#smoak queen family

[jbuffyangel]

Second Chance: Arrow 1x18 Review (Salvation)

The villain of the week is one step ahead of Felicity in "Salvation" which gives Oliver the opportunity to be there for HER, as they race to save Roy Harper's life.

And oh holy cow is there Lance family drama y'all. WOW. Scandalous.

Let's dig in...

Olicity

This is one of Arrow’s more suspenseful episodes. Felicity goes toe to toe with the villain of the week and she more than meets her match. This results in one of Arrow's cooler action sequences and some iconic Olictiy moments.

But first, we must work out.

Of all the times Felicity watches Oliver working out, this is my favorite. Emily Bett Richard’s face is hilarious.

Her comic skills are so on point and she brings a much needed levity to the show. But do not deny this woman her dramatic work. She can bring her A game anytime - as we will soon see.

Oliver is off to threaten (or kill?) a dirty real estate developer named John Nichols, who doesn’t mind skipping code requirements if it means saving a buck. Oliver fed up with this guy killing people in the Glades and he’s on the List, so hasta la vista, baby. (Do not deny my my nineties cliché remarks. They bring me comfort and joy.)

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) someone else beats Oliver to it and kidnaps Nichols. Oliver is strangely displeased. I mean... what's the difference? Felicity and I share a brain sometimes, so she asks Oliver on my behalf.

Source: @andjustforthismoment

These two are in their own rom com and we’re just along for the ride. The way he growls “They don’t show my level of restraint,” at Felicity is a lot. Is it really necessary to stand that close to her Oliver? No it’s not. I SEE YOU SIR.

The man who kidnapped Nichols executes him on live television which was super creepy. He definitely has a Heath Ledger as the Joker vibe to him. (Nobody said the comparisons to the Dark Knight are unfair.)

Felicity is unable to crack his encryption code because he’s a former cyber crusader called “The Savior” and the NSA has been searching for him for years.  His real name is Joseph Falk and he erased his existence after his wife was murdered in the Glades.

When he failed to get justice for his wife's death, the Savior took matters into his own hands - not unlike our favorite vigilante. His cyber skills are no joke and give Felicity a real run for her money. She is unable to track him down before he kills Nichols, which leads to a hilarious if frustrated exchange between Felicity and Oliver.

Source: @yet-i-remain-quiet

JUST GET MARRIED.

Things go from bad to worse for Felicity when Falk kidnaps the district attorney. His crime was not prosecuting the person who murdered Falk’s wife. If we were on the fence as to whether Nichols should live or die, then the district attorney snaps us out of the moral grey zone. Prosecutors choose not try cases all of the time for lack of evidence. It doesn’t mean they should die for it.

Source:  msr-olicity-love

Oliver's impatience only heightens Felicity's stress, but she finally gets a location. It’s the middle of the day which means Oliver can’t hood up. So he grabs the motorcycle and his super sexy brown jacket to hunt Falk down and save the DA.

This leads to one of my favorite Arrow action scenes. Falk is not at the location Felicity sends Oliver to, which means he has to sprint across town and leap between buildings to next location. Felicity is completely flummoxed because she doesn't understand how this guy is moving locations. Oliver screaming at her over comms is not particularly helpful either. 

Unfortunately, Team Arrow loses and Falk murders the DA on live television, which is completely traumatizing to Felicity who has never seen anyone die before. 

Oliver returns home to find Felicity alone in the dark, twirling one of his arrows in her hands. Oliver immediately wants to know where Diggle is because he’s probably wondering why John left Felicity all alone in the dark.

Felicity: I asked him to leave me alone in my loud voice.

Source: @westallenolicitygifs

Oliver isn’t going to do the same. He immediately reassures Felicity that it wasn’t her fault (because it isn’t). This is the price of the life they’ve chosen to live. It’s a very lonely one as Oliver knows all too well.

Source: @jamiedornaniseverything

Felicity is understandably feeling defeatist, so it’s one of the rare times she says it’s better to be alone. Oliver doesn’t have much to say in return, but notice how the scene is shot. The entire bunker is dark except for the brightly backlit desk lamp. Oliver and Felicity are the only thing we see in the darkness.

Felicity also mentions her relationship status, which feels like an oddly placed comment. Umm… ok? SHE’S SINGLE AND HETEROSEXUAL GUYS!

I love receiving pieces to the Felicity Smoak puzzle, but this comment felt very out of context. “Hey I’m sad, but I wouldn’t know how to talk to my boyfriend about fighting crime. Good thing I don’t have one.”

It is NOT the fans who create romantic undertones to Oliver and Felicity’s scenes. The writers make it romantic with conversations like this. It’s very easy to keep a scene like this strictly platonic, but nope! The writers decide it’s super important that Oliver knows *right now* that Felicity is single as she pours her heart out to him in her time of need.

The light is equally important, because this relationship (regardless of romantic or platonic) has to be a two way street. Felicity cannot always help Oliver find the light. He has to help her too.

Oliver does come through Felicity by the end of the episode. Not at first because he is equally struggling with the loneliness of the life he’s chosen. He can’t really advise Felicity against being alone because that’s the choice he’s made for himself. So much so, that Diggle takes him out for a burger and a little therapy session. After the disaster zone his past relationships have left in their wake, Oliver is tapping out. He doesn’t require a life, or entanglements, or feelings.

Diggle: You’ve been home for eight months Oliver, I don’t think you’ve left that island yet.

Diggle, per usual, disagrees. He wants Oliver entangled. He wants Oliver as entangled as he can get. It makes you wonder if he has someone specific in mind.

The Savior puts a big mirror up to Oliver’s face. He is man grieving the loss of his wife and chose to channel that rage and sadness into exacting his brand of justice.  Oliver can see himself in Falk and he doesn’t like what he sees.

Being alone leads to exactly that. While Oliver may say he doesn’t want the complexity of relationships and the difficulties they can bring, the reality of living life alone can lead to some pretty terrible results. Falk cut himself off from his humanity. This lead to selecting victims who didn’t deserve to die. If Oliver wants to maintain a moral high ground, make difficult but ultimately right choices, then he needs his humanity fully intact. Humanity requires human contact.

Oliver reaches out to someone first, but it’s not Felicity. It’s L*urel. He wants to have dinner or coffee or whatever because he no longer wants to be on an island.  It’s a nice line. It would have more meaning if we saw that dinner or conversation, but we don't.

Instead we see Oliver return home to the bunker, to Felicity and Diggle, and they debrief their latest Team Arrow victory.  It would be easy to leave this scene at Felicity’s funny remark about Roy and Thea.

Diggle: You ok?

Oliver: Getting there.

Instead, Oliver acknowledges, more to himself, that he’s feeling better because John was right. Then we actually see this rigid man move and in the cutest way possible - with a little "Psst." It is a small yet definitive step towards his second chance.

Oliver approaches Felicity in the now brightly lit bunker and tells her she is not alone. He is there for her always. Felicity may not have a “boyfriend” to talk to, but she has Oliver.

Then he gently touches her shoulder and lets his hand linger there just long enough to even make Felicity wonder if maybe, just maybe, he means more.

Actions speak louder than words.  Oliver may talk about not being on an island anymore with L*urel, but he leaves that island for Felicity.

Roy Harper

What are we doing with Roy Harper? Thus far it’s been a lot of Roy and Thea having the same “make better choices” argument and debate their wildly different economic lots in life. This is all well and good but we eventually need movement on this character and “Unfinished Business” give it to us BIG TIME.

Thea is understandably frustrated when Roy admits he plans to hold up a liquor store because he “owes” people in the Glades and that’s how this town works.

Thea: I got you a job at my brother’s club. You have choices. You don’t have to be a criminal.

Somehow this decision puts Roy in the Savior’s cross hairs. According to Falk, Roy Harper is a gang banger.

Roy has a criminal record and holding up a liquor store with an empty gun is not great, but a freaking death sentence? Calm down crazy. The Savior can’t find bigger fish to fry?

Roy doesn’t make excuses or ask for forgiveness when Falk challenges him to defend himself against his “crimes.” He doesn’t care if he lives or dies (just like someone else we know).

Roy: No one’s gonna miss me. I’m just a waste.

Gut punch. This kid wrecks me. Now Thea is crying in Tommy’s big brotherly-like arms. WE MUST SAVE THE PARKOUR PRINCE!!!

Felicity and Diggle determine Falk is on the old abandoned subway system in Star City, which is why he was moving locations. The Hood finds Roy before Falk can pull the trigger and they engage in a morality debate, which thankfully isn’t broadcasted across the whole city after the feed is cut off. Or maybe the city should have heard Oliver’s arguments.

Oliver: I understand being alone, but it doesn’t give you the right to kill people in cold blood.

The Savior challenges Oliver on the difference between them and, once again, he doesn’t have a lot to say. There's minimal morality wiggle room for Oliver. The only difference between the Savior and the Hood is the people they are choosing. Oliver wasn’t wrong at the beginning of the episode. He has more restraint. He also has a better list of names. The Savior should ask for a couple.

