#mr diggle you will always be famous to ME!

[catilinas]

the scene where the cooks of erebus and terror argue about whether to add more salt to the [rotting, lead-poisoned] tins is genuinely one of my favourites in the whole show btw

#bcs it’s RIGHT before the epic franklin-crozier argument. #you can do soooooo much w the almost perfectly parallel hierarchies of the ships’ crews #(almost because There’s A Spare Captain On Erebus!) #also a cook is kind of like a captain. to me. or sacred king adjacent at least #i have watched Most of black sails. commensality would be a beautiful name for ship sent to discover the north west passage #mr diggle you will always be famous to ME! #terrorposting #beeps

[thewidowsghost]

The Unknown Muggleborn - Chapter 2

3rd Person POV

By the age of nine, Jean and Tom Granger found that their adopted daughter (Y/n) was quite a peculiar child. It wasn't just the strange hourglass scar on her neck, but she was incredibly smart, picking things up that most kids in high school wouldn't understand.

By Year Five of school, (Y/n) (L/n)-Granger had aced all of her classes on top of taking Year Nine level classes - Geometry and AP Biology.

And by the age of ten, (Y/n) was fluent in Russian, French, and Spanish.

The eldest Grangers also learned that their adopted daughter was extremely athletic. (Y/n) had played football - what Americans called soccer - and was top of her class in her Karate and JiuJitzu classes.

(Y/n) was also an inventor. She could come up with solutions to problems that Jean Granger had told her that most adults couldn't solve. She had built her first circuit board at the age of five and her first engine at the age of eight.

The Grangers' had put a shed in their backyard where their adopted daughter was always tinkering with things she would buy or was gifted from neighbors.

It wasn't to say that Jean and Tom's other daughter wasn't smart, for Hermione Granger was very intelligent. But all three - including Hermione - knew that (Y/n) was on a whole different level of intelligence.

Hermione Jean Granger wakes on July 26th of 1991 to her sister standing over her, a wide smile on her face.

The two sisters - even considering that (Y/n) was adopted - looked nothing alike. Hermione had frizzy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes, whereas (Y/n) had sleek (H/C) hair and brilliant green eyes. There was a strange thing about (Y/n)'s appearance though, she had an hourglass shaped scar on the side of her neck. (Y/n) liked the scar, but it reminded her of black widows, which wasn't great because (Y/n) didn't like spiders.

Hermione sit up in her bed, pushing her covers off her.

After the two use the bathroom - (Y/n) taking a quick shower and leaving her hair damp - they make their way downstairs to find their parents already in the kitchen.

"Morning girls," Mrs. Granger greets her daughters as she places breakfast on the table.

"Morning Mum," (Y/n) and Hermione say in unison.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Granger were dressed for work - they were dentists at the local dentists' office a few miles away.

After the four finish breakfast, there is a knock on the door.

Looking slightly confused, Mr. Granger stands up from the table and walks towards the door.

He opens it to see a very stern looking woman with black hair and blue eyes.

"Good morning," Mr. Granger greets the woman.

"Good morning, sir," the black haired woman says. "Are your daughters home? I'm here about a scholarship, per say, for a new school."

(Y/n) and Hermione exchange excited looks.

"Yes, they are here," Mr. Granger answers the woman. "Would you like to come in?"

The woman nods and steps inside the neat house.

"Hermione! (Y/n)!" Tom Granger calls and the two girls rise from their chairs simultaneously and walk out into the living room.

(Y/n) waves shyly at the woman, surprising the other Grangers. (Y/n) was never shy.

A small smile spreads across the woman's face at the slight of (Y/n) and catches sight of the hourglass scar on her neck.

"Hermione and (Y/n), was it?" the woman asks and the two nod.

"I'm Professor McGonagall. I'm here about a school for gifted people like yourselves," the woman says.

(Y/n) and Hermione exchange gazes, like a clashing forest, brown on green.

"It might be hard to believe, but the two of you, you're witches," McGonagall says and (Y/n)'s gaze flashes a silver, almost too quickly for McGonagall to see, but the woman does.

This sends a flash of curiosity though McGonagall, but she holds out two letters.

(Y/n) and Hermione step forward and take the letters from the Professor.

Miss (Y/n) (L/n)-Granger 100 Crestent View Ln. The Third Largest Bedroom Hampstead, London

"That's so very incredibly specific," (Y/n) murmurs. Opening the letter, she quickly reads:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Miss (Y/n) (L/n)-Granger, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress

(Y/n) looks suspiciously at the letter for a moment before looking up. "Are you sure?" (Y/n) asks. "I'm not anyone special. I can't be a witch."

At the comment about (Y/n) being no one special, the other three Grangers exchange looks that McGonagall presumed to mean that they though that the statement wasn't true.

"Has nothing ever happened when you were afraid or nervous?" McGonagall asks and a flash of realization flashes behind (Y/n)'s eyes. "If you two have to go to work," McGonagall turns to Jean and Tom, "I can take the girls to find their school things."

(Y/n) looks excitedly over at her mother and father, "Mum, Dad, can we?"

Jean looks at McGonagall and nods.

Hermione and (Y/n) grin at each other.

