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jbuffyangel · 8 months

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Always Laurel: Arrow 1x20 Review (Home Invasion)

The love triangle pendulum swings violently in the other direction as Oliver makes a decision that breaks Tommy’s heart and destroys Diggle’s trust in him.

Source: @htbthomas

Does Oliver always choose Laurel? If yes, then is that a good thing?

Let’s dig in…

Merlance and Lauriver

At this point in the first season, you have probably formed an opinion on this love triangle. You are either Merlance, Lauriver, a plague on both their houses, or just don’t give a crap. All choices are valid. Everyone knows where I stand.

What I think we can agree on is this love triangle is toxic. Toxicity, I feel, that is being driven largely by Oliver Queen. But we’ll get to that in a minute. First, we need to discuss the choice Oliver makes.

Laurel is representing the Moore family and suing Edward Rasmus, an investment broker, for stealing their life savings. Rasmus hires Gunn from Angel (that’s what I’m calling him. I know his character has a name, but I don’t care) to kill the parents, but their son Taylor manages to escape. We don’t actually see how Taylor escaped. It looks he jumped out a twelve story window, but whatever.

Laurel volunteers to be the child’s temporary guardian, so Taylor stays at her apartment with Tommy. This leads to a beautiful Merlance moment and one of my all-time favorite Tommy scenes in the series. Little Taylor is grieving the loss of both his parents, so Tommy offers him some advice.

Source: @bifelicitys

Colin Donnell’s delivery in this scene is just the right mix of sadness and loving comfort. We can see the kind of father Tommy would be and it’s a beautiful sight to behold. If Laurel Lance is not in love with Tommy Merlyn already then she certainly falls in love with him in this moment.

I wish we could just leave them here forever. Safe in the cocoon of their stable, loving, and supportive relationship.

But we can’t because of Oliver.

Tommy and Laurel have lost one crucial aspect of their relationship because of Oliver - honesty. They are both lying. Laurel has failed to tell Tommy that she’s been having “friendly” lunches with Oliver (re: see last episodes “I don’t want to be on an island anymore” speech). And Tommy is keeping the biggest secret of all – he knows Oliver is the vigilante.

Source: @htbthomas

Gunn storms Laurel’s apartment to finish the job on Taylor. Tommy throws himself over Taylor’s body and I friggin swooned. Someone woman needs to give this man a baby! The daddy hotness is too much to take.

Laurel shows some impressive “daughter of a cop” moves when she breaks out the shot gun.

Unfortunately, she didn’t keep more than one bullet in the chamber. Why she didn’t check the gun the minute she got home I will never understand. I swear, this woman sometimes.

Of course, Oliver is there in the shadows as The Hood to rescue Laurel, Tommy and Taylor. Now that Tommy knows Laurel and Taylor are targets, he advises Quentin they should stay at the Queen mansion. They have wall to wall security and more importantly The Hood lives there.

Tommy: We both only want is best for Laurel. And right now that is to stay close to the Oliver. Trust me.

However, the first thing Oliver does when they arrive is leave to help Diggle track down Floyd Lawton, which infuriates Tommy.

Tommy: You are the reason why we’re here and trust me that wasn’t easy to admit.

Oliver assures Tommy the bodyguards at the Queen mansion will be more than sufficient to protect them, but when push comes to shove, he abandons his promise to Diggle to stop Rasmus. This didn’t stop Gunn from going after Taylor again at the Queen mansion. The bodyguards ended up being worthless and a hoodless Oliver Queen had to kill Gunn with a fire poker.

Was Oliver needed at the mansion to save everyone’s lives? YES. But that went down after the Lawton sting operation. Did stopping Rasmus in any way deter Gunn from going after Taylor again? No. Gunn kills anyone who has seen his face – including Rasmus. Oliver couldn’t have known that though. I’m not denying Oliver is juggling a lot of balls this episode. He has some tough choices to make, but the problem is he’s not being honest about the reasons behind those choices.

Felicity: Couldn’t you be friends with someone less complicated than your ex-girlfriend who is your ex-best friend’s current girlfriend?

It’s a lightly made comment about Oliver’s relationships outside of the bunker, but Felicity’s gentle jab packs a big punch of truth. The more Oliver says Laurel is just a friend the less anyone believes him. It’s crap. Oliver clearly has more than friendly feelings towards Laurel and he does absolutely nothing to conceal them. In fact, he’s pretty damn brazen about it.

Let’s talk the lunches. It ultimately is canceled because of Laurel’s meetings with the Moores, so Oliver meets them when he arrives at CNRI. But he comes back to Laurel’s office after they are murdered to see if there’s anything he can do.

Initially, Tommy tells Oliver his help is not required and a phone call to check on Laurel would’ve been more than sufficient. He didn’t need to stop by in person. Tommy is being very territorial and rightfully so. The vibe ain’t vibing. Then Oliver casually not so casually tells Tommy about the lunches with Laurel – which she has failed to share with her boyfriend.

Why is Laurel lying to Tommy? A lie of omission is still a lie. If she is truly “just friends” with Oliver then there’s no reason to hide the lunches from Tommy. Laurel has yet to truly articulate how she feels for Oliver, but this lie is not good. An emotional affair is just as hurtful and wrong as a physical one. Some even consider it worse, but make no mistake, an emotional affair is cheating.

