein

Gaia white ( Meta-human with nature powers ) face cam Georgie Henley

Uranus white (Meta-human with nature powers ) face cam Freddie Highmore

Yara smith ( mutant avenger ) face cam Bridgit Mendler

Amity Jones ( young S.H.I.E.L.D. agent ) face cam Drew Barrymore

Lilly Cullen (adoptive daughter of Alice and jasper ) (twilight) face cam Becky Rosso

Violet Smith (profiler) (criminal minds) face cam Haley Lu Richardson

Sammy Brown ( agent) (ncis) face cam Julia Butters

Senara Sohma (Zodiac member) (fruits basket) face cam Emma The Promised Neverland

DC COMICS

Superman

Martha Kent

Clark Kent (Superman)

Jon Kent (Superboy)

Jordan Kent (Superboy)

Jonathan Kent (kon-El)

Lois Joanne Lane

Doctor Emil Hamilton

Tess Mercer

James Bartholomew Olsen

Chloe Sullivan-Queen (Watchtower)

Ryan James

Jonathan Sullivan-Queen (Speedy)

Kara Zor-El (Supergirl)

Alex Danvers (Director Danvers)

Mon-El (Prince of Daxam

Winn Scott (Toyman)

Nia Nal (Dreamer)

Lena Luthor

Batman

James Gordon (police commissioner)

Alfred Pennyworth (Penny One)

Bruce Wayne (Batman)

Selina Kyle (Catwoman)

Kate Kane (Batwoman)

Harleen Quinzel (Harley Quinn)

Terry Wayne (Batman)

Dick Grayson (Nightwing)

Jason Todd (Red Hood)

Tim drake (Red Robin)

Damian Wayne (Robin),

Duke Thomas (The Signal)

Henry King (Gotham)

Luke Fox (Batwing)

David Zavimbe (Batwing)

Minhkhoa "Khoa" Khan (Ghost-Maker)

Barbara Gordon (Oracle)

Stephanie Brown (Spoiler)

Cassandra Cain (Orphan)

Claire Clover (Gotham Girl)

Jean-Paul Valley (Azrael)

Julia Pennyworth (Penny-Two)

Tiffany Fox (Batgirl)

Harper Row (Bluebird)

Flash

Barry Allen (flash)

Iris Ann West-Allen (Eye in the Sky)

Nora West-Allen (XS)

Bart Allen (Impulse)

Wally West (Kid Flash)

Jesse Chambers Wells (Jesse Quick)

Jenna Marie West (Trajectory)

Joanie Horton (Joanie Swift)

Dr. Caitlin Snow (Killer Frost)

Ronald Ronnie Raymond (Firestorm)

Cisco Ramon (Vibe)

Harrison Wells

Dr. Harrison Harry Wells

Harrison H.R. Wells

Harrison Sherloque Wells

Harrison Nash Wells (Pariah)

Maya Wells

Allegra Garcia (Ultraviolet)

Chester Phineas Runk (Black Hole)

Hunter Zolomon (Zoom)

Julian Albert (Alchemy)

Hartley Rathaway (Pied Piper)

Green arrow

Oliver Jonas Queen (Green Arrow)

Felicity Megan Smoak (Watchtower)

William Clayton (White Feather)

Mia Smoak (Blackstar)

Thea Dearden Queen (Speedy)

Roy William Harper Jr (Arsenal)

Dinah Laurel Lance (Black Canary)

Captain Sara Lance (White Canary)

Rory Regan (Ragman)

Zoe Ramirez (Canarie)

Thomas Tommy Merlyn (Dark Archer)

Sara Diggle (Harbinger)

Emiko Adachi Queen (Green Arrow)

Titans/ Young Justice

Garfield "Gar" Logan (Beast Boy)

Koriand'r Kory Anders (starfire)

Rachel Roth (Raven)

Garth (Aqualad)

Karen Beecher (Bumblebee)

Jaime Reyes (Blue Beetle)

Billy Batson (Shazam)

M'gann M'orzz (Miss Martian)

Evelyn Sharp (Artemis)

Courtney Whitmore (Stargirl)

Mike Dugan (starboy)

Beth Chapel (Doctor Mid-Nite)

Yolanda Montez (Wildcat)

Richard Tyler (Hourman)

Henry King Jr. (Brainwave junior)

Joey Zarick (Zarrick the Great)

Cameron Mahkent (Icicle junior)

Others

Beebo (God of War)

Zatanna (Mistress of Magic)

Leonard Snart (Captain Cold)

Ray Palmer (The Atom)

Martin Stein (Firestorm)

Nate Heywood (Citizen Steal)

Amaya Jiwe (Vixen)

Patrick "Pat" Dugan (S.T.R.I.P.E.)

Lisa snart (Golden Glider)

Marvel

Spider-Man

Peter Parker (Spider-Man)

Miles (Ultimate Spider-Man)

Gwen (Spider-Gwen)

Cindy (Silk)

Michelle (MJ)

Avengers

Clint Barton (Hawkeye)

Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow)

Steve Rogers (Captain America)

Bucky Barnes (Winter Soldier)

(White Wolf)

Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel)

Scott Lang (Ant-Man)

Young Avengers

Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel)

Doreen Allene Green (Squirrel Girl)

X-men

Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch)

Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver)

[avatarskywalker78]

1 and 18?

Tell us about your current project(s)  – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?

I'm currently working on a CSI Miami fic- a show that I'm well aware is extremely flawed and inaccurate but I still love - that will be the first part in a series. This part is set in 1999, and the main character is my OC Amy Evans, a 17-year-old from Maine who finally finds out her biological father's real name - Horatio Caine - and after tracking him down travels to Miami and tells him (and it's confirmed after a DNA test). It's only just started, but I've written the first scene, and what I love most about this - and the rest of the planned series - is the chance to write another parent-child relationship, especially because the show itself never really did much with that despite bringing in Kyle (who's still going to show up, by the way).

18. Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characterisations?) Tell us about them.

The fic above was actually intended as an alternate for the original version of the fic - where Amy joins the team as a CSI in S5 and doesn't find out Horatio is her bio dad until halfway through S6, but this story never really flowed, and I finally had to admit it was because I much prefer the earlier seasons in terms of characterisations and plotlines.

The Shieldmaiden Saga was also going to be a lot different - aside from less OCs and Tommy Merlyn still being dead, Steph and Eddie were actually going to end up together! That was my original intention, that Steph's unrequited love would be returned after the S1 finale (which would play out as in canon except Eddie would fall to an alternate Earth, get healed by Brianna Thawne, and return), and I was all for this! And then I started writing, and realised that given that a theme of my story was that 'friends are just as important', having this happen would absolutely undermine that, and also sometimes unrequited love stays that way and that's fine, so that's no longer happening and Steph's unreturned feelings aren't a major source of angst for her - she loves being his best friend and values that above anything else, and at some point her feelings will fade, and that is a far better path for my story.