Killing the District Attorney and kidnapping Roy Harper show that Falk is very bad at being judge, jury and executioner. Arrow is putting other vigilantes up against Oliver to show that he is better. There is a good heart under that hood – a potential superhero’s heart. Oliver’s morals and how he measures the sins of others are more just, but that doesn’t make him right. These distinctions we are drawing between Oliver and people like Falk and Helena are merely shades of grey. He is balancing on a very razor thin edge.

Oliver begs Falk to give Roy a second chance, but is forced to put an arrow in him when he refuses. “Salvation” is asking an important question. Who is worthy of a second chance? And who decides who is worthy?

Killing not only ends someone’s life it removes the possibility for change. There is a clear distinction between a man like Nichols and Roy Harper. There should be consequences to sinful actions, but what sins warrant death and what sins warrant forgiveness? Who decides? It’s a question we grapple with constantly in our imperfect legal system and it’s one Oliver Queen must answer as the city’s self appointed protector.

Roy is an easy call to make. He made mistakes, but he is deserving of a second chance. However, the question of whether he is worthy of it can only be answered by Roy Harper.  As he pulls the small arrow that saved his life out from his pocket, Roy is illuminated by a bright red light – a not so subtle nod to the Red Arrow. 

And thus a hero’s journey begins with a second chance.

The Lance Family

This week on Loving the Lances… Dinah returns home with hopes of resurrecting their dead daughter but family secrets were unearthed instead. Dun dun dunnnnn!!!!

L*urel is on her own show, so I thought I’d give it a proper soap opera name. She never intersects with Oliver’s storyline except when she randomly pops up at the club looking for Tommy, but I digress. In all seriousness, this episode is pretty damn good because some scalding hot tea was spilled!

Dinah is CONVINCED that Sara is alive because she had the exact same baseball cap as the woman in the photo. This is such a weird detail to hang all her hopes on. Does Dinah think Sara was holding the rockets hat in her hand while she was swept out to sea? What’s with the hat? I HAVE QUESTIONS.

Long story short, Sara is truly dead. L*urel finds the woman in the photo. She’s American, spent some time in China and owns a Starling City Rocket’s hat. We’re going to pretend the Chinese Embassy can find some rando in a photo and deliver her name to L*urel in five seconds flat. Also, Oliver confirms once again Sara is dead and he never lies so we’re all good.

But now we can get to the really interesting part of this little Lance drama unfolding before us. L*urel has the same questions about the hat as I do! I am wildly uncomfortable being this much in agreement with her, but here we are.

Dinah came home while Sara was packing for her little get away with Oliver. She watched Sara pack the hat. Dinah told her not to go, but Sara said she was in love and following her heart even though others may not think it is right. Just like Dinah did with Quentin (side note – what’s the story on those two?)

Dinah: So I let her go. I killed my daughter.

HOLY FRIGGIN CRAP! MOMMY KNEW ABOUT THE CHEATING AND NOT ONLY DID SHE NOT SAYING ANYTHING TO L*UREL SHE LET SARA GO ON THE DAMN BOAT!!

This family is so jacked up. They make the Queens look halfway normal. Y’all I don’t even know what to do with this information. HOT. MESS. EXPRESS.

Clearly Dinah is riddled with guilt and is desperate to find Sara alive to erase the terrible decision she made, but she can’t erase it. Just like Oliver can’t.

Somehow this betrayal almost feels worse than what Oliver and Sara did. Alright, maybe that’s too harsh, but it feels just as bad. It feels like Dinah was taking sides and she chose Sara. 

I really need a therapy session with these women to unpack all that, but this is Arrow and L*urel doesn’t get that much screen time. The best we’ll get is an awkward hug and L*urel asking her mother to call her sometime.

What L*urel is offering is a generous second chance. Perhaps she’s realized that forgiveness is less painful than holding onto all the anger and hurt. Perhaps Oliver coming home and her mother’s time away made her realize she wants Dinah in her life than not at all. It’s really only a decision L*urel can make, but it’s a chance Dinah needs to jump on. She didn’t stop being a mother when Sara died. L*urel needs her too.

Stray Thoughts

L*urel advises Thea to run from the bad boys. Snort. So it’s a “do what I say, not what I do” type of advice day.

Moira serves Frank up on a platter to Malcolm Merlyn as the person who hired Deadshot. Moira’s hands are getting pretty damn bloody.

It has to be hard on L*urel to see that the only time her parents can be in a room together, affectionately touching, and being on the same team, is when they are searching for Sara. I really felt bad for her this episode. Ugh.

Slade and Oliver ransom the chips for a boat. It goes disastrously. Now Yao Fei is captured again.

Hey! Shado speaks English and can kick ass. Neat!

 “Keeps my ears warm.” He jokes!

“I’ll be home in a flash.” Dinah lives in Central City. Season 1 Jen didn’t get that reference, but I am a seasoned professional in the art of comic book references and I totally picked up on it the second time.

“Stay” by Rihanna was playing during Oliver & L*urel’s scene at the end of the episode. This was my song of pain in 2013. The Vampire Diaries used it in a particularly agonizing Stefan and Elena scene as well that year.  It's like white hot pokers in my heart.

Listen to the Watchover podcast reaction to 1x18!!!

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Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me.

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

[snow-licity]

My LADIES:

And my MEN🥵

Obvi I have others however these are the ones my mind goes to when I think of my fave charecters!

[takaraphoenix]

Family Trees of the Multiverse: Arrow Family

This was honestly such a headache. Oliver’s sired way too many kids with too many different women. As usual, color-coded to make it easier to see who exists within the same continuity; if it’s just black that means their existence is consistent, but if it specifies [Prime Earth] then that means the character was only introduce into the comics during the Prime Earth era (same goes for New Earth).

Colors, as following (though you’ll also see on the tree since I specify each continuity/Earth):

Prime Earth: black

New Earth: red

Arrowverse: green

Earth-11: light blue

Earth-16 [not the YJ cartoon; The Just comics]: pink

Earth 16 [the Young Justice cartoon]: brown

Earth-22: dark pink

Earth-49 [Injustice]: yellow

Earth-167 [Smallville TV show]: dark blue

Earth-203 [Birds of Prey TV show]: lavender

While I try not to double-portray - since most different versions of a character still align - the fact that Arrow already used Shado in another capacity and thus made Kazumi Adachi Emiko’s mother made me double on that, though I still think that she can be considered a version of comic!Shado.

Also, because this part looks messy even to me, regarding the Black Canaries. Dinah Laurel’s last name is usually Lance, these days Drake Lance (with the Lance being married-into for some reason), but in the BoP TV show, her last name was Redmond. Likewise, her mother’s name in the BoP TV show was Carolyn Lance, while New Earth’s continuity named her Dinah Drake and Prime Earth has, far as I could find out, not given her any name at all yet.

And though the YJ cartoon doesn’t come up otherwise, I did find it noteworthy that Bernell was confirmed to be Cissie’s father in the show, since her parentage appears to not have been brought up or confirmed either way in the Prime Earth era so far.

[red-pens-and-ferns]

[joeey-dee]

Okay, so unpopular opinion but Oliver didn't really have a right to be angry at Moira after he found out Thea was Malcolm's daughter, or maybe he did but he had no right to judge her without even giving her a chance to explain.

One he knows better than anyone that people make mistakes. He has cheated on his past girlfriend several times, having a full blown affair with her sister, so getting mad at his mother for having been involved with a friend of his father's is a bit hypocritical. Just saying.

I get that he was hurt and very emotional, Felicity's awful timing in dropping that bomb didn't help and his first reaction being like this makes kind of sense given the entire situation he found himself in, but after the first shock and some of the initial feelings had passed, it would've made more sense for him to confront her and get the entire story, which he would've understood.

And two that knowledge changed nothing for him when it came to his feelings about Thea. So it didn't really matter and since he was also angry at Moira because she made a liar out of him because Thea could never know once again shows that he agrees with Moira's choice to not tell Thea. So they are on the same page and the actual person who turned him into a liar is Felicity. Moira wasn't the one who told him that secret and burdened him with that knowledge, Felicity was. Moira would've taken it to her grave.

Also, honestly, Felicity is more to blame than Moira. And I know a lot of people will disagree with me here but there was no reason why Oliver or Thea needed to know that Thea wasn't Robert's biological daughter. He had loved her as if she were his own. And after knowing who Malcolm was and what he had done it would've been a kindness on Felicity's side to not share that information, especially because she went against Oliver's wishes and behind his back to dig into his family's past. That is not okay.

Plus Thea being Malcolm's daughter had no effect on their lives until the moment Thea learnt about it. Had Felicity stayed out of the Queen family's business, they wouldn't have lost everything, the relationship between Moira and her children wouldn't have been fractured before her death and Thea wouldn't have gone with Malcolm and lost her trust in Oliver and been manipulated to kill Sara.

The fact that Oliver was not angry at Felicity also made little sense to me. Like Moira said, he'd hate Moira but he'd hate Felicity too, he should've at the very least been angry at her for going against him and purposely go to try and dig up dirt on his mother. I would've been. If someone who claimed to be my friend wouldn't listen if I told them to not go hack my family I'd be mad. It's my family and none of their business. But that's just my opinion.