As for Oliver, his feelings are plain as day. He has kept Laurel on an emotional hook for the entire season. He continually reinserts himself into her life, particularly at the moments when she’s trying her best to move on.

There was a respectful distance between the two and then Oliver decides Laurel is the person he wants to reconnect with. Why not Tommy? Their friendship could use a lot of damage control. What about Thea? Oliver can’t take her to Big Belly Burger or his mother or Diggle? There is an ample list of people Oliver can open up to if he so chooses. But instead he chooses Laurel – a choice that, as Felicity states, is complicated and wildly inappropriate.

Oliver also uses the vigilante shtick to emotionally manipulate Laurel. He can’t be honest about who he is or what he feels for her, so instead he uses The Hood to be her knight in shining armor.

Source: @htbthomas

When Laurel finds out it’s The Vigilante who saved them, Oliver notices the soft smile playing on her lips and he’s extremely pleased - almost smug. He’s used the hood to stay close to Laurel all season long. She’s hemmed and hawed about whether or not The Vigilante is a good guy, but it seems she’s solidly pro hood at the moment.

Oliver: He’s lucky to have you in his life. I know the feeling.

This conversation takes place about twenty feet from the bedroom Laurel is staying in with HER BOYFRIEND who is supposed to be Oliver’s best friend. He gently touches her arm, they hug and Oliver presses Laurel’s head to his chest, all while Tommy is listening. The way Oliver speaks to Laurel, the way he touches her, is anything but ok.

Source: @htbthomas

One of the fatal flaws of Lauriver is the writers tell rather than show. I’m a little unclear what “change” Laurel is referring to in Oliver because we don’t get scenes of them discussing anything REAL. So, we’re just supposed to accept through the course of the season Laurel has seen change in Oliver Queen.

But she doesn’t qualify what that change is. Is he more selfless? Is Oliver more communicative? Is he more honest? I don’t know what that word means to Laurel. The last time we saw Oliver and Laurel interacting on a personal level was at least 1x09 or 1x10 and those scenes were really about Laurel finally moving on with Tommy.

SO. WHY. DOESN’T. OLIVER. LET. HER. MOVE. ON????????????!!!!

Oliver is desperate for Laurel’s forgiveness. He’s so desperate for it that he uses The Hood as a way to prove he’s a different person now and to develop a relationship with Laurel he cannot otherwise have as Oliver Queen. As The Hood, there is no Sara. As The Hood, there is no betrayal. As The Hood, he can rebuild trust and find a way to stay in Laurel’s life. As The Hood, he can be the hero. If Oliver can fix things with Laurel it’s like the last five years never happened. Oliver may have a mission to save the city, but what he’s really chasing is absolution.

I’m going to harp on this until I am blue in the face and I’m nowhere near done discussing it in these final three episodes. Nothing has truly changed between Laurel and Oliver. He was lying to her five years ago and he’s lying to her now. Love based on deception isn’t love. There can be no absolution without honest confession.

Tommy: You still love her, don’t you?

Source: mymarsrevolution

This is a popular line used in Olicity fanvids, but it’s not about Felicity. It’s about Laurel. This discussion about Laurel between Oliver and Tommy is so patronizing. It’s like Laurel is a toy they are arguing over. The men get to decide who gets to “keep” her. The men decide what information she needs and who she really belongs with. This choice is neither Oliver nor Tommy’s to make. Laurel deserves the full truth and to decide for herself if she wants to be with either of them.

Source: @bj-hunnicutts

But what Oliver says is so toxically self serving it makes my blood boil. He’s inserted himself as The Hood in Laurel’s life as a sexy, leather clad, dangerous, bow & arrow wielding, romance novel, shadow figure who heroically saves her life again and again (because women hate guys like that). Oliver develops an emotional attachment between Laurel and The Hood to keep his hooks in her just enough to muddy the waters with Tommy.

Now he’s reinserting himself into her life as Oliver Queen, but just as a “friend” while carrying on an emotional affair with her. He has ZERO intention of ever being honest or having a real relationship with her. Oliver dresses it up as heroic selflessness, but if he was really being selfless – he would leave her alone completely. Oliver doesn’t want to be with Laurel, but he doesn’t want her to move on from him either. It’s selfish.

Oliver isn’t the only one lying to Laurel. Tommy is too, but we know why. Oliver’s secret is not his to tell, but there’s another reason he finally admits to in “Home Invasion.”

Source: @htbthomas

Is Tommy right about Laurel choosing Oliver? Yeah, probably. I believed that when I first watched Season 1 and I still believe it now. If she was fully committed to Tommy then The Hood couldn’t have any effect on her. If Laurel was fully committed to Tommy, then Oliver would truly be just a friend. She would tell Tommy about the lunches. Or she would say it’s not appropriate and she cannot be the shoulder Oliver cries on.

Instead, Laurel tethers herself to both The Hood and Oliver in a way that grazes the line between friends and more than friends. Those lines should always be clear if you are in a committed relationship. She is being unfair to Tommy.

But again, Laurel isn’t dealing with all the information. So, there’s only so much I fault her at this point. What Oliver is doing is very manipulative and it shows, quite frankly, that when it comes to Laurel – he hasn’t changed much. It doesn’t endear Laurel to me that she can’t see Tommy is the perfect man for her, but at this point in the season I am laying the blame for this toxic cycle more at Oliver’s feet than hers.