Fun meta asks for writers

[shinobirain24]

Prometheus

Real Name: Thomas "Tommy" Malcom Merlyn

Hair color: Black

Eye color: Grey

Alias: Prometheus (alter ego), Tommy (short for his full name)

Family: Malcom Merlyn/Arthur King (Father), Rebecca Merlyn (Mother)

Occupation: Order of the Phoenix member (formerly), League of Shadows (currently), H.I.V.E, triple agent

Goal: Rid the world of Metahumans, Take revenge on Speedy (Lian Harper)

Affiliation: Order of the Phoenix (Formerly), League of Shadows (current), H.I.V.E (triple agent)

Biography:

Tommy Merlyn was born to Malcom and Rebecca Merlyn, who are members of the 100, led by kingpin, Tobias Whale, one of Black Lightning sworn enemies.

His father, Malcom was one of Green Arrow's enemies, Dark Arrow, a top-ranked assassin, alongside his wife, Rebecca. Around the time Tommy was 9-years-old, Dark Arrow and Rebecca were sent on an assignment to eliminate Green Arrow in Washington DC after the League caught word that teenagers were abducted once again after Tobias invested in the Greenlight project, a kind of drug that injected the human body with metahuman powers.

But during a showdown between Dark Arrow and Green Arrow, the building of a warehouse was burning. The Justice League were unable to save either Archer, and as a result they were crushed. This event devastates Rebecca as she took hers and Malcom's surviving son and took him to the League of Shadows in order to take revenge on Metahumans, whom she deemed responsible for the death of her husband, and for Tommy to be the one to avenge him.

Talia accepts Rebecca becoming a member of the League of Shadow, since they shared their hatred towards their enemies and helped trained Tommy to be the roughest assassin. Later at the age of 18, Talia assigned Tommy to go undercover in the temple of The Order of the Phoenix, to assassinate her younger sister, Nyssa Al Ghul.

Tommy joins the Order under the alias, Tommy Weathers (Weathers is his mother's maiden name). During his time training with Nyssa, he met a fellow student, Lian. Both competed to become Nyssa's apprentice, it would eventually turned into a friendly rivalry.

But the more he spent time in the order, the more he fell in love with Lian. And began a relationship with her. But overtime he questions himself on whether or not it was obligated to complete his mission to avenge his father.

Later on in a mission to retrieves the teens captured by the H.I.V.E organization in a ship cargo overseas. Lian took lead of the mission being paired with Tommy. But Tommy took this opportunity to take vengeance on the Light by killing the teens before the process of turning them into metas is completed. And because of this, Lian became very angry with him for killing innocent lives, while Tommy expressed his hate for metahumans as the reason for his father's death.

While Lian understood that Tommy cannot be condoned for this, she told about his actions to Nyssa, and he got expelled as a result. Ashamed for his failure, instead of going back to the League of Shadows, he decided to eradicate the world of metas himself, donning the mantle; Prometheus.

Prometheus would encounter Lian again. Only this time as enemies. Lian would later become Green Arrow's sidekick, Speedy, and the two would battle out while Speedy pursued Brick after he was commiting an act of abducting teens. While he was on the verge of winning, Prometheus looked into Speedy's eyes, and recognized her. But lost to Speedy as she heads on, only to find out that Brick got away with the teens in the cargo.

Prometheus then got away as well following his defeat. Feeling lost after his meeting with Lian again. His reluctance to fight her was because he was still in love with Lian. But he still made up his mind to take out metahumans and the H.I.V.E.

Personality:

While Tommy was too young to remember his father, he worships him despite his history as a criminal and assassin. He would obey his mother, Rebecca without any hesitation.

But during his time undercover in the Order of the Phoenix, Tommy would have a playful rivalry with Lian Harper before becoming infatuated with her, and get romantically involved in the process.

But because before he was using Lian to get near Nyssa Al Ghul and assassinate her, Tommy began to truly love Lian. And would be romantic towards her. But overtime he hid his dark persona as his main goal was to kill Nyssa. But became reluctant to do so after spending time training with the Order of the Phoenix.

But after taking the lives of teens who would become metas, he doesn't feel any remorse due to his prejudice against Metahumans as the ones responsible for his father's death. But at the same time, it angers Lian that meta or not, they were still innocent people that Tommy had killed.

Realizing that he will not be forgiven for this, Tommy accepts the fact that he had already thrown away one thing that made him happy. And that he had already lost Lian, and the one thing that made him feel at peace. After being expelled from the Order, Tommy had no desire to go back to the League of Shadows as they molded him for who had become.

But he still decided to finish the mission in eliminating Metahumans to satisfy both him and his mother. But after an encounter with Speedy, he recognized her as Lian in the process, causing him to feel conflict.

He was also indecisive between completing his mission, and his love for Lian. But whenever he watches her with some other male characters, such as her best friend, Joseph Wilson, Tommy would be jealous, and would be driven to convince her to turn to the life of a rogue and make her his.

And does not hesitate to intimidate her by threatening her loved one. But one thing is for sure that Lian will never turn to his side.

And the reason for his obsession with Lian was because he idolized the former international assassin, Cheshire. Whom he saw as a hope for him to eradicate metahumans, even as a human, he though of her as twice of a killer than anyone, even Talia Al Ghul. And with Lian being Cheshire's daughter, he expected her to be more ruthless than her mother. As he imagined himself standing above the world with Lian by his side as his partner. But it did not go as he wished.

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

👶 & 🎀 + Ivy & Oliver

👶 to meet their child/children + 🎀 for their child/children’s birthday

Olivy have four kids, so this is oldest to youngest!

Thomas Ray Queen ( June 10th, year TBD ) – the eldest, takes after his father 100%. Inherited the Queen family archery skill, fiercely protective of his family, dry sense of humour, heart of gold, feels a lot of pressure to live up to his dad’s legacy & takes on the green arrow mantle; named after Tommy Merlyn & Ray Palmer

FC: Matthew Daddario

Robert John Queen ( December 23rd ) – a vigilante, the perfect mix of his parents. Clever, methodical, always at least ten steps ahead of everyone else. He has a talent for archery but it's not his preferred weapon, and unlike his vigilante siblings, he starts off with a fresh mantle rather than an inherited one. Acting head of Queen Consolidated until Harper is ready to take over; named after Robert Queen & John Diggle