"Go get dressed and then you can go," McGonagall says, smiling softly at the girls' excitement.

(Y/n) and Hermione run up the stairs.

(Y/n) goes to her bedroom and opens her closet door. She pulls out a black AC DC t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts from her dresser.

Thinking for a moment, she grabs a zip up hoodie and throws it on, placing her wallet inside one of the pockets.

(Y/n) stops at her sister's room and a moment later, Hermione pops out, dressed in a pair of jeans and a short sleeved t-shirt.

"So, what do you think about this?"  (Y/n) asks as the two make their way down the stairs.

"I think it's interesting, us being witches and all," Hermione answers as the two enter the living room where they find their mother asking McGonagall to keep her daughters safe.

McGonagall, (Y/n), and Hermione walk outside and McGonagall tells the two girls to take her hand.

They do, and they're suddenly somewhere else. (Y/n) and Hermione look up to see a sign, which reads, The Leaky Cauldron.

They walk inside.

It was a small, tiny, grubby-looking pub. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. All of a sudden, the low buzz of chatter stopped when two people walked in. One of them was a very tall man, he almost looked to big to be allowed. He had long black hair and a black beard. The other was a small boy with jet-black hair, bottle green eyes, and light skin. The bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"

"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said the man who must have Hagrid, clapping his great hand on boy's shoulder and making his knees buckle.

"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at the black haired boy, "is this — can this be — ?"

The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent. "Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Harry Potter ... what an honor."

(Y/n) studies the boy for a moment, then he looks over at her, as though sensing her eyes on him.

The old bartender hurries out from behind the bar, rushes towards Harry and seizes his hand, tears in his eyes.

"Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back." The boy didn't seem know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming.

Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry was shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.

"Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."

"So proud, Mr. Potter, I'm just so proud."

"Always wanted to shake your hand — I'm all of a flutter."

"Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle."

"I've seen you before!" said Harry, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. "You bowed to me once in a shop."

"He remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle.

(Y/n)'s POV

I look up at Professor McGonagall who looks at me with a question evident in her eyes, though I couldn't tell what it was.

McGonagall follows Harry and Hagrid out of the pub, Hermione and I following.

"Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh — mind you, he's usually tremblin'." Hagrid was saying.

"Is he always that nervous?" Harry asks.

"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience. ... They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag — never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject — now, where's me umbrella?" Hagrid responds. "Three up ... two across ..." he muttered. "Right, stand back, Harry." He taps the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.

The brick he had touched quivered — it wriggled — in the middle, a small hole appeared — it grew wider and wider — a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight. Hagrid and Harry proceed to walk through the archway.

McGonagall follows the two and Hermione and I follow close behind.

"The first stop for us is the wizarding bank, Gringotts," McGonagall says leading Hermione and I towards a large, grand, white building that looked over the rest of Diagon Alley.

The doors open and we walk in, the doors closing behind us. We walk over to what looks like a Santa Clause elf - pointy ears and relatively short.

"Good morning," McGonagall says, pulling out a golden key, "we need to visit Miss (L/n)'s vault."

"And does Miss (L/n) have her key?" the goblin asks.

McGonagall hands the goblin the key in her hand. "Very well," he says, handing the key back to McGonagall, who, in turn, hands it to me.

"I'll have someone take you down to the vault. Griphook!"

Griphook was yet another goblin. Hermione, Professor McGonagall, and I follow Griphook towards one of the doors leading off the hall.

Griphook holds the door open for us.

We walk into a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It slopes steeply downwards and there are little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart comes hurtling up the tracks towards us. We climb in and are then off.

When the cart finally stops, the four of us get out stopped in front vault 714.

"Key please," Griphook says and I hand him my key.

I was confused though, because Vault 714 had no keyhole.

Griphook simply examines the key closely, and then hands it back to me. I guessed that they key must just be confidential.

"Stand back," says Griphook importantly. He strokes the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melts away. "If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," says Griphook.

"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Hermione asks curiously.

"About once every ten years," Griphook answers with a rather nasty grin.

3rd Person POV

Griphook steps aside and (Y/n) and Hermione's eyes go wide at the sheer amount of gold, silver, and bronze coins inside.

"This is mine?" (Y/n) asks Professor McGonagall, who smiles softly, holding out a drawstring bag.

"Your mother was very addiment on leaving most of her gold to you," McGonagall says and (Y/n) nods dumbly as she takes the bag.

Hermione helps (Y/n) scoop some of the coins into the bag. Though they had taken quite a bit of coins, it didn't even seem to make a dent in the large piles.

"The gold ones are Galleons," Professor McGonagall explains as (Y/n) studies a wooden box in front of the truckloads of gold coins. "There are seventeen silver Sickles to a galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle."

(Y/n) nods absently as she opens the box, Hermione next to her.

Inside, she sees a stack of letters and a few pictures.

Hermione holds out her bag, and (Y/n) closes the box, placing it inside the bag.

(Y/n) smiles gratefully at her sister as Hermione pulls her backpack back onto her back.

One wild cart ride later, the three stand blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts.

