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austarus · 3 years

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Harrison Wells (Eobard Thawne) x Reader Ballistic Confrontations (3/3)

*A/N: The picture/edit/gif belongs to me!

**If you understand what I’m referencing to in the end, well the Kudos to you. You win 85 Stardollars.

***Trigger Warning: Scars from mentioned self-harm

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Word Count: 6397

Part 1 Part 2

Eobard said nothing. Instead, he disregarded your look as his gaze locked back onto Kara, as the Kryptonian woman threw him a hateful look. The futuristic genius did not care. His baby blue hues jumped back to where you stood before stepping away to the side tables. Now we proceed, the speedster mused to himself, picking up a scalpel and arranging his surgical tools. The stage needed to be set tonight. All the actors were in place, and he needed to complete his role. A delicate procedure, if you will. But he needed to be bought some time. Surely, Barry and the others would be back by now from Earth-X. He was, in essence, reluctant to cut up the Earth-38 Kryptonian for he held no malice towards her. She was just an unnecessary casualty in all this. And after all, if Barry Allen were to die it would be at his hands. Not on some tainted Earth at the firing range. You’re centuries late, Mr. Allen. As always.

You glared at your genius scientist for not cluing you in on whatever it is he had planned now. What was his plan? Play along until ‘Uh oh, it’s too late to turn back’ and ‘Oh, look. We’re doomed’? A grunt caught your attention, Kara was trying to break out of her restraints again. “Kara,” you whispered, now standing beside her. “Save your energy, please.” She eyed the restraints on you before taking a slow breath in. Kara wanted to throw her guts up, but she pushed back the bile caught in her throat.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.”

“Honey, you are looking anything other than fine.”

Kara pursed her lips, feeling fatigue wash over her once more. “Where… where are the others… that were here- at the labs? Are they…?” There it was, always concerned for others when she should be concerned about herself.

“No, no they’re fine. They’re in the pipeline. Iris and Felicity-” You stopped yourself, noticing Eobard’s head snap towards you. A pang of guilt echoed in your body. “They’re being held there too,” you lied, giving her hand two small squeezes for her to indicate the lie. If he held things back from you to entertain the Earth-Xer’s with legitimate reactions, then so would you. Supergirl nodded her head subtly in understanding. You were too focused with Kara; you didn’t notice Eobard move. “You’re going to be fine; the others should be back. They wouldn’t go out just like that.” Iris, Felicity, where’s that help? Just where are you guys? You couldn’t leave if you wanted to. Not with the others lurking around. Not when there was a chance you could tip them off about Iris and Felicity, then there was Eobard. Overgirl would instantly go after him for betrayal.

“I… I really hope not. Alex-” Kara trailed off; her eyes drooping shut as her shoulders sagged. Her hand went limp in your cuffed ones.

“Kara?” You looked up to see a tube in Eobard’s hand with a syringe in it. Empty as its contents have already worked its way into Kara’s system. “What are you doing?!”

“I’ve given her a mild anesthetic,” you pursed your lips as his statement. Eobard sighed, “Not to worry, that should have her out for 30 minutes. Strong enough for a Kryptonian, but not strong enough for too long even with the red sunlight on her.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because I needed to talk to you without anyone listening.” You followed how Eobard’s eyes glanced at the door. Outside stood two more Nazi guards.

“You could have just pulled me to the other room,” you whisper-yelled at him.

“No, I couldn’t have.” He crossed his arms at you, replying in his own gravely hushed tones. “I needed to keep up the image of the bad guy in front of Kara.”

“Why? Why, when she could understand that you’re not really with them? Why let her also think of you as one of those heinous monsters?”

“Because her opinion of me doesn’t matter. Not hers, not the Earth-Xers, not anyone else.” Eobard punctuated his words before taking your hands in his, placing a gentle kiss on the back of one. The intensity in his eyes never broke as he spoke once more, “Only your opinion of me matters. You matter.”

You pursed your lips, your eyes unable to leave his heated gaze. Oh, if only we weren’t in this mess. If only we had more time… Kara crossed your mind once more, the ominous thrumming noise that came from the machine that generated the red sunlight. A frown found its way onto your face. “Wait, you said 30 minutes? Shouldn’t she need time to recover from the anesthesia to be given another one?”

Eobard sighed, letting go of your hands. He crossed his arms. You weren’t going to like his answer. “No, not in this case.” Dread welled up in the pit of your stomach.

“What…”

“The General herself requested, more like ordered, me to have our Kara awake during the… transplant.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” You responded slowly. Your eye slightly twitched as anger started to consume your thoughts. You wanted nothing more than to rip your friend’s doppelganger apart.

Eobard very well sensed your feelings, he always hated putting a frown on your face or seeing you upset to this extent. “Look, I don’t want to do it either,” the speedster retorted hastily as he unfurled his arms, his hands gently grabbed your shoulders, “but I can’t defy their word especially with you around.”

“Why? Am I suddenly a liability?”

“Never, but they’ll figure something is up with you here with me. Conspiring against them. You already saw how easily Oliver-X caved to his Kara regarding who you are to me.”

Technically, that’s my own damn fault, but a calculated risk to get to Eobard. I can live with the repercussions. “But that’s technically what we’re doing on the downlow, Eo.” You echoed one of the lessons he taught you years ago. “One weakness is better than none, it can be essential to creating the downfall of another.” He had mainly told you that regarding Eilling, who hadn’t ceased to stick his nose into Eobard’s lab experiments and projects. The general had eyed you as a means to get to him, but in reality you were a strength to Eobard. Not a weakness. And the speedster very well knows you can handle your own; after all, the both of you trained constantly. Pushing each other’s limits. Though where you hesitated to kill, he compensated on that, especially in the right moment. “We can have the Dark Archer on the ropes. If anything, he’s made it evident that his wife is a liability to his rational thinking.”

A proud grin ran along his handsome face. “Exactly, my little bird. But they will hurt you, even if you can hold out against them you can’t take them both on.” Even I cannot, not with where I’m at with my speed. Not with the slight dampener they have on my suit. The potential self-destruction if removed from the emblem by my own hands, is a heavy weight on my chest. If I can get rid of them, I can defuse the detonator.

“I’m not worried about me; I’m worried about you! I can’t- I can’t be the one to lose you again.” Eobard shifted his gaze away from you. “Look it’s not going to come to that.” He knew what you were suggesting. “Ok? Worst comes to worst I cause a distraction.”

“No, over my rotting corpse.”

That sounds eerily familiar.

“We don’t have a choice, if it buys us time then I’ll be damned not to try!”

“That’s why we adapt to the situation and find alternate routes to keep off their radar. I know what I’m doing.”

“Precisely. Adapting. So let me do what I can if it comes down to it.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No!” You bit back a retort at the way he raised his voice. “Just trust me.” He wasn’t asking you to.

“Kinda hard with your track record,” You deadpanned, and Eobard just rubbed his face.

“Have I ever lied to you?”

“Is that a question you seriously want me to answer?” A small cheeky smile made its way to your face. You couldn’t help but tease him right now, of all times.

Eobard huffed out a chuckle, pulling out some white surgical clothes from a drawer. Have those always been there? “Just follow my lead, ok? Whatever happens stay on their side, whatever happens to me stay with Barry and the others.” Eobard gloved his hands while the guards re-entered the medical room along with Oliver-X and Kara-X. Speak of the devil. You pursed your lips and held a stoic expression even as Kara-X sauntered to her respective gurney, smirking widely before a violent coughing fit erupts from her. You didn’t miss how Oliver-X moved towards her, yet you averted your eyes to the protruding machines the other soldiers were bringing in for the ‘necessary’ operation. Two guards held you by the arms where you stood. You swallowed thickly as everything was being sterilized and prepped.

***

Harry caught the ball once more after it ricocheted back to him. He’d been letting his frustration out on it towards the cell wall. Something didn’t feel right. He cursed himself, knowing he should have been carrying some weapon or breaching device to have gotten away from the Dark Archer. Or any intruder for the matter of this invasion. Yes, he pushed the emergency labs alarm, but he still got whacked and dragged to the pipeline. He could have done more damage to these damned Nazi’s, but he was helpless. I should have carried my gun or my pulse rifle, what was I thinking? His hand gripped tightly at the ball as regret never left his side. I should have seen this as a possible attack. It’s a simple strategy. Divide and conquer. Yet they were all too fooled, too hasty to attack to even logically see this move by the Earth-Xers.

“Wait, Thawne’s here?” Cisco’s outburst broke the Earth-2 genius out of his thoughts. Harry cracked his neck and directed his attention back to Cisco’s squabbling from the cell near him. The Wells doppelganger was getting pretty tired about hearing of Thawne. A feeling of dread picked at his insides, his thoughts going to you and what Barry had discussed vehemently earlier.

“Yeah,” Caitlin responded. “I haven’t seen or heard from her. We only briefly got a visit from Iris and Felicity not too long ago. But they didn’t know where she was either.”

“Do you think maybe she… you know?” Cisco made an implication. “I mean, does she know?”

“I don’t know,” Caitlin trailed off. “But Iris had said that she left them in the Time Vault to buy them time. Whatever that could mean.”

“Well, on the one hand, they either got to her and are holding her hostage somewhere or, on the other, she rendezvoused with Thawne and now they're going all Mengele on Kara.”

Harry rubbed his face irritably at Cisco’s words, by now you would have known. There’s a high possibility. Whether it’s from seeing Thawne face-to-face or by overhearing someone. By now, Harry’s sure, you would have made a choice. Where did you go, though?

The lights flickered in the pipeline before shutting off as Caitlin finished. A dull blue tint lit up in each individual cell as the pipeline was divulged into a dim darkness. The emergency lights were the only things on. Every person was on high alert at this point.

“Ohohoho, my girl Felicity definitely pulled that one!” Cisco chirped, making a loud clap.

Dinah tried her canary call again, but to no avail. The cell would not budge. Harry narrowed his eyes; he knew she’d try again. But Cisco had crafted these cells with Thawne cautiously for metas. Practically indestructible unless you’re a Time Wraith.

“I wouldn’t try it again if I were you.” Harry finally spoke. Dinah paused, the silence daring to be her question. “These cells are reinforced to withstand any form of meta-attacks generated within. A backup generator still supplies the power dampeners with energy to preserve the cell.” Harry looked out his cell and towards the darkness. “All we can do is wait.”

***

You took a breath, smoke and blood and electricity filled the air. Your eyes didn’t miss the rush of electricity in the distance. Red and gold, the Speedforce of the only two speedsters here. Swallowing thickly, your attention was diverted to the Waverider being chased by another. Well damn, I think someone’s having a bit too much fun. Raising an eyebrow, you watched both airborne vehicles zig-zag through the air. You hooked up your earpiece and headed for the nearest skirmish to help out. A grin plastered itself on your face when you heard Cisco on the comms arguing with Harry. I guess they’re the ones taking the Waverider for a joy ride.

You pressed the button on your communication device, “Any chance I can hop on?” You sucker punched a Nazi. “Oh, I’ve been wanting to do that all day.” Cisco laughed, weaving through the air as if he’s directing a Strike Fighter.

He’s totally Luke Skywalkering his way through this.

“Girl, where you been?”

“Let’s just say,” you huffed, generating electricity in your palm and slamming it into the chest of another soldier. “I caught some unwanted attention, and they were reluctant to release me.” In actuality, Eobard had sped you away from the Labs once Ray made a dramatic entrance to save Kara. He’d sped you to where the battle would be, at least to where the Earth-X forces would arrive from. Telling you to run and appear at an opportune moment. Meaning, go hide while the battle thickens so your disappearance doesn't bring up too many questions from your friends. “Is Iris with you?”

“Yeah, she’s in the back with Felicity, we’re still trying to maneuver in the best position possible to take down their shields.”

You breathed a sigh of relief, thinking back to her stunt with Felicity to sabotage the surgery. “So, how about that help?”

“Hmm,” Harry spoke up, pushing his glasses up. “Unless you have the capability of overloading and shutting down the entire Earth-X Waverider system without passing out, be our guest.”

“… I mean I could try.”

“No.”

You pouted, punching another soldier, this time in the nose. Someone’s particularly grumpy right now. “It’s honestly not that hard, I would just be out for a couple of days and probably on life support.” The line was quiet meaning that Harry chose to ignore your comment. Rude.

You took in a breath and reduced your being to an electrical form, traveling up some buildings to gauge the situation. Kara and Kara-X were facing off at the moment. Eobard was naturally keeping Barry busy while Oliver and Oliver-X were in an intense hand-to-hand-to-bow combat. Yeah, their fight wasn’t as impressive as the other two. You took in a breath heading back down to the fight, this time getting closer to Mick and Leo Snart, who you found to be the Earth-X resistance fighter and doppelganger to your dead ex-boyfriend.

What goes around comes around.

***

“Where were you?”

Turning back from where you sat, you sent a questioning look to Barry and pointed to yourself when no one had responded. He had specifically prompted you with the question. The look in his hazel-green eyes were distant as he leaned against the front of the Cortex desks. You recognized that look from a few years ago. The silence in the Cortex was sliced amongst the team. DeVoe was still out there, scheming. Some stopped what they were doing to gauge what would happen, others (mainly Harry) kept working away but inclined an ear in case either of you were to do something rash.

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, (Y/N). You’re not that dumb.”

“Excuse me.” You narrowed your eyes at the scarlet speedster.

“Barry,” Iris whispered to him, but he shook her off as he folded his arms.

“Where were you after you left Iris and Felicity?”

Ah, of course he wouldn’t miss that. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse.

“I went to go buy them some time.”

“Buy them some time or buy yourself some time? To see Eobard.”

Your heart hammered tightly in your chest, but you made no move to indicate what you had done. In a sense, you did both. You protected Iris and Felicity while keeping Eobard company.

“Why would I want to see someone who’s allied themselves to a Nazi regime on a different Earth, Barr?”

“Why wouldn’t you do anything to see the one you once loved?”

“Are you talking about me,” you tilted your head to the side, taunting him now, “or yourself?” You referenced the events that happened last year. Barry was more than aware of what you were indicating. Flashpoint. Savitar. Iris’ predicted death, HR’s sacrifice, his time remnant’s downfall. But you’ve been wanting to add kerosene to the flames. “Are you referring to your mom,” you turned your head to Iris, “or to Iris?” If looks could kill, you would have been reduced to ashes under Barry’s gaze. Cisco put down his tools and Caitlin glanced at her friends from where she sat beside Iris. Harry capped his marker but turned his eyes towards you. “Like I said, I caught some unwanted attention, and they were reluctant to release me. How is that any different from the others getting stuck in the pipeline?”

“You left Iris to defend herself.”

“Oh my god! Barry!” You rolled your eyes at his statement, deflecting your own questions. “Iris this, Iris that. Iris is a big girl with nearly perfect marksmanship as Harry. She’s more than capable of taking care of herself. I know that. She knows that. The same goes for Felicity as well. But do you know that?” Divide them, fester the idea of unreliability between those two. After all, it’s because of Barry’s decisions for Iris that everyone gets screwed over. It’s one of the reasons for the resentment and bitterness that grows within you. Only they can be happy, no one else can.

“You left Iris and Felicity while this place was crawling with Earth-Xers just to see Thawne!”

“Fucking prove it, you dickbag,” you screamed back at him, “if you’re so certain. Prove it, because contrary to your belief, I was fighting beside you and everyone else that day in the city once I managed to escape. Ask Cisco and Harry. Ask Sara. Hell, even ask Mick and Leo.”

Barry shook his head with a cruel smile, “Do you wanna know how I know?” The speedster took out his phone and started it up, showing the screen of your location. “Careful what you wish for.” Dread gripped your heart as Barry chuckled to himself. “That’s right. I chipped you, that night I pushed you against the doorframe before leaving for the warehouse fight. I chipped you. I already had Thawne chipped earlier that night. On his suit, when I landed a few hits on him. He doesn’t know or… not until recently.” Barry did a search for any pings, but there were none except for yours. “You asked me for proof, here it is.” He slid his fingers on the screen showing a timestamp and your location pinged with Eobard’s at the labs.

“This means nothing.”

“It means everything!” Barry stepped closer to you, anger in his wake. “You left us for him.”

“Yet I still fought with you guys because it was the right thing to do regardless of how I feel for him. You don’t understand nor will you want to understand. You’d rather label us as 100% on the wrong side without acknowledging that we can dwell in a gray area. The world isn’t just black and white, Barry. Or have you forgotten about your own morally gray decisions?”

Sparks crackled in the air, whether it was from you or Barry, no one could tell. Harry took a subtle step towards you from where he stood at the glass board a few feet beside you. He was the only one that can calm you down from this, maybe Iris too, but most definitely he himself. But Harry wasn’t quick enough because the Cortex monitors went haywire while the room darkened. You and Barry were nowhere in the room.

“Barry!” Iris screamed a second after he had sped you away.

***

Eobard raked a hand through his dark locks, analyzing the future article again. He fiddled with his rightful Reverse Flash emblem in his hands, his fingers tracing over the single lightning bolt. It took the genius a full day to extract the SS emblem from his suit, but with your help he was able to detonate it a safe distance away in some open fields. While the people of Central City slept and you had assured Eobard that the Labs were vacant, the speedster had rushed into his old office and compiled all the documents he needed to keep out of Barry’s hands. He’s honestly surprised Team Flash hadn’t rifled thus far into the records he kept. The only things missing were speed theories and the equation escalation to the Speed Formula. Although, he had solved that issue for Barry two years ago when he had traveled back in time for an answer on getting faster.

Still such a naïve child, not at all like the Flash from my future. Arranging some papers together on his new office desk, without meaning to Eobard had knocked over a picture frame. The breaking of glass caught his attention, craning his neck to see the fallen frame. The frame held a picture of you and him from before the Particle Accelerator exploded around Christmas. Before you had known his secret. But now the frame was adorned with a fierce crack through you. Eobard’s mouth went dry, knowing that superstitions were just superstitions, but he couldn’t exactly place the rush of fear welling in his body.

“Gideon, pull up (Y/N)’s location.” Eobard pulled his glasses off smoothly as the AI did as told. She was at the labs. “Access the live feed cameras.” Gideon pulled up holo-images 8x8 of what seemed to be a further escalating scene between you and Barry through STAR Labs. Gritting his teeth, Eobard summoned his suit and launched himself forward into it. The Negative Speedforce fueled by his anger and hate pumped dangerously in his veins.

Barry Allen will regret the day he dared to lay a hand on you.

***

“You’re a traitor!”

“Speak for yourself.” You grunted against the wall, your electric blade dissipating in your hand. It was getting harder to breathe, to keep up with his movements. With speedsters, you preferred long-range combat, but you had to make due at times. “You’re the one who betrayed everyone first for your own selfish desires. Flashpoint, the cause of so much pain and misery. In the end, there was so much collateral damage, and you were the cause of so many lives lost.”

“Flashpoint should have wiped you away. You should have been thankful. We helped you,” Barry fumed, pressing his forearm harder against your throat. “We stood by you.”

“They stood by me.” You tried channeling your electricity, even to siphon off a lick of his in order to produce a dagger, but to no avail. Only sparks flickered from the tips of your fingers, “You couldn’t stand the sight of me when you brought me in.” You had no grievances towards anyone else other than Barry. Not Iris, not Caitlin, not Joe, not Cisco. Certainly not Ralph simply because he’s new. And not towards Harry and Jesse. Iris and Caitlin were the two people who kept you the most grounded to the world for they understood the loss of a loved one and the process of moving on.

“You’re damn right I couldn’t. I was wrong to have let you stay around after Iris and Caitlin rehabilitated you.”

“That wasn’t your decision to make, now, was it?”

“You’re a monster just like Thawne. You’re not a hero.”

You simply spit blood in Barry’s face. “I’m neither thief nor hero.” You were kind of enjoying pushing his buttons, releasing all those pent-up emotions and frustration over the years. Wiping his face clean with his sleeve, the speedster sped you out of the room, throwing punches and kicks at you. He had run you through the entirety of STAR Labs. You siphoned off passing energy from computers and lightbulbs to throw at him Palpatine-style when there was distance between you two, but there was only so much you could do in your current condition. You were getting tired; you couldn’t keep up. Every burst of electricity that burned him had drained you. Blood continued to trickle from the side of your face and sweat glistened on your skin. You healed fast, but he healed much faster.

“Barry, stop! You’re going to kill her.” Iris shouted with a gun in her hand, the others piling into the room. Cisco threw a wave blast at Barry and Frost aimed a couple of icicles his way, but the speedster had dodged them. The scarlet speedster tossed you to the ground like a bag of peanuts before turning to the others. You skidded to the side, breathing in deeply then coughed up some blood into your fist. Blood continued to trickle from the side of your face and sweat glistened on your skin. You could feel your cheek swell as well as an ache form in your chest, maybe a few cracked ribs. Could potentially puncture your lungs if this didn’t end soon.

“And why shouldn’t I? For all we know, she could be spying on us for Thawne.”

“Barry killing her won’t solve anything,” Harry shot at him with his pulse rifle to create some distance between you two before training it on you. “It’ll just make things worse.” You met his eyes, and you could see the disappointment in them. A tinge of guilt hit you, but you pushed past it as you stood on unsteady feet. Your body felt like it was made of lead, but you continued on. If this is how things are to be, then so be it.. You leaned against the wall, cradling your damaged ribcage, as Harry continued. “Regardless of her actions, she did keep Iris and Felicity safe in her own way, she still stood by us.” You were finding it extremely hard to breathe, to stay conscious. Your breathing slowed, the noise in the room between Team Flash was reduced to murmuring to your ears. Did I burst an eardrum too?