FC: Brenton Thwaites

Thea Laurel Queen ( February 25th ) – third child and eldest daughter, and she’s Ivy’s daughter through and through.  She picks up both the Speedy and Arsenal mantles herself and is the only meta in the family, and much like Robbie she eventually creates her own mantle.  She’s the embodiment of “too smart for her own good” (much like her mother), clever and strategic with a talent for puzzle solving in ways that seem like jumps to anyone else but are actually carefully thought out.  She’s also quite athletic, having always found success in every sport that she tries, but her favourites are soccer, volleyball, gymnastics, and archery. Determined to eventually take over the Vins Vallières & Chevalier De La Reine vinyards; named after Thea Queen & Laurel Lance

FC: Danielle Campbell

Harper Felicity Queen ( October 31st ) – last but certainly not least is the baby of the family, Harper Felicity Queen!  Harper is the only sibling to not have dabbled in vigilantism, instead she fully intends to take over the family businesses (Queen Consolidated and Knight Media specifically) with her father’s stubbornness and persistence and her mom’s cleverness and hard-working nature.  She has an endless supply of hobbies and is still very much in the process of figuring out who she wants to be, but she is equal parts sweet and ambitious and determined to never limit her options in life; named after Roy Harper & Felicity Smoak

FC: Mackenzie Foy

(I also have Mackenzie as a non-FFL oc named Diana Queen who’s also Oliver’s daughter, but she was made after I thought of Mackenzie as an Olivy kid fc)

[cogentranting]

Oliver’s Brothers: Tommy

Oliver has multiple people whom he refers to as his brothers. And I think that designation means a lot whenever he gives it, but I think it holds the most weight in reference to Tommy. I think Oliver and Tommy truly considers each other brothers. 

In a lot of ways Oliver was really more of an only child; Thea is ten years younger than him (it seems likely that it was Moira and Robert’s intent to have only the one kid) so he would have spent the first ten years of his life without siblings, and even after, the relationship between a four-year-old and a fourteen-year-old  or a twelve-year-old and a twenty-two-year-old is not going to be the type of relationship that you think of when you think of siblings. But Oliver did have Tommy, who was also an only child. 

There are multiple conversations where Tommy references seeing Robert like a father. The most significant scene is the conversation at the Chinese restaurant in 1x16 where Tommy talks about his issues with Malcolm and starts listing the things that Robert did for him. But one of his main points with that is that Malcolm left for two years when he was 8, and then after he returned basically froze Tommy out. And because of that Tommy spent most of his time at Oliver’s house. In a way, Tommy was adopted into the Queen family (which is really interesting from Moira and Robert’s perspective considering that the Malcolm affair must have happened right after his return from Nanda Parbat, and that the Robert knew about this or found out at some point. But that’s besides the point). Ever since his mother died, the Queen’s have been the main source of Tommy’s familial relationships. For Oliver’s part, he doesn’t seem to even really remember the time before Tommy’s mother died. Tommy is just a constant presence in his childhood. 

Before the island, Oliver seemed to have had a fair number of people he spent time with, from conversations we see him have with Samantha, Laurel, McKeena, Max Fuller and more. But apart from his family and Laurel, the only person he sought out after coming back from the island is Tommy. Or rather, Tommy is the only one who sought him out. All those people Oliver partied with are nowhere to be found. But Tommy is right there. And Tommy is the one who went all the way to Hong Kong when there was something going on with Oliver’s email--- not even Moira did that. But Tommy did. And Tommy tried to look out for Thea while he was “dead”. And Tommy is present at multiple family only events in the first few episodes of the series. Tommy is firmly a part of the Queen family.

It’s sometimes hard to see what the real core of their relationship is because Tommy is so bad at being emotionally vulnerable (especially at first, and then as he gets better at that, they’re fighting so that affects things), and Oliver is lying about literally everything during that time, but it seems like there’s something really unique in the way they connect, in what they bring out in each other. Oliver is a grounding influence for Tommy, a source of stability during the worst point in his life. And throughout season 1 you see Tommy wanting to connect with Oliver and be vulnerable and talk with him. But with his own struggles, and Oliver’s issues, and half of the stuff they would talk about being Laurel, he just can’t. 

But for Oliver, Tommy is this link to the best parts of who he was before the island. With Tommy, Oliver is more able to have fun and enjoy himself. Oliver never really gets back the part of him that we see even up through the season 1 flashbacks-- the person who jokes around and laughs a lot and is relaxed around other people and who trusts easily-- but there’s glimpses of that person when he’s with Tommy. (I might go so far as to say that Barry reminds Oliver of Tommy in some ways). 

Even years after Tommy dies, his is always among the first deaths that Oliver mentions when he talks about what he’s lost. This was Oliver’s oldest friend, for a long time his closest confidant, the person who knew him best, the person who never judged him (even when he deserved it), the only person from before the island who stuck with him through everything, the person who welcomed him back from the dead without any expectations. And the one person who he had just a completely uncomplicated comradery with.  That’s why at some of his lowest moments in later seasons, it was Tommy who pulled Oliver through. In both  “Three Ghosts” and “Living Proof” Tommy is the one Oliver imagines there telling him to keep fighting-- not his mother, not Laurel, not his father or Yao Fei or Shado. Tommy. And more than that Tommy tells him in “Three Ghosts” “you’re a hero” and then in “Living Proof” tells Oliver that his best traits are “loyalty, selflessness, courage and compassion”. Both these moments are huge in influencing Oliver’s concept of himself. And it’s Tommy’s voice that he allows to make that impact. Tommy is the one who’s faith in him means so much. Tommy is the one who he trusts to tell him that he’s worthwhile. Tommy he trusts to call him a hero. 

And in the finale, when Oliver gets the chance to set the world right, it’s his family members who he bends time itself to get back: his mother, his sister, Quentin who is like a father to him, and his brother Tommy. 

[halfthealphabet]

Laurel Deserved Better

in a perfect world (where i had power in arrowverse) laurel and oliver would have paralell journeys and become best friends and recognize they can't handle a romantic relationship (they are such a mess and bring out the worst in each other and need some freaking distance) 

have him be one of her mentors, alone with sara and ted and nyssa until she becomes a full fledged hero 

tommy and felicity broing together and pining because they are convinced their crushes are in love with someone else and laurel and oliver getting drunk over tommy and felicity spending more and more time together and being too good for them

(obviously oliver x felicty and laurel x tommy are still endgame) (and tommy never died) 

diggle would also be supporting her lawyer career because i think that’s so important too, and help her figure out how to protect the kids in the glades who have absolutely nothing (also he’d get more screen time and he and oliver would get more of their partnership, which i think really vanished after like season 2 even though its one of the best parts, but that’s a separate post) 

thea would be there and laurel would tell her about her vigilanting and thea would join, as a way to connect to roy, who she still misses 

anyways laurel would be like, on team arrow for a season and then get her own team and then her own show (birds of prey, with thea and helena and sara and nyssa felicity guest starring) (listing all these women make it so obvious how few women are in this show urgggg) (but basically add anyone you want to it, they deserve better) (and then she wouldn’t have died, there wouldn’t be any fridging, heck, maybe even black siren could join them, that would be fun, right?) 