Hermione pulls out her letter, and (Y/n) reads over her sister's shoulder:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Uniform

First-year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black) 2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear 3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar) 4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

Course books:

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)by Miranda Goshawk A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungiby Phyllida Spore Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them by Newt Scamander The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

Other Equipment:

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) I set glass or crystal phials 1 telescope 1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

"Where do we even start?" Hermione asks in amazement.

"If we get are cauldrons first, we can put our other supplies in it," (Y/n) thinks quickly.

Hermione nods and then both look up to Professor McGonagall, who smiles softly and leads the two to the Apothecary where they pick up two cauldrons and two supplies of basic potions ingredients for Hermione and (Y/n).

"Books now, 'Mione?" (Y/n) asks with a grin as they are about to pass a large bookshop.

Hermione shoots her sister a grin and the two girls walk into the bookshop, McGonagall waiting outside with their cauldrons and potions ingredients.

(Y/n)'s POV

Hermione grabs two of each of our course books while I look around at some of the other books. I grab: Hogwarts: A History, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, Modern Magical History, Great Wizarding Events of teh Twentieth Century, and a book that looked like it was for kids titled, The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

The next place we went was called Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Inside were two boys one was the Raven haired boy from the Leaky Cauldron; the other was a short boy with blond hair that was greased back; he had a mean attitude about him.

Harry's POV (A couple minutes before)

Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so I entered Madam Malkin's shop.

Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.

"Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when I started to speak. "Got the lot here – another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."

In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood me a on stool slipped a long robe over my head, and began to pin it to the right length.

"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?"

"Yeah," I said, not really liking him very much.

"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to took at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."

"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.

"No," I say.

"Play Quidditch at all?"

"Nope," I respond.

"I do – Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"

"No," I say. I really don't like this boy, I thought.

"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been – imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

"Mmm," I say, wishing I could say something a bit more interesting.

"I say, look at that man!" says the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at me and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in.

"That's Hagrid," I tell him, pleased to know something the boy didn't. "He works at Hogwarts."

"Oh," says the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"

"He's the gamekeeper," I say. I was liking this boy less and less every second.

"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage – lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed."

"I think he's brilliant," I say coldly.

"Do you?" says the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"

"They're dead," I say shorty. He seemed not to want to talk to this boy any more than he needed to.

"Oh, sorry," says the other boy, not sounding sorry at all. "But they were our kind, weren't they?"

"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean." I respond.

"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways."

A tinkling of a bell interrupts the boy. I look over to see two girls walk in.

"Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"

But before I could answer, Madam Malkin says, "That's you done, my dear," and I, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hop down from the footstool.

"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," says the drawling boy.

3rd Person POV

A few minutes later, (Y/n) and Hermione walk into the bright sunlit alley, their robes folded neatly in a bag.

(Y/n) smiles at Professor McGonagall and places her robes into the cauldron, then (Y/n) lifts up the heavy cauldron, Hermione doing the same with her own.

"What next?" Hermione asks Professor McGonagall.

"You two still need wands," answers McGonagall, pointing towards a store.

As we walk closer, I read the sign, Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.

The three of walk inside. A tinkling bell ring somewhere in the depths of the shop as they step inside, and an old man walks to the desk from teh deep recesses of the shop.

"Hello, good afternoon," the man says. "I am Mr. Ollivander. You two are here for wands I presume?" he asks and Hermione and (Y/n) nod.

"(Y/n) (L/n)," Mr. Ollivander says, "I was wondering if I was going to be seeing you soon." he pauses, looking carefully into (Y/n)'s eyes. "Your mother's eyes." At the statement, (Y/n)'s eyes seem to light up with curiosity. "It seems that only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Twelve inches, ash wood with a unicorn hair core. Good for stubborn and courageous witches and wizards."

Even at this small amount of information, (Y/n) had perked up. Hermione glances over at her adopted sister and feels a rush of pity for her. She can't imagine not knowing who her parents were.

It wasn't that (Y/n) didn't remember, because she did have very vivid nighmares about a car slamming on the brakes, a flash of green light, then red, then everything would go dark. It always ended the same way however, with Mrs. Granger carrying a two year old (Y/n), who was clutching her black and white stuffed cat, back to her home.

(Y/n) wrenches herself out of her thoughts as Ollivander approaches her. He had come so close that he and (Y/n) were almost nose to nose.

"And that's where . . ."

Mr. Ollivander touches the hourglass shaped car on the side of (Y/n)'s neck with a long white finger.

"I'm sorry to say that I sold the wand that did it," he says softly and (Y/n) looks back up into the wand maker's misty silver eyes. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands . . . well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do . . ."

He stops, and (Y/n) continues to watch the wand maker, her green eyes flashing silver for the second time that day.

Ollivander, as though sensing (Y/n)'s desire to know more, moves onto Hermione, and she quickly revives her "Vine wood, Dragon heart-string, 10 1/4 inches, unyielding" wand.