“Are you kidding me, Wells? How can you say that when-”

You blinked before collapsing onto the ground, a streak of red had filled your vision. Eobard pinned Barry to the wall, his hand squeezing at his throat while red hot anger filled his vision. “Good to see you again so soon, Flash,” the yellow speedster drawled with a rough grin in his distorted voice. “It seems like you overstepped your boundaries.” Eobard kicked Barry in the ribs and landed a few speed punches, the scarlet speedster already exhausted from his fight with you. “Isn’t this position nostalgic?” Barry was clawing at Eobard’s firm grip, suspending the young hero in the air against the wall as he had done years ago.

“I- had a feeling... you’d show up, Thawne,”

Licking your bloodied lips, you groaned as you leaned up with hoarseness in your voice, “Eo, don’t.” The man in yellow stopped, slowly turning his quaking gaze towards you. You held his gaze for as long as you could get the message through to him. “Enough.” Eobard retracted a fist that was to make contact on Barry’s face, but not before squeezing the scarlet speedsters throat tightly and throwing him towards the upper part of the speed lab. Eobard took off his cowl and generated his speed to be by your side, eyeing every cut and bruise on your broken skin. Your eyes drooped shut when he brushed the back of his gloved hand against your unwounded cheek. His eyes softened, but his insides clenched. Iris and Caitlin had run to where Barry laid while Harry and Cisco monitored Eobard with caution as he gently scooped you in his strong arms.

Standing up with your limp form, the speedster disregarded Cisco, yet glared coldly at his supposed doppelganger. The future genius then turned to them and spoke, “My love for her is what stopped me this time. Next time,” his eyes landed on Barry, “you won’t be so lucky. Lay a hand on her again and I won’t hesitate to end your miserable life, Flash.” His eyes flashed red as they met Barry’s for the last time before taking his leave in a wake of red electricity.

***

Eobard stopped his vibrational intimidation once he made it to your temporary home, Gideon had already prepared the necessary diagnostic tests that would need to be conducted to assess your health. Laying you on the gurney gently, he kissed your forehead before proceeding. The speedster had cleaned you up, replacing your burnt clothes and scrubbing the dried remnants of blood on your skin. His heart shattered. His blood turned to ice. Eobard’s baby blues scanned every part of your marred skin. Lines that tallied up right after another, scars that were too stubborn to heal correctly as if trying to serve as a reminder. Eobard’s mouth had dried as his thumb made featherlight touches before injecting the needle into the correct vein. The speedster opened his mouth and closed it, but he could not register any other emotion other than anger and guilt. His thoughts funneled fluidly, emphasizing that one certain cause that led to this escalation. His death had been the cost of your mental and physical state.

Never again. The speedster peppered kisses along your arms as all the implied images ran through his mind. A tear slipped out. It fell from his face onto the scarred tissue. My love. He needed to get back to work. With classical music dancing in the background, Eobard conducted a blood transfusion in order to replace the blood you had lost as well as administering IV fluids. He had to steal the materials from a hospital nearby in Keystone. They won’t be missing it.

“According to my current readings, copious amounts of stress have been exuded onto her heart allowing her to retain a constant distressed state.” Gideon rattled on as Eobard sat next to you with a sleeve rolled up. He glanced over at you as the AI continued. “The X-ray scans have also been completed. She’s suffering trauma in her ribcage, a few cracked ribs, however none are broken. CT results also conclude a mild concussion.”

She’s lucky her lungs hadn’t been punctured. His hate for Barry Allen grew with every second that you laid unconscious.

“How long until a full recovery?”

“Physically it could take up to 3-6 weeks regarding her ribs. The mild concussion will take approximately almost a week and a half. Her heart might take longer. Therefore, she must avoid extraneous activity.”

“Such as using her powers and so on.”

“Yes. Shall I assist you with anything else today, Professor Thawne?”

Eobard ran his fingers over his lips before taking his glasses off and throwing them onto the side of a nearby table. “Keep tabs on Barry Allen’s movements, I want to be alerted if he comes near Keystone or has any intention of it.” The AI nodded before shuttering away into the plinth. Yes, the speedster had been smart to chip him, something Eobard had easily gotten rid of. But to chip you as well, Thawne cursed himself for not seeing it coming. Too preoccupied with the timeline and it’s malleability. “Hopefully DeVoe will keep him away long enough.”

***

Your eyelids felt like they had been cemented shut, the stinging smell of antiseptic slapped you right in the face. Am I dead or in a hospital? A groan left your lips, your throat dry as a desert and craving any drips of water. I hope I’m not in a hospital, I hate those places. The nice thing was that a light wasn’t blinding you, at the very least not piercing through the darkness supplied by your shut eyelids. It was oddly soothing. Your mind finally processed the dull ache residing in your bones, the softness beneath you and the slight chill in the air. Maybe I am dead. Taking one slow breath in, your blood vessels throbbed louder with each fluid pumped through and the humming of machines finally registered to your ears. You didn’t want to open your eyes; you were content with just laying here.

“…” You frowned, the sound of mumbling coming to you. Who was that? “Gi… ru-… I-.” Death, perhaps? You twitched your fingers, a numb sensation set in both your arms. If I’m dead, how can I still feel? It took a moment for your brain to catch you up on how you’d been reduced to such a state. Barry… killed me? No, that’s- Eo was… You shakily formed a fist only to feel something cool against your skin. Felt like another hand. Not bony. Maybe Death gave the appearance of a human for us to pass.

“Mm,” you tried clearing your throat, but it hurt each time, inducing a coughing fit. Blinking wearily, you looked around, your vision blurry until it settled on the being the hand had belonged to. “Mm, I…”

“Shh,” the deep voice cooed. You could hear much more clearly now but couldn’t make out the image of the being. “I have some water for you,” you felt a straw tap your lips. “Drink up.”

Why is Death being so kind to me? I thought Death was swift. You drank a sip at a time before pulling back and shutting your eyes once more. The somatosensory neurons on your arms brushed against some coarse material. A blanket? That same cool touch caressed your cheek. You blinked your eyes open a few times, dizziness ensnaring your mind, but your eyes met icy blue ones. “Eo?”

“I’m here,” he whispered in a gentle tone, standing up from where he sat next to you.

“I’m not dead.”

“No, you’re very much alive”

“Barry, he…”

“I’ve dealt with him. He won’t ever hurt you again.” You watched as he kissed your bandaged hands, each finger receiving a kiss. Cracking your neck, your realized he had changed you into fresh clothes. The scent of faint lavender hung onto the fabric.

“How long was I out?”

“Two weeks.”

It hurt your head when your eyes bugged out. You patted your temples lightly. “Two weeks? What- I-I need to get back. They were going to confront DeVoe. Harry and-”

“No,” Eobard pressed his palm against your shoulder when you tried to sit up abruptly, “You need to rest. Screw Team Flash. For once, just let them be so you can recover.” The speedster did not ask for what had happened to you, knowing the implications in his mind were too strong to be false. Rather, he’d make sure it would not occur a second time

“It’s not that simple, Eo.”

“It really is,” the yellow speedster sighed to himself, rubbing his face. You gestured to the water, and he handed the cup to you. “You’re in no condition to go back there, not after what happened. Your powers and your fight did a number on you. I-…. Your heart stopped a couple of times.” You almost choked on your sip. “I had to jumpstart your heart and keep it going.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For worrying you.” For being a liability that Barry can use.

“Don’t. This,” he gestured with his hands between you and him, “is not something to apologize for. Ever. If anything, it was smart of him to use you for bait as I had used Iris and Eddie.” You pressed your lips into a thin line as your mind started to wander.

“So, we wait?”

Eobard nodded as you ran a hand through you knotted hair. Need to brush that out asap. “We wait until it’s time to strike.”

“Until it’s time for you to strike. I’m remaining neutral in whatever it is between you and Barry in the future. Even if he might not see it that way.” Tipping the scales, balancing good and evil natures in the forces of the world. That’s what He told me my role in the multiverse is along with...

“I know, my love.” I don’t know how to break this to her. “But until then, rest.” If I ask her to come with me, would what I orchestrate then work?

“Eobard.”

“Hm?” Eobard knew he needed to go back to sort a few things out. Chances of getting caught were roughly 30-70, but not zero.

You shifted over to make room for him, patted the spot next to you. “Stay.”

Or would she become collateral damage?

“Always.” The speedster leaned down to kiss your lips before moving in beside you. You laid your head on his chest, minding the slight tremors of pain. Eobard kissed the top of your head and you shut your eyes. You’d go to the ends of the multiverse for him, but you’d also protect your friends. Being at odds with Barry wouldn’t stop you. He just needed to learn to live with your choices as everyone else has had to live with his.

Eobard’s mind ran through every scenario, deciding it’s best to tell you what he intends to do. He’d rather you decide for yourself what to do. The negative speedster respected the position you held onto. Neutrality wasn’t always an easy feat, but he admired your devotion towards him and the ones you love. Eobard was just selfish enough to only want and care for you. He didn’t need anyone else. He certainly didn’t need camaraderie. Tomorrow, he’d tell you. Tomorrow, he’d make sure to take the first step towards ensuring the future.

Betrayal is a fickle thing, Barry Allen. A lesson you will learn again.

108 notes · View notes

jbuffyangel · 5 years

Text

Second Chances: Arrow 8x04 Review (Present Tense)

Holy frack there is a lot to unpack.

Ha! That rhymes. Let’s dig in….

***Skipping the Quick and Dirty because this review is very late, so I figure y’all know the basic plot from other sources by now.

Oliver and William

Let’s start with the simpler of the two relationships between father and child. Oliver is still reeling from Mia’s, “Dad?” when William runs into his arms because he is the softest bear to ever live.

Source: norahasotherstuff

He’s missed his dad so much and it’s pure, overwhelming joy that propels him forward without a minute of hesitation. I love how free William is with his emotions. He’s a bursting ball of light and love. Reminds me of someone.

Oliver’s understanding of who this is sinks in when he feels his son’s arms around him. SOB.

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William is the first of anybody to understand they are in the past. Or present. Or something. The lack of crappy makeup and horrifically bad wigs in the first tip off, but the fact Oliver isn’t six feet underground is the primary clue for this Hardy boy.

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Oliver and William are given some time to catch up back at the apartment. Oliver’s immediate instinct is to call Felicity and tell her what is going on.

Look my friends! The writers remembered there are things called PHONES on Earth 1.

Isn’t honest and communicative Oliver so refreshing? It’d be so nice if his wife could enjoy it on screen.

William shuts down getting in touch with Felicity because he doesn’t know the time travel rules.

Are we Back to the Future or Avengers Endgame? William doesn’t know, so they shouldn’t contact Felicity yet.

Honestly, this entire conversation is just to address the perfunctory, “How do we handle MIA Emily Bett Rickards?” question.

For the record, I think Oliver not calling Felicity even once onscreen is bullshit.

But here’s the thing – Emily is not part of Arrow Season 8 until the finale. End of discussion. We’re going to get lots of Felicity references and I think the writers have done a marvelous job of giving us content so far despite an unavailable actress. Could they write one-way phone conversations or throw texts up like Jane the Virgin? Sure, but this is Arrow and simple/logical resolutions aren’t their wheelhouse.

Regardless, they certainly aren’t going to deal with the EBR issue every week in every episode. The fans watching the show have to accept at a certain point that Emily Bett Rickards left the show and this is the reason why Felicity is not doing X, Y and Z. We do not need it spelled out for us every week.

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Olive is desperate for some good news in the future. This is such a fucking Season 7 mood.

William obliges and tells him that he’s a billionaire corporate tech tycoon. So between his son and Felicity it no longer matters that Oliver signed over his children’s inheritance to a woman he banged one night in Russia. (I added that last part in).

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Oliver is so proud he cries. I sob whenever my child accomplishes pretty much anything, so I feel this is a very accurate representation of parenthood.

It also opens the door for William to come out to his father, which he never had the chance to do.

My favorite part was when Oliver confessed to William that he and Felicity knew he was gay… because parents always know whether they can admit it or not.

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Oliver cries again (right there with you buddy) and it’s a lovely scene. The basic takeaway is just love your kids.

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Bless William for being excited about what I am excited about – they have a second chance to get to know each other. It’s easier for William and Oliver because they already built the foundation. There’s a lot to catch up on, but the bond between father and son is established. William has spent the last 20 years wishing he could talk to his dad and he’s not wasting this opportunity. No matter how bizarre it is.

William is the one to tell Present Team Arrow about how awful the future is and again, we’re already changing the future if this, in fact, Back to the Future rules. Rene knows his daughter dies and he becomes a corrupt politician. Oliver knows that Star City is still going to hell in a hand-basket despite all his sacrifices.

Barry gets a coffee and the key to the city in the second season. Oliver has been hero-ing for eight years and things still turn out crappy in the future. Sometimes it really sucks to be an Arrow fan. And yet I stay because I am a masochist who enjoys pain and excruciatingly difficult hero’s journeys. Something is seriously wrong with me.

Oliver is deep in brooding mode, sharpening arrows, after Mia yells at him for “playing dad” and leaves with L*urel. William wants to know why he didn’t stop her and the truth is Oliver thinks she’s right. He chose to leave. He has not earned the right to be her father. Not like he has with William.

But Oliver is forgetting he went through this with William. He blamed Oliver for his mother’s death.

Yes, William is a child and Mia is an adult. Yes, Oliver had to break his promise. He physically walked away to save their lives. But he remained devoted in his love and all the rest all remains true. The only way to earn being someone’s parent is to be their parent.

William’s grief over losing his mother was overwhelming. He was angry with Oliver, resented his choices and the way he was parenting him. Oliver and William had a very rocky start, but those rocks are the foundation of their relationship today. It’s the reason why Oliver and William know they can start again because they have done it before.

All of William’s pain and suffering has made him into exactly the kind of brother Mia needs now. He understands her anger at Oliver. He also knows that despite her anger and whether she can admit it or not, Mia desperately needs Oliver.

William’s experiences also made him into the kind of son who can guide his father’s hand. William is saying, “Hey. You’ve been here before. Remember? You found the way with me and you can find the way with Mia.”

Felicity would be proud.

This also gives William the opportunity to hash out some remaining issues with his father because things are not all roses with them either. Oliver is still hurt William left to live with his grandparents, because it happened a few months ago. William is the weathered soul in this war and has gained an interesting perspective on the experience.

Oliver: I thought you hated my guts.

William: I hated you for abandoning me.

Oliver: I tried.

William: True, but I wanted you to try harder. Push a little more. I think that’s all any child wants from their parents.

Oliver and Felicity can argue William moving in with his grandparents was the best thing for him at the time, but I refuse to believe anyone is better for him than his parents. William has realized deep down he never wanted his dad and Felicity to let him go. Kids test their parents and this was a particular test William wished his father fought harder.

And I have to agree. I thought it was insane that Oliver and Felicity let William go live with his grandparents. I can’t remember if S7 Jen thought that, but S8 Jen sure does.

The reality of their living situation hadn’t really changed all that much from when Oliver first became William’s primary care giver. He was the Green Arrow the entire time. That’s why they hired Raisa. A couple bad guys break into the apartment and they ship the kid off? William is ticked at Oliver for going to prison, so he decides to LEAVE? How does that make sense? And why are we letting the 13 year old call the shots? I honestly couldn’t believe they agreed.

And we all know Oliver and Felicity’s reasoning is faulty because the writing doesn’t make any sense. The worst thing about these flash forwards is William not knowing who Mia is in order to keep the reveal a shock. They really expect us to believe Felicity never comes back for William? Gimme a break. I’m all for surprises, but not at the sake of the story.

The writers are trying to clean up the mess and resolve some of the drama, but it is Oliver and Felicity who unfortunately end up holding the bag. It doesn’t make either of their characters look great, but I can ultimately forgive it as well because it feeds a much larger truth about parents and their children.

Parents – you’re going to screw up.

Kids – you have to decide how much those screw ups will screw you up.

This is why Thea’s words to Oliver last week are so important. He was going to make mistakes whether he stayed with his family or not, but those mistakes do not diminish his love for his children. It all forms who his children will become. And hey – nobody is as messy as Robert and Moira Queen and the Queen siblings turned out okay.

Oliver and Felicity made a mistake by letting William leave. They aren’t perfect parents. Nobody is. The point is to learn, keep trying and fight harder. Ultimately, it’s up to William and Mia to decide whether or not to forgive their parents for being human beings. Every child must come to terms with the mistakes their parents make, weigh it against their intentions and love, and then decide whether or not to forgive them. This is part of becoming an adult.

Oliver: I’m sorry.

William: It’s ok. Dad, I’m glad that you’re in my life. Then and now. And Mia will be too.

William chooses to forgive his father. It’s a beautiful and honest moment between father and son. This is exactly the kind of bonding and healing I wanted Oliver to have with his children – a second chance.

Oliver and Mia

Let’s keep in mind the last time Oliver saw Mia she was in her crib, so seeing a fully grown young woman before him requires some adjustment,

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but Papa Bear rebounds nicely. Stephen Amell mixes pride, confusion, joy and love in this perfectly delivered line.

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In typical Oliver fashion his first question is if the kids are okay. He steps toward Mia to hug her, but she is in complete shock and totally overwhelmed.

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The barrier between her dead father and her very much alive father is breaking down with the reality of their situation, but Mia cannot accept it yet. Her pain is almost immediate and she steps away from Oliver. A line in the sand is drawn. He can’t come closer. It hurts too much and she’s not ready. Reminds me of someone.

It hurts Oliver just as much as when Felicity did the same thing.

Mia should have been wearing The Red Coat of Pain.

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Look, if my 34-year-old daughter time traveled from the future to the present it’d be a puzzler for sure, but cool as hell and I’d smush her perfect face in a microsecond. Way to represent Oliver.

Rene and Dinah are extremely confused why Oliver has a daughter and he’s all, “Oh yeah. Cool story.” He’s explaining to Thing 1 and Thing 2, but Oliver is really talking to Mia. He doesn’t take his eyes off her and he shares the story of her birth. SOB.

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I love Diggle’s they-told-me-because-I’m-not-just-anyone look here. Oliver apologizes to Dinah and Rene for finding out about Mia like this and they immediately understand why he lied and have zero problems with it. It’s your basic personality lobotomy because this is the final season (kumbaya) and there’s no time for the newbies to be their usual toddler selves.

Rene wants to know when the kiddos can fill them in on all the 2040 gossip and hey that’s a good point. (Holy hell I’m agreeing with Rene. It’s the end times my friends). Dinah and Rene don’t find out about Mia until twenty years later, so the future has already begun to change. Oliver wants the kids to share all their Back to the Future goodies once they’re comfortable.

Spoiler alert: They’re not comfortable.

Connor tells Mia and William he was about to kill his brother (there’s your confirmation if you were in any way unclear about Connor’s intentions). Mia has zero problems with Connor killing JJ, but is angry he escaped. Yup, this tracks with Mia’s morality since she’s basically Season 1 Oliver. William reminds her that it doesn’t really make a difference now because JJ is five and they can’t Baby Hitler him.

I saw that look Mia Smoak Queen.

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She decides as team leader they should keep their mouths shut because nobody wants to tell Diggle his biological son goes all evil and kills Rene’s daughter. I mean… yeah… tricky conversation starter. Do you do it over coffee? Vodka. I feel booze could really help the situation a lot.

This means that FTA is going to lie to OTA and William correctly asserts this plan is insane because this is Original Team Arrow. They aren’t dummies. Well sure, now they aren’t but oh kids. Do I have some stories for you.

Oliver takes the kids back to his apartment and Mia gets the first real sense of what it was like for Felicity to live with Oliver.

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I know Felicity had pictures of Oliver in the cabin, but this is their life before Mia. A life she was not part of yet. My mother once took me to the house she grew up in and the owners allowed us to look around. It was so wonderfully odd to put a place to all the stories I heard growing up, but nothing was like I imagined it.

The shock is wearing off and this is the first moment Mia’s anger bubbles to the surface. This was supposed to be her home, where she grew up with her father, mother and brother. None of that happened because Oliver “disappeared” according to William.

It would seem like a simple answer - wouldn’t it? Felicity took the children to Oliver’s grave. One can naturally conclude this means he is dead, but William says he’s not sure what happened. Y’all, if you are still stressing about Oliver remaining dead after this show goes off air then turn your attention to the Grand Canyon sized back door the Arrow writers just wrote in. They can’t even say he is dead.

Oliver has been pondering his mortality for 12 years, and particularly now, so he absorbs this information extremely well. But the hits keep on coming as William fills him in on the rest – how he didn’t grow up with Mia and never saw Felicity again until 20 years later.

Mia chimes in with a bitter, “Yeah it was just me and Mom at the cabin.” Oliver’s pain when he realizes his “disappearance” is the trigger for his precious family splintering apart is just gut wrenching.

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Yes, he saved their lives, but it was not the life he hoped for any of them.

Oliver wants to catch up on 20 years of history, but Mia’s not looking to hug and cry and learn and grow. The chill when she leaves the room to go to bed let’s Oliver know exactly where he stands with his daughter. She’s freezing him out.

Oliver is worried Mia will never give him the chance to get to know her, but William reassures his father. Mia is stubborn and hard to read. I’d like to add distrustful, moody and impulsive.

As Oliver’s mini me it’s perfectly acceptable to hold him accountable, which leads to some warm and good-natured ribbing between father and son.

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Mia reassures Present Team Arrow the Deathstroke gang isn’t a problem in the future after they blow up the hospital. Deathstroke gang? Pfft. Never heard of them. I’d also like to add liar, liar pants on fire to the personality traits Mia shares with her father.