[merlyn-bane]

i can't understand people that love cody but don't like mace or luminara. they would literally be best friends. cody and mace have the best curated book club and reading list you've ever seen and talk shit about about the core worlds theater scene together and cody and luminara have spreadsheet dates and commiserate over their siblings refusing to ever use the fucking shared spoogle calendar. they all tell the driest jokes you've ever heard and they are the funniest motherfuckers in the galaxy. i know these to be facts. open your eyes. see the light

[kirbybecomesastarwarrior]

Once again I thank you all so much for supporting me during the Kirby OC Tournament. Especially all my followers & mutual who humored me with all the poll reblog stuff.

As promised the lore. (And I've been cooking this turkey for a while and it's ready to come out of the oven.)

Fair Warning contains spoilers... I will not be explaining all the details of what happening. This is incredibly vague & via musical... so I won't spoil that much (since this does take place during the final arc... Void Termina Saga). The events that are being shown do not happen exactly how they are portrayed, however the essence of what's happening is the same.

Morgan shall be singing "Last Midnight from Into the Woods,"

Spoiler warning, (More drawn content is contained below)

(OH NO WHAT'S HAPPENING TO KIRBY...Sorry, I can't explain it just yet... Nor why Meta Knight's mask is broken in half... maybe he got into a fight or something, hold the phone I thought Galacta was trapped in insanity... what happened... Sorry if I tell anything of that it'll spoil the good stuff)

Dame Morgan: It's the Last Midnight

So in summary: After they refuse to hand Kirby over, Morgan reveals there's a traitor in their midst... Fumu is the reason why Kirby is in the state he is in (Fumu is currently regretting her life choices). Leaving Meta & Gala shocked, and scared to death at Kirby's current state, while Kirby is sad, and betrayed again...~

And Morgan just having herself a time, living her best life~

In the KBASW series, she tricks three major characters:

Namely: Queen Ripple, Hyness, and Fumu/Tiff. (the most devastating one she tricks)

Dame Morgan is basically a mixture of: "The Witch" from Into the Woods, Morgan from (Merlin's 2008 TV series), Eris from Sinbad (she has the voice of Eris), and the Joker from Batman.

Morgan represents the opposite of Celestine... (via Morgan vs. Merlyn wizard rivalry) The Anti-Celestine so to speak~

The one person she hates more than Arthur is Merlyn/Celestine.

Celestine sees magic as a tool, not a solution or the answer to your problem... promoting true self-improvement comes from within. For there will always be...: another bridge to cross, another monster to slay, another woods to go into. The only way to ever truly be prepared in this world is to learn from each other... and to be kind to one another & share the experience. If you cheat your way throw life will just get harder and move with you... Being better and leading a good example will inspire others to be better along with you.

The change starts within, with us...

While Dame Morgan:

Life is unfair, you play by their rules, you follow the system, sacrifice everything to fit the mold, and yet you can still be cheated out of what you deserve...

And you're telling me I should just "hang in there," "hold on", "it's gonna be okay eventually keep smiling".... nah? Let's stop "pretending to be good", everybody is just in it for themselves so... if you do that you're just a fool waiting to be tricked.

Why not live just for yourself... why not cheat back... why not be the bad guy? That's why her theme is "Stella Jang(스텔라장) _ Villain(빌런)

Morgan represents the easy way out, a quick fix... to blame someone else...an escape. How did she obtain this dark magic... The Jamba Heart...Granting everyone's selfish desires... the reason why everyone falls for it is because she has the charisma to make the offer far too tempting and to pass it up, no.

And guess who was her first customer... Hyness~

The biggest change I probably did the to mix anime & game lore. (Kirby Star Allies) In KBASW AU... Morgan the one who convinced Hyness the Jamba Heart was what he needed to restore his clan. It's the reason she's able to stay hidden for a long while...Allowing the negative to naturally corrupt him and use him as a figurehead...

Despite giving him the Jamaba Heart... she did not tell him exactly how to break the seal on Termina... (Whoops she must have forgotten, how clumsy of her...) Purposely having him fail~

However, the secret to this lies with... FUMU!? Due to the reincarnation of the first ruler of Dreamland... she holds the key to unsealing & controlling Void Termina... She throws them to the wrong person. She's very much tricked into thinking she's helping "Kirby," but... yeah this happens instead.

And of course, there's always a price... though once you do realize you've been bamboozled, she'll remind you that she gave you a choice... Ultimately making you realize it's your own fault at the end of the day. Very much rubbing your head in the mess you've made for yourself. (which is exactly what she's doing to Tiff/Fumu right now.)

In summary, she pretty much invites you to be your worst self; she's the villain but deliciously so! :3

[prider-parker-imaginations]

Imagine you, Malcolm Merlyn’s child, being a metahuman.

Malcolm Merlyn was far from winning a father of the year award. Being his child was difficult. Your relationship with him was difficult. Your relationships with pretty much everyone were difficult. He was distant and overcontrolling at the same time. He took little time to listen to you yet somehow knew almost everything about your life, as though it were his business to know. In short, he was not an easy man to have as a father.

Then you got your powers and everything became even more complicated.

Did becoming a metahuman constitute a midlife crisis? Even if it didn’t, it was still a massive change. You were happy to pray to any god you could think of thanking them your outward appearance hadn’t changed. At a glance, you still looked just like the old [f/n] struggling under their father’s thumb. But something had changed, something fundamental. And, despite how hard you tried to hide it, it frightened you.

And your father was very good at sensing fear.

You felt like a prisoner in your own skin. The more you tried to hide the change, the more it seemed to want to burst free. And you were running out of excuses for the little incidents. You started sneaking out a few nights a week to use your powers. You had too much energy that needed to get out into the world. And, as frightening as it was, it felt good. It was something that was yours. Your father hadn’t given it to you. It was simply yours. Your small act of rebellion. You knew it would be short-lived. Your father was clever. He would figure things out eventually. But for now, your gift, your curse, belonged to you.

Gif Credit: Merlyn

[absentlyabbie]

Flommy. Soulmate AU of sorts. Kiiiind of canon divergence, very loosely.

First, the canon divergence:

So all the pre island shit still happens. Rebecca Merlyn dies when her son is eight years old. Her husband abandons their child to gnash his teeth on a global tour and develop his plan for class warfare and eventual class genocide. Thea Queen is conceived and born. Tommy Merlyn grows up under neglect and contempt as his father manipulates and strong arms his fellow one percenters into committing to his deeply shady undertaking, becoming more criminal and morally bankrupt the deeper they all get into Malcolm’s plan. Oliver Queen grows up lost and misunderstood and acts out as badly as a rich white boy can until he’s looking to sabotage every relationship he has (that isn’t with Tommy) because he doesn’t like himself and doesn’t know who else to be.