(Y/n)'s POV

Again, the same process commences with me, but I end up trying more wands then Hermione. Finally, I get my wand, and strangely my, "Alder wood with a Phoenix Feather core, 12 1/4 inches. Alder is an unyielding wood, yet I have discovered that its ideal owner is not stubborn or obstinate, but often helpful, considerate and most likeable. Whereas most wand woods seek similarity in the characters of those they will best serve, alder is unusual in that it seems to desire a nature that is, if not precisely opposite to its own, then certainly of a markedly different type. When an alder wand is happily placed, it becomes a magnificent, loyal helpmate. Alder is also excellent for protection against outside forces, and, when combined with phoenix feather, is a suitable match for a wizard who will "make their mark on this world.'" Mr. Ollivander says, and I look up at him in shock. Hermione hadn't gotten such a lengthy explanation of her wand.

Mr. Ollivander fixes me with his pale stare.

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Miss (L/n). Every single wand. It so happens that that phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave two other feathers - just two. It is curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother - why, one of it's brothers gave you that scar."

I swallow thickly.

"Your other wand's brother, however, I sold just a mere thirty minutes ago," Ollivander continues, "to a young Harry Potter. Curious how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember . . . I think that we must expect great things from you, Miss (L/n) . . . After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things - terrible yes, but great."

Hermione and I return home a few hours later with Professor McGonagall, me clutching a woven basket that housed my new black and white cat Marvel inside.

3rd Person POV

Before they enter the house McGonagall stops (Y/n) before she can enter.

(Y/n) turns to looks quizzically at the professor.

"Good luck," the Professor says simply, then holds out to train tickets. "These are you and your sister's ticket's for Hogwarts." (Y/n) nods, taking the tickets. "I'll see you on September 1st," McGonagall says. Then the Professor turns around and walks away.

Word Count: 4,100 words

So yeah, here's Chapter 2.

I wonder if any of you know who (Y/n)'s dad is yet. I tried dropping some hints at the very beginning.

So yeah

I'll see y'all soon!

Love y'all!

              Kaitlynn 😍❤️

#hermione granger #harry potter #ron weasley #fred weasley #george weasley #harry potter various x reader #fem reader

[daresplaining]

Who are your favourite DD villains? Fisk, Bullseye and Mr Fear all sound brilliant from what I know of them, but are there any others with similarly iconic influence on Matt?

    There are! Daredevil comics aren’t known for their well-crafted villains to the extent that, say, Spider-Man or Batman comics are, but I really enjoy a lot of Matt’s rogues gallery. Fisk and Bullseye are probably the two biggest names, but there are many others who have had major impacts on his life, and the Marvel Universe in general, over the years. Here are some of the most notable DD villains, in my opinion:

Gladiator (Melvin Potter) is a major antagonist who, over the years has become arguably one of the most nuanced and interesting Daredevil characters. I wrote a longer post about him, way back when we thought we might actually get a Gladiator origin story in the Netflix show, but in general, a lot of his lasting appeal comes from the complexity of his character. When he was first introduced in Daredevil vol. 1 #18 he was a pretty standard Silver Age villain: a guy with semi-logical origin story, a funky costume, and a penchant for monologuing. Specifically, Melvin Potter was the owner of a costume store who was sick of being disrespected by his customers, and so decided to make a name for himself by attacking people with spinning blades. 

[ID: A panel from Lee’s Daredevil run. Daredevil is battling the Gladiator. Daredevil hoists himself up on a big crate to dodge one of the Gladiator’s spinning wrist blades.]

Matt: “He’s not fooling with those wrist blades… he’s fighting for real! But, why? I’m certain I’ve never met him before!”

Melvin: “You can’t keep dodging me forever! And the moment you slip, you shall have the honor of being my first victim!”

Daredevil vol. 1 #18 by Stan Lee, John Romita, and Sam Rosen

    Over the years, various writers have worked hard to add nuance to his character. Despite his fearsome appearance and goal of gaining respect, most early Gladiator stories involve Melvin being manipulated by stronger, smarter supervillains. Later, he becomes even more sympathetic: a dangerous killer who, at heart, is gentle and naive and hates when he loses control and hurts people. This creates an inherent discord in his character that adds an emotional hook to all of his stories. Matt tries to help him, and Melvin is grateful for Matt’s friendship and returns that favor when he can, but sometimes they end up having to fight each other. Essentially, Melvin’s story is the relentless tragedy of a man who wants to live a peaceful life but keeps falling victim to his own demons and the cruelty of the world around him. 

[ID: A page from Miller’s Daredevil run. Matt Murdock, in civvies (a tan suit and blue tie) confronts Melvin Potter, who is in a prison uniform and holding his Gladiator helmet.]

Matt: “Melvin, we’ve come so far. I know how much you want to be well… to go straight. We can help you, Betsy and I.”

Melvin: “I been trying, Matt. I been sitting in that courtroom, listening to them say those things about me, feeling my guts churn up, wanting to rip them all to pieces… They hate me. They all hate me… so I’m gonna hate them back!”

Matt: “I’m not letting you off that easy. If you want to become the Gladiator again, you’ll have to get past me.”

Melvin: “Past you?! Look at you– you’re just a skinny little blind guy! I’d break you in half! It’d be easy…”

Matt: “Is that what you want?”

Melvin: “Why not? I’m the Gladiator! The Gladiator! When I’m wearing my armor, I’m unbeatable, I’m…” 

[ID: Melvin throws the helmet and falls to his knees.]