Unfortunately, Tommy makes the biggest mistake of his life and breaks up with Laurel. I understand why. Tommy has some self respect and knows there’s something going on between Laurel and Oliver. Tommy knows he’s competing with a mythic romance novel like persona and he feels he doesn’t measure up in comparison, which is the real reason he leaves. He’s wrong in every way possible. You don’t need to dress up in a hood and save the city to be a good man.

Tommy: I guess I haven’t changed as much as we all thought then.

He can barely get the words out as he ends their relationship. Laurel is understandably shocked and confused. This seems to be a 180 degree turn from where they were just a day ago. To say this breakup was abrupt would be an understatement.

The saddest part is Tommy truly has changed. He should stay and fight for Laurel because what they have is real and worth saving. They’ve made their own history, one that doesn’t have anything to do with Oliver Queen. (Are you feeling the Joey & Pacey versus Dawson parallel?)

But Tommy is right about something. Laurel and Oliver need to deal with their baggage, so she can find always with the right man - the man who wants a future with her and not the man trying to erase the past.

Oliver and Diggle

If Arrow is pushing us to root for a Laurel and Oliver reunion, they are doing a spectacularly bad job at it. Oliver has promised Diggle he will help kill Floyd Lawton, but in the end he abandons John and Deadshot gets away. Diggle feels betrayed primarily because well… Oliver betrayed him.

Diggle: I needed you there, man.

The choice between Lawton and Rasmus was a simple one. Deadshot was the bigger threat and the harder target to capture. Oliver can be pretty mechanical when it comes to making these types of choices, so it was surprising when he chose the corrupt investment broker over the assassin.

Four ARGUS agents died trying to capture Lawton. It really didn’t need to be a choice for Oliver. Why couldn’t Felicity call in a tip to Detective Lance and let Starling PD arrest Rasmus?

Source: bj-hunnicutts-blog

Because then The Hood couldn’t be the hero for Laurel. Oliver got to strut into the mansion and announce Rasmus was arrested, there was no longer a threat to the boy or Laurel, and The Hood was the man who saved the day. The pleased little smile on Laurel’s face, this latest rescue more proof that The Hood was a good man who cared for her, was Oliver’s reward. He scored points with Laurel. Oliver may not be cashing them in, but he’s collecting points all the same.

This does not make his actions completely altruistic, which is why Diggle is angry. John knows Oliver was trying to look good in front of Laurel and he put that desire before his friendship with John. Proving to Laurel that he’s a changed man is just as much a part of Oliver’s mission as The List. He broke his promise to John. Oliver didn’t help Diggle complete his mission to avenge his brother. Instead, Oliver continued to pursue his own.

Source: bj-hunnicutts-blog

If Oliver choosing Laurel is a good thing then why is there all this collateral damage around him? Tommy, Diggle, Lyla, ARGUS agents, even Felicity, have been hurt by this choice.

Oliver: Something to say, Felicity? Felicity: Nothing you want to hear.

This is not an accident on the writers’ part. They could’ve easily shown the scenario I posed about (re: Felicity tipping off Quentin) or Diggle understanding and supporting Oliver choosing Laurel. It didn’t have to play out like this. Remember they are the ones crafting the story here. It’s their choice.

They are doing this for a REASON. Oliver did not make the right decision in “Home Invasion.” The writers are not saying Oliver and Laurel should be together and the rest of the world be damned. Quite the opposite.

Relationships cannot exist in a bubble. Just because you love someone doesn’t give you the right to hurt people in the name of that love. We can become blind to other people's feelings and consumed by our emotions for one singular person, but that’s not necessarily a good thing.

Spike: Trust is for old marrieds, Buffy. Great love is wild and passionate and dangerous. It burns and consumes.

Buffy: Until there's nothing left. Love like that doesn't last.

Not a BTVS fan? Let’s try The Vampire Diaries:

Damon: I thought you broke my heart so I ripped open Aaron’s neck that is how much control you have over me.

Elena: And I'm still here, that's how much control you have over me.

Damon: Listen to us. This is toxic. We are in a toxic relationship, Elena.

Oliver isn’t consumed by love for Laurel, but he is consumed by regret. Guilt can be just as powerful emotion as love. We know Oliver hasn’t always chosen Laurel – hell we saw it in the freaking flashback this episode.

Oliver kisses Shado as she tries to teach him to be an archer. He’s been away from Laurel (AND SARA) for few weeks (months?) and he’s already kissing someone else. These are not the actions of a man deeply in love.

Oliver: There’s someone. And it’s a mile past complicated, but I can’t.

Shado: Does she know how much you love her?

Oliver: I suspect right now she doesn’t. But as soon as I’m home, she will.

The Arrow writers either have a very wacked perspective on what love, fidelity and devotion mean or they are trying to make a point. Oliver didn’t choose Laurel in the past and it led to some disastrous consequences.

But Oliver choosing Laurel in the present has also led to some disastrous consequences. So maybe, just maybe, Oliver and Laurel isn’t a good thing. True love wouldn’t leave this much human wreckage in its wake. Maybe this isn’t the “always” Oliver should be pursuing.

Diggle: The only thing that will stop me from going out that door is an arrow.

And they are using John Diggle, the man guiding Oliver on his path to righteousness, to make that point.

Stray Thoughts

HE LOOKS. You cannot beat the Stemily chemistry. These scenes are gold.

YASSS Diggle shirtless. There needs to be more Diggle shirtless.