Instead of boarding a boat to China that Malcolm sabotages, setting into motion the chain of events that make Ollie into the Hood, the Queen men elect to fly. (Not sure yet how Sara is involved but she probably is; also the flight thing might not be how it goes down) and Malcolm has them kidnapped before they reach the airport.

It’s a huge national story. Billionaire CEO and playboy heir abducted and missing for three weeks. No calls for ransom. No leads. So many tabloid stories being nasty at Moira and about Robert’s history of infidelity.

Meanwhile, Oliver and Robert are held at an obscure facility as both are interrogated and at times tortured, as Malcolm seeks to know how, he believes, Robert is planning to betray him.

Robert gives away nothing, but two weeks in, Oliver is in terrible shape, often tortured to try and break Robert. Robert in their cell does his shitty confession and putting his burdens on his son, making Oliver memorize names and dirty deals and connections and giving him cryptic clues to a cache of incriminating evidence against Malcolm and all the others. Then Robert makes a half assed escape attempt, wresting a gun from a guard and trying to force them to set them free. When it’s clear that won’t work, he apologizes to Oliver and shoots himself in the head, hoping that with no more reason to hold him, they’ll let Oliver go.

Oliver, crazed by grief and days of torture, violently assaults the remaining two captors, disabling one. Little does he realize the authorities have found them and the FBI sweeps in just as Oliver finishes beating a guard to death.

This helps get him into the situation that comes next.

Oliver ends up turning state’s evidence. To protect his mother and sister, to get revenge for his father, and because he is threatened with a trial by agent Amanda Waller.

So, traumatized, changed forever, and on a mission, Oliver can’t bear to return to Starling. When Tommy tries to visit him, before it’s known it was Malcolm behind it all, the encounter goes very badly. Oliver is dark, angry, obsessed. They feel impossibly far from one another. Tommy goes home heartbroken and feeling abandoned again. Oliver pursues revenge disguised as justice. This however leads only to more pain.

Two revelations come at the same time: his mother was as deep in as his father and therefore could be subject to prosecution, regardless of the pressures that put her there. Also, at last, the man behind it all. Malcolm Merlyn, his best friend’s father.

Oliver knows this will destroy Tommy’s life. For that alone he would hesitate. But. But. Malcolm is poison. A monster. And he has only one chance to broker a deal to save his mother, and giving up Tommy’s father is it.

And so, the Undertaking is averted, but its full scope revealed to all. Malcolm is arrested and charged. Oliver could only bring himself to tell Tommy at the last minute. The two are in such hurt and anger they do not speak for the next few years. Still, Tommy does testify at his father’s trial. For the state. He corroborates details and speaks to Malcolm as a father: cold, cruel, exacting and contemptuous. Tommy is dragged in the press plenty on his own. The final nail in the coffin of it all is when Malcolm flies into a rage at the Merlyn house the last day of the trial and almost kills his son.

Malcolm is sentenced to life in prison for numerous crimes, including conspiracy to commit domestic terrorism and attempted murder of his own child. In prison, soon after, he is killed in a prison riot (actually dead or orchestrated disappearance? Who knows.)

Meanwhile Tommy is left to grieve and process and pick up the shattered pieces of his life. The Queens leave Starling, and Oliver becomes almost a hermit to, like, bodybuild and try to psychologically heal and hopefully stay out of Waller’s clutches. Tommy stays in Starling, his trust and assets and inheritance tied up or seized at large by the federal government, the board of Merlyn Global desperately seeking a rebranding or possibly overall firesale, and the city and world in general associates his last name with violent class hatred and corruption.

Years pass. Oliver and Tommy don’t talk. Oliver does not return to Starling. Tommy regains fractions of his fortune over time, maybe opens a business, definitely opens several clinics, charities, and nonprofits across the city. To some he is a hero, a prince of redemption. To others he’ll never shine bright enough to be free of his father’s shadow. Laurel is his good friend and he has been quietly repressedly in love with her for some time, and doing nothing about it.

Now,  the concept:

Soulmates happen, though they’re referred to as soul bonded. They’re not always romantic relationships. It’s a metaphysical bond between people uniquely suited to understand, support, and be complemented by one another.

Being bonded is not a given. It happens, not infrequently, but not so much so that everyone can assume it will happen to them.

Being bonded also doesn’t mean there can’t be breakdowns in the relationship. It’s still something you have to choose to work at. Being bonded just means really that this is a person so well suited to being a vital part of your life, why wouldn’t you choose to work at maintaining it?

So. The way it works. You encounter a person who is your bond partner in the wild, and a mark appears, typically near the chest region, often over the heart or center of the sternum (anomalies do occur.) You can’t miss it because it appears with a feeling almost like you’ve been branded, and it’s described by those who experience it as an electric current tethering you suddenly to your bond partner. You become hyper aware of them.

To outsiders, the bondmark is unmistakable. They couldn’t draw it or describe it in detail, but there is something visceral in the human brain that recognizes it, and recognizes when they match. Even when directly photographed, this holds true to observers.

In this way, bond marks cannot be copied or forged. They cannot be imitated with tattooing or obscured by scars or burns.

(Because even in stories I’ll never write I go hard on world building.)

The bond does confer certain unique connections. Not like telepathy or viewing through one another’s eyes or walking in dreams. But that hyper awareness of your bond partner doesn’t go away. It’s almost an empathetic awareness. It hums, and it carries non verbal understanding, and it feels most settled and right when the partners are together and spend time with one another as best suits who they both are and the dynamic they establish between them.

New bonds are tricky. They are intense and absorbing, and can even be uncomfortable and strange and almost obsessive at times. This newness can last for a period of typically three to eight weeks. This period is referred to as “settling.”

It’s the time during which the new bond through physical and psychological stimuli encourages the new partners to get to know and become comfortable and familiar with one another.

This is typically characterized as a time when new bond partners have difficulty focusing on things unrelated to their partner for long stretches, and a need to not just be in each other’s presence, but often physical contact. This may mean cuddling, sitting closely, thoughtless, casual intimate touches. Ignoring or denying these settling urges can lead to physical discomfort, anxiety, and emotional and mental distress.

Bond partners who are romantically or just physically suited often get rapidly intimately involved during this period, though that doesn’t always mean it will stay that way, and it’s not a given.

(You can be bonded to more than one person, of course. Multiple people can even be bonded to each other. For now the idea is Flommy but let’s not pretend OT3 isn’t always an option with me and it’s definitely an option this concept allows for.)

That’s the other thing, though. First: bonds do not manifest until after maturity, typically no earlier than age 20.