Melvin: “I’m all alone. Help me… please…”

Daredevil vol. 1 #173 by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Glynis Wein

    This complicated and heartwrenching characterization has helped Melvin to remain a fresh and popular antagonist (anti-hero, even) and a regular guest in Daredevil. He is one of several characters who complicates the hero/villain dichotomy, and thereby both emphasizes and challenges Matt’s own heroism. 

Typhoid Mary/Mary Walker is another one of the more famous Daredevil villains, and someone who has had a significant impact on Matt’s story over the years. I wrote a longer post on her as well. Female antagonists in particular seem to suffer from a variety of weaknesses in their depictions, and Typhoid– as a sexual character by nature, as well as someone who plays upon “crazy” villain tropes– has had her share of not great depictions over the years. However, at her core, she is a wonderfully compelling character and a dangerous villain who is literally multifaceted by design. Even moreso than Melvin Potter, Mary plays upon the concept of a good person who is powerless to prevent themself from doing violent things– in Mary’s case, through genuinely having multiple psyches inhabiting one body. She is in constant conflict with herself, as gentle Mary and bloodthirsty Typhoid battle for dominance. As much as she is an antagonist to Matt and the other heroes whose paths she crosses, she is her own arch-enemy. 

[ID: An excerpt from Nocenti’s Daredevil run. Typhoid Mary and Daredevil are both underwater, in the East River. Mary looked panicked partway through strangling Daredevil, and flees out of the water.]

Mary/Typhoid: “Don’t kill him! You! Shut up! I love him! Stop! Get out of my head! You can’t kill him! Get out of my head! Oh, god! Where am I? Why am I dressed like this? What have I done?!”

Matt: “Curious. That’s a completely different woman running away! What came over her?”

Daredevil vol. 1 #256 by Ann Nocenti, John Romita Jr., and Christie Scheele

    Matt’s dealings with Mary have brought about some of the more unheroic moments in his career. In Joe Kelly’s attempt to integrate the Man Without Fear-verse origin story into the 616 universe, he proposed that Matt nearly killed Mary on his first superhero outing. When Typhoid, in her introductory arc, is hired to seduce Matt, it works– he cheats on Karen with her. Later, when attempting to bring down the Kingpin’s empire, Matt removes Mary from the equation by sleeping with her to get her guard down and then forging documents to have her locked away in a psychiatric hospital. She hits all of his weak points: as Mary, she is a victim who needs rescuing… and an attractive one at that. As Typhoid, she is a dangerous enemy who must be stopped. In addition to her skill with weapons, she has all kinds of awesome psychic powers– including, most notably, pyrokinesis– and something about her physiology messes with Matt’s senses and makes her difficult to fight. She is a challenge on every level, and in many ways, Matt serves the same purpose for her– Mary (and, arguably, Typhoid as well) accidentally falls in love with him, representing a loss of power and control that she can’t stand. 

[ID: Excerpt from Nocenti’s Daredevil run. A series of panels alternating between Daredevil falling off a bridge and a tear sliding down Typhoid Mary’s cheek.]

Daredevil vol. 1 #260 by Ann Nocenti, John Romita Jr., and Christie Scheele

The Hand I love the Hand– which is to say, I love the Chaste, and part of why I love the Chaste is because I love their rivalry with the Hand. On some levels, the Hand are your standard Big Bad Secret Organization, but I also find them to be a lot of fun, and they have been a significant force in Daredevil comics since they were introduced. The Hand are key players in Miller’s updated version of Matt’s origin, which introduced Stick and gave him a purpose for training Matt. They also had a huge role in Elektra’s origin, since her attempt to singlehandedly bring them down from the inside led to her becoming an assassin. And of course, Matt’s role as leader of the Hand and temporary vessel for their patron demon, the Beast, was a defining moment in recent DD comics and a low point of Matt’s career. The Hand are dangerous because they are vast, and their high-ranking members have all kinds of cool powers, which I love. And there’s also a certain amount of weakness and dysfunction to the Hand that makes them appealing. They are a once-great organization relegated to being mercenaries-for-hire. Their low-ranking members are fairly weak– as Matt quips in Volume 1 #380, “a little harsh language and [they’re] up in smoke!” They were led by a Skrull (disguised as Elektra) for a while, and didn’t even notice. Arguably their most dangerous enemy, Master Izo, mostly just bothers them with Hand puns. 

[ID: A panel from Diggle’s Daredevil run. Daredevil, seen from the back, is standing in an empty room. The light from the sunset streams in through the windows. Izo is sitting behind him on the floor, drinking tea.]

Matt: “Look, you wanted me leading the Hand, you got it… but I never agreed to be your puppet.”    

Izo: “‘Hand puppet.’ Heh.”

Daredevil vol. 2 #503 by Andy Diggle, Roberto De La Torre, Marco Checchetto, and Matt Hollingsworth

    I also enjoy the way the Hand and the Chaste operate and Matt’s relationship with them. Matt isn’t an official member of the Chaste (like Elektra, he was rejected for being too emotional– which, in his case at least, is a fair assessment) but he still teams up with them on occasion, and the experience almost always puts him out of his depth in really entertaining ways. Matt is one of the Hand’s biggest enemies and one of the Chaste’s most useful allies, so he gets dragged into their business even when he doesn’t want to be involved. 