Plus people are entitled to their secrets and Moira had good reasons to keep that one. It was the only way to keep Thea out of Malcolm's grasp. Her action was made out of love and in order to protect her daughter.

Moira made some shady decisions but I get this one, especially since Robert had been aware of it and chosen to love and raise Thea as his own. Not telling Thea was a kindness at that point in time and since both Moira and Robert had known how dangerous Malcolm is for years I think keeping the truth from Thea had been the right choice. Learning the truth messed her up so much which is proof that the choice to keep it from her had been the right one on Moira's part.

This is just something that's been bugging me for a while but I couldn't really articulate why until now, lol.

[arrowverse-next-gen]

Next gen texts: Miriam tries a new trend on her family

[sarah-cam]

What is your favorite ship/OTP of all time?

this is not even a question it’s OLIVER QUEEN AND FELICITY SMOAK AND I WILL DIE ON THE HILL THAT THEIR FAMILY DESERVED BETTER!!!

i’m being so serious nothing and no one will ever give me the rush that olicity did (especially in season 3 sorry not sorry)

[cardcaptorsakura96]

Taxes, Taxes, Taxes-Chapter 29

Fandom: Supergirl

Characters: Kara Danvers, Clark Kent, Samantha Arias, Lena Luthor, Lillian Luthor, Ruby Arias, Oliver Queen, John Stewart, Diana Prince, Bruce Wayne, Barry Allen, J'onn J'onnz, Alfred Pennyworth, Lois Lane, Cat Grant, Lucy Lane, Damian Wayne, Felicity Smoak, Streaky the Supercat, Martha Kent, Selina Kyle, Talia Al Ghul, Lucius Fox, Maggie Sawyer, Alex Danvers, Jason Todd, Otis Graves, Lex Luthor

Summary: What if superheroes had to pay a property damage tax every time they had a fight in the city?

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16, Chapter 17, Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Chapter 20, Chapter 21, Chapter 22, Chapter 23, Chapter 24, Chapter 25, Chapter 26, Chapter 27, Chapter 28

Note: Sorry for the long wait guys! I have been suffering from an assortment of medical issues the last couple of months and is still ongoing. I used to be able to do multiple stories in a week, but it just took me two months to come out with this chapter with everything going on. I won't be able to go back to how I was doing things weekly, but I hope to be able to come out with another chapter in a shorter amount of time. Thanks for your patience and I hope you enjoy what happens next!

Kara stared lovingly at Lena sleeping peacefully next to her. She lightly traced with her fingers the freckles along Lena’s back. 

I have never been this happy before!

Kara happily stared at Lena for a couple of minutes until Lena started to stir.

Lena yawned and asked, “Have you been staring at me all night?”

Kara chuckled and said, “No, only for the last half hour.”

Lena turned around so that she was facing Kara and caressed her face.

Lena smirked and asked, “Do you like what you see?”

Kara leaned into Lena to kiss her on the lips which caused Lena to purr in contentment.

After a couple of minutes, Kara leaned back and said, “I enjoyed every breathtaking sight of you.”

Lena blushed and said, “You know the way to a girl’s heart.”

Kara smirked and said, “I hope amongst other things as well after last night.”

Lena chuckled while she swatted playfully Kara’s arm and said, “You are incorrigible.”

Kara chuckled and cuddled up against Lena and said, “You know you love it.”

Lena smiled while caressing Kara’s face and said, “That I do.”

Lena leaned in and kissed Kara. They held in each other’s embrace until Kara leaned back and sighed. 

As Kara lazily started to trace the freckles along Lena’s shoulder, she said, “If it wasn’t for the STEM panel today, I would stay here with you all day.”

Lena smiled and said, “I would rather stay in bed with you too, but this is a good cause. I am honored that Barry asked me to participate in this.”

Kara smiled and said, “Me too. It is nice to work with Barry on something that doesn’t revolve around a crisis.”

Lena smiled and said, “Hopefully, this is a sign of more things to come. Maybe, Flash and Supergirl could do an event at the hospital.”

Kara pouted and asked, “Getting tired of little old me huh?”

Lena looked at Kara mortified and said, “It is nothing like that…We work so well together….It is just that I was talking to Sam and she suggested maybe building up a rooster of heroes for the hospital especially since you have a friendship with the Flash and possibly the Bat family….I knew I should have kept this thought to myself….Damn it…..”

Kara quickly placed a finger on Lena’s lips which startled her into silence. 

Kara smirked and said, “You are so cute when you are flustered.”

Lena pouted and said, “You’re teasing me aren’t you.”

Kara chuckled while pulling Lena in closer and kissing her on the forehead and said, “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t resist.”

Lena turned away and pouted more. 

Kara chuckled and cuddled Lena closer to her and asked, “Would it make you feel better that I have talked to Barry and members of the Bat-family and they have agreed to help with any event related to the hospital? All they would need is a heads up.”

Lena looked at Kara surprised and asked, “Really?”

Kara smiled while caressing Lena’s face and said, “Really. They all see how much good that you are doing in society and want to help.” Kara leaned forward and kissed Lena on the lips and whispered in her ears, “Plus, they see how crazy I am about you.”

Lena blushed and said, “I didn’t realize.”

Kara smiled while caressing Lena’s face and said, “I wish you could see  your own brilliance.”

Lena blushed while looking down shyly and said, “Keep saying things like that and I will end up with a big ego.”

Kara chuckled and said, “Let’s just start off by using our collective egos to inspire future girls in STEM.”

As Kara started to get up from the bed, she stretched, put on a robe, and said, “I can make us breakfast while you get ready.”

Lena looked at Kara coyly and said, “Or we could both take a shower together. Save on water and energy.”

Read the rest on AO3

[sillyname30]

kat.mcnamara: Happy birthday to our punch-first-ask-questions-later, knife weilding, cage fighting, “I don’t lose,” softie at heart, #GreenArrow, Mia Smoak-Queen. 🏹 You taught me that even the toughest of shells can have a fracking beautiful heart and even when you’re thrown through the multiverse, family will guide you home. 🌌 Thank you to the @cw_arrow @thecw @gberlanti and @warnerbrostv teams for trusting me with her and to @stephenamell and @emilybett for being the most super parents in the #Arrowverse. 💚

[jbuffyangel]

Survive: Arrow 1x23 Review (Sacrifice)

Well, my friends… we made it to the end of Season 1. Arrow’s first season was often uneven as it searched for the magic to bring it all together, but supported by fantastic stunts and fight scenes, and a great hero's journey story.

That said, they deliver on the finale. “Sacrifice” is tense, exhilarating and, above all, tragic. In the eight seasons, the Season 1 finale still has me emotionally traumatized and is definitely my most mourned character loss on the show.

But there is massive hope for Olicity in some very key scenes, while Laurel & Oliver are left in the wreckage of the Glades.

This review is particularly spoiler heavy for Season 2. I cannot tell you how many times I started and restarted Arrow Season 1 reviews. It’s taken me the better part of a decade, so I am absolutely thrilled to say -

Let’s dig in…

Olicity (and Diggle)

Is Olicity the focus of this finale? No, not even close, but that’s okay. In fact, it’s very good. This is Season 1 friends. We are at the beginning of the story. Not the end. Oliver and Felicity are just getting started and Arrow makes it abundantly clear with scenes that echo through the show until the series finale. The absolute last thing we want is Oliver to get the girl in the Season 1 finale. *cough*Lauriver*cough*

Oliver left Laurel’s bed in 1x22 to take Malcolm down for good. He gets his ass handed to him on a platter instead and then Malcolm literally strings him up. Shirtless, sweaty and in chains. THIS IS A FAMILY SHOW. Get your head out of the gutter. HA! Just kidding. I’d never tell you that. Here’s some gifs of Oliver chained up and half naked. Enjoy.

Source: PaigeOTA

Diggle rescues Oliver after he already rescued himself, but it’s the thought that counts. Felicity is on her way to the bunker when Detective Lance picks her up.

Source: @felicitysmoakgifs

Paul Blackthorne is an actor’s actor. He is truly great, but Emily Bett Rickards finally gives Blackthorne someone to bounce off of. It makes the interrogation scene hilarious, but also sincere as Felicity voices the mission statement of the whole show.

Source: @felicitysmoakgifs

Detective Lance is a damn good cop (minus the fact he never pieces together that Oliver is the Hood, but that’s not really his fault. Oliver gaslit his suspicions masterfully).  He reads Felicity Smoak for filth with the evidence he has on her. This is about the time Felicity should be asking for a lawyer, but it’s Oliver to the rescue instead.

Oliver actually calls the cops to report a crime! It’s really shocking quite frankly. He tells Lance that Merlyn is going to blow up the Glades and it needs to evacuated. Even more shocking than Oliver reporting a crime is the fact that Lance listens to him! See boys? Isn’t it better when we use our words?

Oliver feigns ignorance when Lance says he has Felicity in custody.

Alright he lies better than that, but Lance buys it because they have bigger fish to fry quite frankly, so he lets Felicity go.