Second, and this is the thing least understood: bonds most often manifest when mature partners first encounter one another. BUT not always, especially with people who knew each other prior to maturity.

There’s a lot of theories, most popular that the bond manifests when both partners are ready to be bonded, or in other words, have grown into the version of themselves truly suited to their partner. But no one really knows. It’s not an exact science.

And plenty of scientific research has indeed been done on soul bonding. There’s a department of the national health organization dedicated to it, legal provisions made for bonded partners, including work and school accommodations for those in the settling period.

(Settling can typically be physically measured through hormones via bloodwork.)

There are societal benefits to bonded relationships after all. Bonded partners tend to be more stable members of society, the possibility of your bonded being anyone promotes empathy, outreach, and social safety nets being extended more broadly, and on the local scale, many studies have shown that bonded partners have a stabilizing, sometimes even calming effect on their immediate social groups and environments.

And of course, there’s plenty of media romanticism of bonded relationships. It’s the biggest subgenre of romance books and films, but is often prevalent in all other genres, especially popular in law enforcement/war story/etc stories.

Now for the actual story:

Tommy visits Queen Consolidated one day to try and woo the board into partnering with one of his charities. He leaves uncertain if they will take it as an opportunity for redemptive PR or treat associating with a man named Merlyn like bathing in radioactive waste. On his way out through the lobby, he literally runs into a cute blonde he wouldn’t have really glanced at twice.

And nothing will ever be the same.

The bonding is instant, electric, and undeniable. However, it is also... unwelcome.

Neither of them is remotely happy that it happens.

Tommy is in love with Laurel and has been talking himself into making a real move. This is the worst timing. And bonding or not, the idea of letting someone get close to him like that is terrifying. He has been abandoned and betrayed and discarded his whole life. In his mind, not even a bonding can make someone want to keep him around in any capacity.

And if they do, he would think it was only because they “had to” because that bond. That’s not how bonding works, but it’s a popular and persistent misconception.

And new bonds can put serious strain on preexisting relationships. When opposite sex, attraction-compatible partners are bonded, the general public has a hard time believing it’s not sexual and/or romantic, and even still insecurity and jealousy from nonbonded romantic partners can complicate matters.

So Tommy is exasperated and suspicious and unhappy.

Felicity is no happier, however.

New bondings require mandatory paid leave from work during the settling period and Felicity has been trying to make advancement finally happen in her career at QC. And bonding leave has historically had a more negative effect on women’s career trajectory than men’s.

It’s still our world, unfortunately.

It’s no different than women starting families.

Beyond even just the career implications, however, Felicity has never wanted to be bonded. Not in any way she’d admit to anyways.

Her parents were bond partners. And still her father walked away from them when she was six.

Her mother, when she is drunk and feeling reflective, will admit they were never meant to be romantic partners. He was her best friend. They rarely slept with each other after settling, but it wasn’t never. The pregnancy wasn’t planned. Donna was delighted. Her husband had never wanted children.

And while he loved Felicity, he never really took to fatherhood. The strain broke down their relationship. And even bonded, when you stop communicating, and circumstances are adverse to both partners’ needs being met, and you stop working on your relationship... no relationship is perfect or safe forever from hurt. Not even a soul bonded one.

(Because in my concept, being soulmates isn’t a magical fix for everything. It’s too much an easy button sometimes. I find that dissatisfying.)

Now, what happened between Felicity’s parents isn’t impossible. It’s even understandable, if tragic nonetheless. And her father still made cruel choices in abandoning them and never returning.

But Felicity was six and it hurt her deeply while her ideas of the world were still forming. She decided as she grew up that bonding was bullshit and looking to be bonded so you could feel safe or be happy was asking to get your heart broken, a fairy tale you would be stupid to trust.

So now here she is, bonded to someone whose last name is almost synonymous with domestic terrorism, who doesn’t want to be bonded either, and is in love with someone else. And right when she’s trying to take control of her career, too. Add to that how impossible it will be to maintain her happily anonymous life when bonded to one of Starling’s most infamous sons and none of this looks like a good time.

But you can’t take back a bonding. You can’t undo or break it. Some people are made to have a home in your heart, and the best you could do is evict them and board it up. Still leaves a chamber empty. You can live with it, but you’ll always feel it. And the settling is unavoidable. Even if you choose to never see each other again after, you have to get through settling first.

(You cannot, by the way, be bonded to someone who would truly abuse you. If they would rape or willingly harm you, they’d never be the person so suited to you that you were bound.)

Like there are ways to get through settling on the bare minimum. If both partners are not interested in fostering their connection to its full potential, they can do the least possible to get through settling with minimal discomfort, then simply choose to drift apart and not keep up with each other or stay in contact. (Even then, though, you’re still bonded. Sometimes you’ll just Know something is happening. You’ll feel the urge to reach out, to look in on their life. Hearing about them will always make you pensive for a while. But it’s up to you what to do about any of that.)

Felicity got this far forcefully assuming she’d never be bonded with anyone. Insisting to herself and anyone who asked that she actively didn’t want to be. Tommy had always thought if he bonded with anyone it’d be Oliver. And when that didn’t happen at 20, and things fell out as they did, he assumed... well. He was too broken. Too fundamentally unlovable. Too tainted by the loneliness of his childhood and the selfish monstrosity of his father. His parents weren’t bonded. They chose each other completely on their own, was how his mother put it. He used to think that was even more romantic. As he got older he talked himself into believing it was because of how terrible and cold a person Malcolm was, incapable of bonding equally to anyone at all. Talked himself into believing he must be enough like his father to be similarly incapable of bonding.

(And you know, in every soulmate au I’ve ever toyed with that’s held true. Tommy has always assumed it would be Oliver.)

So when the bond happens to Tommy and Felicity completely out of the blue, two perfect strangers, oh they are pissed. And resistant. They assume they will get through settling and never bother one another ever again if they can manage it.

They want very much to keep it quiet.

That lasts less than a day.

After all, it happened in public. Bondings aren’t entirely commonplace but they’re not rare. If you’ve ever witnessed one, you knew it. That sense of electric connection isn’t imaginary, and at point of contact, can be felt like a ripple by those around the connection. Like holding your hand up to an old tv boxset screen just after turning it off.

All it takes is for someone to follow the feeling back and realize they recognize one of the people now staring at each other with their hands on their chests.

A call to a newspaper or tabloid. “Tommy Merlyn just got soul bonded in the lobby of Queen Consolidated!”

The news is spreading before Tommy and Felicity are even properly grappling with it. By the time they’ve had their first conversation and already decided they want to settle quietly and go their separate ways, it’s already a Twitter rumor and the trashiest tabloid in town is putting out speculation about the mystery bond partner of the infamous Merlyn son.