And since they’re on a roll, Mia and William also reassure they are still friends with Zoe and she’s farting sunshine and rainbows.

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Ugh. Brutal.

Mia and Connor are convinced JJ is the leader of the Deathstroke gang. William tries to reason with them. He suddenly has a gang and is organized enough to start blowing up buildings within a few hours of arriving from a different time period? When you talk it out it doesn’t make sense. (She says to Last Week Jen who totally though JJ was the leader of the Deathstroke gang in present time too).

They go to the original Deathstroke hideout and discover it’s really Grant Wilson. It’s a nice tie into the Legends of Tomorrow’s “Star City 2046” which is the first time we met the wonderful David-Joseph Jones.

Present Team Arrow shows up to save their asses and Oliver gets to rescue another Smoak female from a bomb.

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Ah… memories.

When all the lies come tumbling out it’s not pretty.

Rene picks Zoe up and plans to work his way through a pint of mint chip with her, which is an extremely valid life choice given the news he’s just received. But could you get the kid some ice cream she actually likes? I agree disliking mint chip is MADNESS, but she’s going to die in twenty years so chocolate it is.

Dinah meets up with Rene and tries to convince him the future can be changed.

Rene: How am I supposed to wake up every morning knowing how many days we have left together?

Dinah: By trying to change what happens. Trying every single day.

Arrow is known for their less than subtle cuts and what immediately follows Dinah’s statement is an argument between Oliver and Mia.

Source: Paige

She is unable to sit on the sidelines anymore while the team researches Grant and his Deathstroke gang. Oliver wants to help Mia with her grief, but she can’t even admit her grief let alone desperately needing her father.

What’s so sad about this scene is Oliver is right. He’s been there. He understands exactly what Mia is feeling. All of Oliver’s loss and suffering have made him into the man and father his daughter needs. But Mia won’t let him in and a large part of that is because she’s just like him. It’s like a mirror of himself eight years ago is being reflected back at him.

Oliver and Mia are put their cards on the table. She is right. Parenthood is earned. It is not something that is magically created from biology. Anyone can have a child and call themselves a “parent”, but a real parent puts their child above their own selfish needs and wants.

And that’s what Oliver Queen did. There is no place on earth Oliver wanted to be more than in the cabin with Mia, Felicity (and William) for the last twenty years. If Oliver was a selfish man, he would’ve spent the rest of his days with them and let everyone perish in the Crisis. Oliver was going to die no matter what, so why not hold on to the only peace and happiness he’s ever known? At least they’d be together.

But Oliver could never make that choice because he is selfless. Mia is right – Oliver is a hero, but his need to be recognized as such is not the reason he left her. Oliver wanted Mia, William and Felicity to have the life they deserved – even if it meant one without him. He is willing to die for them.

His decision cost Mia her father, but it was a price Oliver was willing to pay. The only thing more unimaginable to Oliver than missing out on raising Mia is Mia not being part of this world. Oliver put his child’s life above his own because his precious, remarkable, beautiful, strong, and smart Mia is his world.

Do I think Mia is being cruel to Oliver? No. I think she’s being honest. This is how she feels.

Children have a remarkable way of blaming themselves for decisions their parents made.

Oliver is fighting the good fight like it’s any other day. There must have been something deficient in Mia that made moving on from his daughter so easy.

Source: arrowdaily

Mia may be grown, but she’s still a child in so many ways and particularly when it comes to father. All she can see is the man who chose to leave her. All Mia can feel is what she lost.

We cannot cheapen the depth of her grief by expecting Mia to be okay with her dad dying. Yes, he’s saving the world (and she is in the world), but Oliver didn’t need to save the city or the universe to be Mia’s hero. Nor can she accept the why because the result is the same.

Oliver missed Chrismukkah, trick or treating and birthdays. He missed snuggling on the couch and reading stories. He missed teaching Mia how to tie her shoes, ride a bike, shoot an arrow, defend herself or drive. Oliver missed comforting Mia when she was sad and sick. He missed making her laugh. He doesn’t know when Mia took her first steps, or her favorite food, or the name of her kindergarten teacher, or the grades she got in school, or the first boy who broke her heart. Oliver missed twenty years.

Mia didn’t lose a biological parent. She lost a man who loves her with every cell. Mia lost a man who would’ve shown up for her every day. She lost a man who would’ve protected, taught and loved her unconditionally. Mia Smoak Queen lost her DAD.

She’s supposed to what? Get to know Oliver? Mia’s supposed to accept all the stories Felicity told about her father were real, so the depth of her loss can be driven deeper because now she knows how wonderful he is?

Uhhh… pass. It’s easier for Mia to hate him. Of course, it’s easier.

It wouldn’t be a Queen family reunion without a little physical violence. Mia threatens to throw down with Daddy if he doesn’t get out of her way. Honestly, letting her get a couple good swings in Oliver might be highly therapeutic. I clearly didn’t study psychology, but I’m just here thinking my thoughts.

Oliver must be “some guy in her way” because the alternative, letting her father all the way in only to lose him again, it’s unbearable for Mia at this point.

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Oliver decides to try harder with Mia after William harnesses his light, which means FATHER/DAUGHTER IN THE FIELD TIME!

Oliver’s protective dad mode is fully activated, but Mia has other plans. She’s about to take Grant Wilson out when Oliver ties him up with an arrow rope. Undeterred, she switches a knife for an arrow and takes aim.

Oliver calls out to Mia in his deep, growly Arrow voice, which gets her attention because it’s scary and it gets everybody’s attention. IT’S STERN DADDY TIME! YASSS!!!

Oliver physically steps in front of Grant Wilson because this is road he has gone down and as long as there is breath in his body he will not watch his daughter go down it too.

This is what is so satisfying about Oliver Queen's story.

He has learned from his mistakes and can be the hero, and father, his daughter needs now.

Mia can hate him all she wants, but Oliver will not let her kill anyone.

Mia listens because what she needs more than anything right now is her dad. It’s a real and honest moment between the two where Oliver uses everything he’s learned to help Mia make the right decision. And Mia, whether she can admit it or not, wants to learn from Oliver. He earns being her dad by being her dad.

Stick a fork in me because I AM DONE. Do you know this moment is everything? Because it is EVERYTHING. First, Mia may not let Oliver hug her, but she lets him ask if she’s okay and even answers. This, my friends, is what we call progress. Mia also has to know Oliver’s history and she doesn’t want her father to think she didn’t have the stones to kill someone.

But it’s what Oliver said in return that is so meaningful because he knows after killing someone all that is left are the dark questions that haunt you. Did I do the right thing? What kind of person does this make me?

Of all the terrible holes Oliver had to crawl out of, this was his darkest. This was the secret Oliver feared was true. This lie was so easy to believe because Oliver blamed himself for Robert’s death. What kind of person kills their own father? What kind of person keeps killing? It was so frightening for Oliver to confront that he lost Felicity to avoid it. Then it was forced out of him only after being tortured for days by Adrian Chase.

Mia would’ve killed Grant Wilson because she thought it was necessary. She believed it would serve the greater good and save lives. But it doesn’t mean Mia would’ve enjoyed killing Grant Wilson. It doesn’t mean she is undeserving of love, unforgivable or irredeemable. It doesn’t mean Mia is a monster.

The questions are already haunting Mia. Oliver can see it in her eyes, but he has the answers for her. Oliver tells his daughter who she is and Mia knows he truly sees her. And her wall starts to come down.

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This show began as a story between father and child and, for better or worse; this is where it will always return. Arrow is about family, generational sin and atonement. It will always come back to Robert Queen.

Oliver takes Mia to her grandfather’s grave because this is where the violence, loss and guilt all began. It swallowed Oliver whole for so many years. It was an agonizing hole to climb out of. He wants Mia and William’s life to be better. Oliver didn’t truly understand his father until after he was dead. He wants it to be different with his children.

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Mia’s journey started with the “death” of her father. Just like Robert. Her mother is “gone.” Just like Moira. Zoe died protecting Mia. She was the hero Mia was trying so hard to be. Just like Tommy. Mia made a decision and it cost someone their life. Just like Shado.

And on and on it goes. All that’s left is the crippling guilt of survival.

All Oliver can offer Mia is the truth.

It’s a truth he’s learned the long, hard and painful way.

“This guy's walking down a street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep, he can't get out. A doctor passes by, and the guy shouts up, "Hey you, can you help me out?" The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a priest comes along, and the guy shouts up "Father, I'm down in this hole, can you help me out?" The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a friend walks by. "Hey Joe, it's me, can you help me out?" And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guy says, "Are you stupid? Now we're both down here." The friend says, "Yeah, but I've been down here before, and I know the way out." – Leo McGarry, West Wing

Oliver knows the way out of the hole Mia is in because he’s been there before. Her father reaches for his daughter’s hand and she reaches back. Oliver had to find his light these past eight years, so he could be the light for his children. Hopefully, her father can make Oliver journey a little easier and a little brighter for Mia. That’s all any parent wants to do for their children.

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Oliver makes his world famous Monte Cristo for William.

He introduces Mia to them the same way Felicity introduced William to these delectable late night snacks.

Down to the freaking mannerisms. Well done Ben Lewis.

These are the kind of stories Mia heard, but never experienced. These are the moments she and Oliver missed. The moments neither of them thought they’d ever get back.

The wall comes down. Not all the way, but enough. Mia lets her dad make her a snack. And begins their second chance.

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Diggle and Connor

I said last week it’ll be interesting how Diggle reacts to a son he doesn’t even know he’s going to have. Well… it was a lot like this in the beginning.

Ouch. Sorry Connor. In Diggle’s defense this is a mind blower and the kids don’t know when they’ve landed. Connor doesn’t understand why his father can’t recognize him as a son, but Diggle hasn’t adopted him yet. The last time Diggle this child’s perfect face was when he saved Connor and Sandra, his mother.

The whole custody issue is problematic and John has to download a lot of information, with some sobering realizations, to comprehend what happened. Put it this way. If you discovered you have a kid that you didn’t know about it would take more than a few minutes to sink in.

It does eventually sink in, but Diggle and Connor are still a little uncomfortable around each other. Unfortunately, Mama Lyla is unavailable to serve as wing man during the uncomfortable getting-to-know-you phase. Diggle offers a very sweet, “We always wanted a brother for JJ.” HOW ABOUT A SISTER? (side eyes Barry Allen).

Connor responds to Diggle’s attempt at bonding by lying through his teeth about JJ. Sure, Dad we’re best friends. No Diggle brother curse in the future? Noooope.

Although, from Connor’s perspective, John’s remark could be taken from a slightly different slant. Diggle’s first real moment of warmth was connected to JJ, his biological son. The son he has a relationship with already. John is leaning into what he knows as he navigates this new relationship - not unlike what Oliver is doing with William and Mia.

But John must look at Connor through a JJ lens in order to act paternal towards him. Diggle didn’t do anything wrong and he certainly didn’t mean anything by it, but this doesn’t put Connor at ease. Particularly since he almost murdered the only son Diggle knows and loves. It’s easy to see why he’s keeping that information close to the chest.

Dinah hears through the door Connor calling Grant Wilson JJ, which is a pretty weak plot point, but it gets us where we need to go. Connor tries to cover his lies by telling Dinah she doesn’t know what she’s talking about, but we get a very stern Papa Diggle in response.

John: Then you tell me Connor.

This is the first glimpse we’ve seen of John being the firm disciplinarian who holds his sons accountable for each other’s actions. It was hard to imagine Diggle this way when JJ and Connor were reminiscing about their childhoods, but David Ramsey made me believe it in one line.

This is the father Connor knows. Nothing like a little parental authority to make a kid crumble like dominoes. He comes clean and we get a little history too. Grant Wilson did bring the Deathstroke gang to Star City, but JJ eventually inherits the leadership position and is the craziest of all the cray.

Rene is understandably heartbroken over Zoe, in a rage over JJ, and a little pissed off at John. I’m always uncomfortable when this show makes me sympathize with any member of NTA, but here we are, nonetheless.

Diggle just found out his son is a murdering psychopath, so it hasn’t been a great day for him either. However, it seems Diggle is the only one who watched Back to the Future and believes this horror show we affectionately call the Flash Forwards can change. It could even be the reason why the Monitor sent the children to the present. Jesus, let it be true.

The writers wouldn’t have brought it up if they weren’t going to change some things about the future. I still don’t think we’ll avert the twenty-year separation. (Can the writing gods be that kind?) But Present Team Arrow will help Future Team Arrow become better heroes. Zoe will survive and JJ, by not killing Zoe, will become a redeemable villain. I’m sure some other stuff will change too, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Connor: It was like I stole the love that should have been his.

UGH. Kiddo that is so not how parenting works. Connor is overwhelmed with guilt over JJ and completely blames himself for his actions. It’s not difficult to understand why he feels this way. This is how John raised them. When one brother did something wrong the other was held accountable. But now Connor and JJ are flipped from their childhood. The “good brother” became the “bad brother” and vice versus.

Diggle: What do you want me to say?

Oof.

This is not Diggle’s best parenting moment, but let’s juts call a spade a spade. The reason why Diggle is not acting like a father to Connor is because he doesn’t feel like his father. John and Lyla haven’t adopted Connor yet. Diggle doesn’t know him. The stranger standing before him now has lied from minute one about the only son he does know.

He has a nice heart to heart with Dinah once he’s calmed down. It took John all of 5 seconds to draw the Andy comparisons, so he’s just piling one guilt on top of another and blaming himself. Hmm… I wonder if that’s where Connor gets it from?

Dinah: Knowing what’s happened can either destroy us or save us. We’ve seen our worst. Now let’s be our best.

Damn. This is a seriously great speech. Holy crap I enjoyed a Dinah moment. I can’t remember the last time that happened.

If you think this series is ending with the future destroyed and everyone being their worst then I’ve taught you nothing. Follow the yellow brick road. We’re almost home.

Diggle can finally see through his anger and pain when he watches Connor at his best. John can finally see who Connor is when he defuses the bomb.He sees Connor’s intelligence, composure selflessness and bravery. Diggle sees his son. And Connor is everything Diggle dreamed a son could be.

Diggle: You read to go home?

Connor: You don’t have to do that. I don’t want to be a reminder of everything bad that happened to JJ and to your family.

Source: Paige

It’s everything Connor needed to hear and more. Father and son find their way to forgiveness and it’s a path to a second chance.

And because Arrow loves us this means shirtless father/son training session. Well, half shirtless. This is the content I am here to see.

Source: Paige

L*urel L*nce

L*urel goes with Mia on recon so she doesn’t slug her dad in the face. She also knows Mia is going to kill Grant Wilson.

L*urel: Clearly no one has informed you that I used to play for team villain. And I can spot a murderous intent a million miles away.

Is L*urel’s background and history being used for a plot point in a way that makes total and absolute sense? The mind reels at the possibility.

Mia’s reasoning for killing Grant Wilson is sound. They tried locking him up in the future, but he always escapes which helps earn his cult status and JJ’s admiration. Mia believes if she kills Grant Wilson then Zoe will live. The guilt she feels over Zoe’s death is too much to bear. She will do absolutely anything to fix it – even if it costs Mia her soul.

Damn… I wonder where I’ve heard this story before.

L*urel knows a thing or two about vengeance and tries to reach Mia by explaining how Felicity was once in a similar position. L*urel talked her out of killing Ricardo Diaz and SAVED THE DAY!

I’m not gonna say anything. It’s fine. Inaccuracies happen all the time in this show. I can let this go

No, I can’t let this go.

This isn’t exactly how things went down with L*urel, Felicity and Diaz. Yes, L*urel gave Felicity a similar “once you let the darkness in it never comes out” speech in early Season 7. However, she wasn’t overly vexed about Felicity doing some violence. In fact, she was damn near proud of her every time Felicity crossed a line. And L*urel was right there with her. when she did.

Nor was L*urel the reason Felicity didn’t kill Diaz. The first time she pointed a gun at Diaz was when she finally captured him. Felicity was about to pull the trigger when Laurel came in and said she made a deal with the Feds. Oliver would be released from prison if he helped the FBI with their case against Diaz. Yes, L*urel told Felicity she didn’t want to kill Diaz, but she was not the reason Felicity put that gun down. Oliver was.

The second and final time Felicity threatened to kill Diaz she convinced herself. Felicity realized he was no longer a threat. She decides not to kill Diaz because she’s stronger than him. Felicity Smoak is a BAMF and nobody gets to take this moment from her.

I’m not saying L*urel doesn’t deserve any credit. She does, but in typical arrogant BC form she beats the self-congratulatory drum too loud and makes herself the sole savior of Felicity Smoak. No, honey. Not even close.

It’s also frustrating because I wish it was Felicity telling this story to her daughter and not LL. Just one of the many “It sucks that Emily wasn’t in the episode” moments.

Source: dcladies

At least L*urel recognizes Felicity and Mia are not “women who allow themselves to be talked out of anything.” But this statement negates the “Because I talked her out of it” nonsense she was spewing 15 seconds earlier. Sigh. So close yet so far.

Can we just have one episode where this character makes total and absolute sense? Just one episode we hit on all L*urel cylinders. An episode she feels relevant, doesn’t act like a judgmental, hypocritical, ungrateful asshole, and her history isn’t blatantly ignored for the sake of plot contrivance, and doesn’t contradict herself every five seconds? It would just be nice.

Stray Thoughts

Nothing makes me sadder than the director choosing a more toned-down delivery of Ben Lewis’, “Excuse me what year is it?” than the one in the promo because the line in the promo was hysterical.

Dinah wonders why The Monitor didn’t bring L*urel back to Star City too - once again highlighting how annoyed The Monitor is she’s still alive and how inconsequential she is to any of his plans. Snort.

To be fair, (because I am for neutral reporting here and Something To Live For) Rene wonders why The Monitor didn’t bring Zoe and JJ back. He probably would have if she wasn’t dead and JJ wasn’t evil.

Connor’s, “Hey are you okay?” to Mia was so soft and nearly identical in tone to whenever Oliver says “Hey” to Felicity, which this means he wants all the babies with her. That’s the maths.

Did they blow up the doctor?

Oliver bragging William is a billionaire to Rene was the cutest to ever cute.

“You’d be proud.” William’s emotional double meaning requires beaucoup de tissues. Yeah, I’m tossing some French you’re way. Gotta keep things fresh.

“Ugh. Curtis. I did not miss you. Not even a little bit.” From my notes watching live.

I feel like this Councilman Rene thing kind of came out of nowhere in the present time, but I’m not actually invested in it so whatever.

“I cannot believe that is your son. I can however definitely believe that is your daughter.” Okay, this was funny and only made funnier by Oliver’s annoyance. Curtis is there for a hot minute and already bugging him. Dude so much same.

Yes, canaries are plural Dinah. Nobody is happy about it.

The Canary set up for the spin off was LAME.

Connor: There’s a Canary network in the future.

Dinah & L*urel: Let’s eat French fries dipped in milkshakes (trademark LL bonding) and create a Canary network.

Soooo… killing Vinny isn’t a thing anymore? When did that not become a thing? Dinah and L*urel have barely spoke this season and now they are besties? I see shoehorning canaries into plot because of contractual obligations will continue in the spin off. Yippee.

“At least we didn’t die.” Oliver Jonas Queen, God gave you a daughter just like you because He is a just and fair God.

I cannot call it Original Team Arrow because they are missing an original member so it’s Present Team Arrow until Felicity’s return.

“I’m not exactly a big fan of your father’s. He’s kind of a dick.” Should’ve let her fry, Oliver.

“John, we’re good. You too, Connor. I can’t be mad at either of you for something I will never let happen.” WHY ARE ALL THE CHARACTERS MAKING SENSE AND SAYING THINGS I LOVE? I’M SCARED HOLD ME.

I am Oliver. My twenty-something friends are William. LOL Source: felicitysmoak

How has Mia not watched The Shawshank Redemption?

"Mom really liked playing fast and loose with the fourth amendment huh?" WILLIAM’S. BEST. LINE. EVER.

They brought in Curtis to usurp William's skills. Yup, he really is Felicity 2.0.

Has Mia been wearing a Green Arrow suit the whole season and I never noticed or was she just in really great leather this week? I can’t tell on my TV screen.

OMG this moment gave me LIFE. I will be abusing that gif of William. Source: arrowdaily

If Connor learned what an intervalometer bomb is from John then did John learn it from Connor? Wrap your noodle around that time travel mind bender.

Mia’s hair was so extra this week. Source: miasmoakdaily

All I wanted this entire episode was for Mia, William and Oliver to bake cookies. So I will take payment in the form of Monte Cristos. I’m getting my way a lot this season, so I would also like to ask the Arrow writers for a million dollars. Thanks a bunch.

“Or we make our own hope.” Deathstrokes are off the board for the time being. The future is getting a second chance too. You can’t hear me but I’m singing the times they are a-changin’

A very special thanks to Muriel for editing all the gifs. You are a live saver and I am so grateful for your help!

Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me. 8x04 gifs credited.

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

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zayray030 · 4 years

Text

When Iris got her stuff after checking out from the hotel she gave both of them her number. She had told them to call her when they either both needed someone to talk to, go out on their coffee date or just wanted to talk. She knows she should be more careful but her gut told her to trust them, so she trusted them. People always say gut instincts help you.

Roy's last parting words with her left her certain that she can trust them. But slightly worried that he would abuse his privilege.

And Iris? he had texted her immediately.

Yeah? She replied confusedly

Ask Barry out. He had texted her a smiley face along with it

🖕🏾 Fuck you. She replied with no real heat.

No thanks. I have Thea. He texted back.