[ID: Excerpt from Daredevil: Ninja. A conversation between Daredevil and Stone in a series of face close-ups.]

Stone: “We need your help.”

Matt: “You should have asked me to come.”

Stone: “Would you have?”

Matt: “I hate this ninja crap. I hate it. Every single time it’s nothing but lies, half-truths, and misguided loyalties. Stay away from me and my life.”

Daredevil: Ninja #2 by Brian Michael Bendis, Rob Haynes, and David Self

    There are also two excellent (and, I’d say, influential) alternate universes in which Matt joins the Hand and thrives in their presence: What If? Daredevil vs. Elektra and Earth-65 (Spider-Gwen-verse). 

Lady Bullseye (Maki Matsumoto) And if we’re discussing the Hand and the Chaste, I have to mention Maki– undisputed head of the Bullseye Fan Club and another of my favorite Daredevil villains. She’s relatively new (she was introduced during Brubaker’s run) and so hasn’t had a particularly big long-term influence on Matt, but she is a great character with extensive connections to Daredevil history. One thing I love about her is the fact that while she modeled her look and identity on Bullseye, she isn’t treated as just female version of him, as her name might suggest. They actually have very little in common; she just chose to honor Bullseye because he played a role in her origin story by indirectly rescuing her from a human trafficking ring.

[ID: Panels from Brubaker’s Daredevil run. Bullseye is single-handedly beating up a bunch of gun-toting mobsters in a warehouse building. Maki Matsumoto watches him between the bars of a large cage.]   

Caption: “She remembers that so vividly. Remembers the joy she beheld that day from her cage. She had never seen anything so beautiful, she thought. Of course, she was nearly insane already by then. But then, like a miracle… freedom.”

[ID: Maki reaches between the bars of the cage and grabs a key from a dead mobster’s pocket. As she tries to escape, another mobster runs toward her.]

Man: “You– back in your cage, girl!”

Maki: “I think not.”

[ID: Without looking at him, she slices his throat with the key.]

Daredevil vol. 2 #111 by Ed Brubaker, Clay Mann, and Matt Hollingsworth

    Since then, Maki has teamed up with Bullseye– mostly notably, resurrecting and caring for him after his death in “Shadowland”– but more often, she operates on her own as an assassin. Like both Elektra and Matt, she was trained by the Hand and the Chaste without forming an official allegiance with either, and it seems her primary teacher was Master Izo– thus making her Matt and Elektra’s ninja aunt and/or sister in the Chaste Family Tree that definitely exists in my head and nowhere else. 

[ID: Excerpt from Brubaker’s Daredevil run. Lady Bullseye and Izo are standing on a Manhattan rooftop as the sky brightens behind them. Pigeons are flocking around them; Izo has one perched on his hand.]

Maki: “You said I would lead the Hand.”

Izo: “I said a lot of things when I was training you, girl… Said whatever I needed to say.”

Maki: “You’re as bad as them.”

Izo: “No. I didn’t put you in a cage and sell you to the Yakuza.”

Maki: “You still used me.”

Izo: “Yes, I did… but I’m not going to apologize.”

Maki: “Someday I’ll kill you for this. You know that, right?”

[ID: Izo leaps off the roof.]

Izo: “Yeah, well… get in line.”

Daredevil vol. 2 #500 by Ed Brubaker, Michael Lark, Stefano Gaudiano, Matt Hollingsworth, et al.

    Maki masterminds the destruction of Matt’s life that leads him to join the Hand. She is extremely smart (she passes herself off as a lawyer during Brubaker’s run and fools both Matt and Foggy; as far as anyone knows, she might actually have a law degree…?), an excellent fighter (arguably better than Matt, not quite as good as Elektra), an absolute badass, and an all-around great antagonist who deserves her own solo series (hint, hint, Marvel). 

Death-Stalker I’m not sure Death-Stalker counts as a major Daredevil villain, but he was used about once a week in late 70s Daredevil so he’s certainly been a recurring presence. I also just find him really cool, conceptually. One of the interesting things about Death-Stalker is that he started his existence as a completely different supervillain: the Exterminator, who is best known for “killing” Mike Murdock! The Exterminator had a weapon that could shift its victims out of sync with the time-stream. When Matt blows it up to fake Mike’s death, the Exterminator is caught in the blast, with shocking consequences: 

[ID: Excerpt from McKenzie’s Daredevil run. A series of flashback panels: the Exterminator (a kind of goofy-looking villain with a purple and white costume and blue antennae on the side of his mask) watching Daredevil pull a lever, then the Exterminator getting caught in an explosion and falling into a void.] 

Death-Stalker: “How many long and empty years has it been, Murdock? How many… since you so callously destroyed my awesome Time-Displacement Ray… catching me fully in the time-shattering explosion?! How long has it been since I was hurled through the fabric of time? But what you believed to be my death proved instead a macabre rebirth! I found myself in a timeless limbo! Unobserved, I could go anywhere! Do anything!”