Lyla is pissed John didn’t tell her Deadshot killed his brother. She’s going to arrest him if he continues to get in the way. Hmm… handcuffs. Has potential. *evil cackle*

Tommy also lied to Laurel about Oliver being cool with him leaving the club for a job with his dad. It’s like watching these two swirl down a toilet bowl honestly.

Oliver in a towel is always welcomed no matter how ticked off I am at him.

“I can’t explain it but it feels like my life is connected to his.” Roy and Thea are united in the hunt for The Hood. Finally these two get a storyline I care about.

The badge was a fake. This is actually a really good safety tip. Should I know what a valid badge number looks like? Feel like I should know that.

“I’m feeling like it might be time for you to move.” Preach. Does Laurel have insurance? Who pays to fix her apartment all the time? I think she’s needed a new couch like three times already.

Lyla’s code name is Harbringer. Hello comics!

Lawton doesn’t kill Diggle because he hasn’t been paid to? That is convenient, isn’t it? Come on show. Do better with valid reasons for getting characters out of jams when Oliver isn’t available.

Are we going to talk about WHY a world class assassin was hired to kill John’s brother? I feel like there’s major backstory there.

Where is Shado getting all the arrows?

“I liked who my son was when he was around you.” If Moira Queen is pro Lauriver then that’s all the proof I need to swear off that relationship. The evil spirits are coming to get me. No thanks.

Oliver has killed 26 people (that the cops know about) since returning home. Yeesh. That’s a lot.

Can you really break off a doorknob to keep someone from entering the room?

“No, Ollie is still out there!” Oh honestly Tommy, just let her go. Maybe a bullet will snap some sense into her.

Listen to the Watchover podcast reaction to 1x20!!!

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

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

#arrow #arrow 1x20 #arrow reviews #merlance #anti lauriver #anti laurel lance #olicity #john diggle #oliver queen #oliver and diggle #oliver and felicity #arrow season 1 #arrow rewatch #olicity fandom #arrow fandom #season 1 episode review #season 1 episode reviews #watchover podcast

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wilfriede · 7 months

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Podfic of (Really/Not/So) Okay

A Dead To Me podfic about Judy and Jen, post season 1. Summary:

"I'm so sorry." "It's okay," Judy says, and she means it this time more than she ever has.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Length: 14:38 Cover by @tipsyxkitty Story by @htbthomas

Listen to it on AO3!

#my podfic #dead to me #judy hale #jen harding #femslash #podfic #femslash february #tidepod

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xenokattz · 11 months

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20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @htbthomas. Hi! How've you been?

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

616, 114

3. What fandoms do you write for?

At the moment, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has eaten my soul. But I also have works in X-Men comics & movieverse (Summers brothers, Gambit/Rogue), MCU Avengers (mostly Taserhawk but a few Captain Hill thrown in there for fun), and possibly my longest running faves, Clois, in all sorts of media.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?*

Investigations Into Interoffice Relations : Outsider POV Clois. Man of Steel (13,104 words)

The Pearl I Carry in My Heart : World-building, political drama Nashuri. Black Panther MCU (115,128 words)

Peace With a Faulty Heart : Gen/Family dynamics, minor Taserhawk. MCU (7,486 words)

I Would Like To Give You the Silver Branch : Atmospheric Clois. Man of Steel (4,697 words)

Dilated Eyes Shooting the Breeze : Dramedy Taserhawk. MCU (2,620 words)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I'm trying to be better at it but I did go through about 5 years of not writing so I never answered those comments. Right now I try to reply as soon as I post the next chapter of the same fic.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

A very very very VERY old Gambit/Rogue fic that I would disavow except I believe in archiving everything even your shittiest piece of work.

Angstiest ending of a fic that I don't mind naming? Toss up between Because Thorns Have Roses, a X-Men Fox movieverse involving a time-travelling Gambit; or Polish Them Rockets, Swallow Those Pills an MCU Taserhawk break-up fic (which has a sequel that negates the angst).

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of my fics end happily. They just go through the wringer to get there.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I don't think so? Unless there are some subtweet style comments out there that I'm not privy to.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yeps. Yeppers. Absolutely yes. About half of my fics have smut. I can't write PWP though; all my porn has plot.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Yes. I wouldn't call them crazy by any means but I have 2 X-Men/Superman ones-- one where the Kents with a young Clark ended up adopting Scott Summers|Cyclops after his parents' plane crashes in their field. And another where FoxMovieverse Cyclops' ghost possesses Richard White from Man of Steel, just because James Marsden played both characters. Neither are on Ao3 at the moment. I should really post them there with FFN in its death throes.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so. I hope not.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nopes.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have too many control issues to co-write anything.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I don't know if I have one favourite. I don't write them if I'm not utterly compelled by their chemistry.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

LeBeau, the third installation of my D'Ancanto series. It's not a even a WIP, really, more like a detailed outline but I don't know if I'm in that headspace any more. Even if I was, I remember thinking the outline needed such a major overhaul that I'd basically have to start all over again except the very last scene.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Possibly world-building? It's my favourite part anyway. Dialogue for certain characters.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I'm very verbose. That world-building thing. Also, sometimes I think I rush endings especially on the longer (> 50,000 word) fics

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Depends. Long conversations in another language, I just write in English with a comment somewhere in the beginning that it's in whatever language. Phrases or words that have no "English" translation, I'll put in said language with translations in the notes. Also, if the character tends to say those words/phrases in another language. I try my best to find a real person translator though I've started to learn a few languages trying to translate it myself.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Probably X-Men. Or the Anne of Green Gables books.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Oh my god! I don't have just one, it rotates a lot, and usually whichever one I'm working on is my fave. My current top 3 are:

The Pearl I Carry in My Heart : The world-building, political drama Nashuri I mentioned before

Cho Chang and the Jasmine Code : an HP fic about using magic based on other cultures not just Latin/Greek/British-based lore; specifically, Chinese magic which is based on calligraphy and music/tonality.

and, D'Ancanto : an gory whodunnit X-Men FoxMovieverse, post-X2, with Rogue/Marie D'Ancanto is a detective in the first police department where mutant cops solve crimes against or by other mutants.