Source: @livelovecaliforniadreams

Laurel told Oliver he was too selfish to be the Hood. Then she called the Hood a killer. Tommy called him a murderer after he learned Oliver’s true identity. Yes, the Vigilante/Hood has killed, but we’re not watching the story of the Vigilante or the Hood – the killer. We’re watching the story of Oliver Queen – the hero.

This is the first time the show has uttered the word "hero" in relation to masked man in the hood (I think? Feel free to fact check me) and it's said by none other than Felicity Smoak – the guest star, the girl Friday, the comedic relief. Or any other term those who failed to believe in this character liked to call Felicity to minimize her importance in the story. But the writers are not minimizing Felicity. They are elevating her.

Felicity admits initially she thought the Hood was a killer, but then she found out it was Oliver Queen. From the moment Felicity met Oliver she saw the light inside him. She sees who Oliver is and who he can become. In Felicity’s eyes there are no grey zones when it comes to Oliver Queen. There are no moral quandaries. Felicity knows both sides. She knows the hood and the man. She sees him as a good man who selflessly sacrifices for the people of Starling City every day.

Quentin: She says you care about the people of this city. That it needs you.

Felicity is telling Lance instead of hunting the Hood he should be working with him. And you know what? It works! Felicity has an impact on Detective Lance. He’s second guessing his approach to the Hood.

It used to be Laurel who was extolling the virtues of the Hood to her father, but now it’s Felicity. This shift is so incredibly subtle, given all the other Laurel activities in the final two episodes, but so incredibly important.

If you look at the history on superheroes (which is modern day Greek mythology) there is always one person who believes in the superhero, calls them a hero before anyone else, and loves the hero unconditionally – particularly when it’s inconceivable for the two to be together. That person is typically the superhero’s great love.

So WHY are the writers giving Felicity Smoak a love interest speech in the Season 1 finale? Particularly when Oliver just hopped out of Laurel Lance’s bed. Riddle me that kids! It’s also the line from which the episode title is pulled from – a significant factor when you look at the history of Arrow. This is the first time a series finale episode title is pulled from a Felicity Smoak line, but it’s not the last!

It’s Felicity who figures out where Merlyn has hidden the earthquake machine. The friggin map in Oliver’s book did actually mean something guys! Points to those who cared. I was not among them, but I rejoice in your win.

The device can be remote activated, so someone needs to find it, but Oliver isn't leaving anything to chance. He wants Diggle in the field to deactivate the device. But this leaves Oliver to fight Merlyn alone.

Diggle: He’ll kill you, Oliver.

Oliver: I know.

Can we talk for a moment about the absolute resolution in Oliver’s voice? There’s no fear. Not even sadness really. This is the way the battle ends – the way it was always going to end. Oliver came home to save his city, but it means sacrificing his life. Oliver is not suicidal, but he’s resigned to his fate.

Except, bit by bit, Oliver has allowed people he loves back into his life. That impenetrable wall, the one that made him almost machine like in the beginning of the season, has softened a bit. Those people are the tethers to his life and make it more difficult for Oliver to just let go now. He loves and is loved returned.

As far as Diggle speeches go, this is one of the greats. Oliver accepts Diggle’s help, but balks when Felicity volunteers to deactivate the device while John fights Merlyn with Oliver.

Oliver looks so proud of Felicity in this moment, particularly when she refuses to leave his side. So much is said between these two in just a single look. I am feeling verklempt.

Oliver cannot focus on fighting Merlyn if Felicity is not safe, so he calls Detective Lance for a second time and asks him to deactivate the device. He volunteers Felicity to talk Quentin through it. Yes, Oliver is willing to sacrifice his girlfriend’s father to save Felicity (HA!), who shall be hereby known as his Not Girlfriend-Girlfriend.

Lance and Felicity are successful. They deactivate the device. Oliver beats Malcolm, but he doesn’t outsmart him. There was a second device, and the team must watch helplessly as a portion of the Glades crumbles around them.

Source: @yet-i-remain-quiet

Oliver hears her voice and his first thought is of Felicity's safety. His second thought is of Laurel’s safety, once Felicity tells him the location of the damage. (Jen evil grins).

Admittedly, I missed all of these moments the first time I watched. I didn’t realize the importance until the Season 2 finale and I began this blog. The way Felicity sees Oliver Queen is the way he will be seen someday, but not in Season 1. He will become a hero, but this failure and loss will be one of many incredibly painful sacrifices in that journey.

There will be one woman, in a hero’s journey of her own, who will be integrally linked with Oliver. The one woman who saw Oliver Queen for who is truly is and believed in him from the beginning. The one woman he trusts and depends on. The one woman whose unconditional love helps Oliver Queen become a hero.

But it’s not the woman promised in the pilot.

The story shift was there all along my friends. We just had to look.

Lauriver and Merlance

The dreaded love triangle of Season 1 resolves itself in the most heart breaking and disastrous way possible. Actions have consequences, my friends. Don’t ever forget it.

A very drunk Tommy decides to pay his “best friend” a visit after witnessing his sex romp with Laurel. Tommy still can’t even bring himself to say sex. He refers to kissing, but come on my son. We all know where they were doing.

Oliver gives a classic sorry not sorry response and tries to pivot the conversation to Tommy’s mass murdering psychopathic father. Why Oliver feels the best time to share his father's evil mastermind plan is when Tommy is three sheets to a very drunkity drunk wind is beyond me. Oliver has the emotional intelligence of a stump in Season 1. I can’t even call him a pine tree yet.

Tommy swings on Oliver after he brings up Tommy’s mother. Yes, Oliver is trying to explain Malcolm’s motivation for destroying the Glades, but it’s just a step too far after banging the love of Tommy’s life.  Oliver side steps it easily, but I wish the writers would’ve given Tommy that punch. Oliver completely deserves it. Not more than three seconds after telling Tommy to fight for Laurel, Oliver shows up at her door for an illicit sex romp. YES, I SAID ILLICIT. COME FIGHT ME.

Oliver: The difference between us Tommy is that I didn’t find out the truth about my father until it was too late. But you’ve always known, deep down, you have always known the man he is.

Tommy: I wish you would’ve died on that island.

This lands harder than any punch Tommy could’ve given Oliver.

After discovering her bed empty, Laurel pays Oliver a visit at the Queen Mansion because understandably she has questions. Like WHAT THE FUCK OLIVER???!!!

One of the first posts I wrote for Something to Live For was “Moments of Truth: Oliver’s S1 & S2 Queen Mansion Love Confessions.” You can still read it. I stand by every word of it. It’s funny that in ten years my perspective on this scene between Oliver and Laurel has not changed at all. I will try not to repeat myself too much, but the bottom line is the scene is not believable. There’s too much dishonesty. That’s the crux of my problem with it.

It’s supposed to be the big love confession between Oliver and Laurel. The entire season has been building toward it. Oliver assures Laurel that he’s not reverting to form by leaving her bed in the middle of the night with no note. Laurel believes Oliver is scared again and he’s running away – just like last time.

Oliver assures Laurel that he’s not afraid and there’s so much he wants to tell her. For the first time, we hear Oliver’s perspective on the island. It didn’t change him. It just stripped away all the things that he wasn’t, which was the person Laurel always saw.

I do not agree with Oliver’s perspective on island AT ALL. This is a beautifully prepared speech and I’m sure it made Laurel feel really good, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense when you parse it out. Lian Yu means purgatory. You suffer in the fire of your sins in purgatory. That pain and suffering is redemptive. It forms you into something new, something better. I do not believe Oliver was always a hero deep down. I believe Lian Yu burned him like molten steel until he was remade new. Ollie Queen died on that boat with his father, and he was formed into someone one else… something else to survive.  

Agree to disagree, Oliver. Except, I am right, and you're wrong BECAUSE TREE STUMP.

Laurel believed Oliver could be more than a selfish, cheating, lazy, entitled, spoiled playboy who lived off his father’s money and did whatever he pleased, regardless of who it hurt. Laurel could see the potential in Oliver, but the writers never truly quantify what that potential is. I do not believe she meant a crime fighting archer who vigilantes by night and is a reclusive bar owner by day.

We don’t know what GOOD Laurel sees in Oliver. She’s basically mute on the topic. All Laurel will say is Oliver changed. So, we’re just supposed to accept that Oliver is a different person and the person he is today is the man Laurel always believed he could be. Ok. It would just be nice if Arrow would SHOW us that rather than tell.

I don’t want to rag on Laurel too much, because she’s really not my primary issue is this speech. She’s just the object of Oliver’s word vomit. And like I said, girlfriend has put in the YEARS, and this is probably the first time he’s articulated what she means to him. So, a win for Laurel I guess. However, hallow it is.

No, my issue is with Oliver. Not just in what he’s saying but in what he’s NOT saying. Oliver never tells Laurel that he’s the Hood. HE’S STILL LYING TO HER. Oliver is on his “nobody can know my secret” trip, so some of this we’ll just have to attribute it to being Season 1. But this is the big speech about who he truly is, so it would make sense for Oliver to tell Laurel WHO HE TRULY IS. He even says there’s so much he wants to tell her, but then doesn’t tell her anything.