So. Tommy and Felicity don’t get to settle quietly. The first dent in Felicity’s knee jerk hostility towards Tommy is when he immediately works to do what he can to keep her identity concealed once it’s out there that she exists, just not who she is.

Things get complicated fast too. They can’t keep her identity hidden for long at all, though it matters that Tommy tries, and when higher ups at QC find out that the new bond partner of Tommy Merlyn is an employee of theirs (and a bonafide trending topic), it shifts their standing on his proposal for partnership.

He was right that they were leaning towards not partnering with his charity out of a conservative desire to keep the Merlyn and Queen names still separate. It’s only been five years after all. But as interest in Felicity grows it will be impossible to avoid connection since she works there, and if they fired her to try and cover their asses they’d open themselves up to a lawsuit and public backlash. It’s bad optics to make employment decisions based on a person’s bond partner(s), and if provable is illegal in certain circumstances. It’s also wildly unpopular with the public.

So they pivot to cozying up and trying to maximize on it. They’ll do the partnership and even go over the requested funding, but only if Felicity agrees to participate in the PR push. They intend to go with the partnership/redemption/community healing spin.

And won’t it look pretty to partner with a Merlyn charity for lower income health care initiatives with Tommy Merlyn showing up with their employee, much closer to that class than his own, on his arm.

All of this is complicated by the initiative rolling out the pr push during their settling period, a time most new partners choose to stay out of public by and large.

It can be pushed back slightly, but not enough.

So that will be Felicity’s first public appearance as bond partner to Tommy Merlyn, at a donor gala soliciting funding for free clinics and other low income healthcare initiatives.

In the meantime, they have to actually deal with their settling period, and hope they can be balanced enough at the time of the gala not to be petting each other in front of the press corps.

After all, what happens when you have two deeply lonely and desperately touch starved people bonded at the soul level?

Intense need and desire for physical contact.

Most new partners actually move in together during their settling period because need for prolonged physical contact between bond partners is extremely common.

Think Tommy running his hand up and down Felicity’s arm. Felicity absently playing with his hair when they’re alone. And Felicity’s gala dress will have a plunging neckline (showcasing the mark) and an even more plunging back. Tommy will not be able to stop running his hand down her spine. He isn’t even conscious of it most of the time. She hardly is either, just unconsciously leaning into the instinctive comfort of it. But there will be plenty written about it before press time the next day.

The touching starts soon in the settling process. Before they realize it tbh. They’re angrily telling each other they don’t want this and yet they keep touching each other. Hand on her arm to pull her out of the lobby to talk privately. Pushing at his chest to underscore her point. Etc.

He probably guides her to an unused conference room or whatever and she probably immediately ignores him to start unbuttoning her shirt in a panic, looking for her mark, brand new and right smack in the middle between her breasts. Tommy wigs out at that and they’re on the wrong foot from the jump.

(Tommy’s is upper left pectoral. Literally right above his heart)

“Whoa! Whoa whoa whoa, I did not drag you in here for sex, stop undressing!”

“Shut up! I need to see it. Don’t you need to see it? I can feel it. Oh my god. Oh my god, this can’t be happening to me. Do you see it? Tell me this isn’t real.”

They probably argue until the frustrated tears in her eyes lead him to suddenly unbutton his own shirt and prove to them both the marks are real.

But every second since the bonding that electric hum ratchets up til it’s an impossible to ignore itch. They part ways at some point, within hours after, but it’s hardly dark out before Felicity is getting in her car. She tells herself she’s just too damn ansty to be still and needs to go driving. She winds up outside his apartment building without even knowing that’s where she is. He thinks he’s gone downstairs to take a walk and sees her instead.

So Felicity goes up to Tommy’s place once they realize they were literally being drawn to each other. She spends the night there. They talk long into the night, admittedly a lot of it arguing and snarking, but once they’re sitting on the couch with no space between them he starts playing with her fingers without even realizing it. Once they do, they both just watch his fingers toying with hers in loaded silence until she abruptly bursts into tears.

He’s startled, panicking and trying awkwardly to comfort her and please tell him if he did something wrong. But she’s so frustrated with her tears and it’s making her cry harder. She only barely, figuring it out out loud, manages to articulate that she can’t remember the last time someone just touched her like this, and it’s killing her, and she doesn’t want him to stop and that scares her.

And he terrifies himself by nearly crying too because fuck he gets that. He wants so badly for her to just please let him keep touching her like this, because it hurts how much his skin aches to touch another person so simply, just simple human contact, and he’s not sure that’s okay and why would she want to let him touch her, and how do you even ask for things like that without sounding like a creep?

And she doesn’t look at him like he’s evil incarnate, or the son of it. It helps that she moved to Starling after it all happened. She heard about it, but in the abstract way you hear about local taxes going up, or how everyone hates that one sports team.

He was an abstract concept. She didn’t research him or read the articles or follow his big moves into charity work.

He’s just a person to her.

He’s just himself.

Everyone has baggage.

His is just larger scale as far as she’s concerned.

Not that they get into that right away. That first night is still kinda awkward. The getting to know you small talk mixed with late night slumber party deepness interspersed with bouts of silence and a whole lot of cautious casual touching.

But it does make them realize that they’re going to have to deal seriously with being bonded and especially settling.

Whiiiich necessitates certain moves.

First, Felicity has to deal with work. Before the board has moved on their big idea, she puts in her notice of bonding, starting the paperwork to initiate her government mandated settling leave.

The process is completed by a doctor's note stating that bloodwork shows she is indeed in the settling phase of bonding.

Which precipitates their next stop.

Most hospitals and clinics have specialists for this sort of thing. Not just for bloodwork but for sort of... entrance counseling. They talk to the partners separately, confirm bloodwork, provided documentation legally recognizing the bond, and if the partners choose, they can then also be counseled together. It’s the point at which most people get their questions answered about both being bonded and the settling process.

In his individual session, Tommy is probably asking questions about the practicalities of settling, and how to maintain relationships outside a settling bond, and what to do about being in love with someone else while the bond is making you focus on a different person entirely.

(His doctor, a handsome black man in his later thirties, smiles in amusement at that and reminds him not all bonds are romantic and they are certainly not automatically exclusive of other relationship possibilities.)

But Felicity.

Felicity is after the numbers and statistics. How many bondings go badly, what’s the average length of a settling period, what percentage are platonic vs romantic, and do bond partners who are attraction-compatible always end up romantically or sexually involved or can they remain platonic from the start?

So many questions. Her doctor is a youngish Latina woman, close to 30, maybe a little past, and she takes Felicity’s frenzied questions in stride, patient and reassuring but not condescending. When Felicity asks that last question the conversation veers a bit.

“Do you want the speech I’ve already given you about your continued autonomous freedom to choose and control over your actions? Or do you want more numbers and statistics?”