Soft, no pressure tags to @pilesofpillows, @gaal-dornick, and anyone else who wants to play.

#nashuri #attoye #clois #gambit/rogue #fanfic

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excelsiorfics · 6 months

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Next In Line

Date: June 26, 2008 Author: htbthomas Rating: Gen Word Count/Status: 1,619, complete Dynamic: Peter Parker & Anna Watson Characters: Peter Parker, Anna Watson Tags: Civil War Era, Secret Identity Reveal

Summary: When Peter Parker unmasked in front of national television, he sort of forgot to warn everyone…

#rating: gen #uni: 616 #team: spider-man #char: peter parker #char: anna watson #dyn: peter parker & anna watson #tag: secret identity reveal #tag: civil war #length: 1k to 5k #status: complete #category: one-shot #rel: gen

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mistpodfics · 9 months

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Sing Me a Story written by htbthomas | @htbthomas A Julie and the Phantoms Podfic read by mistbornhero as a ITPE gift for @boppinrobin

Julie's been talking to the air a lot lately. Ray doesn't expect the explanation he gets. In song, no less.

Podfic Length: 19:33 minutes

#Julie and The Phantoms #Podfic #ITPE #ITPE2023 #gift:horchata #black #my cover

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maxisthenewalex · 2 years

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My writing (exciting update)

The gender-swapped Sherlock Holmes story I submitted to a paid anthology just got accepted by the editors! I’m thrilled!

I have been in two anthologies already with original fiction, but this is a little different. The publisher is in Australia, for one.

Back in the day I wrote lots of Forever fanfic with @truthisademurelady, @bearholdingashark, and @aristotlecoyote. My biggest cheerleader was @isisparker, and @htbthomas even beta read my first book. This is my 3rd year of publishing, and it’s turning good!

#my writing #sherlock holmes

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polyrecsdaily · 1 year

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svgurl410 · 3 years

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wip game

@creativityobsessed tagged me to share a piece of your WIP.

Here is part of my Clois role reversal fic:

He eyed her curiously. “What do you think about her? Superwoman?”

She blinked, thrown back by the question she hadn’t been expecting. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Clark replied, a little too casually. “I just realized that I never even asked- you’ve been hearing a lot about my thoughts, but you haven’t really said anything, one way or the other.”

“Is it going to be a make it or break it moment in our newfound friendship?” Lois asked, heartbeat speeding up. She was stalling and she knew it, but she had to come up with a pretty bland answer. While she had been pretty good at shrugging off the Blur or giving vague responses to anyone who asked at her old job, she found that it was harder to do the same with Clark.

Plus, she wasn’t quite sure if he would just get away with it.

And she wasn’t sure if she wanted him to let her get away with it either.

“Nah, I promise I’ll still like you,” Clark said, and she felt reassured, which didn’t make sense. “I mean, I will have to silently judge you for your frankly terrible taste …”

“Fair enough,” Lois said, letting out a half laugh. “She’s fine.”

“Just fine?” Clark questioned. “I mean, you don’t need to give me an essay, but I also don’t want to bug you with my … well, Lombard would probably call it fanboying …”

“The only person who cares about his opinion is himself,” Lois muttered, drawing a grin out of Clark. “And I’m okay with your … fanboying, Smallville.” The return of the nickname caused his grin to widen. “Heroes aren’t a bad thing; not my thing, but she is doing good for the world, which is all you can ask for. I’m just here to report the news.”

“Then I guess we should get back to reporting the news,” Clark responded.

Tagging: @finnicks, @merfilly, @hiraeth-doux, @stellaluna33, @htbthomas, @loismagic, @dollsome-does-tumblr, @sunflowers-and-iced-tea and anyone else who wants to do this (I always forget who writes fic when I do these things lol so if you do, consider yourself tagged)

#wip game #creativityobsessed #stellaluna33 #loismagic #dollsome-does-tumblr #sunflowers-and-iced-tea #hiraeth-doux #htbthomas #merfilly #finnicks

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blithers · 3 years

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Chapters: 7/10 Fandom: Run (TV 2020) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Billy Johnson/Ruby Richardson Characters: Ruby Richardson, Billy Johnson (Run TV 2020) Additional Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Knotting, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, College Summary:

Ruby wakes up with a pretty gnarly headache just after winter break, checks her calendar, and thinks oh shit.

#run hbo #hbo run #run #i wrote another chapter of this!#chapter 7 here i am #i love this story and i love all of the three or so people who read it #htbthomas continues to be amazing for beta reading for me <3

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hondagirll · 4 years

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For the moments meme: Psych!