Iris wondered if she should block him. She decided against it. Who knows. Maybe he'll actually need to text her something important.

She had taken Roy's advice to ask Barry out on a date. She wanted to say that she didn't but that would be lying to herself and to others.

Currently she was in Barry's apartment in comfy clothes on his bed watching Iron Man 1. It’s been almost a month since she's met Thea and Roy and honestly it's been the best month of her life. It has also been a month since she's been Barry's girlfriend and it's magical.

During this time, she has also started to notice some things. Things that she wanted to see as platonic before her and Barry started going out with each other.

He always had this look in his eyes when he looked at her. Whenever she babbled about something new in her classes or ranting about her dad or hell even the customer she was serving. He always looked at her like she was the only thing worth looking at. He looks at her like he loves her. And she's starting to think that she loves him too.

Her and Barry were just cuddling, the movie long gone, just absorbing each other's presence and soaking up the love they had for one another.

However, the fairy tail atmosphere ended when her phone started ringing. She wanted to be annoyed at whoever it was but then she saw it was Thea. She was slightly surprised to see it was Thea considering the slightly younger girl normally called the day after her and Barry's dates to ask for information. She was also grateful for the girl talks that were given to her through meeting Thea.

She quickly answered it ignoring Barry's confused look. “Hey what's up Thea?” she asked confusedly. She became even more suspicious and worried when she heard crying coming from that end.

“Have you seen the news?” she asked.

“No Thea. Sorry. I've completely forgotten about the news. Why? Thea, you're scaring me.” Iris said when all she could hear was Thea's sobbing and someone trying to soothe her.

“Can you please meet me at the jitters you work at. I'll explain everything there. We still need to go on our coffee date.” the joke fell flat, especially with her sniffling.

“Of course Thea.”

“Bring Barry to if you want.” she added “I have Roy. This can be like a double date.”

“Sure honey. We'll be there soon.” said Iris soothingly. She quickly hung up and got out of the bed.

“Hey what's wrong?” Barry asked worriedly.

“We are going on a double date with the people I met back in Starling. They actually encouraged me to ask you out.” said Iris going to Barry's closet, grateful that she keeps some spare clothes here for emergency. She picked out a thigh length, satin, light blue dress that had a halter neckline, with a small golden belt and same colour heels.

“The famous Thea Queen and Roy Harper?” he asked sarcastically. Even though Barry knew that Iris wouldn't lie to him he was still incredulous about Iris being friends with Thea Queen. She didn't exactly blame him since the story she gave him was sketchy at best but it still hurt her. She thought, out of everyone, he would believe her more.

“Yes. Now if you hurry up I'll give you a small reward.” she said the last part with a wink. He immediately jumped up and tripped in his hurry to get changed.

“Done. So, are you going to get me dark chocolate or chocolate orange?” he asked excitedly.

“Both.” she replied chuckling slightly at his excitement. This was also a nice part of dating Barry. He didn't push her to do stuff and understood that food meant love. Better than the guys she dated in high school and college.

They quickly got out of his apartment and into her car and drove quickly to Jitters and there Thea and Roy sat with Thea in Roy's arms looking miserable with tear tracks on her face.

“Oh Thea.” Iris said when she caught sight of her 2 friends cuddled up together as she made her way to them.

“Iris.” was the only thing Thea said before she flung herself at the smaller girl and started sobbing. Iris expertly maneuvered them so that they were sitting down instead of standing. Barry followed her and sat next to Roy. He at least looked slightly less uncomfortable than Roy at Thea crying.

“Thea, honey, you need to tell me what's wrong so I can help you.” Iris said as she soothingly rubbed her hand up and down Thea's back. She noticed that the girl had become thinner since she last saw her and Iris didn't take that as a good sign.

“Her mother helped to level the Glades.” replied Roy for Thea. He probably shouldn't have said it so bluntly because it only made Thea cry harder.

“Dumbass.” Iris muttered under her breath. Thankfully, Thea let out a small giggle at that. “Thea what actually happened? Full story as well.” she added when she saw Roy trying to say something. He immediately slumped back, huffing.

“Why don't Roy and I go get you two coffee while you fill each other in?” asked Barry, already standing up and dragging Roy with him, not allowing him to say anything.

“Roy already knows what I like.” Thea said and that was enough to convince Barry to continue to drag Roy to the register.

“So? You wanna tell me what's up or do you want me to start?” asked Iris.

“Can you please go first? How are you and Barry?” Thea requested.

“Barry and I are doing well. This last month has been magical. I've literally never been treated like. A princess this much and I love it.” admitted Iris, once again thankful for her dark skin.

“Magical enough not to notice the news?” she asked then winced. “Sorry. It's just…”she trailed off.

Iris just hugged her again “Take your time.” said Iris as she ran her hands through the taller girl's hair.

Then it all exploded like a dam. Thea explained all about the Glades, her mother and even Oliver. Iris mentally put a reminder to punch Oliver Queen next time she saw him. Thea also told her all about Malcom Merlyn and Tommy Merlyn. She told her all about Laurel Lance.

Iris had to remind herself multiple times that these people were also suffering and that murder was banned in all fifty states so she couldn't go out there and shoot each and every single one of them for hurting Thea.

“Am I a bad person for wishing that my mother stays locked up for everything she's done?” asked Thea, finally looking up at Iris from her place in the girls arms.

“No, not really. Sure, at one point you are going to have to forgive her. But right now, you can hate her for this. But you also have to be grateful that she spoke up because even though tons of people died, tons more survived.” Iris replied, still stroking the younger girl's hair soothingly.

“Thank you Iris.” Thea finally said after a lengthy silence. She sat up from her arms but still hept close to her. “Even though I hate what you had to go through for us to be friends, I'm glad that we are.” the brunette said as she hugged Iris again, her chin on top of Iris's hair.

“Anytime.” Iris replied, returning the hug. Just then the guys came back Roy looking slightly wary and Barry happy to see her.

“So” began Thea, after drying her tears on the tissue that was at the table “Barry Allen. What are your intentions with Iris?” asked Thea teasingly.

“Thea!” yelped Iris.

“It's okay Thea. I already quizzed him. My street smarts tell me that he's

a trustworthy guy.” said Roy as he slid into the booth next to his girlfriend, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“Roy!” Iris snapped. Roy just grinned at her, winking slightly. She turned to Barry ready to apologise but suddenly his mouth was on hers and she couldn't keep the small gasp in.

“I love you.” was the first thing Barry said when he pulled back from her.

“I-I love you too.” Iris replied, shyly. Then it's as if something magical happened. Everything suddenly clicked. Everything felt right and amazing. Everything felt as it should be.

He quickly captured her in another kiss, unnaturally bold considering the public place they were in.

“Okay happy couple, break it up.” said Roy teasingly before Thea lightly hit his chest.

“Roy! They were having a moment!” snapped Thea.

“We were having a moment before and Iris interrupted.” he pouted back leaning in and placing his head on her shoulder.

“Needy.” muttered Iris and that caused some more laughter at the table.

Even though life wasn't perfect they had each other and that was good enough

Part 1

Part 3

#iris west #iris west allen #westallen #barry allen #roy x thea #thea queen #Roy Harper #Time lines #I'm trying to make it work #Bare with me

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davidmann95 · 4 years

Note

So it's official, there's nothing left between now and Crisis on Infinite Earths. Any last thoughts before it starts?

A list of wishes, classified by likelihood:

Here’s hoping!

* Brandon Routh and Kevin Conroy get a scene together and are preferably addressed as the World’s Finest, since they’re almost certainly from the same Earth and the clear idea there is positioning the Donnerverse Superman and DCAU Batman as literal peers to match the power of their iconography.

* Earths 1 and 38 merge but the multiverse remains (perhaps reorganized; no reason for Jay Garrick for instance not to be on Earth-2 now that the original trick of switching 2 and 3 no longer serves a purpose).

* The odd contradictory stuff with the Monitor that we’ve seen is revealed to be a product of him and the Anti-Monitor actually being two aspects of the same being.

* Some sort of note of the major Batwoman timeskip given I think everything in that series so far takes place pre-Elseworlds.

* Danny Trejo, a multiversal cop who was already recently brought back, sticks his head in during the final battle to be Danny Trejo in Crisis on Infinite Earths stabbing and shooting the death of all things.

* Lynda Carter shows up even if she likely can’t be acknowledged directly as Wonder Woman. Probably also on the Kingdom Come Earth?

* That guy who we all know is John Stewart becomes a Green Lantern, and he throws up the first time he flies as the culmination of that running gag.

* A solid first onscreen confrontation between Hoechlin’s Superman and Cryer’s Luthor (and for that matter Luthor with Tulloch’s Lois).

* Other DCAU voice actors who have played assorted roles in these shows briefly appear as live-action versions of their animated counterparts, or at least Mark Hamill (at minimum a recording or echoey memory of him laughing on the Kingdom Come Earth, for the love of god).

* Since I hear Black Lightning is set on a relatively realistic Earth without other superheroes, play a lot with him being caught up in all this nonsense with characters who he’d known as fictional.

* Speaking of which, the episode of Black Lightning that I just saw apparently ties in is accessible, since I’ll want to check that out. I hear that show’s really good!

* There’s some sort of at least minor bit of the Supermen comparing costumes, laying the groundwork for improvement on the side of the ‘prime’ guy.

Wouldn’t count on it, but it’s not impossible either!

* Conroy as Batman also meets Welling and Hoechlin, as Welling getting to meet a Batman would be the fulfillment of a longtime dashed dream, and Hoechlin as the best Superman should get to meet the best Batman.

* Some sort of resolution to the occasional light hints that there’s an important reason there isn’t a Superman or Supergirl on Earth-1.

* There’s specification or at least room for interpretation that Lois didn’t necessarily die on Earth Kingdom Come, it seems likely but I’d prefer it didn’t hew quite to that aspect of the source material.

* John Shea’s Lex Luthor shows up, that dude ruled.

* Green Arrow’s “The entire universe needs you” line to Superman isn’t (just) a reinforcement that he’s got an important job he’d better not fuck up or a bolster at a low moment, but a pep talk and/or acknowledgement that he as Superman (and a lead of an upcoming series) is the guy they need at the front on this.

* Since they’re paired in the poster, Superman and Constantine are forced to work together and absolutely hate each other.

* Routh either survives to occasionally guest star as the equivalent of the old Earth-2 Superman on Superman and Lois - maybe he just could be on Earth-2 in a reordered multiverse alongside Conroy, Carter, and Shipp’s Garrick - or plays a suitably major role in saving the multiverse with his heroic sacrifice.

* Lucifer from that show is in this after all and is very pointedly confirmed to have fucked John Constantine.

* Conroy growls “I was Batman”.

* Speaking of Batman Beyond, have Will Friedle make a cameo as Terry, if only in voiceover on a comm link.

* I don’t know the exact limitations of how Batman can appear in the non-Fox TV shows; clearly it’s somewhat porous. Would Conroy in the Kingdom Come Bat-armor be permissible?

* The gathering of heroes here is directly referred to as the Justice League.

* Smallville Clark mentions having dealt with Monitors before in passing acknowledgement of Smallville Season 11, which the writers mentioned they know of and at least won’t actively contradict.

* Welling wears a damn super-suit.

* Everything about the Legion of Superheroes is completely changed; all their history is revised and all actors are recast. I actually have no idea whether this would be a good or bad thing, but tradition’s tradition.

* A subtle shot at Dean Cain given why he’s not showing up.

Sigh. A boy can dream.

* Welling sees Routh and - since it’s technically supposed to be Christopher Reeve - exclaims “Doctor Swan?!”

* The Monitor displays ‘viewscreens’ of other universes, and someone leaps back in shock when George Reeves’ Clark Kent looks directly at said screen and winks.

* Uncle Sam is in this and tells everyone to stop for a second so he can give a speech about how saving the multiverse from the Anti-Monitor is really...about freedom, and Cryer’s Luthor exclaims ‘I hate his guts, but by god he’s right!’ Otherwise this will never be a spiritually true adaptation.

* Ezra Miller puts his money where his mouth is and makes a little cameo.

* The Monitor appears before Barry Allen as he’s about to sacrifice himself and confirms that the actual reason he’s lured him into this is as rightful punishment for his disrespectful Superman impression, and as he’s agonizingly torn apart atom by atom Flash’s final screamed utterance is “I objectively deserve this!”

* Justin Hartley shows up but as Aquaman.

* Oliver Queen survives in spite of cosmic odds to the contrary through naught but his wits and his will, and nothing seems to be standing in the way of him resuming his life and career after all. Except remember when he hilariously puffed out his chest in naked insecurity upon meeting Superman? That, except he meets Conroy’s Batman, and he just starts sobbing and runs away, never to be seen again, and that’s how Arrow for-real ends.

* Burt Ward puts on DKR Bat-armor to join the final battle and kicks an utterly stupendous amount of ass.

* Now that Roy Harper’s doing a Rise of Arsenal, (which is how I learned I am a maniac, given my what I can only describe as childlike glee when I realized what was about to happen in the last episode of Arrow) he injects a shitload of whatever that super strength drug is that gives him Bloodlust™ and goes ham on the Anti-Monitor with a dead cat.

* An unsubtle shot at Dean Cain given why he’s not showing up.

* I can get the damn Walmart tie-in comics. Most of the time the place near me is reliable with those, but they still haven’t gotten the last issue of King/Kubert Superman and I’ll probably just have to give in and get Superman: Up In The Sky #6 to get the final chapter Saturday or Sunday. I’m assuming my luck will hold steady with this.

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freddieslater · 4 years

Text

There is hope

(Who asked for more Crisis angst? No one? Too bad!)

AO3

The waverider is surprisingly quiet. Not that Barry would really know what it's usually like, but considering everyone who's part of the team, he's got a feeling that there's never a dull moment. Usually.

Not today. No one seems to want to be the first to break the silence, in case it triggers something and disturbs the moment of calm they seem to have been given to recover. The Crisis isn't over yet, they can all feel it. There's something else coming.

Right now, though, all Barry can bring himself to focus on is Oliver. He's been sitting in the medical bay with him for the past hour, waiting for him to wake up.

The fight with the shadow demons knocked him unconscious. Bruises and cuts litter his face, barely a part of him that isn't covered in blood. Gideon said there's a forty-eight percent chance of him going into a coma. Kara said to be hopeful that there's a higher chance he won't, even if it's only by two-point-something percent.

But he isn't feeling too hopeful right now. He supposes that's why she's the Paragon of it and he's not.

The machine hooked up next to him beeps away. Steady, thankfully.

He sighs and drops his head forward into his hands. He stays like that for a moment, trying to calm himself down. There's just this gnawing in his gut and he hates it. Oliver isn't supposed to die, no matter what the Monitor says. He desperately wishes there was something he could do. Something to at least help Mia, who's a wreck but being distracted by Sara.

His eyes are wet and dry at the same time. He closes them, digging his palms into them as he sucks in a shaking breath. It steadies him the tiniest bit, long enough for his head to clear just a little. Clearing his throat, he sniffs, tries to wipe his eyes clear of any stray tears and drags his hands through his hair as he looks back over at Oliver.

"Come on, man," he says quietly, his voice broken and rasping to his ears as his mouth twists into an attempt at a smile, but all it's doing is holding back another wave of tears. He bites the inside of his cheek. "You don't get to go out like this, alright? Making some...sacrifice for me and Kara. Even the anti-monitor's saying you aren't supposed to go out like this."

Oliver doesn't stir. Of course he doesn't, Barry thinks. He's unconscious and bordering on comatose. Still, part of him is desperate, and he's clinging to that desperation, because he can't find a single other thing left inside of him. It's all he has at this point.

"So," he draws in another deep breath, straightening up in his chair, dropping a hand to Oliver's arm, "you gotta wake up. The universe said so, alright, and I don't know about you, but I don't feel like arguing with the universe anymore. Plus, you know Kara's a worrier, and I'm a little scared she might laser a hole in this ship soon if you don't wake up and hug her. You know it always works when she's freaking out about something. Pretty sure you have a gift."

He laughs a little, and he can hear Oliver's laugh in his head. His heart twists. His smile slips as everything becomes hazy around the edges once more. He can't stop himself from crying, not while Oliver's like this. So still, barely breathing, more blood and bruises than skin and flesh.

He shakes his head, trying to steady his breathing, but it only makes it worse. A choked noise tears from the back of his throat and he quickly covers his mouth. Digging his fingers into his face, curling along his chin. His other hand's still on Oliver's arm. He's so cold.

"This should never have happened to you," he breathes out, moving his hand from his mouth, but his voice cracks and he quickly swallows.

He can't say anything else; his throat's closed up and it's hard enough to breathe let alone try and form any words. All he can do is stare through tears stinging his eyes, feeling them slip down his cheeks. He halfheartedly attempts to wipe them away.

He should leave soon. The thought's been stuck in his head for the last half hour, because he knows that the rest of the team need him. Kara especially needs a distraction. It's just been working himself up to actually letting him out of his sight for even a minute.

But Oliver's heartbeat is steady. His chest is rising and falling, even if slower than he would like. And Gideon would immediately update them on any problems before it got too bad, or if he was waking up. Mia and Kara made sure she would in case they were helping the team with something.

He nods to himself, letting that little voice of reason in the back of his mind convince him. It won't do Oliver much good to wake up if the entire universe has been wiped out by antimatter. He was willing to die to save it, and to save them. Barry will do anything to make sure that wasn't for nothing.

Forcing a little composition into himself, he straightens up, taking in a deep breath. He leans forward, his eyes flickering closed for just a moment as he presses his lips to Oliver's forehead. His heart stutters in his chest in protest to him slowly pulling back. He ducks his head, sniffling, keeping his eyes closed for a beat as he ignores the tears still pushing their way out.

A quiet groan breaks through the otherwise silence. Barry's eyes snap open. He quickly lifts his head, and he can hear it now, the heartbeat monitor, getting stronger, faster.

He looks at Oliver with wide eyes, watching him stir and shift. Barry's already halfway to getting out of his chair to call for Kara and Mia when Oliver turns his head. His eyes slowly flutter open until he's locked his gaze and Barry sinks back down into the chair, hearing Gideon inform the rest of the team of the change.

"Hey," Barry breathes out softly, his heart pounding into his ribs.

To his surprise, Oliver's mouth curves up into a smile. The action stretches the cuts on his face slightly and he winces, but his smile doesn't slip at all. If anything, it widens that tiny bit more as Barry feels him move the hand he was almost holding to actually grip his gently.

"If you were trying to pull some true love's kiss thing on me then you did it wrong," he jokes despite the rawness to his voice and how it cracks a little. "Although, I guess it still worked."

Barry can't even respond, smiling so wide that his face aches a little and his eyes are still stinging. He huffs out a half-laugh of disbelief and utter relief, and it feels so good. To see Oliver smiling up at him, his eyes open. The light still shining within them as he holds his gaze, lightly squeezing his hand.

"I'm so happy you're alive," Barry says quietly, shaking his head slowly. "We thought—you were almost—"

"I'm okay," Oliver cuts him off, then glances around, barely moving his head as a tiny crease appears in his forehead. "I think. Where are we?"

Barry opens his mouth to answer, but fast, approaching footsteps catch his attention, and the next second, Mia appears in the doorway with Kara right behind her. The looks on their faces are so similar it's almost scary for a moment; hopeful but absolutely terrified to see for themselves in case it's all just a dream. Then Oliver looks over at them.

"Dad," Mia breathes out.

She doesn't hesitate to practically speed over to them, at the other side of the bed in an instant as Kara approaches behind. Oliver's eyes widen as she immediately presses her face into his shoulder, crying. He huffs out another gentle laugh that sounds like it hurts his throat. He doesn't seem to care.

"Hey, hey." He carefully lifts a hand to the back of her head, his fingers threading through her hair as his smile widens. "Mia, I'm okay."

"But you were—you could have—" she tries to say, but it's muffled and she can't seem to get the rest out as she just shakes her head and pulls back enough to be able to see his face, to be sure. "Dad, you—"

"Am still alive," Oliver cuts her off gently. He moves his hand to stroke along her cheek, wiping away a tear as he pushes her hair back. "See? I'm fine, I promise, and I'm not going anywhere. I'm guessing Gideon fixed me up. And considering who created her, I trust her and her abilities."

He glances up at Barry, and that light in his eyes has grown. Barry smiles back, feeling a weight lift from his chest and a familiar warmth start to seep back in. There's movement on his right and he looks over to find Kara next to him, glancing down as she takes his hand. When he looks back up to meet her gaze, he sees the tears shining in her eyes and how her mouth twists, doing everything in her power to look composed.

Barry lets go of her hand, but only so he can wrap an arm around her instead, letting her curl into his side. He rubs her arm comfortingly as they both hold each other together. Mia smiles now with Oliver half-hugging her to the best of his ability.

"We're glad you're okay, Ollie," Kara says, nodding, smiling at him.

"Of course," he says, and feigns confusion, glancing between the three of them. "Did you really think you could get rid of me that easily?"

Mia laughs, and Barry and Kara are right there with her. Oliver grins, then he dissolves into soft chuckling, barely wincing at the pain it must be causing him. He doesn't seem to mind too much as he looks at them all with that smile and the light in his eyes. There is hope, Barry thinks, catching Kara's eyes as he does. If they can get around this, then whatever Crisis throws at them, they can find a way around it as well.

