#he clearly doesn't value himself and definitely doesn't believe that anyone would would mourn his death

[swagyna]

atem can you fucking chill for FIVE SECONDS

[cogentranting]

It's clear looking at 5x08-5x10- that Oliver (and that team and the writers) don't care about Felicity. Laurel was his dream wife. The half acknowledged Felicity and Oliver went to sleep with Susan. Her friend Curtis ignored her. Diggle ignored her. The team cared more when Laurel came back. They should send Felicity to Flash or something. She doesn't fit.

Ok. I’m trying to put this nicely but… I disagree with everything you just said. And there’s a sort of tone of hating on Oliver/the show/the writers (or maybe Felicity but I don’t think so) that I think I’ve made pretty clear I don’t care to partake in nor do I appreciate it. Here’s why I think you’re wrong:

5x08- Laurel as the “dream wife”. This episode has pretty clear basic premise: “what if Oliver never got on the Gambit”. And there’s shades and nuances to that but that’s the basic idea. And it is very very very hard to deny that if Oliver hadn’t blown up that relationship by getting on the Gambit, he would have married Laurel. That’s not choosing Laurel over Felicity- that’s never being given the choice. We saw in the main canon what happened when he did have the choice- he chose Felicity. Definitively. It’s not that Laurel died and after that Oliver fell for Felicity. Oliver chose not to be with Laurel a long time ago (season 2, by my interpretation) and never gave any indication of questioning that. Even within 5x08 itself, there is almost an aspect of choosing between Laurel and Felicity and Oliver choosing Felicity- Laurel is the representation of the alternate path that he could have had but that ultimately “wouldn’t be full” and wouldn’t be true to who he was. That’s what Laurel is depicted as in this episode- a marriage that would be simple and full of less struggle, but that ultimately is not fulfilling and not the best version of Oliver. In contrast, Felicity is representative of home. It’s Smoak Tech that guides them all home- “she is the one who lights [his] way”. Felicity gets to symbolize the life that Oliver chooses. She is inherent in a life that is fulfilling, a life where Oliver is a hero, a life where Oliver is the best version of himself. In this episode Laurel is the temptation holding him back, the thing he runs away to, Felicity is the support watching over him and guiding him to what he should do. The setup is overwhelmingly in favor of Felicity. 

5x09- Basically what you seem to be saying is that no one comforted her so no one cared. I wrote a post on this here. That post is my full take on why that scene is in no way favoring of one character over another- if you want my opinion you should really read that. In particular I’d like to point out one section of what I wrote:

If Oliver’s response was about mourning Billy, then he would not be due so much comfort, because, again, he hardly knew the man. What Oliver is responding to is a psychological attack on his very self-concept. Oliver is being made to question who he is on a very basic level and to question his own worth. When he returns to the bunker, Oliver is in a moment of despair because to his understanding he has had the truth about himself revealed to him: he is not a hero, he is a killer; he is inherently destructive and does not have the capacity for causing any lasting good; he is irredeemable; he is unworthy of love, especially the love of these people whom he thinks so highly of, loves so much, and has caused so much pain. Oliver has lost his own identity and feels  that the only good he can do is sacrifice having these people in his life in order to protect them. So in that sense he feels he is losing all his loved ones as well. Because if he does not, he will lose them to Prometheus or the destruction he creates. It’s a battle he’s fought before, and that makes it that much more dangerous to Oliver. It’s his greatest weakness, and it has just been horribly exploited, potentially destroying years of growth and progress and healing. Felicity, in grieving Billy, may or may not welcome an open display of comfort from the team in that moment (I believe that she wouldn’t). That comfort might help her, but it would not change the situation- either way Billy would be dead and Felicity would be mourning that. Conversely, because of the nature of the attack on Oliver, the group’s support of him does have the potential to do a great deal of good. Because the simple action of standing with him, giving him a hug counters everything Prometheus has just tried to convince Oliver. The team is telling Oliver that it wasn’t his fault, he is good, he is worthy of love and support, that he doesn’t have to send them away. It may not be enough to entirely fix the damage Prometheus did, but it is enough to pull Oliver away from the ledge. Because if Diggle and the rest of Team Arrow had responded any differently than they did, it would have destroyed Oliver, maybe beyond repair. He needed what they offered.

And I’d like to add that if the team IS prioritizing Oliver over Felicity- it may be justified because at this particular moment, Oliver probably needs to be on suicide watch. He is someone who has definitively been suicidal in the past- I would argue, someone who has struggled with suicidal thoughts for the better part of a decade. He may or may not be suicidal in this particular moment, but it’s definitely something his friends should be mindful of and watching for at a moment where he is so clearly on the verge of breaking (and maybe having a panic attack). Felicity, from what we know and have seen, is in no such danger. 

If you still take issue to Oliver going off to see Susan afterwards I’ll point out that of all characters Oliver is the one who more than anyone else is in NO place to go comfort Felicity, for three reasons. 1. As I said, he needs comfort and is a mess and thus in no state of mind to offer comfort or support. 2. He’s her ex who she’s recently been very intentionally keeping at arm’s length. Not the best person to be around during a the death of current boyfriend. and 3. he’s the one who killed Billy. Even if it wasn’t his fault and she doesn’t blame him he is still not someone capable of providing comfort- he’s more likely to make things worse.  Oliver also went to Susan (not to sleep with her, he doesn’t sleep with her until 5x12) for reasons I explore here. And it has nothing to do with how he feels about Felicity. 

I already addressed Diggle and Curtis in the first post I linked. Also, Diggle is (though very close to both of them) actually probably closer to Oliver, and the one most able to comfort Oliver- who once again I repeat, desperately needs it.

5x10- “the team cared more when Laurel came back” you expect the team to not be excited about their friend coming back from the dead because Felicity’s boyfriend died?! The comparison is just… it’s describing two completely different emotions so I don’t really know how the comparison is even worth noting. Of course the (apparent) resurrection of their friend was something that affected them a lot more than the death of a friend of a friend. That doesn’t in any way reflect on how much they care about Felicity. I also don’t know why an episode heavily featuring Felicity would prove that she is unappreciated. I also remember really valuing 5x10 as an Olicity episode. They’re in disagreement but Oliver is being very even-tempered working hard to understand her and support her and keep her from doing anything she’ll regret. Felicity is pushing people away as hard as she can and they’re doing their best to be there anyway. And near the end (at a juncture meant to be a place of emphasis and importance) you have a scene between Oliver and Felicity where Oliver is supporting her, wanting to be in her presence, affirming her despite their earlier disagreements, and does offer her comfort in regards to Billy. 

Additional note on 5x10: Rory, Rene and Curtis all comment on how it feels weird to be celebrating when Billy just died. Rory specifically targets his comment at getting Felicity to open up and confide in him, is trying to be there for her. Felicity however is throwing the party and is specifically throwing her energy into combating Black Siren because she is running from her grief. 

As for sending Felicity to Flash, absolutely not. Felicity is Arrow through and through. She is a pillar for the show and the show depends on her. She is Oliver’s soulmate (if we’re using EBR’s terms). Oliver is absolutely in love with her. She is essential to the team, she does a lot to balance the show’s tone. And she’s a… more serious character than Flash typically sustains. She is the light-hearted fun one on Arrow but Arrow allows her to have complexity and flaws and differing opinions in a way that Flash struggles to do with its supporting characters. Arrow lets her grow in multiple directions and that includes giving her conflict. Plus, she is so essential to Arrow because of the contrast she brings- the light against the dark, the genius among the fighters, etc. That would not be the case if she were put on Flash. And I don’t think anyone could complement Oliver or complete Team Arrow as perfectly as Felicity does.