HOW DO I CHOOSE JUST ONE?!? Okay I am going to cheat and list two

That entire sequence from Scarry Sherry when Shawn and Gus run out of the sorority house screaming leaving nothing but a rattling teacup behind.

“I've been slowly but methodically building up a resistance to chloroform." (and then Gus doesn’t believe Lassiter and sniffs the towel himself)

#htbthomas #replies #psych

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htbthomas · 11 months

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Yuletide Letter 2023

Hello, I’m htbthomas on AO3 as well as here and everywhere. I’ve been doing Yuletide since 2007, and I love it. It’s fun to try new things and read things I’d never think to read. My previous letters are here on LJ, and here on Tumblr. Feel free to see how I’ve changed (or not, most likely, heh.)

General Likes and Dislikes:

I have a few bulletproof story kinks. Use them if you like!

Secrets - I love characters with secrets. Ones they’re keeping from their friends, from their family, from their coworkers, from the world-at-large. I like it when one or two inner circle people know, but not everyone they know. Secret identity is SUCH a thing for me.

Reveals - despite everything I just said, my favorite thing ever is someone finding out the secret. I always want the love interest to find out, or the enemy, or the neighbor, or the random acquaintance or stranger. Okay, pretty much anyone. I still don’t want EVERYONE to know, but I ache for the stories of when the select few learn the truth like burning.

Powers/Talents - I like characters using their powers, discovering new powers, using their talents in cool ways, or even making the mundane magical.

Humor - I like everything mixed with humor. Even the darkest fandoms need a little, sometimes a lot. Make me laugh and I’ll pick out all my favorite moments.

Canon-Typical - Unless I say otherwise, I like the humor, violence, and language of the source material to stay similar in fic.

Ship-Content - I like anything from G-rated kissing to E-rated smut.

Other things I like: fake dating/pretend relationships, getting together, first times and family/group bonding are my jam. I also enjoy unusual formats, like interactive fiction, graphic/comic or epistolary.

DNWs:

No mundane AUs

Requests:

Extraordinary (TV 2023)

Jen Regan

Jizzlord

My favorite new show of last year. I wish I saw more of it around Tumblr/fannish spaces! I'd be happy with a fic focused just on Jizzlord (his full-cat years, post-S1 finale issues, whatever) or Jen (her family, finally discovering her power, etc.) I love the two together as well.

My Adventures with Superman (Cartoon)

Clark Kent

Lois Lane

EE, this show makes me very happy and I want all the saving people/investigating/using powers while Lois and Clark experience the dating milestone of your choice. 💕 Jimmy is definitely welcome, along with any of the extended cast.

Star Trek: Lower Decks (Cartoon)

Sam Rutherford

D'Vana Tendi

That fake relationship plotline in "Parth Ferengi's Heart Place" really got me! They are adorable together as friends geeking out over engineering and science. Give me your romance tropes, all the tropes, any trope, to get these two to kiss. Any other cast members are welcome to appear/be involved! EDIT 11/6/23: Oo, I'd also enjoy a fic that fixes their season ending separation in some way!

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Any prompt that uses some of my likes would be amazing! I am very open to treats, as well!

#dear yuletide author #yuletide 2023 #yuletide #extraordinary hulu #my adventures with superman #star trek: lower decks

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jbuffyangel · 8 months

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Best Friends: Arrow 1x19 Review (Unfinished Business)

“Unfinished Business” takes a hard look at Oliver’s friendships with Tommy and Diggle, as one relationship crumbles and the other finds stronger footing – after a few missteps.

Prepare yourselves. I might write about the flashbacks this week because Shado provided an information download which was sorely needed.

Let’s dig in…

Oliver and Tommy

Oliver revealed his true identity to Tommy three episodes ago and it feels like their friendship has been a bomb waiting to explode ever since. A girl who partied at Verdant dies from a Vertigo overdose, which puts Quentin hot on Tommy’s trail and Oliver hot on The Count’s. This poor girl sadly is the catalyst for the explosion between Tommy and Oliver we’ve been waiting for.

The “evidence” that convinces Quentin Tommy is dealing Vertigo isn’t exactly irrefutable. The girl texted Tommy before she died, which Tommy easily explains because he receives texts from hundreds of people every night trying to get into the club. Her request for a “hook up” is not for Vertigo as Quentin believes.

The second piece of evidence raises the eyebrows, but Tommy has an explanation – albeit a shady one. There is ten thousand dollars missing from Verdant’s operating budget. Quentin believes Tommy used it to buy Vertigo, but he used it to bribe the zoning commissioner into skipping their inspection. Bribery isn’t great, but it’s a far lesser crime than dealing a deadly drug. L*urel could drive a truck through all that room for reasonable doubt.

This episode is another Merlance highpoint. L*urel believed in Tommy one hundred percent and he called her baby. Just leave me to my grave to die a happy woman.

After Tommy refuses Quentin entry into Verdant without a warrant, the detective comes back with one and it leads to a heart stopping moment. He wants to specifically look at the sub level not listed on the inspection’s floor plans. Ever the dutiful detective, Lance pulled the county records and knows it exists.

In my mind, I know this is not the way Oliver’s vigilante hideaway is getting discovered, but the panic in Oliver’s eyes always sends me to Stressville USA. Especially when he types the code!!! He’s shooting those panicked looks at Tommy who is as cool as a cucumber.