Let’s remove the safety concern. This leaves two options. The first is Oliver intends to save the city, hang up the hood, and live a peaceful life with Laurel. The second is Oliver does not anticipate surviving this fight with Merlyn, so doesn’t feel it is necessary to tell Laurel the truth because he’ll be dead.

I’m a glass half full girl. Also, they are shining a big old spotlight on Oliver and Laurel as they kiss, so I think the first option is most likely. It’s also the reason Oliver raced over to hop into bed with Laurel the previous night. Oliver NEVER plans to tell Laurel he’s the Hood the same way he never planned to tell Tommy (or Moira, Thea, etc.).

The problem is, Oliver wants a new life with Laurel, one built on trust because trust is their big issue (because all the lying and cheating). But in order to have trust, there must be honesty. Oliver cannot hope to have a functional relationship with Laurel if he’s keeping a secret this big. Laurel deserves to know all sides of Oliver Queen - the man and the hood. Anything short of that proves Oliver hasn’t changed at all. Not when it comes to Laurel Lance.

The second option is very dark and twisty. He’s giving it one last go, telling Laurel how he feels, before he marches off to battle and dies. Is this something Oliver Queen would do? Absolutely. I’m just not convinced this is where his head space is at in this particular finale. Oliver is celebrating with Laurel like he already saved the city. But he hasn’t done anything yet, so the pacing of this scene feels very off. We’re in the middle of the episode, but it feels like the end.   

Things brings me to my biggest problem with this speech – Oliver never says “I love you” to Laurel.  This is the big love confession speech, but there is no “I love you.” Oliver says a lot of stuff, but he never says what’s really important and what Laurel truly deserves to hear.

You only put the couple together this early in an episode to break them up at the end. Cleary, Lauriver is going to be sacrificed on the altar of Starling City, but we don’t know how or why. We get our answer at the end of the episode.

NOW we get to rag on Laurel. Both Oliver and Lance tell her to stay out of the Glades, but does she listen? NO. Laurel and the rest of the staff at CNRI need to save paper. Yes, you read that correctly. PAPER. Apparently, all the clients would lose everything if they didn’t save the files. It was 2013, not 1954!!! Throw a litter of kittens or something in the building to make it make sense!

Of course, the building collapses and of course Laurel is trapped under a cement block. Ugh, just leave her there. I’m so over it. DIE WITH THE PAPER LAUREL! BE ONE WITH YOUR FILES!!

But it is not Oliver, dressed as the hood, ready to reveal his secret and save Laurel like we expect. It’s Tommy. Beautiful, precious, wonderful, cinnamon roll Tommy Merlyn who immediately tells Laurel the one thing Oliver Queen has not.

You can pinpoint the moment where Laurel realizes she made the biggest mistake of her life.

Tommy was always honest with Laurel. He loves her unconditionally. Tommy put Laurel first and made her laugh. They built a peaceful and happy life together. Tommy Merlyn was already the man Laurel wanted Oliver to become. He’s the man who truly deserves her. It wasn’t Oliver’s love confession we were waiting to hear. It was Tommy’s. It was always Tommy.

Laurel knows Tommy was the right man, the better man, for her but now it’s too late. She can never tell Tommy loves him. Laurel can never choose him. She can never make it right. All we can hear are her anguished screams as the building collapses around Tommy.

I’ve had my disagreements with Katie Cassidy over the years, but holy crap was her acting amazing in this scene. She sold Laurel’s despair and devastation. This is easily one of my favorite Laurel Lance scenes. Perhaps only surpassed by 3x01, but it’s an awfully close second.

Quentin: You have to promise me one thing Laurel. You’re not gonna die along with me. You have to go on with your life. After your sister died, I pushed people away. I became like a ghost, and I didn’t think I had the right to live if my baby couldn’t.  Promise me you’re not going to make the same mistakes as I did.

Can someone just give Paul Blackthorne an award. I don’t care which one. Just give him awards. This scene, while a heart-breaking goodbye between a father and daughter, also perfectly sets up Laurel’s Season 2 arc. If Oliver Queen has taught us one thing it’s that you can physically survive, but emotionally may be a completely different story.

Laurel is begging for someone to help Tommy and when we see Oliver’s motorcycle it gives us a glimmer of hope that maybe he arrived just in time. Oliver removes the fallen concrete boulders away, but there is a rebar through Tommy’s chest and then we know it’s too late. Tommy’s final moments will be with Oliver.

There are more physically traumatic deaths on Arrow, but no other death impacted me more emotionally. He was not a perfect man, but there was a real light in Tommy Merlyn. He exuded humor and charm, but underneath all of that, was a truly kind and earnest man who wanted to be a better person, not only for the woman he loved, but for himself. And Tommy became a better man. In a series about hooded vigilantes, it’s easy to lose sight of what makes someone a good person. You don’t need to save a city. You just need to show up every day for the people you love. That’s all the heroism most of us really need.

Oliver knows one of the main reasons Tommy broke up with Laurel was because he felt he’d never measure up to Oliver. He could never swoop in and save Laurel like the Hood could. Tommy felt he wasn’t enough - Laurel wanted a hero. This is Oliver’s way of telling Tommy he is one. In the end, Tommy was everything Laurel needed him to be and more. Oliver is realizing this just like Laurel. Sometimes the clarity of death exposes the lunacy of our life choices.

If I didn’t love Oliver Queen so much, I would hate him for inserting himself between Laurel and Tommy. But I don’t need to hate Oliver Queen for his decisions. He’ll hate himself enough. I must forgive Oliver because he is incapable of forgiving himself.

Tommy never wanted to be like his father, which is why joining his company was so disheartening. We thought we’d lose Tommy to the darkness, but he proves once again he is the antithesis of Malcolm Merlyn by asking for Oliver’s forgiveness. 

Oliver has been chasing forgiveness all season and what is so beautiful about this moment is how freely he absolves Tommy. Oliver refuses to accept Tommy has anything to even apologize for (which is correct). Sometimes when we are not forgiven it can harden us against those who require our forgiveness, but that hasn’t happened with Oliver Queen. There is a heart that loves deeply underneath that fortified wall of pain and we are watching it break.

Source: @olivergifs

Tommy asks Oliver if he killed Merlyn and Oliver says no. It’s a lie, but a merciful one. Tommy leaves this world for the next with a thank you as his final words to his best friend and Oliver shatters. He was ready to die to fulfill his mission, but he was not prepared to lose Tommy. Oliver begs God to switch places, but Tommy does not open his eyes. There is no reprieve from this grief. Tommy died and Oliver survived. It is a sacrifice much too difficult to bear. 

I was absolutely gutted after this episode. It’s still hard to watch these final scenes to this day. I truly do not see how Laurel and Oliver overcome Tommy’s death. If Lauriver is the Titanic (and it is) and Sara was the iceberg, then Tommy is the split down the middle that sends the ship plummeting to the ocean bed. Quite frankly, I don’t understand how they ever overcame Sara, which is another problem with the big love confession in the mansion. Neither of them is being honest about their reasons for resurrecting this corpse of a relationship.

This is why Tommy is a death knell to Laurel & Oliver’s relationship. There is a confluence of events which led Tommy to that building and the primary factor (other than Laurel and her papers) was betrayal. Sure, all the technicality boxes are checked. Laurel and Tommy broke up, but boy did Oliver & Laurel have a hell of a time at the wake. (re: Rachel and Ross). Oliver betrayed Tommy just like he betrayed Laurel with Sara. And now Laurel is culpable in the same betrayal that made her wish for Oliver’s infinite suffering. This guilt is inescapable, and it will drive them apart.

Tommy is the nail in the coffin. Lauriver is dead and it needs to stay dead.

***Did I know this after watching the finale the first time? Nope. But I’m here to save you a lot of heartache, stress, and worry. You’re welcome. Enjoy Season 2!

Malcolm Merlyn

I haven’t written much about Merlyn and the Dark Archer primarily because we haven’t heard much from him outside of his conversations with Moira and flashbacks with Robert Queen. His motivations, albeit depraved and evil, are simple. His wife died in the Glades; therefore, the Glades must die.

Malcolm: You mother built her clinic in the Glades because she wanted to save this city. It can’t be saved.  Because the people there don’t want it to be saved.

Tommy: So, you kill them all?

Malcolm: YES! They deserve to die, all of them, the way she died!!

“Sacrifice” showcases John Barrowman’s acting ability because he’s allowed to unleash the crazy, particularly when he explains his master plan to Tommy. Daddy is one friggin scarry fruit loop!

We also get some great super villain monologuing and much-needed philosophical debates between Malcolm and Oliver.

Oliver: Do you really think you’re honoring Tommy’s mother by destroying the Glades?

Malcolm: As surely as you believe you’re honoring your father by wearing this hood. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss your father.

Oliver: You’ll see him soon.

Malcolm: You can’t beat me, Oliver. Yes, you’re younger and you’re faster, yet you always seem to come up short against me. Wanna know why? Because you don’t know in your heart what you’re fighting for. What you’re willing to sacrifice, and I do.