“Numbers, please. Unknowns bother me. Not like scare me, but they bother me, I just need to know, I need cold, hard numbers. Numbers are trustworthy, numbers are reliable.”

He doctor gives her a tolerantly skeptical look. “The cold, hard numbers it is then. In most studies and surveys, the numbers have been pretty consistent. This doesn’t change anything I said about choice or your control over your decisions, but statistics wise? Typically, for attraction-compatible partners, in all honesty, it’s above 80% odds that the partners at some point become romantically or sexually involved. It doesn’t always remain that way, but that’s the odds of involvement at some point over the lifetime of the bond.”

Felicity gapes. “Eight... eighty percent? More than eighty percent?”

Doc nods. “More than 80%. Of course, that does include brief flings and even oneoff intimate encounters. Are you ready for more numbers?” Felicity gulps and nods. “About 93% of those partners get romantically or sexually involved during the settling period. Even if it never happens again, if it’s going to, the odds are overwhelmingly in favor of it being during the most intense period of the bond, while it’s still new and the partners haven’t found their balance quite yet. After all, it’s a very absorbing, intensely emotional period.”

Felicity sits there looking poleaxed. The doc looks at her a little pityingly. “Still prefer those numbers?”

Felicity groans and falls backward on the examination table. “So I’m definitely going to sleep with him? Or, ugh, fall in love with him?”

The doc shakes her head, rolling her eyes heavenward while Felicity isn’t looking. “Not definitely. But it’s a strong possibility.” Felicity muffles a low scream in her forearms. The doc snorts and, when Felicity sits back up, smiles brightly. “But hey, even if it does happen you don’t have to worry about getting pregnant. Protection is still best in all cases, but an aspect of the hormone cocktail that indicates the settling period does preclude the possibility of successful conception.”

Felicity is not really reassured by this.

So Tommy asks the existential questions at the clinic and Felicity asks how screwed (ha) they are by statistics. Neither is feeling particularly awesome about things after their individual counseling sessions but because they are stupid they opt not to also be counseled as a pair.

They’re morons who are resisting the trust and communication aspect of being bonded.

Idk if I’d end up splashing plot around on this thing or just focus solely on the relationship aspect.

Regardless, even if plot, large focus would be on these two getting to know each other during settling and slowly realizing that the bond—and each other—might be exactly what they needed in their lives. It would be hellaaaaa slow burn.

And then there’s the option to expand.

Tommy and Felicity settle before I’d let Oliver butt in, that’s certain. Adding him to the mix too early would be a disaster.

So big focus on Tommy/Felicity relationship development. Lots of talking and cuddling and minor metaphysics. Eventual shift towards the romantic, and its undoubted accompanying angst.

But also possibly some at least minor plot developments in regards to Felicity pushing to further her career, and plenty of entanglement with Tommy’s reputation and unearned notoriety as well as his efforts to make up for his father’s sins by furthering the legacy of his mother’s life’s work.

I’m thinking there miiiight be an incident of some sort at the charity gala.

Not sure if like... an actual attack aimed at Tommy or like disgruntled people going too far.

And I have this line in my head of them like hiding out in a dark spot somewhere and Tommy miserably apologizing for dragging her into his family bullshit. “You were living a normal, safe life until I happened to you. I’m so sorry.”

And Felicity is half ignoring him as she tries to figure out how to help the situation, and just smirks at him wryly. “Please don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re the most interesting thing to ever happen to me.”

And of course at some point in the chaos they’ll get separated and it will drive them crazy, frantically searching through the crowd until they find each other. The photo of them clinging desperately to each other once reunited probably makes a few front pages.

Laurel may or may not be there, and Tommy will no doubt end up deeply conflicted about that.

Felicity at some point follows him around on the job with his various charities and nonprofits he’s either started or is deeply involved in and she develops a troubling passion for the work he does. Troubling because she initially wonders if it’s her own passion or something she’s picking up from him.

She starts making mental notes of things that could be improved.

Not on purpose. But when she notices things that could help she can’t just not tell him of course.

And that’s it that’s the meta thus far.

@abuiltinremedy @sweetme86 @illgiveyouallofme @arrowsgirlfriday @folly1977 @memcjo @it-was-a-red-heeler @karolstrange @hungrytiger11 @adeusminhacolombina @lfcoffee @trinket-the-bear @tosailuponthesea @julandran @fiore-della-valle @deathandindignitybedamned @obscure-sentimentalist @dullbittylife @posterchildforinsanity @msbeccieboo @mell-bell @thebravething @lemmyeatspeaches @soaringcities @inevermindyou @sickandtwisteddoc @acheaptrickandacheesyoneline

[jbuffyangel]

Why did they fire John Barrowman anyways? I always thought Malcolm was the overarching villain of the series and maybe a Season 5 Spike to Arrow’s Scooby gang.

I didn’t think of it as a firing like there was bad blood or something. I felt like it was more the writers ran out of storyline ideas for Malcolm. Not that any of the people in charge of Arrow run things by me or get my opinion. lol 

I never thought of Merlyn as an overarching villain of Arrow. This show very much has the Joss Whedon formula of Big Bad of the year. It’s kind of amazing they kept Malcolm around as long as they did and that’s in large part a credit to John Barrowman’s talent. 

But the main connection Malcolm had to Oliver was Thea and I feel like the writers explored all there was to explore in that relationship. 

I know John always said Malcolm thought of Oliver like a son, but I don’t think Oliver shared the same perspective of their relationship. So, it was getting difficult to keep coming up with reasons for Malcolm to help the team out or for Oliver to keep working with the man who murdered his father. And yes, I know Oliver worked with Slade, the man who killed his mother, but I was side eyeing those episodes and arrangement hard. 

You can absolutely view Malcolm as the Spike to Arrow’s Scooby gang Nonnie and I agree to some extent. However, I’ve been using that analogy for some time now for another character on Arrow - Bl*ck S*ren. KC’s character is Team Arrow’s Spike now and thus far I feel it’s been very successful in Season 7. Not that it makes anymore sense BS is sticking around Star City after Quentin’s death. Quite frankly, she has even less connection to Team Arrow than Malcolm Merlyn. 

That said, I’ve enjoyed BS this year. This new version of LL plays to KC’s acting strengths and it has created a different energy & chemistry with the other characters (particularly Felicity and Oliver) that I like. It’s certainly fine to prefer John Barrowman over KC, but I don’t think we need two characters to fulfill the exact same role. (side eyeing Curtis Holt).  

It’s also true though that Arrow has too many Canaries. It’s always had this problem and adding BS into the fold only exacerbates it. I acknowledge that completely. The good news is we never saw Merlyn die, so it leaves the door open for him to come back. After all, Merlyn is The Magician. I’ll be happy anytime JB comes back, as long as the writers use him effectively, because he’s John Barrowman and I love him.