Quentin enters the The Hood's bunker and there’s no bunker! How Tommy moved all that equipment and replaced it with bottles of booze I will never understand. We simply have to believe in the magic of television y’all. Tommy is not going to rat Oliver out and he quite literally saves his ass.

Something Oliver should have known, but his lack of faith in Tommy is evident. It’s something Tommy cannot tolerate, not after everything that’s happened between them. He cannot believe Oliver thought he was dealing drugs out of the club.

Oliver doesn’t understand why Tommy wasn’t honest about the bribe. Oliver loses me right off the bat. Team Tommy all the way. Let’s list out the things you have not told Tommy, Oliver and we’ll see who has the longer list. YOU HID YOUR SECRET SUPERHERO LAIR IN THE CLUB YOU OPENED WITH TOMMY AND NEVER TOLD HIM ABOUT IT. A bribe is chump change in comparison to that lie.

Tommy: Let me ask you a question, pal. What have I done in the last six months since you’ve been home that would lead you to believe that I would sell drugs?

Oliver: In the last six months? Nothing. But before I left you played hard. You played with bad people who were into bad stuff.

Tommy: So, did you Oliver. But I changed just like you did. Now you put arrows in people who do bad things.

Oliver gets owned in this argument, because Tommy is right. He refuses to see that Tommy has truly changed, but still expects Tommy to understand he has.

Source: @htbthomas

Oliver’s changes are a tougher pill to swallow. Tommy cannot understand how Oliver can kill people so easily and, quite frankly, wasn’t one hundred percent sure he wouldn’t end up with an arrow in him if he told Oliver about the bribe.

Is this insane for Tommy to be wondering? No, I don’t think so. We know Oliver doesn’t kill easily. We know he’s fighting a nightly war and there is a steep cost to this mission.

However, Oliver has not opened up to Tommy about what happened the five years he was away and he’s not Mr. Joe Here’s What I’m Thinking about being The Hood today. Killing is something Tommy cannot understand, but Oliver expects him to accept it with little to no explanation. Then he has the nerve not to trust Tommy? Seriously?

Source: @htbthomas

What Tommy thinks of him is a verbal gut punch to Oliver, but he deserved it. Unfortunately, this fight is not one Oliver can fix with a simple apology. Tommy has reached his limit and who can blame him.

Tommy: This club is important to me, but to you it’s just a front. You want me to keep your secret, help you be this thing you’ve become, but you refuse to see me for what I’ve become. I’ve got just a bit too much self-respect for that. I quit.

BOOM. YASSS MY SON!!! Way to stand up for yourself Thomas. I was so proud of him telling Oliver where to stick it.

Tommy: I’d prefer we skip the I-told-you-so’s, but the nightclub wasn’t really working out. I guess I need something more boring, stable… I guess what I’m saying is - I need a job.

TOMMY WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!!! WORST. DECISION. EVER.

Tommy is back in the arms of the Big Bad Malcom Merlyn. For one brief shining moment, Tommy stood tall on the moral high ground, but not five seconds later comes plummeting back down to work with the sludge of the earth.

Source: @fogsblue

Tommy has every right to be pissed at Oliver, but his father is not the answer. That man is a hellscape. Whatever positive changes Tommy has made he is in real danger of a serious backslide. Now that Tommy is on the outs with Oliver, Merlyn can lead his son right to his very own villain origin story. And Tommy may lose sight of who he really is.

Oliver and Diggle (Felicity)

Oliver is firing on all cylinders tonight with his bros. After accusing his best friend of being a drug dealer, Oliver pitches a hissy fit over Diggle not being available the second he’s needed.

John is distracted because he’s consumed with avenging his brother’s death and killing Deadshot. While Oliver was trying to stop a hostage situation with a man high on Vertigo, Diggle was handing over information on Deadshot to a friend from ARGUS.

Hello Lyla! This is her very first Arrow appearance. These two had more chemistry in this single scene than any scene with Diggle and Carly. I don’t know what obsession this show has about siblings dating the same people, but it’s enough already. I have to deal with this crap on The Vampire Diaries.

Oliver is furious Diggle ignored Felicity’s phone call. John hilariously tells Oliver not to get his panties in a twist. He’s completely fine. Oliver pretty much puts his hands on his hips and says, “You couldn’t have known that!” They sound like an old married couple.

John is a little put out Oliver is not more understanding. He thought Oliver would understand his vendetta against Deadshot, since Oliver is walking around with a whole damn list of names from his father! But that’s right. It’s a mission. Not a vendetta. Where’s Helena? We need her around if we’re debating this again.

Diggle chooses to be more specific and reminds Oliver The Count almost killed Thea, so his fervor over getting this drug and criminal off the streets may be a little personal too. Oliver says nothing because it’s true.

Diggle: I can’t move on with my life knowing that he’s still out there. I thought if anybody got that it’d be you.

Oliver doesn’t say anything here either because that’s true too. #TeamDiggle.

Felicity and Oliver discover there’s a new antipsychotic drug added to Vertigo, which makes Oliver believe The Count didn’t break out of the asylum like he thought. Maybe he faked his escape like he faked the crazy.

Close, but no. The Count really is three paper plates short of a picnic. It’s his DOCTOR and a very burly orderly who are manufacturing Vertigo. Honestly, I did not see that one coming.