This dialogue is so great! Classic good versus evil. The best villains are ones with emotional ties to the hero. The best villains are often the dark reflection of the hero.  The terrifying part of Malcolm’s monologue is he’s right.

There is a thin, but discernible line between Oliver and Malcolm Merlyn. Oliver is choosing to murder guilty people to honor his father. Merlyn is murdering innocent people to honor his wife. It’s a big difference, but Oliver lacks the firm moral high ground needed in this conversation, which is why he silently twists helplessly in the chains.

Oliver’s own actions have handcuffed him in a way. He is a killer just like Malcolm. Yes, he killed bad people, but not always because he had to. Oliver killed to exact justice (revenge?) too. A justice based on his convictions and beliefs alone. But what does Oliver believe?

We can justify just about anything in this world if we want to, which is why it’s so important to have a moral code. Without one, you’re just making it up as you go along and it’s very easy to be pulled off track. Oliver’s code in Season 1 was the list of names. He thought saving the city was as simple as crossing names off a list. Oliver believes he was honoring Robert by making those who hurt the city pay for their unanswered crimes.

Felicity answers Malcolm’s question about sacrifice when she tells Quentin Lance who she believes the Vigilante is. She’s right. Oliver is willing to sacrifice a lot to save strangers. People he’s never met but feels a responsibility for because of the sins of his father. It’s not an insane idea. Some carry the weight of our parents’ failings and recognize themselves in Oliver Queen.

Both men are clearly willing to sacrifice their own lives. But Malcolm will sacrifice anything and anyone for his mission – including his own son. For Oliver that price was too high and one he never anticipated paying.  

Tommy is not the only death in the series finale. Yao Fei dies in the flashbacks and its brutal. As we peel back the layers of Oliver Queen, we see how truly traumatizing those years away were. It’s freaking miracle Oliver can even function, let alone fight for his city. The symmetry of fighting Malcolm, the man who sent Oliver to Lian Yu, with Yao Fei’s’ bow, the man who saved him from Lian Yu, is exceptionally beautiful.

The rooftop battle between Malcolm and Oliver is the level of awesome I require in a series finale fight scene. In the end, Oliver kills Malcolm but fails to save the city. Primarily because Merlyn outsmarted him and used two earthquake machines. But Malcolm also beat Oliver because he was right. Oliver does not know what he is truly fighting for. A list of names is not enough to save the city and honor Robert Queen.

Oliver: Thank you for teaching me what I’m fighting for, but my father taught me how.

It looks like Malcolm will kill Oliver in the final moments of their fight, but Oliver flashes back to that moment on the boat with his father (like he did a thousand times on the island and over the course of the series) and recalls what his father instructed him to do: SURVIVE.

Oliver Queen has an indomitable will to survive. It’s the promise he made to his father. It’s what kept him alive the five years he was on the island. It’s why he ultimately beats Malcolm Merlyn. Pure determination.

But survival isn’t enough. None of us are here to survive life. It’s not a moral code. It’s why Oliver falls woefully short. Robert Queen taught Oliver how to survive, but it will take someone else to teach him how to live.  Until he learns that lesson, he will never be the hero Starling City needs.

Stray Thoughts

The earthquake machine being at the location of where Malcolm’s wife was murdered does have a nice poetry to it. Crazy poetry. But poetry.

Oliver killing Fyers with Yao Fei’s bow which is the justice I needed. He also chooses to save Shado’s life over securing a ride home and we hear the Hood’s voice for the very first time. The evolution is happening!!!

Malcolm stops an arrow with his bare hand. It was friggin cool. It was even cooler when Oliver used an explosive arrow the next time Malcolm tried to pull the same trick.

“I take back every joke I made about you putting a tracker in your boot.” I love when this show tackles potential plot holes and the solutions make sense.

Fyers is shooting down a commercial airliner to mess with China’s economy like what happened to the USA on September 11th. I'm not a fan of killing, but anyone trying to repeat 9/11 needs to die.

Shado is really the hero in the flashbacks. Homegirl reprogrammed a missile and blows up the camp!

“What are laws, rules, if they don’t protect people?” Detective Lance is grappling with his own moral code and gets suspended. Quentin teaming up with the Hood? I am 100% down for this storyline.

Oliver: What about those people in the Glades?

Moira: I’m not their mother.

I’m as fierce a Mama Bear as any other mother, but this is not a good look Moira. I love that Oliver finally tells her how Robert died and that they have an honest conversation about Moira’s choices.

Moira going to the press to expose Malcolm Merlyn was AWESOME, but couldn’t she have thought of that like, I don’t know, twenty-three episodes ago?

Laurel is wearing green in the mansion scene. No, not even symbolic color coding will make me love these two. And that means a lot coming from me because symbolism is my freaking jam. This also includes the sunlight shining on Lauriver. It's a red herring. Pay it no attention.

Moira DEARDEN Queen. Wave hi to another comic book reference.

Thea goes to the Glades too to save Roy which makes her the second stupidest character in this episode. DOESN’T ANYONE HAVE A PHONE? JUST CALL HIM THEA.

Don’t pull the knife out, John. That’s literally the last thing you do.

“You fucking dumb ass.” My note while watching Laurel collect all the paper.

They should have killed Laurel and Tommy should have become the next Dark Archer. It would've been a waaaaay better story. They saved the wrong character. The Season 6 appearance by Colin Donnell supports this theory.

Just so you know where I was at emotionally in May 2013. On Wednesday I watched Tommy die on Arrow and then Thursday, on The Vampire Diaries, I watched Elena choose Damon while Stefan was trapped in a safe at the bottom of a lake drowning repeatedly.  It is easily my worst series finale week EVER. Including Grey’s Anatomy Season 5 and 6 finales (hello trauma) and Pam dying on Dallas (I was six and thought she really died).

Listen to the Watchover podcast reaction to 1x23!!!

If you’d like to support the blog, please buy me a cup of tea!

Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me!

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

[kats-fic-recs]

The Best Batman fics I've read in 2022

As the end of the year comes closer, I've decided to make an Ao3 Wrapped for myself out of the best fics from every fandom I've read this year.

Here we go.....

The Best Batman fics I've read in 2022

Multi Media Marketing Mistakes

Gotham Gazette @gothamgazette

What did Oliver Queen and Bruce Wayne get up to in boarding school?! gothamgazette.com/baidguh24h

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Oliver Queen @queenofficial

no comment

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Bruce Wayne @brucewayne

@queenofficial you know that commenting ‘no comment’ on a tweet kind of defeats the point

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Oliver Queen @queenofficial

@brucewayne shut up im not talking to you anymore

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Bruce Wayne @brucewayne

@queenofficial then stop texting me

games without frontiers

“Pennyworth.”

When he turned, Damian was hesitating at the doorway. His face was white.

He recalled Thomas and Martha’s well-intentioned consolations and chidings -- little snippets of it’s just a bat and it won’t hurt you intermixed with please, just go to sleep, Bruce, I’ve checked all the windows, it’s silly--- and discarded them with a pang.

They hadn’t helped Bruce, after all.

“If the creature is so dangerous,” Alfred said neutrally, surfacing from the memory. “We’ll need to get it out of the house. For the safety of the others.”

“...For safety. Yes,” Damian said. When he turned around, the paleness in the boy’s face had faded. He seemed burgeoned by the impending responsibility. “I will assist you, of course.”

the politics of dancing

After months of silence following his mysterious resurrection from the dead, the prodigal Wayne heir shows up at an unlikely meeting.

“Where is Mr. Wayne?”

Jason crossed his legs, cracking his neck. “He’s not coming.”

“I was assured Mr. Wayne would be here.”

“Tough. Looks like you’ll have to settle for me, huh?”

Comes In Threes

Felicity Smoak has a bad track record with billionaires.

Scrub-A-Dub

Talon's new master has put him in water, and Talon does not know why. This new master, though...Talon thinks he might like this new master.

Frightening, But Not Afraid

When the family is hit by a new strain of fear toxin, safety is in numbers. Unfortunately, three members of the flock are still out there, afraid and alone. Bruce may not be the best at comforting his children, but apparently, he can let his wings do the talking.

((aka, the classic fear toxin hurt/comfort but with a splash of the classic wings-make-u-feel-safe hurt/comfort))

Reclaiming Innocence

Jason Todd was kidnapped at nine-years-old and given two options. Work for his keep, or be forced to to work for his keep.

His life was not pleasant, but Jason was nothing if not a fighter, and dammit if was he going to let the hell around him kill who he was as a person. Or his dreams of growing up and going to college.

Those dreams suddenly came a little more into focus, when his idiot of a pimp accidentally tried to rent him to Bruce Wayne. Poor bastard could have never guessed he was the Batman himself. Heck, not even Jason figured that out, at first. And Batman had practically adopted him.

What would you do, if it all came back to you?

"Still standing, Jason clicked on the folder and opened the first video – Jesus, there were quite a few – and suddenly Bruce was staring at him. He moved the mouse, thinking the video had frozen, but no, Bruce really did spend the first few seconds just staring. (...)