#olivarry #oliver queen #barry allen #kara danvers #karivarry #mia smoak #arrow #the flash #crisis on infinite earths #coie #fanfiction stuff

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temmie-loony · 5 years

Note

All of the headcanons you have posted are AMAZING! Have you done a headcanon or story about how Karivarry started dating? Did Barry ask both Kara and Oliver out at the same time or did he fall for one first and then the other? Or perhaps it was Oliver who was smitten with both but was too afraid to tell them because he thought he wasn't good enough for them and that they deserved better than him. Or maybe Kara started crushing first on Barry and then on Oliver and decided to being them together

AH BUT YOU HAVE IT ALL WRONG ANON BECAUSE IT’S YOU THAT’S AMAZING FOR FINDING MY HEADCANONS ENJOYABLE! BLESS YOU AND I LOVE YOU

Okay so I’ve technically written some things of this nature.

There’s this one where Kara, Oliver and Barry aren’t together, don’t even know they really like each other, until Oliver gets whammied and is forced to say the truth, otherwise he’d die.

Then there’s my big, long ass multi-chap Karivarry soulmate AU (which I’m yet to finish).

Then there’s this fake dating AU that only has one chapter so far because I’m an awful updater.

Then I have this bunch of Percy Jackson AU headcanons where Barry and Kara are Greek demigods and Oliver is a Roman demigod.

I do have plans to write a multi-chap story where I build their relationship from the ground up, explore the reality of having a polyamorous relationship. My stories tend to just stick to them already having an established relationship because I was still learning about how poly relationships work and all that. I’m still learning and I want to continue to portray their relationship as a healthy and positive one.

Although keep in mind, this story won’t come into fruition until I’ve fixed my other existing WIPs, which in my case, is a lot.

Anyways, HEADCANONS!

(these are three different sets of headcanons, all in their own perspectives! also this thing is hella long and took my hours to write so sorry not sorry)

Oliver:

When he first sees Barry, the first thing he remarks is how young he is.

When Barry saves his life from a poison, he can’t help but be mad at Felicity because she’s involved not only a person he didn’t approve of yet but because it’s someone innocent, someone too young to be involved with his life.

But then he realizes that… Barry is someone he can trust.

With Felicity and John, he had to do his homework on them but with Barry, it all been too sudden and he had no time to do much digging on his past.

He had to go with his gut feeling.

He trusts Barry with his secret.

Then he gets a call the night Barry left – the night Barry left him his Christmas present – that Barry had been struck by lightning and is currently in a coma.

Maybe that’s his fate. Maybe he isn’t meant to have nice things. Maybe he’s only meant to live on as this man behind a bow, protecting his city the best way he can.

But then nine months later, while doing his nightly patrols, Barry is standing in front of him.

“Barry?” He doesn’t know whether to smile or step back; he doesn’t know if this one’s another hallucination. “You’re awake!”

“I just woke up today. And I… I need your advice.”

He doesn’t know when he starts to… to like Barry, more than he thought possible but he knows that when Barry had his meltdown and yelled at him, it hurt.

Felicity teases him nonstop about it because she’s perceptive when it comes to his emotions.

“Just ask the man out already!” She’d say.

But it’s not that easy.

Last time he made the decision to trust Barry, Barry got struck by lightning and was knocked out for nearly a year. He can’t bring himself to be selfish when fate would just end up hurting the one he loves.

Loves? Does he love Barry? God, he hopes not. That would make his life much more complicated that it needs to be.

But then aliens appear.

How the hell is he supposed to wrap his head around metahumans, time travel, immortal psychopaths, reincarnating bird people, aliens and now–

“Where are you going exactly?”

“Well, if we’re going to fight aliens, might as well have one of our own, right?”

“What?”

–other Earths. How is this his definition of normal?

And then Cisco and Barry come back with a blonde woman in a silly cape.

Young, he first thinks. Too young to be doing this kind of work.

“I thought you were bringing an alien?”

“We did.”

And he sees the way Barry looks at her, small smile of complete admiration and perhaps a hint of adoration.

No.

“Wait, Oliver! Kara! I’ve always wanted both of you to meet.” Barry smiles and gestures towards him. “Oliver’s actually the first person to train me.”

Kara smiles. It’s warm and inviting, and it makes him even more mad because how the hell is he supposed to stay mad at someone like that?

Later, Oliver tells Kara to back off.

“What? I happen to be your biggest weapon and you want me to stay put?”

“Just… stay.”

Barry later whispers to him: “What did you say to Kara? I didn’t know she was capable of being angry.”

He hates that feeling in his gut. It’s the same one with Barry when he first met him.

She’s right. She’s someone with abilities he could only dream of. But she’s so young.

She has barely scratched the surface of experience, from what he can tell about her.

Like Barry.

Young but with a strong sense of justice.

After they fight against what could have been a catastrophic war, he pulls Kara aside and apologizes for his actions.

“Apologizing isn’t your forte, I’m guessing.”

“It’s a work-in-progress.”

“What changed your mind?”

“Keeping you at arm’s length was the wrong move… but you have to understand, I have a hard time trusting people.”

“Yeah, I know. Barry told me about that time you strangled him after learning your secret.”

Barry runs up to them at normal speed. “Hey, before you go,” Barry says to Kara, “you guys wanna grab some drinks?”

“Sure.”

Kara:

The first time Kara meets Barry, sparks fly.

Literally.

He burns one of her favorite sweaters.

“Who are you?”

“I’m the Flash.”

“The who now?”

Barry’s different from the other people she’s met, aside from the obvious speediness.

He’s a hero.

And apparently a kindred spirit.

“I’m from another Earth.”

“And I’m from another planet.”

He’s so eager to help and has more experience in the hero business than she does so it’s nice to have a bit of guidance that isn’t just coming from her cousin.

Later, after helping her with her botched plan and she’s kind of brooding, Barry comes to her.

He’s known her not even a full day and yet his faith in her… it makes her emotional.

She’s lost the trust of the city and yet this man gives her his without so much as asking for anything in return.

Then Barry lets her be, gives her the space she needs to clear her head.

Under her breath, she whispers, “Wah-pow.”

After helping her defeat two of her adversaries with tech he built to protect them from Silver Banshee’s shrieking, goodbyes are traded.

“I’m really gonna miss you, Barry Allen.”

“I’m really gonna miss you too, Kara Danvers.”

And when they run at their top speed and a portal opens before them, closing behind him, she can’t help but stare at where it had formed.

“Goodbye, Barry.”

But then a few months later, the same portal thing opens in her apartment.

“Barry!”

“Hey.”

He needs her help. She doesn’t hesitate.

Then she gets to his Earth (Earth-1 apparently) and there’s a whole array of heroes waiting for them.

It’s intimidating, meeting all these established heroes, but Barry is there every step of the way.

Later Barry calls her and the Green Arrow, Oliver, to him.

“Oliver’s actually the first person to train me.”

He’s so excited for her to meet him properly and she can’t help but feel the excitement infect her too.

“Really? Well, you did a really good job.”

Oliver looks at her, but it’s cold and she shrinks back a little. “That’s because I didn’t hold back. You shouldn’t either.” And he walks away.

“Yeah, he’s like that with everyone.”

After that encounter, she avoids Oliver, which apparently also means avoiding Barry because Barry is almost always by Oliver’s side

And it’s being an outside observer that makes her realize that Barry likes Oliver, and the feeling seems to be mutual.

She almost wishes she didn’t come but she can’t not help Barry with such a crisis.

Then Oliver gets kidnapped and Barry nearly loses it.

“We’ll get him back, Barry.”

“Yeah…” But he sounds unsure, almost defeated.

And they do get him back.

“I’d like to minimize your involvement in this,” Oliver tells her. The audacity!

It almost makes her want to fly him into space.

What the hell does Barry see in this guy?

While they’re fighting the bad aliens, Oliver gets thrown off the building and she swoops in to save him.

The moment his feet touch the ground, he looks at her with gratitude and, for the first time, he smiles at her.

It’s small and private and all hers.

Later, after the aliens’ defeat and the teams all have had their celebratory champagne, her, Barry and Oliver go out to get drinks.

They all get beers.

“One of the few times I wish I could celebrate and just get drunk,” Barry mutters after their toast.

She raises a brow. “You can’t get drunk too?” From her purse, she pulls out a flask. Thank Rao she had brought one.

She takes one small swig (knowing she’s a lightweight, she doesn’t need to get hammered in a completely different Earth) before handing it to Barry.

“What’s–”

“Just drink it. Trust me.”

Not even ten minutes later and Barry’s drunk.

“I just… you’re both really great?” He hiccups. “And it’s not fair because you’re both amazing. And, God… Yeah, God isn’t being fair at all because then I’d have to choose? Why? Why can’t I just have both, you know? Oh wait, then I’d be selfish. I’m not. I just reeeaaallllyyyy like you both. You’re both great. Did ya know that?”

She ends up having to carry Barry back to STAR Labs while Oliver rides his bike there.

With Barry passed out, she and Oliver talk.

“So…”

Rao, it’s awkward.

“I’ve seen the way you look at him.”

“And I’ve seen the way you look at him too.”

“But that doesn’t matter.“

“You’re right. It doesn’t. It shouldn’t matter. You live six hundred miles away, and I live on a completely different Earth. Distance doesn’t really mean much to a speedster.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying… he’s right. He doesn’t have to choose…”

“You mean… you actually want to try this? You and him, and him and me?”

“Where I’m from, it’s not so bizarre as Earth makes it out to be.”

“And what about you and me?”

“We’ll figure it out. For now.” She gathers as much of her courage as she is able to get, walking up to Oliver’s side and gently taking his hand. “Are you okay with this?”

“Yes.”

“Then we’re off to a good start.”

Barry:

So Barry never really got Iris’ hardcore crush on Oliver Queen

Until he actually met the guy

Then he finds out that Oliver is actually Starling City’s vigilante

Just when he’s about to tell Iris that he’s met Oliver Queen, the particle accelerator turns on and he’s knocked into a coma for nine months

When he wakes up, he visits Iris and Joe then learns he has super speed and uses his newfound power to go to Oliver

He just wants to see Oliver again but what the hell does he say?

“Barry? You’re awake!”

“I… I need advice.”

Then a year passes and still silently crushing on Oliver, he learns that there are other Earths and somehow ends up in one alone.

“How did you do that?”

“I’m Supergirl.”

“Who?”

Kara is someone he’d describe as someone completely opposite of Oliver

All smiles, welcoming, hopeful and doesn’t turn away a hug

What the hell is he going to do now?

So when another year passes and he’s honestly kind of lost with his feelings, the world demands the protection of heroes to keep evil aliens at bay so for the first time, Oliver and Kara meet.

Instead of being a dream come true for him, Oliver and Kara do not get along

“Yeah, he’s like that with everyone.”

“What did you say to Kara? I didn’t know she was capable of being angry.”

But when the evil is vanquished and the three of them decide to have drinks, Kara surprises Barry with some alien alcohol that actually does its job and he gets drunk for the first time in a long time.

Let’s just say he turns out to be the kind of drunk that’s a bit too truthful and a bit too emotional.

A few hours later, he wakes up on a bed and he realizes he’s in the STAR Labs med bay.

“Ollie? Wait, Kara, you’re still here.”

“Well… I wanted to stay till you woke up. Looks like we have some things to talk about.”

“Things? To talk about?”

Oh crap! What the hell did he say?

Oliver takes the lead. “We… both of us… We like you too, Barry.”

#asks #anon #answered #karivarry #superflarrow #kara danvers x oliver queen x barry allen #arrowverse #arrow #flash #supergirl #kara danvers #oliver queen #barry allen #headcanon #karivarry headcanon #loonyfics

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smoakqueenfam · 6 years

Text

Arrow Rewatch 2018 - 3x01

Y’all, this is a long one. I apologize. But not really because it’s just me fangirling about Olicity the majority of the time, sooooo. Hahaha.

One of my favorite episodes of Arrow!

— I love all the sequences of Oliver running through the forest/woods/trees to start the season. Wish they had kept up with that!

— OTA and Roy looking as polished as they possibly can! Well. Oiled. Machine.

— “Did you buy me a bed?” “You were sleeping on the floor.” All my Olicity feeeels!

— ALL THE FEELINGS. Her cupping his face. Him looking after her so lovingly. Those two are such goners.

— “Lyla has me trying to build a bassinet from hell.” Hahaha.

— “Maybe Felicity will change all that.” DOES SHE EVER.

— “You love her. You even told her so.” “I was trying to fool Slade.” “Ah, yes. But now the only one you’re fooling is yourself.” Preach, Diggle! Preach!

— The Hong Kong flashbacks are my favorites.

— This is one episode I actually like Laurel in. Haha.

— Quentin in his uniform! Gah, I’m gonna miss him.

— Whoever directed this episode did an amazing job of having Oliver standing behind Quentin in the background as he gives recognition to the Arrow.

— Vertigo! I love episodes with vertigo. Just another reason for this being one of my faves! Haha.

— OLIVER ASKED FELICITY OUT ON A DATE. FINALLY!!!

— I love that he had to take a breath, gather himself, and then ask her again. Like he knew this was going to change his life the moment he asked it, either for the better or worse. And her immediate response? Gah. Dead.

— Poor Felicity. Having to wear khakis. Gross.

— “Do you like Italian?” LOVE this whole sequence!

— “You got a hot date or something?” That smiiiiillleeee!!!

— I have a confession to make. I love Olicity. More than any other couple ever. We all know this. BUT I actually don’t HATE Ray and Felicity. I loved the introduction to his character. I love that he was someone that could be a filler for Oliver until he got his shit together. I love that he understood Felicity and her little quirks (just as much as Oliver). I love that he caused all the angst. I really just love Ray as a character. Okay. Just needed to get that out before I continued on with the season. Hahaha. (Don’t hate me, please)

— “I feel like an M1A1!” Hahaha, the look on the doctors fave was priceless.

— THE LOOK OF HAPPINESS ON THEIR FACES. THE HUG. THE HAND SQUEEZE. THE FELICITY BABBLES. BOTH OF THEM BEING SO NERVOUS. OLIVER ACTUALLY BEING OPEN. THE RED PEN. THE TRUST. THE ANGST. OLIVER IN PROTECTIVE MODE. HOW CAN ANYONE NOT LOVE THEM/THIS DATE?!

I’m chill, I’m totally chill. (I’m never chill when it comes to these two)

— “You’re the first person I could see as a..person. There was just something about you.” “Yeah, I was chewing on a pen.” “It was red.” I AM SO EMOTIONAL.

— As soon as he opens his eyes he’s searching for her. Precious.

— And as soon as she wakes up she’s screaming his name. THESE TWO MAKE MY HEART SO HAPPY.

— “Get away from him or get put down!” Quentin has come so far.

— Going to take note every time Felicity asks Oliver if he’s okay this season (because I forgot to the last two seasons haha), 1/1!

— Oliver looking out for Diggle is one of my favorite things.

— Tatsu, Maseo, and Akeo!

— “If I’m not a cop, what am I?” A kick ass deputy mayor for one!

— “You two know each other..?” “Ooooh, frak.” LOLOL.

— PROUD WIFEY FELICITY.

— Oliver’s confused face whenever Felicity says something he doesn’t understand is FOREVER my favorite. Hahaha.

— Oliver hates Ray so much already. Hahaha.

— Loving all the new technology this season!

— OMG. I never noticed that Oliver is looking right at Felicity when he says “It’s the life I can’t have.” GAAAAHHHHHH. KILL ME WITH ALL THE ANGST PLZ.

— “DAMMIT OLIVER, YOU WOULD BE DEAD TEN TIMES OVER IF IT WASNT FOR ME!” True story. I get where Diggle is coming from, but Oliver is right. He needs to be with Lyla and his daughter.

— Side note: Roy’s new suit is FIIIIREEEE.

— Sara! Hey girl!

— Roy and Felicity with the save!

— I LOVE Oliver and Sara as friends.

— “You know how I said I knew a guy that’s looking to hire you?” *points to himself* hahaha.

— “All my data has been replaced with porcupine flatulence.” Hahahaha, dont mess with Felicity. Love this whole exchange so much.

— “BTW, might wanna check your iPad while you’re at it.” Hahahaha.

— “The second I looked at her my whole universe changed. Everything changed.” OLIVER GAZING AT FELICITY. MELT MY FREAKING HEART.

— Doliver’s bromance is everything.

— Oliver knows Felicity is his soulmate. But he has to grow and change into the person that he’s meant to become before he accepts that it’s okay to love her. I get that, but it still sucks that we had to wait a whole season (okay 3 seasons) for it. But again, ALL THE ANGST.

— That kiss punches me right in the gut. EVERY SINGLE TIME I WATCH IT.

— “Don’t ask me to say that I don’t love you.” The way he stares at her. The way he’s cupping her face. The way she is completely out of breath. I CANNOT. I JUST CANT.

— I LOVE that he just holds his hands up where her face was after she walks away. He’s just like “shit. What did I just do? Did I just lose the love of my life?” It’s heartbreaking.

— Barry! What’s up, my friend?!

— “Laurel Lance. Always trying to save the world.” “Runs in the family.” Love their relationship.

— BUT BUT WHHHYYY SARA?! Gah. Forever sad about that death. Even if she did come back to life, haha.

@jules85 @hope-for-olicity @memcjo @allimariexf

#ArrowRewatch2018

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likeaspeedingarrow · 6 years

Text

Of Coursework, Christmas and Unexpected Happiness

For the wonderful Kels (@snarkysnartes). Merry Christmas! I know its not exactly what you asked for but I hope you enjoy it anyway. My first attempt at a College AU, so I hope it makes people smile.

Summary: Barry just wants to get through his remaining work. Cisco wants to go to a party. Despite Barry's reluctance maybe the party won't be so bad. Who knew Mistletoe could bring unexpected happiness. College AU.

Barry flicked through his textbook as he watched the campus' population wander lightly around the grassy quad, he sighed in frustration wishing that he could just finish this last criminology assignment. His pen dropped onto the page in front of him as a coffee cup was slammed in front of him. “Hmm… Coffee,” Barry groaned, his hand reaching blindly in front of him.

“Oh man.” The voice of his best friend washed over his groggy conscience. “You look rough,” There were many times Barry could say that he appreciated Cisco, this… This was not one of those times. He shot Cisco a glare but his target didn't seem fazed. “Like, Victor from Corpse Bride rough. You okay man?”

Barry's hand finally wrapped around the elusive cup, his whole posture relaxing. “I'm stressed. Cisco this thing,” Barry looked at the paper in front of him in disgust. “is due in two days, two! I'm not even halfway through yet and I promised Iris I'd take her shopping for Joe's Christmas present and—”

“Stop!” Cisco shook his head. “You're giving me a headache, come on man it's nearly Christmas.” Cisco leaned back in his chair, the front two legs of it lifting off the ground.

“Careful,” Barry warned, returning to his coursework.

Bang.

“Ow!”

Barry rolled his eyes, “What did I just say?”

“Careful?”

Barry nodded, getting up from his seat to help his friend up. “You idiot.” He stated, exasperated. He missed the glint in Cisco's eyes as he pulled the other male up from the floor.

-o-

“Where are you taking me?”

“You'll see!” Cisco responded. Barry was really starting to hate that response, it had grown steadily darker around them as they made their journey and Barry was really starting to hate his supposed friend. Iris was going to kill him. “Right… Here!”

“Finally.”

“Cisco, it's so good to see you.”

“You brought me to some stranger's house? Cisco!” Barry bit out, frustrated. “Iris is so going to kill me.”

“No, I took you to a party. Laurel, lovely to see you.” Cisco stepped further into the house, leaving Barry bewildered.

Barry sighed in resignation. “If I do die,“He told Laurel, who'd remained to hold open the door. “He is not invited to my funeral.” He let out a small smile as Laurel laughed.

-o-

Barry felt out of place. He glanced around the room nervously, noticing the designer brand clothes of the other, obviously rich, guests. His fingers gripped the plastic cup in his hand a little tighter as his eyes flickered around the room, darting past the unknown faces in search of a familiar one.

His breathing grew shorter. Harsher, as though he couldn't figure out how to get oxygen into himself. Faces grew more blurry, the sounds duller, even as he felt the vibrations of the music sweeping through the floor below him

He didn't remember dropping the cup. Nor did he see who caught it. He only knew that one moment it was secure in his clenched hand and the next it was neatly placed on the table in front of him.

Then he heard it. The low voice in his ear, whispering something he couldn't quite decipher in this state.

Whatever was going on was working though. His breathing began to even out and all of a sudden he could hear and he could feel. He could hear the soothing voice in his ear, “You're safe, it's okay. Find a happy place.”

So that's what he did. Or, well more accurately, tried to do. With every attempt, his mind wandered. Back to the worst night of his life. He could feel himself grow tenser at the memory, only relaxing as someone's thumb brushed over the space between his shoulder blades. He let out a sound like a purr and then turned around, horrified.

“I-I… “His brain stuttered to a halt. This was Oliver Queen. The captain of the university's archery club that Iris wouldn't shut up about. Barry faced two realisations now. First, Iris was right and damn she was going to be absolutely insufferable. Second, Oliver Queen was equal parts attractive and intimidating.

Of course, then Barry had to realise that more than ten seconds had passed and he was still staring. A blush formed on his cheeks.

“Hi, Barry Allen right?” Oliver said brightly. Ever the perfect host, he was holding two drinks in his hands.

Blushing even more, Barry ducked his head slightly. “Yeah, thanks.” He wrapped a hand around his new drink, shuffling his weight from one foot to the other. “So, uh...” He rubbed the back of his neck.

“So.”

Barry's eyes searched the room for a glimpse of the dark hair of the person who had dragged him here. His expression became one of pure panic as he realised he was on his own. With Oliver Queen. Great. Barry was probably going to make a fool of himself. “Great party.”

Oliver suddenly leant against the wall. “You look uncomfortable.”