Daredevil vol. 1 #158 by Roger McKenzie, Frank Miller, and George Roussos

    Thus, the Exterminator returns years later as Death-Stalker– a villain who can move freely through time and space, become intangible at will, and whose mere touch is lethal. This, combined with his new appearance (glowing eyes, bony hands, huge billowy cape…) makes for an excellent creepy character concept, and some of the Death Stalker issues feel more like horror stories than the typical Daredevil comic. 

[ID: Excerpt from Gerber’s Daredevil run. A tired Daredevil is making his way through a swamp. Death-Stalker appears behind him out of the fog and puts a skeletal white hand on his shoulder. Daredevil collapses.]

Matt: “H-he’s gone! Nothing but an empty cape! It’s not possible! It– where did he go?!”

Death-Stalker: “Here, Daredevil. I am here. Death is at your back.”

Matt: “Huh? Wha– No!! My… shoulder… your fingers… like ice–!”

Death-Stalker: “Like death, Daredevil. Like the grim, glacial embrace of the North Wind. No use to flee… you can’t outrun the wind.”

Caption: “For Daredevil, for this sightless adventurer, all the world is blackness, all the time. But now, a different kind of darkness envelopes him, a sort of oblivion he has never known before. He hears his heartbeat slow… feels his mind empty of all thought… feel his every nerve tingle, then go numb… and he knows that he is… dying. And that is all he knows when the darkness claims him and the Death-Stalker relaxes his grip.”

Daredevil vol. 1 #114 by Steve Gerber, Bob Brown, and Stan G.

    Sadly, though, I don’t feel he was ever used to his full skin-crawling potential, particularly considering how dangerous his power-set was. He was mostly just a nuisance who rarely got the upper hand, and he was killed in Daredevil #158 when he accidentally materialized through a tombstone during a fight with Matt. One of my favorite details about Death-Stalker isn’t Death-Stalker himself– it’s that his mother lived in a booby-trapped mansion and owned an army of exploding robotic children that she sicced on Matt to avenge her son’s death. But that’s a story for another post… 

Jester (Jonathan Powers) The Jester gets no respect, and it’s a shame because he’s both genuinely a great villain when he’s used well and highly entertaining when his 1960s goofiness is played up, and he manages to embody both of those characterizations with absolute panache. He has played a role in some fairly major Daredevil stories over the years and I’d consider him a staple DD villain. His origin story is pure Silver Age silliness: he was an actor who received bad reviews for his first major starring role, found his career heading downhill, and so decided to become a supervillain instead. This is pretty typical of motivations for villains of this time period (see the Gladiator’s origin story above, and Stilt-Man below), but even this aspect of his character has been put to good use. Daredevil #218 features a surprisingly touching story of the Jester stealing the chance to reprise that first starring role– and of Matt keeping the cops distracted (by pretending to be the Jester!) so that his enemy can finally live his dream. 

[ID: Excerpt from O’Neil’s Daredevil run. The Jester is dressed as Cyrano de Bergerac. He pulls off his false nose and bows dramatically to Daredevil and the cops who have come to take him in.]

Jester: “A moment ago you unmasked. Now I shall perform a similar gesture… I am your humble and obedient servant… the Jester! At your service!”

Matt: “You deserve the bow. You were magnificent.”

Jester: “Indeed! I trust the critics will change their tune.”

Daredevil vol. 1 #218 by Denny O’Neil, Sal Buscema, and Christie Scheele

    Throughout the issue, Matt draws comparisons between himself and the Jester: their shared mask-wearing and the experiences of disillusionment that shaped their lives– and while it certainly doesn’t give the Jester the emotional depth of certain other Daredevil villains, it’s a memorable connection. 

    But where the Jester is at his most dangerous is not as an actor looking for attention– it’s as a creator of chaos. The Jester is a master of illusions and media manipulation. In his introductory arc, he frames Daredevil for his murder and turns Matt into a wanted criminal. Later, he uses a campaign of false news reports and misinformation to sabotage Foggy’s run for District Attorney, turn the superhero community into targets, and throw the whole country into an uproar. Most recently, in Waid’s run, he manipulated TV footage to cause rioting in NYC in the wake of an unpopular and highly publicized court ruling. His plans don’t always succeed, but even then, the scope and effectiveness of the damage he causes makes him a truly formidable villain.

[ID: Excerpt from Waid’s Daredevil run. The Jester is sitting in front of computer monitors in a dark room, yelling into a microphone. In the next panel, we see random civilians in a cafe, watching “Mayor Jameson” (played by the Jester) on TV.]

Jester: “Listen to him. God, he’s so smug. No matter. This is a minor setback. Daredevil’s not the ultimate target, after all. The city’s the target, and it’ll burn. Voice synthesizer on… People of New York… this is Mayor Jameson! Effective immediately, I am rescinding all handgun regulations in Manhattan! Take up arms– for your own protection– and await further instructions!”