“I… I found the book in your bedside table. “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”” He paused, looked away, then back at the camera. “You were always reading. I can’t remember the last time I just read a book for fun.”"

The Jason Project

Jason had just wanted to see his autopsy report, he had only wanted to know what information Bruce had about his death. And when Bruce hadn't given it to him, he had stolen it. He hadn’t meant to stumble upon the bucket list of a dead child and the footage of a grieving father crossing one item after another off the list.

bad people don't live in our house

Bruce stirred when the bed beside him dipped, and the sheets across his chest were yanked hard.

“What,” Bruce said roughly. A small hand smacked against his face.

“Shh,” said a little voice. The sheets pulled again. “Go back to sleep.”

More Precious Than Gold

Most dragons sleep on their hoards.

Bruce's hoard sleeps on him.

Or: Bruce is a dragon. Predictably, he hoards orphans.

Gifts From the Sea

Bruce, aimless after abandoning his plans to become a special education teacher, takes an internship at Amnesty Bay Aquatic Zoo. His life changes forever when he meets the zoo's orphaned merboy. (AU where the Batkids are merpeople and Bruce is their human adoptive dad.)

I Was Lost For You to Find

Bruce never planned on having kids. After watching his parents die, the idea of starting a family of his own was foolishness at best and an impending disaster at worst. Never in his wildest dreams did Bruce think he'd ever be up to the task of raising a child, and he was okay with that. But when an orphaned acrobat starts weighing on his mind, Bruce makes the (questionable) decision to become a foster father. Everything after that is just dumb luck.

Yesterday's Voices

While trying to take down a drug cartel that deals with memory altering drugs, things go awry, and Batman wakes up with no recollection of the last five years.

As a result, his family must now race against time to find the antidote, while also having to deal with a Bruce who still thinks Jason is Robin. A Bruce who doesn't recognise most of them. A Bruce far less jaded and cynical than the one they're used to. A Bruce who still cares.

Take Care of Business

Summary: Bruce has a conference call with Wayne Enterprises. Having it at the Manor was, in hindsight, a really shitty idea.

“I don’t have your phone!”

The two boys began trading hits, yelling at the top of their lungs. Bruce turned back to the webcam just as Damian leapt on top of Tim’s back, a high-pitched battle cry torn from his lips.

“Mr. Hodges,” he said cheerfully, unflinching as Tim threw Damian into the wet bar sink. “Have you had a chance to examine the chart I pointed out?”

Brother Wanted

Well-behaved boy (10) is looking for big brother (11-15). Must meet up with me three times a week, for at least two hours each. Overall duties include helping me with homework, playing videogames with me, and showing me how to play catch. 10$ per hour.

Tim, lonely and in desperate need of company, decides that if his parents are not going to give him a sibling, he's going to hire one instead. Luckily, Jason Todd-Wayne shows up in the nick of time.

and i'll be two steps on the water

Studying his profile as she pours, the name clicks in her head like she knew it would. Even downturned, that face is unmistakable, and the realization thunders lightly in her mind.

Bruce Wayne.

All the Cups Got Broke

The police officers of metro Detroit had seen a lot of weird over the years, between the violence of the day-to-day, the year with all the freaky clown sightings, and that time with the tiger at the auto plant.

Their newest transfer - pretty-faced, former circus kid, son of a billionaire - might have been the weirdest, though.

his name was king

Everyone knows who the butler is.

The Bachelor: Robin Edition

Gotham loses its Robin and Bruce Wayne loses a son. Tim finds one of these too tragic to bear. In his quest to make sure Bruce Wayne lives to see the next year, he strikes upon the perfect solution: another son.

*

His best bet is, naturally, Crime Alley.

By 8 pm that day, Drake Manor is filled with ten black-haired, blue-eyed boys sitting around the large dining table, looking around the room suspiciously.

Well. Eleven. But Tim doesn’t think he counts.

Empty Graves

Swimming with the Fishes

The Bat rules Gotham with an iron fist. People do not come out of his Manor. They say he has a monster lurking within the building’s walls.

Jason is brought to the Manor as gift to earn the Bat’s favour.

*****

Mob Boss + Mers -> the combination you didn’t know you needed.

How to Train Your Mers

The tank lurched again and he silently begged for any sea god to please let him out of the dizzying, pitch-black hell. His body ached from getting beaten into the box’s side. The water was stale and disgusting in his gills. There wasn’t any light and he couldn’t see anything.

He was so full of fear he was beginning to get numb to it.

He didn’t know what these humans wanted with him, but he knew it couldn’t be good if they started by shoving him into this too-small box and tossing him around like a boat on an angry sea.

-----

Clark is an aquatic mammals trainer at the Metropolis Aquarium and Bruce is their very unruly new resident. Clark doesn't realise that Bruce is only the first of many mers that are going to live in the Aquarium.

Loading and Aspect Ratio

So, it didn’t start out like this.

Alfred would scoff at the statement, about how Bruce was trying to justify the whole situation to himself. It had started out as a simple design, black everything with black outlines and black hood. It got a little more intense as the world went on, got wind of his ghost on the streets, and became scared of The Bat . So Bruce got a little more creative with it, Alfred and him had a good laugh over the name, the scare, and Alfred had a vicious streak of humor that he had passed onto his ward-

So now the suit had a visible bat-theme, an insignia to drape in the shadows and to paint across the streets of Gotham.

It only took a year into the whole charade of heroism for Bruce to overhear a conversation between some goons- some low level thug hired by the Riddler this week- about nothing at all pertaining to what the hell the Riddler was doing in the sewers but instead:

“ The Batman can fly, you know, I’ve seen his wings.”

--

A world where nobody has wings, but people think they do, and that changes everything.

Bonus Superman fics:

Time travelers who plan to kill Superman never account for Martha Kent in their plans. She may not be the World's Finest, but she's a mother with a shotgun, and all told that might be scarier.

darling, so it goes

Clark shows up still wearing his suit—the sixth and final attempt—holding tight onto a little girl’s hand and looking terrified. The same symbol from his ship is displayed onto her odd looking clothes. Martha takes one look at the pair of ‘em and then goes to see if they’ve got any lemonade in the house

[thepenguinandthefiend]

My F/Os

Since I've decided to become a self-ship blog now, here's a list of my f/os. There will likely be more added later.

Romantic F/Os:

Zatanna Zatara (DC comics) {no sharing} Johanna Mason (Hunger Games) {no sharing} Desire (The Sandman) {no sharing} Elektra Natchios (Marvel comics) {no sharing} Bucky Barnes (MCU) {sharing iffy} Illyana Rasputin (X-Men) {no sharing} Bill Potts (Doctor Who) {sharing ok} Dean Winchester (Supernatural) {no sharing} Mazikeen (Lucifer) {sharing iffy} Remy LeBeau (X-Men) {sharing iffy} Gareth Ritter (Brain Dead) {no sharing} Vanessa Morales (In the Heights) {sharing iffy} Faith Lehane (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) {sharing ok} Elsa Bloodstone (Marvel Comics) {no sharing} Boodikka (Green Lantern) {sharing ok} Felicity Smoak (Arrow) {sharing iffy} Lena Luthor (Supergirl) {sharing iffy} Emilia Rothschild (Jack of All Trades) {sharing ok} Shotzi (WWE) {no sharing} Finn Balor (WWE) {no sharing} Abadon (AEW) {no sharing} Tulip O'Hare (Preacher) {sharing ok} Queen Emeraldas (Galaxy Express 999) {sharing ok} Dr. Kimiyo Hoshi (DC Comics) {sharing iffy} Darby Allin (AEW) {no sharing} Jenny Green (Dead Boy Detectives) {sharing iffy} Bleez (Green Lantern) {sharing ok} Klaus Hargreeves (Umbrella Academy) {no sharing} Harley Quinn (DC Comics) {sharing iffy} Poison Ivy {sharing iffy}

Queer-Platonic F/Os:

America Chavez (Young Avengers) Ella Lopez (Lucifer) Finnick Odair (Hunger Games) Hartley Rathaway (Flash/DC comics) Kate Bishop (Young Avengers) Monica Rambeau (Marvel Comics/MCU) Larissa Duan (Check, Please) Roxie Richter (Scott Pilgrim) Shvaughn Erin (Legion of Superheroes) Bling Mag (Repo: the Genetic Opera) Drew McIntyre (WWE) Yelena Belova (Marvel Comics) Ianto Jones (Torchwood) Benny Lafitte (Supernatural) Carla (In the Heights)

Platonic F/Os:

Kon-El (DC comics) Eliot Waugh (The Magicians) Jonathan Crane (DC comics) Wallace Wells (Scott Pilgrim) Ragdoll (Secret Six) Yukio Okumura (Blue Exorcist) Winn Schott Jr. (Supergirl) Edward Nygma (Gotham) William Poindexter (Check, Please) Jaysen Caulfield (Icebreaker) Onomatopoeia (DC comics) Topher Brink (Dollhouse) Danhausen (AEW) Roy Harper (DC comics/Arrowverse) Beetlejuice (Beetlejuice: the Musical)

Familial F/Os:

Alfred Pennyworth (DC comics) [grandfather] The Master (Doctor Who) [father] Wanda Maximoff (Marvel comics) [mother] Ursula (The Little Mermaid) [mother] Queen of Hearts (Alice in Wonderland) [mother] Bruce Wayne (DC comics) [father] Pietro Maximoff (Marvel comics) [uncle] Lorna Dane (Marvel comics) [aunt] Erik Lensher (Marvel comics) [grandfather] John Constantine (DC comics/Arrowverse) [older brother] Leon Kennedy (Resident Evil) [older brother] Leonard Snart (DC comics/Arrowverse) [older brother] Lisa Snart (DC comics/Arrowverse) [older sister] Kent Parson (Check, Please) [older brother] Dick Grayson (DC comics) [older brother] Jason Todd (DC comics) [older brother] Enjolras (Les Miserables) [twin brother] Tim Drake (DC comics) [younger brother] Damian Wayne (DC comics) [younger brother] Stephanie Brown (DC comics) [younger sister] Cassandra Cain (DC comics) [younger sister] Duke Thomas (DC comics) [younger brother] Billy Kaplan (Young Avengers) [younger brother] Tommy Shepherd (Young Avengers) [younger brother] Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) [adopted brother] Dirk Gently (Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency) [cousin] Graham Miller (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) [cousin] Percy de Rolo (Vox Machina) [cousin] Luna Maximoff (Marvel comics) [cousin] 10K (Z-Nation) [son] Lonnie Machin (DC comics) [son] Andrew Wells (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) [adopted son] Giovanni Zatara (DC Comics) [father-in-law] Piotr Rasputin (X-Men) [brother-in-law] Teddy Altman (Young Avengers) [brother-in-law] Sam Winchester (Supernatural) [brother-in-law] Adam Milligan (Supernatural) [brother-in-law] Dream (Sandman) [brother-in-law] Death (Sandman) [sister-in-law] Delirium (Sandman) [sister-in-law] Despair (Sandman) [sister-in-law] Destiny (Sandman) [brother-in-law] The Prodigal (Sandman) [brother-in-law] Luther Hargreeves (Umbrella Academy) [brother-in-law] Diego Hargreeves (Umbrella Academy) [brother-in-law] Allison Hargreeves (Umbrella Acadmy) [sister-in-law] Five Hargreeves (Umbrella Academy) [brother-in-law] Ben Hargreeves (Umbrella Academy) [brother-in-law] Viktor Hargreeves (Umbrella Academy) [brother-in-law/best friend]

Pet F/Os:

Lockheed (X-Men) Dex-Starr (DC comics) Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland)

[cruzrogue]

Catfished

Summary: Felicity/Oliver (olicity)

Catfishing is a deceptive activity in which a person creates a fictional persona or fake identity on a social networking service, usually targeting a specific victim.

Summary:

Felicity knows she’s being catfished as the guy behind the screen is using pictures of a guy who is known to be dead. Oliver finding himself using social media to connect to a girl who seems interesting while using his real image knowing everyone thinks him dead. She doesn’t call him out and he doesn’t own up to be the guy who really isn’t dead. Their online chats are innocent enough… that is until a close ally to Oliver calls him out when a picture of a spunky Felicity is found.

***Before posting to A03 Going to post first chapter here***

Chapter 1 Oliver’s secret

Oliver’s name is being called out. He’s in his own head and hasn’t heard the voice calling out for him. Instead…

A hidden photo that Oliver has had for a few years before his return to Starling City is clenched tightly. A photo of a girl that amazingly helped him in some tough times unlike the photo of his ex-girlfriend who brought guilt of things left undone.

Retrieving it from a page in his father’s book of names. He makes sure to hide Laurel’s image as Oliver doesn’t even glance at it placing it back within the pages. In purposely not glancing at that old image that brings a pull in his chest to think the sister of an old flame was lost like him. To find darkness and somehow return in different ways back home.

In the last few months since this lost sister of a woman he’s tried to make amends with is back. They’ve rekindled a relationship of sorts. Sara knows him enough. They have an understanding. Both seeking some comfort in each other. Otherwise, he feels like he isn’t worthy of any other companionship.

Oliver’s eyes scanning the simple photo from an array of pictures username SmokeNFox sent him it was this particular one he needed to print out. Glad he was able to find a printer back when he required it. A crack of a small smile graces his face as he recalls tiptoeing around the makeshift A.R.G.U.S. base to download from the social site to get this snapshot of an incredibly hot girl who texted some very outrageous things. Her pauses in conversation to vent how she can’t believe she wrote what she wrote. The sincerity not lost on him. He may have not heard her voice until his stint in Russia when they reconnected online again.

Oliver mentally documented her voice. Not in his wildest dreams would he think he’d hear it down eighteen flights of stairs from where Walter Steele mentioned Felicity Smoak would be someone to talk about electronics Oliver needed fixed.

SmokeNFox was at Queen Consolidated and to behold Felicity in person was… is the most incredible surprise the universe could ever throw at him. Reaching out to Ms. Smoak was no hardship at all. Her energetic personality ate him up alive. Trying to be aloof to her charm gets harder and harder and it irks him that John Diggle can read him out like that every single time.

At least John has no clue about his true first time he interacted with Felicity “SmokeNFox” Smoak.

Glimpsing at a face that brought a levity in his past journeys back to where he is now. After convincing Maseo in Hong Kong that he would not continue to jeopardize this man’s family. He got to sit down with a laptop which of course was being monitored but it was nice to have some technology at his fingertips. After the usual thing on checking up on his mother and sister and even Tommy. Since the whole ordeal of almost having his best friend killed it was good to know Tommy Merlyn was fine and alive back in Starling City.

Being lonely as evidently shown when Maseo and his wife Tatsu would leave him to the contraption that he is using to navigate the internet. A simple website of ambiguity. The thought of talking to someone outside the restrictive bubble seemed like a grand idea. It took a short bit to figure on a usable username. Kind of lame but doable. He logged in. Answering the site’s interests that he wants to partake in. Simple in fact. He is a male looking for a female. Basic stuff he thinks. Clicking buttons on what personality traits he seems to prefer.

His likes don’t always go hand in hand with what he accepts in real life but here he is in a world of make believe. He knows he wants to mingle with someone on par with what he always imagined would be the best thing ever. No strings attached. Just be raw as natural as he could be and know he couldn’t emotionally get hurt. A person on the other side of a keyboard could not elicit any deep feelings. Thus, Oliver decides to take a leap of faith and bare himself. What does he have to lose? He’s survived some dark shit so far.

And clicking the agree to terms. BeeMyQueen is now able to roam the site to find someone of interest to engage with. 

The voice calling out to him finally gets his attention.

He knows it is too late to hide what is in his grasp. It’s a wonderful picture he finds himself unable to tear away as it elicits a rare smile to form on his face. Glad this portrait of a girl has persisted the journey with him.  A spunky edgy college age girl is looking back at him. Those eyes always had him mesmerized.

Till finding Felicity in the flesh, he always wondered if that crazy stunt of talking to a random girl online was really of the girl, he’s had some far-out fantasies about in some darker times while trying to stay alive. 

“What do you have there, Ollie?”

Sighing at being unable to hide the picture as fast as he should have Sara is already snatching the picture from his now loosen grip.

Her gasp is all it takes to know he is in trouble.

“Hot damn! This can’t be the same girl.” Sara keeping Oliver from getting the photo back as she moves her body away from his, “Not our blondie.” She is making a whistling sound.

“Sara!”

His tone has her jest, “Does she know?”

“Know what?”

“You have a pretty exotic picture of her?”

“Nothing exotic about it.” He reaches over and lucky gets the picture of Felicity Smoak back into his possession.

“How did you come across getting that photo?”

“It’s a long story.”

“While we wait for the perpetrator on that list of yours, I think I can do with an over dramatic Queen story.”

“Fine, but you need to promise me you’ll never tell Felicity about this?”

“Oh, this is some deep…” Sara looking at his hand where a photo is clutched securely.

“Sara?”

“Ollie!” She replies while rolling her eyes.

“Felicity can’t know about this. It would make everything even more tense between us.”

“You have the hots for her.”

“It isn’t like that?”

Sara gives him a dire look as her hands plant themselves on her hips. Giving the illusion she knows more than he is admitting to.

“She deserves better.”

“Better than what?”

“Felicity is…” He takes a few extra seconds before adding, “She’s like sunshine on a darken day. I can’t hurt her. She’s special.”

“Special? And what? I’m chopped liver?”

He huffs, “You know what I mean.”

“Yep, I do. We’re comfort and we have an understanding. It is what makes us…us.”

“I won’t tell the story if you don’t promise to keep it to yourself.”

“Really… Ollie?” Seeing he isn’t budging. “Fine, Oli-ver.”

Oliver looks down at the picture of Felicity Smoak. One taken before she graduated M.I.T. in 2009.

“You promise?”

“My gosh, relax old man. I promise.”

It takes a dragged out look between them for Oliver to relax and begin a tale of how the picture of a Goth Felicity Smoak came into his possession.