It’s a Vertigo episode, so Oliver is getting drugged, but this time Diggle does show up to save him. He takes out the horse sized orderly, and Oliver kills the doctor with three arrows. It’s not often The Hood requires more than one to get the job done, but his vision was a bit wonky, so he used three just to be on the safe side.

Both the orderly and the doctor had to die because they knew Oliver Queen was The Hood. Those are the rules. The interesting choice Oliver made was not to kill the Count, who is babbling like a toddler on a telephone.

Arrow uses this moment to draw a very important distinction between Diggle and Tommy. After the boys return home, Oliver wants to know if Diggle is ok. He’s the killer in this family, not John.

Diggle: I’ve killed before Oliver. It’s just been a while.

There is no judgment from either man. It’s just quiet acknowledgement that killing is necessary sometimes. But that doesn’t make it easy.

Tommy’s anger towards Oliver makes him blind to his humanity. Oliver is not a psychopath. He does not kill for the enjoyment of it. He is doing what is necessary to save the city from some really bad people. Tommy takes it too far believing killing is easy for Oliver. He’s furious Oliver doesn’t see the change in him, but the truth is Tommy doesn’t see the change in Oliver either.

This is something Oliver never had to explain to Diggle. John does see the change in Oliver. He stood by quietly as Oliver grappled with killing The Count. Diggle didn’t make any speeches. He simply left space for Oliver to make that decision on his own.

If Oliver chose to kill The Count, John would’ve understood that choice as well. He wouldn’t call him a murderer. John encourages Oliver to make different choices, but he also meets Oliver where he’s at. Maybe Oliver would open up more to Tommy if he offered less judgment like John Diggle.

Diggle is curious why Oliver didn’t kill The Count and he tells him the truth. There just didn’t seem to be a point with the Count chained up and lost to madness.

There are two things Oliver is not saying. He was convinced earlier in the episode that he made the wrong decision allowing The Count to live and was just a teensy bit mad.

Source: @lucyyh

But he couldn’t fire the arrow in the end.

Felicity’s gentle reassurance that locking The Count up was the right call hit her intended mark. If killing is truly a last resort, then Oliver has to utilize other methods of dealing with criminals. Oliver has shown more restraint ever since Felicity joined the team. He hasn’t stopped killing, but he does listen to her.

Source: @lucyyh

The second is Oliver believes killing an unarmed man in that condition would be wrong – like stabbing someone in the back. He’s not a threat in that condition and The Count truly didn’t have anything to do with the Vertigo being unleashed on the city again. There are rules to war and those rules keep his humanity intact.

John Diggle has Oliver’s back, so in return Oliver will have his and is making Deadshot a top priority. Couldn’t we have just done that from the beginning and skipped their couples fight?

Neither Oliver or Tommy can see the other for who they truly are. Yet, people Oliver met barely a year ago have more faith in him than his childhood best friend and vice versus. Sometimes history stops us from allowing change in the people we love.

You can see why Oliver is keeping his identity secret from his family and L*urel. It's not just about their safety. He's afraid they will all react like Tommy.

But there's no baggage with Diggle and Felicity, so Oliver has a clean slate. They can see Oliver for who he truly is. It's becoming clearer with every episode that Diggle (and Felicity) are Oliver's best friends.

Shado

Like Felicity, Shado is a breath of fresh air to Team Island. She is beautiful, kicks ass and knows a thing or two about a bow. Oliver has been helpless majority of the time. I am not expecting him to become a super secret agent man like Slade Wilson in a couple of months, but he does need to perform a function on this team other than dead weight.

Shado takes it upon herself to teach Oliver how to shoot, but she does not start with the bow. She begins by telling Oliver to slap a bowl of water. Like the idiotic American he is, Oliver is annoyed, but doesn’t really have anything better to do, so he slaps the water in the bowl. By episode end, his hand is strong enough to pull the bow string. This woman accomplished more in a day than Slade Wilson did in months.

She also provides some much-needed Yao Fei backstory. He was general in the People’s Liberation Army (the Chinese communist army). The military committed a massacre and chose Yao Fei to take the blame. They sent him to Lian Yu for the rest of his life. Fryers knows this and wants Yao Fei to take the fall for whatever he’s going to do.

And we thought The Count was nuts.

Source: thearrowgifs

As for Shado, she spent years searching for her father. A man told her he knew where Yao Fei was, but kidnapped her instead and brought her to Lian Yu as leverage over Yao Fei. It took nineteen episodes to get that information. Yeesh.

Shado: I’m worried, this island, what he must have had to do to survive. That it changed him.

If this sounds ominous it’s supposed to. Not all change is good. That’s true for all of us - even Oliver Queen.

Stray Thoughts

“You could’ve just said he was nuts.” I like sassy Quentin.

Maybe it’s my whole Buffy history, but Shado and Slade sparring felt very sexually charged.

Budget cuts and the CAMERAS are the first to go in jail?!!!

This will always be one of Diggle's best lines.

TOMMY HAS FELICITY’S PHONE NUMBER. Oh, the fics this detail launched.

What did we ever do in the bunker without this perfect gumdrop of a human being?

“What’s happening now isn’t your fault.” Felicity should’ve tattooed this on Oliver’s arm. It would save a whole lot of time.

“My mom does yoga.” Ollie is just so… Ollie.

1141 is the passcode to the bunker. The Green Arrow was created November 1941 (11/41).

Listen to the Watchover podcast reaction to 1x19!!!

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

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

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