Barry wanted to die. Right in this moment, he wished he had the power of invisibility just so that he could hide. “Parties aren't really my thing.” Truthfully, he wanted to be anywhere but here. The music was too loud, the vibrations from the speakers travelling through the walls and people were too close together, it made him hyperventilate.

Oliver was looking at him contemplatively again. “I get that.”

“You do?”

“Tabloids are sharks.” Oliver winked. “Come on we can go somewhere quieter.”

“I uh actually have some coursework left to do that Cisco dragged me away from. I should probably be heading home.” To be murdered, he added silently.

“I have some too. Come on.”

-o-

The house, as it turned out, was huge. Barry followed Oliver past half a dozen trees, down multiple fully decorated corridors and up a flight of stairs when he suddenly froze. “Everything okay?”

Barry studied Oliver's face from the angle he could see it. His eyebrows were set in a position conveying confusion, his mouth closed in a small frown and his jaw set in stubborn defiance of something. “Mistletoe.”

Barry glanced up. “Right.”

“Do you mind if I--”

Barry cut him off with a shake of his head and Oliver leaned forward. Slowly he brushed his lips against Barry's own as his hand fell onto Barry's hip. Barry wrapped his arm around Oliver's waist groaning as he deepened the kiss, fireworks exploding in his vision and a pleasant tingle making its way through every inch of his body. He would love to blame it on alcohol but truthfully he knew he hadn't drunk that too much, he wished he knew Oliver's thoughts though.

All too soon they broke apart.

“Wow.”

“That was--”

“Something.” The two stared at each other for a while and wow Oliver's eyes were blue. Barry could get lost in those eyes, as endless as the ocean yet as clear as Central City's river. He was still panting slightly, his hand resting lightly on his companion's muscular back. He could feel Oliver's gaze on him, studying him in a similar fashion.

The moment was broken as one of the doors in front of them opened with a crash as the wooden door impacted the wall beside it. Two men came out (one dressed in a suit and the other, strangely, in a parka) as Barry stared in shock. Oliver merely raised an eyebrow.

“Oliver.”

“Ray.” Barry noticed a smirk of amusement cross Oliver's face.

“Snart?”

“Allen.”

Barry felt Oliver's hand gently wrap around his wrist. “Having a good time?”

“Yeah.”

“We'll leave you to it, come on Barry.” Barry had no complaints.

-o-

Barry wasn't sure what he was expecting Oliver's room to be like truthfully. The media had always portrayed him as a party boy so maybe some alcohol or some posters of girls perhaps but this, this was nice. Archery posters lined the walls and a bow stood proudly by the desk. The wooden furniture was decorated with emerald green fabric and green curtains hung on the window.

He'd learnt that Oliver was a Business major, particularly focusing on management since his parents wanted him to take over the family business once he'd graduated. He'd also learned that Oliver didn't want to.

The subject of his musings was frowning, his body bent slightly as he stared at his laptop his finger hovering over the submit button.

“You're staring.”

Barry blinked. “Sorry.”

“Don't apologise. Is everything okay?”

“It's stupid.”

“I doubt that.”

Barry sighed. “Christmas was always my mother's favourite holiday. We'd gather in the living room, my dad would always chase me around the room while my mother laughed and then we'd exchange presents. I miss her.”

Oliver swallowed. “What happened?”

Barry felt a tear trail down his face, Oliver's thumb brushing the back of his hand soothingly. Barry closed his eyes, composing himself. “She was… murdered when I was eleven. The culprit framed my father.”

Oliver felt like he'd been punched in the gut. “Barry.” Barry looked at him. “You can always talk to me. Do you understand?”

Barry nodded.

-o-

Joe always went all out. Barry couldn't help but feel cheerful as he joined his foster family in front of the tree. Iris was doing her best to keep him happy even as she did her usual routine of rearranging all of the ornaments she could reach. Joe chuckled at her antics even as Barry rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

Joe had swapped his usual jazz for a Christmas album, adding to the festive feeling but despite this Barry's mind was miles away, replaying the memory of the events of the party, the feel of Oliver's lips on his, the way his skin felt under his palm.

He was brought out of his reprieve by Iris handing him a present. “Here.”

“Merry Christmas Iris.”

“Merry Christmas Bear.”

Barry handed her a present. “On three. One, two… Three.” The two tore into the presents with glee, the torn paper littering the floor beneath them. Barry ran his hand along the new wallet Iris had bought him as she examined the small figurine of a ballerina he'd bought her.

Iris wandered off into the kitchen in search of her dad and Barry suddenly noticed an extra present, innocently lying tucked in a corner just behind the tree. Being raised by a cop had taught him to be careful but his natural and well-developed curiosity got the better of him.

He carefully made his way to the tree, picking up the small box that was wrapped with some arrow covered green wrapping paper and secured with a scarlet red bow. A grin began to grow on his face as he quickly realised it was from Oliver.

In the box he found a letter addressed to him, a small, decorated arrow pin and what looked to be a flash card from Oliver's substantial stock bearing a message for him. Who knew Oliver could be such a sap?

He pulled out his phone and composed a two-word text message to Oliver. “Absolutely. Yes.” He now had a boyfriend.

His smile refused to move from his face for the rest of the night.

#olivarrysecretsanta2017 #Snarkysnartes #college AU #writings #olivarry #arrow #flash

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snow-barryrules-blog · 7 years

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Action Speaks Louder Than Words ... Words Must be Backed by Actions

I hate WestAllen for numerous reasons. My reason for hating that pairing constantly grows with every new episode. At this point, i don't think there's anything the writers can do to change my mind about WA, I have too many reasons to hate them. Imagine my surprise when the writers helped me sum up all my reasons for hating WA into one true reason - they keep saying they love each other so deeply but that love is mostly one sided so it doesn't mean anything when they talk about it in a grand manner. The episode that helped me realize this is 04×04, in the scene where Iris was talking about Oliver and then she tells Barry that she only has eyes for him. How am I supposed to take that seriously when she just showed that she definitely has eyes for Oliver Queen coz she just had to find a way to force him into the conversation coz Ralph doesn't look like Oliver at all.

In that scene, Iris said something but her actions were the opposite of her words and that is a recurring theme in WA's relationship. But let's not look at this from Iris' words alone. Barry is just as guilty as she is. In s03, Barry said there is no Flash without Iris West. Those words don't mean anything bc there was literally the Flash without Iris West for the whole of s01 and no one planned on telling her Barry is the Flash, if she never found out the Flash would have continued to exist independent of her existence. Also, in s04, Iris was literally left behind when it was time to get Barry back and even though she ended up getting him out of his dementia, her words still didn't match her actions bc she was talking about having faith and believing in Barry and then she made it all about herself. Let's take a cue from Cait&Barr for a moment, when Caitlin talked about believing in Barry, the whole thing was about Barry believing in himself with or without his powers. Similarly, when Barry talked about believing in Caitlin, the whole thing was about Caitlin believing in herself so that she could overcome KF. But when it comes to WA, Iris believes in Barry as long as she is in the fore front of attention constantly playing damsel in distress and she had the guts to call off their engagement bc she didn't want to be the thing he always had to save. You see what I mean? Those words are so meaningless bc she routinely puts herself in danger so that he can come and save her and when he does, she makes it seem like he did something wrong. Also, Iris' actions did not match her words when she claimed she'd rather be with Barry Allen and not the Flash. If she was actually being honest about that, WA would've started long before the events of s01 bc she and Barry were really close and had spent most of their formative years living together. Even if he was too scared to make a move, she would've made a move and we know she's capable of doing that bc she spent the final episodes of s02 trying to pressure Barry into dating her regardless of the fact that his father had just died and he was not in the right state of mind to start a relationship.

Not only do WestAllen constantly throw meaningless words at each other, they constantly brag and praise themselves for things they really haven't achieved yet and for some reason, other people praise them too. Like when Caitlin agrees with Iris when she says "we're Barry and Iris," that doesn't even mean anything unless she was referring to them being foster siblings as in the Barry and Iris that grew up calling the same man "dad." The worst is still the "we re the golden standard," line coming from Barry. Some golden standard! They truly haven't earned that statement, they have a long way to go before they can become the golden standard. If they ever want to get there they need to start with making their relationship more balanced instead of Barry constantly bending over backwards just to please Iris and they really have to discuss their issues and Barry needs to stand up for himself more. Tbh, the only thing the writers actually accomplished by tagging WestAllen as "the golden standard" is holding them up to even more scrutiny bc anytime they screw up, it will always look extremely bad bc they're supposed to be the golden standard. I don't know why the writers did this to WA when they know more than half of the audience hates WA.

Snowbarry on the hand, rely on actions more than words. They make sacrifices for each other and they don't spend their time bragging about them even though they've been through a lot together. For instance, when Barry thanks Caitlin for saving him, Caitlin says she didn't do anything coz he has saved her life plenty of times. When Barry sacrifices his job for Caitlin, we never hear him talk about it. Snowbarry has a rock solid friendship which can smoothly transform into something romantic because we've seen all the set up and all the things they've done for each other.

PS: Barry coming out of the speed force insane was certainly a situation that required a "you're still you" line from Iris. If she had said something like that, I would have started respecting WestAllen and my hatred of them would have lessened. Instead, Iris can barely look at Barry, when she finally talks to him she only talks about how hard everything was for her, she doesn't even help with cleaning him up and then she comes up with a plan that guarantees Barry's recovery or her death coz she'd rather die than take care of crazy Barry for the rest of her life. The writers are just begging us to trash WestAllen bc of some of the things they make Iris do and say.

#snowbarry #barry and caitlin

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robininthelabyrinth · 7 years

Text

Fic: We'll All Go Together When We Go (ao3) Fandom: Flash, Legends Pairing: Barry Allen/Mick Rory, Leonard Snart & Mick Rory

Summary: Doomworld takes some time to fix. Barry and Mick use that time to find each other.

(written for @flashwaveweek 2017)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mick helps Barry across the last section, which is starting to crumble; Barry takes the help, which he'd normally resist, with relief, hobbling straight over to where his bed is.

Mick follows.

"We're making progress," he says, as much for his own sake as for Barry's.

Barry smiles at him.

Barry always smiles at him, no matter how little Mick deserves it. And Mick doesn't deserve it, he doesn't deserve it at all when it's all his fault the world is this way.

"We are," Barry says. "We've scouted out the whole place." With a grunt, he moves his leg into an elevated position - the crushed leg, the one that makes sure he won't run anymore, the one that has left him in crutches.

The one that would heal after a month or two, except that the conditions of Barry's parole are that on the first of each month he has to show up in the public square in the middle of Central City to have it get crushed again, or else his friends in custody will be summarily executed.

Eobard Thawne knows exactly how to gut a speedster.

Mick's fault, of course. All of it.

But still Barry helps him.

"It doesn't help to have scouted out the place if we don't have confirmation that Snart'll be there," Mick says, instead of thinking about it. Instead of thinking about him. About Snart, who was once Mick's best friend and partner.

Snart, Captain Cold, the supervillain.

Snart, brainwashed member of the Legion of Doom.

Snart, who owns half the city -

- because the other half he still holds in trust for Mick.

Even after Mick joining the Resistance. Even after the jailbreaks, the property damage, the kidnappings of key personnel. Even after the rest of the Legion publically raged against Mick, and threatened to put him on the list of conscriptions - lists that would make Mick fair target for any man with a gun and an eye to be rich and powerful and in the favor of the rulers of the world.

Even after everything.

"He will," Barry says, and reaches up to take Mick's hand. His healing factor makes sure his fingers are always soft and gentle, no matter that he works as hard as the next man. "He'll be there tomorrow. I've received word."

Mick's back straightens. He's been with Barry most of the day, and he hadn't heard anything; that meant the Resistance had ordered him not to be told. That the Resistance still doesn't trust him not to be a spy for Snart.

Makes sense. Snart is, after all, the Legion's spymaster.

Barry doesn't apologize for his part in keeping it from Mick, which he used to; instead, he just squeezes Mick's hand and intertwines their fingers. "They trust you," he says. "They're just being cautious."

Mick swallows down his hurt. It's the least he deserves. "I get it."

"You really don't," Barry says sadly. "This wasn't kept from you because they thought you'd give it up, Mick, I promise. It's your acting skills they don't trust, not your loyalty. You've proven the latter a thousand times over."

"My acting skills?" Mick asks, frowning. And then - "Scouting the building today. You think Snart's people were watching."

"I know they were," Barry says calmly. He's become quite a wartime general, ever since the conscriptions began and Doomworld gave up its pretense of being a utopia.

Ever since the Spear was stolen.

God, the Legion had been furious. They'd blamed the Resistance, of course; fear and paranoia at their brand new world being taken away making them decide to stop faking pleasantries. They guarded the spellbook with the instructions on how to use the Spear like dogs, and used only good old-fashioned oppression to change things now, instead of the fake smiles and magic-fueled PR pushes they'd used before.

It doesn't matter what defense they put up, though. The Resistance would throw everything it has in a gamble for that book -

- if only they had the Spear themselves. Which they don't.

So it's war, then; war between them. Resistance and Legion; beaten down superheroes and all-powerful supervillains.

"So I'm bait to lure Snart in, huh?" Mick asks. He squeezes Barry's fingers back, showing that he's not angry.

It's new, this thing between him and Barry. Brand new and still baby-soft; Mick's still not sure why or how they fell into it, only that he was hurting from having to leave Snart and Barry was hurting from losing so many of his people, and fighting at each other's sides was a recipe for letting that little spark between them grow into a full on flame.

"Yeah," Barry says, and he still looks sad.

"Didn't work the last few times," Mick reminds him. Snart's stopped running every time Mick's face appeared after the first few times; a visit from the Magician putting a quick end to that.

At least that visit had confirmed Mick's claims that Snart was acting under brainwashing, or some other form of magical duress; the Legion rarely deployed their resident hypnotist for anything less than a Conversion, and Merlyn rarely agreed to leave his family compound in Starling – as much a prison for his non-compliant family as it was a home – for anything that could be handled by anyone less.

The Resistance had grudgingly agreed to stop trying to target Snart with their assassination attempts after that, to Mick’s relief – Snart was always the most vulnerable of the Legion, going on walks through the city without any guards at all, relying on his guns and his wits to save him. As if he didn't even really care about his stupid life at all.

Fuck, but the Resistance hated full-on Conversions, more than anything else. It’s one thing if it’s Darhk’s little brainwashing tools, magically enchanted objects that needed only to be knocked off the relevant person to free them, or even Merlyn’s second-hand hypnotech, which they’d already invented a remedy for, but when Malcolm Merlyn, the Magician, personally Converts someone, they goddamn stay Converted.

The fact that Snart retains as much personality as he does, honestly, is one of the reasons the Resistance had doubted his status as a Converted.

Fuck, if only Mick had known, he would never have given the Legion the Spear.

“It’ll work this time,” Barry says quietly.

Mick frowns at him, confused.

“We took a break towards the middle,” Barry reminds him.

Sure they had. Mick remembers it; Barry had judged the area safe enough that they could stop to eat some of their provisions, and Mick had taken advantage of the moment of rest to press Barry against the wall and –

“Oh,” Mick says.

“I’m sorry,” Barry says, and he means it, too; he clearly hates the idea of using this fragile new thing between them as a weapon. But this is Doomworld, and the Resistance uses everything and anything as a weapon, anything at all - why should this be different? “But Snart would know it if you were faking.”

Mick nods, his throat tight. Snart would know. But would Mick?

“It wasn’t my idea,” Barry says quickly. “It's not - I don't want you to think that was why this started. It was only after – after I reported it, as a new development, that it was suggested. I didn’t – I didn’t start this because of that. It wasn’t under false pretenses, Mick. I swear.”

Mick realizes then that he’s released his hold on Barry’s hand. “Right,” he says gruffly, and takes it again. Barry exhales with relief. “It's okay. I know you wouldn’t do that, Bright-eyes.”

Barry smiles at him and pulls Mick’s hand closer, pressing his dry lips against Mick’s knuckles. “Our people have offered a parley,” he tells Mick. “Snart comes with two of his own people that he trusts, no Legion, and you and me go in with a negotiator –” Probably Felicity. She was cold as ice, now, after Oliver's Conversion, and just as ruthless. She’d had to leave Starling after nearly being caught by Darhk’s death squads. It could have been Sara, but she was still in recovery from her last stint as part of said squads. Besides, she didn't like working with Mick anymore. “And we talk.”

“What do you want to talk to him about?” Mick asks cautiously, the oldest wound he has from this wretched dystopia tearing at the seams.

He shouldn’t have given the Legion the Spear, but he can’t regret Snart being alive. He can't be a party to an assassination, if that's what this is.

“We think he’s found a way to resist Conversion,” Barry says. “It doesn’t matter how many times Merlyn visits, he’s never broken down all the way. He’s trapped in their rules, yes, but I think – we think – that he’s doing it because he doesn’t want to give away the fact that he can get out. If he does have a way to get out, it's a one-time play, and he hasn't played the card yet - or at least, we don't have any proof that he has.”

Mick nods. It makes a certain amount of sense; Snart claimed the Twin Cities for himself, Central and Keystone, and his rule has been far more kind than any of the rest of the Legion, which seems to think America is the center of the universe and the rest of the world merely there to supply it with whatever the Legion might want. Their armies abroad, led by Converted leaders, make sure that dissension remains minimal.

Snart doesn’t have any Converted in his cities, other than of course himself. He claims he doesn’t need them – and sure enough, the police and City Hall listen to him for no other reason than the fact that he’s in charge. Ah, Central City - the world may change, but corruption in Central is as reliable as death and taxes.

“We also want to know what he knows about the Spear,” Barry says. “He’s the Legion’s spymaster; if anyone would know about how their progress in finding it is going, he would.”

Mick nods. “When?”

“Tomorrow,” Barry says, not without sympathy.

Mick still flinches. So soon. He won’t have time to prepare himself – probably something the Resistance leaders had in mind when they picked the time.

But that’s not Barry’s fault, so Mick still curls up next to Barry, careful not to jar his foot, and they sleep the sleep they can get.

Mick’s too tired for dreams, which is the only reprieve he has. He misses Snart so much it hurts.

The next day, they go – him and Barry and Felicity, as expected – to the abandoned warehouse they’ve seen Snart at before. It was one of his and Mick’s favorite safehouses, back in the day; Mick had been avoiding them, since Snart’s frantic manhunt for Mick is still technically in full swing, but Barry had been certain it was where they’d find Snart. Or Snart’s men, it seemed.

“We have back-up outside,” Felicity tells them. “If Snart betrays us, we have a rescue team in place here, in place in transit, and another in place in the Compound. We'll be rescued, or we'll be eliminated; either way, the Legion won't find out what we know.”

Mick and Barry nod.

“He give his word that we'd be safe?” Mick asks.

Felicity looks at him, her gaze icy. She’d been nice to him at the start, but now she was one of the ones who refused to trust him. Losing Oliver had changed a lot.

Barry still held out hope that rescuing him from his Conversion would help change some of it back. Mick wasn’t so sure, and that was even assuming there was anything of Oliver left.

“Yes,” she says.

“Then he won’t betray you,” Mick says.

“He might not have a choice,” she reminds him.

The Converted rarely did, when they ran into one of the orders implanted deep down by Malcolm Merlyn. It was sometimes very literally a do-or-die situation.

“Ain’t the whole reason we’re here the fact that we think he can ignore that?” Mick shoots back, crossing his arms. “He won’t.”

Felicity presses her lips together, but inclines her head. She trusts Mick’s judgment, which makes her better to work with than some of his ex-crew on the Legends.

Hell, most of the time Mick doesn’t trust his own judgment.

But Snart won’t hurt Mick or see harm come to him. Mick’s sure of that.

Snart just wants him back.

They go to the meet early.

Snart arrives right on time.

Alone.

“You were told you could bring two others,” Felicity says. She’s the only one sitting at the table; Mick and Barry are standing back in the shadows, tensed up. Mick’s got his heat gun, and Barry might not be able to run but he’s still got his speed and his arms, but Snart’s got an army of spies and informers and metas.

“Didn’t feel like it,” Snart drawls, walking out into the light. He seems casual enough, nodding a greeting to Felicity, eyes scanning the room, right up until his eyes land on Mick.

Then he’s not casual at all.

Snart’s eyes are fixed on Mick like a man in the desert on seeing a glass of water. Like Mick’s everything he wants, everything he could ever want; that gaze is so tempting – come back with me and be my partner, it cries, and I will take care of you, my dearest friend, my oldest friend – that it makes Mick’s mouth go dry.

If it wasn’t for the Legion, Mick would be at Snart’s side in a heartbeat.

Lenny…

“Been a few months,” Mick offers guardedly.

“Heard you’ve been busy,” Snart says in return. His hands are twitching, his fingers rolling in and out, an unusually open sign of anxiety for him, but he doesn’t make any sudden moves. His eyes flicker to Barry, and Barry tenses, but Snart’s eyes are crinkled around the edges in a smile he’s not letting touch his lips.

Mick swallows again. He remembers how Snart always enjoyed Mick’s love affairs as much, if not more, than Mick did; Snart’s always been uninterested in either romance or sex for himself, but he watched Mick’s relationships like a soap opera he took personal interest in, living vicariously. Sometimes not so vicariously – he liked planning romantic gestures on Mick’s behalf, which tended to drive Mick’s partners nuts when they finally realized that Mick was about as romantic as half a brick.

Some of them didn’t understand it, how Snart felt free to interfere in Mick’s life and Mick was fine with him doing it, and that sometimes ended it, but it didn’t matter. Snart was Mick’s partner. That was more important than any relationship.

It had been, anyway.

Barry -

Mick's not sure of anything anymore.

“We’re doing good,” Mick says, which is what Snart really wants to know. “I’m doing good. Sleeping fine. No breakdowns.”

Snart’s shoulders relax, even if his fingers are still flickering.

That’s what he came here to find out.

It hurts, sometimes, to know that Snart – brainwashed, Converted, Legion – still loves Mick enough to worry about him like that.

The Legion’s rage at his actions aside, Mick’s still not on any conscription list. The only one of the whole Resistance that isn’t, in fact, all but for Barry, who's only off of the list as long as he lets Eobard torment him, and really, that says everything it needs to.

Snart still has enough influence in the Legion to keep that from happening.

“We’ve made our gesture of good faith,” Felicity says crisply, meaning Mick. “Are you willing to negotiate?”

“You’re happy?” Snart asks Mick, ignoring her.

Mick considers the question. No, of course he’s not happy – his partner is evil, his lover is crippled anew every month, his world is in shambles, and he’s part of a rag-tag Resistance that can barely keep the dictators of the world from murdering everybody.

But it’s better than it had been when he was still pretending the world the same, hiding by Snart’s side and pulling meaningless heists against police that wouldn’t fight back.

“Could be better,” Mick finally says.

“Mr. Snart,” Felicity says sharply. “Are you willing to negotiate? Or should we go now?”

Snart’s eyes flicker to her briefly at that last. He doesn’t want them to go, that much is clear. He wants them to stay, stay with him. He’d made his appeal clear the last time they’d met, months ago – Mick by his side, nothing more, and in return Mick could have anything he’s ever wanted; any lover, any experience, anything.

Mick’s sure that if Snart could, he’d extend the offer to cover Barry as well.

If Mick thought Barry would take it, that relief from his endless agony, he might even consider it.

But no. Barry turns himself over to Eobard’s mercies once a month, every month, and Eobard only lets him go because the joy of having Barry submit voluntarily to his own torture and mutilation outweighs every other reasonable concern. Barry’s been doing that since the beginning, even before Eobard had Iris and Joe to hold over his head, just to keep Eobard from killing innocents. He wouldn't stop now.

Barry would never take the deal.

And so, with sadness, Mick can’t, either.

“I got you something,” Snart says. He’s still talking only to Mick. His hands are still twitching. “You and Scarlet. A gift.”

Snart’s presents have always been wonderful things, and Doomworld has only made him capable of doing everything his imagination wanted. He’s burned cities for Mick’s pleasure; he’s commuted sentences for Resistance members over the complaints of the remainder of the Legion; he’s even, in a quiet moment, build a small set of graves on an obscure bit of farmland outside of Keystone.

Mick’s heart can’t take too many more of these gifts.

“Snart,” he starts, intending on refusing, but Snart’s holding up his hand.

“It’s a gift, Mick,” Snart says, his voice soft. “Please take it.”

Mick never could tell Snart no when he said please.

Mick inclines his head in consent. His throat is too tight to speak.

“Mr. Snart –” Felicity starts.

“I’ll be with you in a moment,” Snart snarls, his face jerking out of its momentary calm for only a second before he smooths it down, but it says everything that he broke, even for a second. This is as hard for him as it is for Mick.

Mick feels Barry’s hand slip into his.

“What’s the present?” Barry asks, because Mick can’t talk right now.

Snart goes to the wall, where Mick vaguely remembers there being a closet once, and pulls it open, some trick of shifting drywall and creaking masonry.

“What is it?” Mick finally asks, speaking through the thickness in his throat. He can’t imagine what he could possibly want that would fit into a closet – he’s always valued experiences and people more than he did things.

Snart pauses before he opens the now-uncovered closet door.

“The only thing I could think of that would make you come back to me,” he says.

Mick swallows, hard, and Felicity and Barry tense up. Mick’d known that Snart would never give up on that, never, but he’d thought – Snart had come alone, without any guards – if this is a trap –

“It’s not a trap,” Snart says, because he can still read Mick like an open book. “It’s a gift.”

“I can’t come back,” Mick says, despairing, and it’s only Barry’s hand in his that keeps him from hiding his face in his hands. “You know I can’t, Lenny. I can’t join the Legion. Not even for you.”

Snart closes his eyes, a brief moment of pain. “Yeah, I know,” he says, his voice rough. “S’why I got you this.”

And Mick doesn’t know what it could possibly be that Snart thinks would do what thirty years of partnership can’t, that fires and freedoms and anything Mick has ever wanted can’t; thinks to himself for a wild moment that Snart’s lost it at last, that he thinks some gift would be worth more to Mick than Snart himself; thinks that –

Mick thinks that right up until the moment that Snart turns, and in his hands is the Spear.

“The Spear of Destiny,” Felicity breathes, her eyes wide and fixed on the instrument that shaped all of their fates. “You found it!”

“It was never lost,” Mick says through numb lips, staring at Snart. Staring at Len. His Len, his partner. The thief. “You stole it. You stole it from them, from the Legion. And then you hid it away and never let them know.”

Snart nods. “They were going to make more changes,” he says, his hands curling around the Spear, his fingers still twitching. “That, or destroy the Spear and make all the changes permanent. As long as this was still around, there was a chance of changing.”

“Why didn’t you tell us about it sooner?” Barry asks, his eyes wide with wonder.

“Couldn’t,” Snart says. “Merlyn questioned me. Was all I could do not to answer.”

Conversion, he means; this is the first confirmation they’ve had from Snart’s lips that Merlyn was the one who handled him, that he had been brainwashed, that he had resisted. That he’d found a way out.

“You were Converted,” Felicity says, her eyes sharp, but her fingers are twitching. If Snart could escape a Conversion, then maybe, one day, so could Oliver. “You resisted.”

“I escaped,” Snart corrects her. “It took some time to throw it off. Only managed to get out of the last parts of it a few weeks back.”

The manhunt for Mick had been massively escalated twenty days ago.

“How?” Felicity demands.

“I wouldn’t recommend it,” Snart says. “It involves a bit of brain damage.”

Mick takes an automatic step forward, horror welling in his gut at the thought of Snart damaging that beautiful brain of his; his partner damaged, hurt –

“It’s fine,” Snart says, though his eyes have gone soft in the way they only do around Mick or Lisa. His fingers dance on the Spear. “I figured that soon enough, it won’t matter.”

“We don’t have the book of spells,” Barry says, though his voice is filled with longing. A world with his friends back at his side, a world where Eobard met the bad end he deserves, where Darhk is dead at Oliver Queen's hands, where Merlyn is a pathetic has-been – a world with no pain, no death, the world they should have had. The world that was stolen from them by the Spear.

“We can get it,” Felicity says, her eyes afire with possibilities. “We have plans – we could –”

“You don’t need to,” Mick says. He knows his partner.

Sure enough, Snart is smirking.

“Wouldn’t be much of a gift, would it,” Snart drawls, and pulls a sheet of paper out of his pocket, “if I didn’t bring the owner’s manual.”

He takes a step forward, then another, then another, until he’s right in front of Barry and Mick.

“Thanks for taking care of him for me,” he says to Barry, reaching out and taking Barry’s hand, wrapping it around the spear.

Barry nods quietly, his eyes glistening with tears.

“Don’t forget about that when you’re back in your good old world. I’m counting on you,” Snart warns, and that’s when Mick realizes that Snart doesn’t think he’ll be around, in the world they’re going to make, him and Barry; Snart thinks they’re going to go back to the world the way it used to be, with him dead and gone.

And he’s giving them the Spear anyway.

“No,” Mick says. “No, Lenny – we’ll find a way –”

Snart reaches out and catches Mick’s hand.

Mick falls silent.

Snart wraps it around Barry’s, both of their hands on the Spear.

“Good luck,” Snart says. “Partner.”

And he steps back, the piece of paper in his hands, and he’s reading the words out loud, and the Spear’s started to glow a bright white light.

Felicity’s face is shocked – she didn’t expect it to happen so quickly –

Neither did Barry, nor Mick –

But the light is between them, in Barry’s hands and Mick’s, and it’s up to them, now.

This time, Mick’s not going to let anyone down: not Snart, not Barry, not anyone.

This time, they’re going to save the world.

#flashwave #flashwaveweek2017 #barry allen #mick rory #leonard snart #the flash #heatwave #captain cold

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motorcyclegirlfriends · 7 years

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You know what I'd love to see in S3 of Supergirl? Supergirl saying "I got this" and then...having this. Like capably assessing and dealing with a situation like any other superhero would get to do on their show. There are so few incidents where Kara is allowed to be confident and act without immediately being proven wrong by a character or narrative. It just drives me nuts when they nerf Kara to give others agency

It’s funny, I was thinking about how annoying that is when I originally made that post.

But I think it’s a pattern writers fall into to teach characters new lessons each episode, and it’s not something unique to Supergirl, by any means.

It just shows up in different ways on other shows.

For instance, from what I remember from when I watched Arrow (it’s been a while, so it may have changed), Oliver has to relearn to trust his teammates constantly. You think he finally gets it, but then a couple episodes later he’s back to brooding about on his own when he would be so much more effective with real help.

In the Flash, one instance of this is Barry repeatedly relearning that he shouldn’t alter the timeline.

But Supergirl's Lessons are a lot more heavy handed and obvious, possibly because the age range starting younger. It’s a mark of the Family Friendly Show.

And Lessons aren’t in and of themselves a bad move (though it’s a bit after school special for my tastes), it only really becomes a problem when the characters themselves are lessened so they can then learn.

The goal is to give characters some kind of advancement each episode, but what results is often simply the illusion of advancement. One step back, one step forward. And it leaves audiences who are in tune with the characters frustrated, because not only is there no real forward movement, but the characters are temporarily moving backwards for no reason, damaging the cohesiveness of the character’s qualities.

But it’s more about the writers being unimaginative than something done on purpose or because they have a poor opinion of Kara (or any other character in question).

Rather than having to elevate their material and tackle more complex problems for the character to face, they make the character a little dumber/stubborn/irrationally emotional etc. than they are so they can learn simple lessons that they, the writers, know how to teach.

They probably don’t even know they’re doing it.

But I’d argue that this doesn’t necessarily give other characters more agency. In fact, in Supergirl, the opposite has generally been proven to be true.

At the beginning of season 2, I complained about Kara learning lessons she didn’t need to learn before.

Suddenly Kara felt entitled (to her position with Snapper), suddenly Kara was xenophobic (though we learn later that the planet was filled with slave owners so it was less “hmm this culture is bad because it’s different and because of the wrong things my planet taught me about them” and more “wow these people actually do bad things and should be criticized” but that’s not something they had in mind at the time. The original storyline was framed so that Kara was in the wrong, had this negative quality, demonstrating something we’d never seen from her before and never really saw from her in any other context again).

Season 1 had a theme of the week, but it generally handled the lessons in a way that aligned pretty well with the character (Kara learning to deal with her anger, learning how to balance her life, etc.)

There were still slip ups in that regard, but my disdain for this system was more about the cheesiness and clear formula than poor character treatment.

So season 2′s handling of this especially bothered me, in the beginning.

But then, the lessons stopped.

Kara wasn’t learning something new every episode. In fact, she often had the answers that someone else needed. She helped J’onn accept his feelings for M’gann despite feeling guilty about moving on after the loss of his family, she helped Alex deal with her feelings for Maggie. Mostly, she helped Mon-El become a Real Boy.

And it was disastrous.

Mon-El became at the center of the story, because he was the one learning things. Kara became his teacher while also not really learning anything new on her own each week, and thus became a passive character. Mon-El was doing all the advancing, while Kara mostly just dealt his “advancement” or with the immediate problems she faced each ep without growing much.

So now? I miss the lessons...

Of course, you’ll be delighted to know that there’s a way to have the worst of both worlds!!!

The episode “Alex,” which I never seem to stop complaining about, had Kara simultaneously develop negative traits that go directly against her previously shown qualities and development (ex. “Why would we talk someone down when we could break their arm instead???”) and didn’t give her a fully developed arc within the episode. (I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Kara was the antagonist of that episode and I hate them for it.)

But in general, with these kinds of writers, Lessons = focus and attention.

So what the writers should do is teach Kara real, new lessons that stick and that Kara should actually learn.

For instance?

“How To Make A Plan Before Rushing In”: The Episode

The “Alex” episode touched on this idea, but they added qualities that she didn’t have before—like a mistrust of those with experience—to make it happen. In a situation with such high stakes, Kara being asked to give them a minute to figure it out (knowing that Alex still had more time) should have resulted to her allowing consideration to occur. Her fear of the drastic results of her failure should have kicked in. She should know it could go really wrong, and having her ignore that makes her look stupid and intolerably careless.

This concept should have been something that was presented in a less high-stakes storyline.

Perhaps Maggie and Kara teaming up because Alex, J’onn, and Winn are in a DEO lockdown (that they’re totally handling, a.k.a. B story), and there’s a villain on the loose that sets traps for Supergirl.

Start the episode off with someone being hurt because Kara wasn’t quick enough, and then she overcompensates and make mistakes when the plot gets rolling (resulting in her landing in traps that she has to be rescued from, perhaps for no reason because they were tricked into thinking people were in danger that weren’t), thus triggering Maggie’s insistence that she low down and think.

(Kara being the one at risk because of her mistakes also lessons the unnecessary animosity between Kara and Maggie in the scenario, because the reason Maggie tries to convince Kara to use her head is for her wellbeing.)

This way, Kara’s need to get there to save people before time runs out—her own safety be damned—is acknowledged by Maggie and by the narrative, but then it’ll be proven that it’s better for everyone if she takes a minute to consider the best move.

At some point in the episode, Maggie’s need to protect Kara because of her relationship with Alex is brought up (maybe mid-argument, for Drama).

“If something happened to you, Alex would be destroyed,”

“I have a responsibility to protect those people,”

“I know. I’m a cop. But you have a responsibility to the people who love you, too.”

“...Well, Alex has you now, remember?” type deal.

Which would lead into the whole “Where do I fit in?” thing they both have with Alex, resulting in them both admitting to fearing that the other will compromise their relationship with her. There’s a whole camaraderie thing that results from it.

At the end of the episode, Maggie and Kara come up with a plan together, Maggie sharing some of her Detective Skills for Kara to internalize.

Kara is surprisingly the one to have the eureka moment, showing us that she had the capacity to do it, just not the patience.

They go to stop the villain together, and it goes well. At first. The villain of the episode gets the upper hand somehow, putting Supergirl in danger again.

Then, plan-less, Maggie rushes in and Does Something Stupid to save her, and it actually works. They save the day, and in-conversation wrap up the idea that planning is the best move whenever possible, but sometimes you have to go by your gut. Lessons, all around.

When everything is said and done, Alex is finally free of the DEO and texts Kara to ask for a sister night, but Kara says that she’s busy, but maybe tomorrow would work. Alex also texts Maggie asking to hang out, but she says she’s occupied as well.

(Don’t worry, J’onn and Winn end up taking her to the bar anyway. One of those Bonding themed episodes.)

Cut to Maggie and Kara eating at some diner referenced earlier in the episode,(Maggie—healthy food, Kara—fast food) and talking and laughing about their old cases. Maggie mentions how she figured out how someone had a gun in their pants by the way they were walking, and Kara mentions the time she fought an Alien whose face turns red just before it blasts it’s victim with fire.

“Ha. Sounds just like my boss.”

*One of those chatter/laughter wholesome ass fade outs*

In this scenario, no one looks dumb. Hell, there is even a slight amount of character regression (Kara being more reckless than usual) that spurs the Lesson on, but it’s because of a realistic character-true reaction to events within the world.

And then, ideally, Kara continues to know the skills she learned from this episode in the future.

But hopefully, if they use this Lesson technique while Mon-El is away, they’ll remember the difference between things Kara needs to learn and things she already should know.

I mean, the “I’ve got this,” in question may not actually include Kara fucking up afterward. The context of the clips in the trailer includes Kara being depressed and isolating herself from her loved ones. The “I’ve got this” could simply be an indicator of how she is going out on her own now and relying on only herself.

This is a Lesson she’s likely learning here—to let those around her help her. To let people in again, in general. But I consider this new, temporary lone wolf outlook she’s adopted to be a character-true regression.

But if it’s The Main Bad Guy, she’ll likely fail to capture him if it’s in the beginning of the ep. But none of the heroes defeat the bad guy before the climax of the episode. It’s just how tv works. She may not be shown to be incompetent in some way, just outmatched.

It’s a valid criticism of past episodes, but we’ll have to wait and see what the context of this instance is.

(I really do want Kara to have an ep in which she tries for some strategy, though. And continues to try to think that way in the future. Prayer circle for a strategy ep!)

#supergirl #kara danvers #maggie sawyer #supergirl season 3 #this got long #probably because i randomly wrote an episode in the middle of it #Anonymous

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legends-of-direbear · 7 years

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My Choice || Olivarry: AU P2

Prompt: First Kiss (Part 2)

Setting: Starling City

Summary: Oliver Queen and Barry Allen have been friends for years. Barry’s been there whenever Ollie needed him, as a friend. This time shouldn’t be any different, right?

Notes: m/m kiss, character death

(Continued from Part 1)

When’s Oliver turns thirteen, Dig gets his first girlfriend. So does Tommy. Oliver doesn’t want to be the only one without one, so he asks out Laurel Lance at lunch, who’s nice enough, and they start hanging out between classes. After dinner though, he calls up Barry, who, while only eleven, has understood that girl’s don’t have cooties for a while-- Iris is his best friend, after all. That weekend, when Barry comes over, the two boys read in silence for a while until Oliver manages to rack up his courage. Has Barry ever kissed Iris? Yeah, the boy is two years younger than him, but there’s only one grade between them, and he’s also had a best friend that was a girl for a lot longer. That should count for something, right?

Apparently not, Ollie can tell by the bright crimson coloring his friend’s cheeks as he shifts his gaze to stare harder at his book, teeth digging into his lip in embarrassment. Oliver feels bad for asking, and gives a small, reassuring smile. It’s not like he’s kissed Laurel yet, and she’s his girlfriend. He probably will soon though-- he’s sure Tommy and Dig have both kissed their girlfriends. And Laurel’s having a party at her house next weekend-- he’ll definitely probably kiss her then.

Barry watches his friend closely. Ollie actually hates it when the younger boy does that-- it means that he’s noticed something making Oliver uncomfortable, and he’s going to try to fix it. Oliver doesn’t need anyone to fix things for him-- he’s perfectly capable of taking care of himself. But he watches as Barry worries his bottom lip, looking like he’s screwing up his nerve to say something.

If Ollie’s that nervous about kissing… if he just wanted to try it first...he’d-- you know...

The legs of the chair scrape loudly against the hardwood as Oliver backs away from the table-- away from Barry-- in shock, and Barry’s bright red again as he quickly reassures his friend he doesn’t mean anything by it. Not like that, he tells him. He just meant...you know, if he was worried about kissing Laurel-- that’s all. He’s tripping over his words as his wide green eyes watch the older boy, desperately trying to backtrack.

Oliver’s gotten over the initial freak out, enough that he’s not going to bolt from the room. And he’s not afraid of Barry, god knows. It’s Barry. He imagines that he’d probably made the same offer to Iris at some point-- or would, he guesses, if the bossy twelve-year old ever needed it. Barry just tends to say things without thinking about them, is all. Obviously, considering how embarrassed and flustered he looks now.

The older boy feels bad for his reaction, and scoots back toward the table, his face giving a gentle smile to assure the gangly boy that they’re okay. And Barry’s obviously relieved, and immediately ducks his head down to go back to his book and forget all about the conversation.

Except now...well, now the idea’s kind of stuck in Oliver’s head. Because he doesn’t know how to kiss. At all. And he doesn’t have an Iris like Barry does-- he’s got Tommy and Dig, but he sure as hell isn’t asking either of them about this thing. I mean, Barry won’t make fun of him-- not for this. Not for just one quick peck-- just to make sure he won’t embarrass himself at Laurel’s party…

He glances over at the younger boy, and he’s surprised that Barry’s sneaking looks at him from the corner of his eye. Oliver can feel his expression still tight with nerves, and he can tell Barry’s worried. He fidgets in place, and swallows thickly, taking a deep breath, which draws Barry’s attention enough so that (though his cheeks are still colored) he looks up.

It’s not like this is a real kiss, he states firmly, and Barry nods in affirmation. And they’re not going to tell anyone? (The way the younger boy’s hair flies back and forth along his ardently shaking head is adorable in its puppy-like quality). Oliver swallows again, because he really doesn’t want to embarrass himself in front of all of his friends.

His eyes dart around the room carefully, before he scoots out of his chair, nodding at Barry to follow. He jogs down the stairs and to the closet, grabbing his archery gear and calling out to Thea that they’re going to the range for a little while (Thea calls back not to let Barry shoot one or someone might get hurt), and he continues to jog out along the path, toward the back of the property.

He can see Barry’s confused by the sudden impulse-- Barry watches Ollie shoot sometimes, but he’s a horrible klutz, so he can really only watch, which makes it an activity they don’t usually do together unless there’s a competition approaching and the older boy needs some extra practice. Now isn’t that sort of time at all, so what are they doing?

Oliver keeps going though, past the range, to where the targets were pinned against the far wall. It offers some privacy-- no one from the house, at least, will be able to see them, even if they were looking. And beyond that there shouldn’t be any landscapers or anyone wandering this far on the grounds. It should be okay.

He turns back toward Barry, who seems to have picked up on the reason for relocating at least, and nods as he settles onto the grass. The eleven-year old flops down across from him with significantly less grace, tucking his spindly legs beneath him, fingers splayed flat against his thighs.

Well, they’ve made it this far, and Oliver feels his stomach curling up in knots. He wonders if it’ll be this bad when he kisses Laurel-- and if it is, then he’s kind of glad that he’s doing this with Barry first, because he kind of feels like he’s going to throw up, he’s so nervous. Barry, for his part, doesn’t look that much better, which is a little comforting, honestly.

Ollie’s the oldest, he supposes, so he should take the lead. He scoots a little closer, so that both boys’ knees are touching. Barry licks his lips nervously, and the older boy’s eyes follow the movement, causing another twitch in his gut. They’ll do it on three, he tells him, and Barry just nods.

He gets to thr-- when he stops, his face scrunching up as he tries to stifle a laugh but seriously what is Barry doing? The younger boy opens his eyes from their screwed up squint, dropping the fierce pucker he’s twisted his mouth into, and looks embarrassed and upset that Oliver is obviously laughing at him, and the other boy feels guilty, reaching over to pat his friend’s shoulder. He’s not trying to make the boy feel bad, and it’s not like he has any experience either-- but jeez, even Oliver knows how to kiss better than that. Barry harrumphs and curls up in on himself, crossing his arms petulantly as his ears burn and Oliver can tell he’s this close to telling his older friend to forget it and scramble away with what’s left of his dignity. So he counts again, quicker this time, one two three, three, three, oka--?

Barry leans in mid-word, and it surprises him. It’s a little rough-- the other boy is clearly still embarrassed about being laughed at, and is trying to make up for it by being assertive, even though he doesn’t have any clue what he’s doing. Their teeth knock against each other, and at first Oliver feels like this was a terrible idea.

The younger boy breathes though, and relaxes, and Ollie can feel his own hands instinctively slide up along the thin arms, under the sleeves of his tee shirt and holding onto his bare, bony shoulders. Barry, for his part, keeps one hand on the ground for balance, braced alongside Ollie’s thigh, and the other cupped carefully along the back of his neck. His lips are softer than the older boy would have thought, if he’d ever thought about it, and he opens his mouth slightly, pressing around the other with a soft gasp, angling closer to Barry so that they were almost chest to chest.

He’s not sure how long it lasts-- it seems like forever and no time at all honestly-- before they pull away. But it couldn’t have been long-- he’s not practicing making out, after all. He’d much rather do that with Laurel. But Oliver’s still a little winded from the experience, and he presses his hands against his legs as he pants slightly, licking his tender lips in the warm sun.

Is that-- was that-- okay? Of course Barry’d be the first one to speak, voice cracking slightly as he looks over at his best friend, face flushed and lips spit-slick. Oliver is quick to reassure him that it was fine, even though he’s not really sure himself. It was his first kiss too, after all-- that was the whole point-- and the blood in his ears is pounding so hard that he can barely hear anything. Is that normal?

Being the older of the two, though, Oliver forces himself to recover, offering a casual smile and pushing himself to his feet; a quick thanks for helping him, and he thinks he’ll be okay with Laurel now. Laurel his girlfriend. Barry nods, scrambling up as well and offering an uncertain smile with a no problem, and Oliver suggests they head back inside and get some pizza before Barry’s parents come by to pick him up. That causes the younger boy to perk up slightly, his head quickly bobbing in agreement, and the two boys brush the grass off their pants before shuffling back inside. Neither really speak, but Oliver keeps sneaking glances back at Barry, whose eyes are studiously fixed on the ground as he steps across the lawn. He wants to ask what Barry thought of the kiss, but they already said they wouldn’t talk about it anymore-- it was just the once, so Ollie wouldn’t make an idiot of himself when he did it for real. He’s not sure if he has any other friends that would do something like that, but he’s not going to make it weird by bringing it up again.

And the next weekend, when he and Laurel play 7 Minutes in Heaven, she seems happy with his technique, and it’s nice kissing her, he thinks. He feels an adrenaline jolt, his pulse quickens, and he can’t help but compare it to the one with Barry. Kissing Laurel should feel better, right? Because Laurel’s his girlfriend, and she’s really hot, and she’s got her hands in his hair and her tongue in his mouth. It’s good-- it’s really good. It’s just...different, he guesses. His stomach isn’t really as twisted up right now, before or after, but maybe that’s just because he already knows how?

He wants to talk to Barry about it-- wants to ask him if maybe they can try again, because he just wants to figure out the difference between the kisses. But he chickens out, and instead they just hang out and watch movies when the younger boy comes over the next day, Ollie’s skin buzzing slightly when his hand brushes Barry’s as they both reach for popcorn.

Oliver’s fourteenth birthday is three months away when he loses his best friend. Barry’s mom dies-- is murdered-- and Dr. Henry Allen is arrested for the crime. Oliver can’t believe it-- how anyone could think Barry’s dad would do that is beyond him. His first instinct when he finds out, though, is to have the younger boy move in with his family; they’ve known the Allens for years, and Barry’s family was there for them when his dad died. He couldn’t even remember thanking Barry properly for staying with him that week. For comforting him during the day and curling up beside him at night, keeping the crippling sadness manageable. And now Barry doesn’t have either of his parents-- of course he’d need Oliver and his family.

But Moira’s already distancing the Queen name from all connections to the doctor, his research, and the Central City Medical Center as quickly as possible. Ollie tries to call Barry, but the cell phone has been disconnected and he finds out that he’s gone to live with Iris’ family instead when he calls the house line. He doesn’t know where Iris lives, and his mom won’t let him go to Central City-- forbids it. She even assigns someone from the security staff to watch him and keep him from sneaking off like he did long ago. Oliver begs, pleads with her that his friend needs him, but Moira Queen has always put her family’s needs first, and she explains to her son how much being Barry’s friend could hurt them-- could hurt Barry too, she tells him. Oliver doesn’t understand, but he does believe his mother when she points out that Barry lives four hundred miles away, and that Iris’ father is a police detective in Central City, and they’ll take care of him in a place he knows and belongs. So instead of seeking out the boy that he’d known for years, Oliver Queen hides in his room, and doesn’t cry, but spends the rest of the year feeling helpless against being the biggest piece of chicken shit in the world and just letting his friend go. He pushes down all of his feelings except for the ones that don’t matter, going to parties with Tommy and dating a bunch of girls and doing all sorts of stupid stuff high school rich kids should. He just lets himself forget that he ever knew anyone like Barry Allen, much less just chose to abandon him and leave him lost and alone.

#The Flash #arrow #olivarry #Barry Allen #oliver queen #DC Universe #au #ficlet #prompt #mine #kids #first kiss #mc_002

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daleisgreat · 7 years

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2016-17 TV Season Recap, Part 1

Previous TV Season Recaps – (2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16) 2016-17 TV Season Recap, Part 2 (Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Legion, Riverdale) 2016-17 TV Season Recap, Part 3 (24: Legacy, South Park, Horace & Pete, Stranger Things)

It is time for my annual TV season recap blog. Check out the links above to previous seasons in case you missed them. Like last year I wound up keeping up with a few too many TV shows so I will split this up into a few parts and link them above. For part one, I am going to focus on the four TV shows I followed based on DC Comics properties. Gotham - If you thought last season of Gotham was off-the-rails, then be prepared for a whole new level of craziness for season three. I do not know where to start. How about with my only real qualm being, like in actual comics is that no one stays dead. Thanks to the science experiments of Hugo Strange (BD Wong), he keeps finding ways to bring back past fallen villains of the show, for better or worse. Yup, the writers found another way to bring back Fish Mooney (Jada Smith) for a few more episodes this season, and she is just as dreadful to endure as past seasons. We do have a few new villains join the fray this season, and if you grew up with the classic animated Batman TV show you will be delighted to see Mad Hatter (Benedict Samuel), Poison Ivy (Maggie Geha) and Mr. Freeze (Nathan Darrow) join the mix of the ever-growing list of Gotham antagonists. The big foil this season is a blood virus that Mad Hatter unleashes upon the city of Gotham that turns people into blood-lusting lunatics. It affects a number of major and minor players on the show this season and watching them succumb/overcome the disease lead to some compelling television.

Other favorite parts of this season for me are the constant love/hate/love relationship between Penguin (Robin Taylor) and Riddler (Corey Smith). Both wind up playing the political field this season before declaring war on each other to amusing results. Another constant dynamic I enjoyed playing out through the season was Barb (Erin Richards) getting more twisted each episode as she bosses around Tabitha (Jessica Lucas) and Butch (Drew Powell) to do her bidding to middling results. Once again, Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue nail the roles of the two primary detectives Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock. Bullock is now the head of Gotham PD and Gordon starts out as a private detective hauling in baddies on his own terms. His season arc is unbelievable if I lay it all out for you now so you just have to tune in to see it. Finally, David Mazouz is really coming into his own this season as Bruce Wayne. He spends most of the season feuding with the underground Gotham society, the Court of Owls. I loved that comic arc from a few years ago and really dug Gotham’s take on that faction. There is so much more that happened this season and other major characters I have not even touched on yet. It does get to be a bit much to keep track of, but last season I just said “screw it” and rolled with whatever Gotham threw in my face and let the recaps starting off each episode serve as a much-needed refresher. I very much enjoyed this season, and my only takeaways are Fish Mooney and a couple other minor villains that did not hit the mark of the many they introduced this season. Also, if you were following week-to-week like me then it got to be a bit difficult to keep tabs on everything since Gotham took two extended midseason breaks this season and I had trouble recalling if certain events transpired in specific seasons. Grade: A

The Flash - This is difficult to admit, but The Flash lost its way for its third season. Last season introduced Wally West (Keiynan Lonsdale) into the mix, and he just never clicked with the rest of the Star Labs crew. The writers of The Flash took this criticism to heart and doubled down on Wally this season by having him mope around the first several episodes about not having superpowers like the rest of the team. Then he finally gets powers and redubs himself Kid Flash and instantly becomes annoyingly arrogant. He is scripted to be as gut-wrenching as Spider-Man was in the disastrous Amazing Spider-Man 2 from a few years back. Wally West sir, you hereby are the runaway winner for my ‘dopiest character’ of all of TV this past year. The third season of The Flash also doubles down into exploring the 52 Earths of the DC-Multiverse. If you do no recall from my recap from last season, there are 52 Earths/alternate realities where each one has its own version of Team Flash members. It seems now the writers are getting into a new comfort zone where if they need to write off a certain character they will bring in a new multi-verse doppelganger to take their place. Each season has had a different version of Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh), with season three’s being a very lighthearted, coffee addicted version who calls himself ‘HR.’ HR is a fun addition to the team, but by the end of season three there were so many different multi-verse versions of each character introduced that it got to be groan-inducing whenever they time jumped to a new multi-verse.

The primary villain for season three is the mysterious Savitar. An early season episode shows a flash-forward of Barry’s love of his life, Iris West (Candice Patton) meeting her demise at the hands of Savitar so Barry (Grant Gustin) and the rest of Team Flash spend the bulk of the season trying to prevent that from happening. How they get there and what they wind up doing to try and save Iris is an interesting journey, but it has severe consequences that wound up being a big turnoff and does not have me anticipating season four whatsoever since the ending (light spoilers ahead) essentially implies that the cringe-worthy Kid Flash will be taking over as the new protagonist. There are still a fair amount of decent episodes this season (the annual Christmas party is a feel-good scene that delivers again this season), but I could not help but shake this season as a real letdown. Grade: C Arrow - This is a big redemption season of Arrow after a couple of good, but not great seasons. Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) starts the season as the new mayor of Star City and he still somehow manages to moonlight as The Green Arrow in his downtime. With season four leaving the old Team Arrow in disarray, Oliver recruits several new vigilantes to take under his wing for season five. This reminded me of the not-so-desirable new recruits Gordon was in charge of in season two of Gotham as most of these new characters just did not cut it and they become early cannon fodder for season five’s primary antagonist, Prometheus (Josh Segarra). There was one likeable new recruit though that stayed on board the entire season with the codename Wild Dog (Rick Gonzalez), and I dug his story arc as he wound up teaming with Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne) for most of the season and the two meshed well together so much that I was always glued to my device whenever the two were onscreen.

Prometheus proves to be one of the major villains that Ollie has ever encountered as the two have several impactful moments throughout the season. They manage to outdo themselves in their final confrontation in a pivotal showdown between the two that had me in goosebumps throughout. Fans that follow Arrow every year know that each episode has flashbacks that lay out what happen each year that Oliver was away for the five years before returning to town in Arrow’s first episode. For the fifth year of Arrow flashbacks Ollie is in Russia teaming up with the Russian gang known as Bratva and his antics there all tie in to how he winds up back at Star City at the very beginning of Arrow. The final flashback scene is another powerful moment that combined with Green Arrow and Prometheus’s final showdown as one of the best season finales in the history of a TV superhero show and capped off one of the best seasons of Arrow yet. Grade: A Legends of Tomorrow - The show featuring the castoffs from Arrow and Flash returns for a slightly more streamlined second season. Instead of focusing on a huge superhero roster of 10, they slimmed the team down to seven Legends this season due to how the first season wrapped up. The season starts off with team captain, Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill) lost in time and Sarah Lance (Caity Lotz) taking over the captain’s chair to lead the Legends to track Rip down.

Season two has a new team of former Flash and Arrow villains dubbed the Legion of Doom (Whaaaaaaaat a rush!) consisting of Eobard Thawne (Matt Letscher), Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough) and Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman). I was a fan of these guys before, so seeing them team up and intentionally ham up the evil villain factor made them the perfect foils for the lighthearted Legends. This was a much improved season that stayed on point better, did not feature love triangle plots that overstayed their welcome and a better group of antagonists. The Civil War zombies episode I imagine will be a hit with a certain audience. Even though they improved a lot this season I would still state Legends of Tomorrow is not a top tier superhero show, as even with a slimmed down roster, there was still a lot to keep track of, and new Legend member Steel (Nick Zano) is a little too cheesy and requires a high tolerance level. Grade: B Past TV/Web Series Blogs 2013-14 TV Season Recap 2014-15 TV Season Recap 2015-16 TV Season Recap Adventures of Briscoe County Jr: The Complete Series Angry Videogame Nerd Volumes 7-9 Mortal Kombat: Legacy - Season 1 OJ: Made in America: 30 for 30 RedvsBlue - Seasons 1-13 Roseanne – Seasons 1-9 Seinfeld Final Season Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle Superheroes: Pioneers of Television

#TV/Web Series #Gotham #arrow #Flash #legends of tomorrow #stephen amell #grant gustin #caity lotz #robin taylor #keiyan lonsdale #bd wong #benedict samuel #nathan darrow #david mazouz #corey smith

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brandyfields66-blog · 6 years

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How to Motivate Yourself to Go to the Gym on Cold, Dark Days

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I love to work out, and as a senior editor at Health, it's a big part of my job. But I'm the first to admit that exercising when days turn cold and dark can suck. It's pitch black when my alarm goes off for a before-work workout, and it's dark again by 4 p.m. Plus, living in New York City means snowy, wind-chilled treks to the subway to get to my fitness locales.

But one thing I know very well about myself is that my mood sinks drastically in fall and winter. Exercise is in part an antidote to my winter blues. Because of that, I've found little tricks that help me stay consistent-and in turn happier and with more pep in my step overall-through the cold-weather months. Read on for the fall and winter workout motivation hacks that work for me . . . that might just work for you too.

RELATED: 7 Emily Skye Workout Videos We're Obsessed With

Wake up to light and music

If I'm working out in the morning before work, the toughest part for me is physically getting out of bed. Once I'm up and standing, I'm set. So when my alarm goes off, I immediately switch on my bedside lamp and stream my Spotify workout playlist from my phone. Even if I lie in bed for a few minutes longer, the gentle light and good tunes keep me alert enough so that I won't doze off again and ditch.

Or treat yourself to an early holiday present and invest in Sonos wireless speakers ($141; amazon.com). The Sonos mobile app allows you to set alarms so you can wake up to your pump-up playlist-a tip I learned from Ashley Wilking, an instructor at Rumble Boxing in New York City and a Nike trainer.

"I love choosing my songs based on what my day looks like," Wilking tells Health. "If I need to wake up at 4 a.m. to teach class, I like something to pump me up-I'll go for a rap or hip-hop mix. If I'm getting up to start my day but want to keep a mellow vibe, I'll go for the Coffee House Chill or Indie Acoustics playlists on Spotify."

Warm up on the way to the gym

If you're like me and can't (or just don't like to) work out at home, you have to find a way to make the chilly gym commute more manageable. If weather permits and it's safe to do so, try using the journey as a warm-up opportunity. "I always ride my Citi Bike to class in the morning," Wilking says. "It gets you moving before you have to move in your workout."

Wet or icy roads preventing you from jogging or biking your way there? Distract yourself with good music or a podcast. "I put on an audio book-my current listen is You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero-and take Mia, our mini Australian shepherd, for a walk along the water," Wilking says.

Follow a fitness influencer

Like many humans, I wake up and scroll social media for a bit before getting out of bed, which helped me discover the Insta-story of Joelle Cavagnaro, a personal trainer and high school health and physical education teacher in the New York City area.

Cavagnaro is awake at 5 a.m. every morning and chronicles her dark walk to the gym, her workout, and her (still dark) hike home. She provides hilarious commentary and super motivational words of advice. Watching Cavagnaro's efforts every single day makes me think, if she's out there getting it done before the sun is up, I can do the same.

"Knowing that I have people following my journey, my workouts, my routine, helps me to stay on track, just as much as it helps them," she tells Health.

RELATED: It's Better to Work Out With Other People Than by Yourself. Here's Why

Become a regular

For many months now, I've been hooked on a particular fitness studio-Switch Playground-and I've been more consistent than ever with my workouts. I'll get there rain (or cold, or wind) or shine.

To start, I love the actual workout-and that is key when it comes to making a fitness habit stick, especially during the toughest time of year to do it. ("It's pretty hard to stick to a workout plan you hate," Cavagnaro points out. "If you hate the treadmill, don't go on the treadmill.")

But another major part of what gets my butt to class is that I've become close with many of the instructors. I'll drop them a message, like, "I'm coming to the 7:15; I'm exhausted so I need a good push tonight!" Giving them that heads-up that I'm attending holds me accountable; and having a dialogue with the folks there makes the actual working out part less of a chore and more like a visit with friends.

So if you love a particular class, make it a point to say hi to the instructor and share your fitness goals. That way, you're expected to show up each week to meet them. Prefer to sweat by yourself at the gym? Introduce yourself to trainers and other gym regulars around the floor; chat with the guys and girls at the front desk. (Cavagnaro gets a "Sup, Big J?" from other early-bird exercisers at her gym.) The camaraderie will inspire you-as will a "Where have you been?!" if you disappear for too long.

RELATED: Winter Skin Annoyances, Solved

Find (reliable) workout buddies

"Committing to a workout with a friend is a great way to make sure you get yourself out the door, as no one likes to let their friends down," Oliver Lee, a personal trainer in New York City and a former Barry's Bootcamp instructor (and one of my workout buds who I can always count on), tells Health.

Even if you don't like working out with a partner, you can benefit from the support of like-minded friends and family, Cavagnaro says. "I work out alone, and that works best for me," she explains. "But my husband and I are both passionate about the gym. We go to the gym together on weekends, separate for our workouts, and then meet up again after to walk home together."

I also often times reach out to people with little gym "check-ins." My mom and I, for example, cheer each other on via text, and we do this more often when the weather gets gross:

Commit to an early bedtime

As tempting as it is to stay up to watch one more episode of Stranger Things, powering down electronics and hitting the sheets at a reasonable hour is critical if you're going to beat winter tiredness and make it to the gym. This is the right time of the year to turn in on the early side, when darkness and chilly temperatures make curling up under the covers so ideal.

"I can't stress this enough to my clients, my students, or anyone else trying to have a productive day," Cavagnaro says. "I could never do what I do without adequate rest and recovery time. I know my body and I know that I need at least eight hours of sleep to be a functional, productive member of society-and to have energy for my morning workout."

Cavagnaro also suggests thinking of an a.m. workout as the ticket to an energized day, rather than something you need to find energy for. "My workout itself is like my morning coffee," she says. "It starts my day, gives me the energy to get going, and sets up my day for productivity and success."

RELATED: 11 Warm Recipes for Cold Weather

Schedule workouts strategically

Sweating it out after work? Don't leave yourself time to stop off at home first . . . and get sidelined by something great on TV or your never-ending social feed. "I tend to plan my workouts around times that I will be out of the house already, either on my way to a meeting or on my way home," Lee explains. "That way, I'm already outside."

Cavagnaro agrees: If she does have to hit the gym after school instead of at her typical 5 a.m. session, she brings all of her gear with her and goes straight from the classroom. "The motivation to go definitely dwindles down if you stop home, have a snack, have to change," she says. "I find that going right from work to the gym, alleviates those 'should I really go?' thoughts."

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Talk yourself out of your excuses

There are still times I find myself in the comfort of my warm apartment coming up with every excuse in the book to avoid bundling up and mobilizing. When it happens, I like to remind myself of this: In the amount of time you will spend sitting around making excuses, you could be half way through a workout by now. (Slightly cheesy? Yes. But it works for me.)

I also ask myself what I would do in that time when I could be getting in a workout. Would I do a load of laundry? Would I meal prep for the next few days? Would I watch Sex and the City reruns? If I'm exhausted and know I'll use the time to do something else productive, I cut myself some slack. But if my gut tells me I'll waste the hour being lazy, I'll get my butt off the couch and do something to crank my heart rate, even if that means walking on an incline on the treadmill for 15 minutes.

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