Daredevil vol. 3 #32 by Mark Waid, Chris Samnee, and Javier Rodriguez

The Owl (Leland Owlsley) The Owl has, unfortunately, been overshadowed by the Kingpin for most of his existence, and as such, hasn’t been given anywhere near the same amount of character development or nuance. They were created based on the same character concept: a high-powered mobster with a shadowy network of pawns who controls the city’s criminal underworld. 

[ID: A series of panels from Lee’s Daredevil run, showing a man in a long green coat and brimmed hat walking into an office building. His face is not shown; the people he passes looked at him with fear.]

Caption: “This is Wall Street, heart of New York’s Financial District, where fortunes are made and lost by the world’s greatest financial wizards! And, within the canyons of this street, we are about to find one certain man… a merciless man… a man with no friends… no loved ones… nothing to connect him with the human race, save the fact of his birth! Let us follow this man… let us study him as he walks into a towering office building, his heavy footsteps reverberating through the huge marble lobby! For we shall see much of this man on the pages that follow… He walks slowly, but with a sure, steady tread… looking neither to the right nor the left… ignoring those he passes and those who pass him! But he himself cannot readily be ignored by others! His very presence seems so fraught with evil, with menace, that his fellow humans shrink back from the mere sight of him! There are some who recognize him… who speak his name in whispers… for his wealth is said to be legendary, and his power almost beyond measure!”

Daredevil vol. 1 #3 by Stan Lee, Joe Orlando, and Sam Rosen

    Unfortunately, the Kingpin just ended up doing it better, and while there are a few Owl story arcs that I really like, I’ve never found him that interesting. However, he is hugely significant because he was the very first Daredevil supervillain, introduced all the way back in Daredevil #3! (In #1 Matt fights the mobsters who killed his father, and in #2 he fights Electro, who is a Spider-Man rogue.) Thus, he has had an impact on Matt’s life simply from having been around for so long. This also means there’s a huge range in his stories, verging from extremely ridiculous (he sometimes eats rats, and used to own an owl-shaped airplane. How cool is that?) to slightly more grounded. There is a great Owl story arc in which his bird-like body modifications start killing him, which gives his law-breaking more nuance, because he is doing it to look for a cure. Matt, upon discovering this, tries to help him. 

[ID: Excerpt from Chichester’s Daredevil run. Daredevil and the Owl are on a fire escape together. The Owl has metal cybernetic legs and has collapsed. Daredevil is comforting him.]

Matt: “You’re going to make it, hear me? You’re gonna–”

Owlsley: “You should’ve let me…”

Matt: “Unh-uh. You take my hand– you’re willing to take my hand– I don’t let go. You’ve got some long ways to go, mister… but you can count on me…”

Daredevil vol. 1 #303 by D.G. Chichester, M.C. Wyman, and Christie Scheele

    There’s also great point in Bendis’s run when the Owl, in a surprising demonstration of cleverness, hires a lawyer to sue Daredevil for breaking and entering. It doesn’t work, but it throws Matt off and is absolutely priceless. 

    The Owl has also had several children– two unnamed young kids who were introduced in Alias, and Jubula Pride, who was introduced in Daredevil Volume 4 and worked alongside Matt to rescue her father. Jubula’s brief-but-memorable appearance added a bit more depth to the Owl– allowing us to see him in the role of a parent as well as a villain. But mostly, over the years the Owl has remained one of the more insidious of New York’s mob bosses, always scheming to stay in power and fight his way out of the Kingpin’s shadow. And he’s been doing it for so long that he feels like an integral part of Daredevil comics. 

Turk Barrett He’s not a costumed supervillain or even much of a threat, but Turk has become an iconic Daredevil antagonist for both his sheer ineptitude and his plucky ability to stay alive. Of all of the recurring low-level mobster characters, he has the most engaging personality, and his dynamic with Matt is one of long-held friendly animosity. Daredevil isn’t the most dangerous person in Turk’s life, Turk isn’t the most dangerous person in Matt’s life, so they mostly just annoy each other. They’ve even been known to team up, when Turk thinks the odds of survival are in his favor. 

[ID: Excerpt from Daredevil: Love and War. Turk Barrett (dressed in a white shirt and blue pants) is mopping the inside of an elevator. The doors open, and Daredevil walks in. They ride the elevator together.] 

Matt: “Turk! You got the job!”

Turk: “No, man… this… I mean, I’m working undercover, man… I’m your backup!”

Matt: “I believe you, Turk.”

Turk: “Even know what level the doc’s on, man… So how’d you get in, Devil?”

Matt: “I flew in, Turk.”

Turk: “…Course. I knew that. ‘Spose the window locks weren’t much trouble…”

Matt: “Melted them with my heat vision.”

Daredevil: Love and War by Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz

    Turk is an underdog. He’s kind of a goof and he’s certainly a criminal, but he’s also a small fish in a big and dangerous pond, working in a career where most people eventually end up at the bottom of the East River in concrete shoes (or a taxi, as the case may be). He’s slippery and resourceful, he stays just harmless enough to keep himself out of danger, and you can’t help but root for him, even when he does dumb things like stealing Stilt-Man’s stilts or trying to kill Daredevil for the hundredth unsuccessful time. 

Stilt-Man (Wilbur Day), of course, requires no introduction. He is another personal favorite of mine, and a rare case of a goofy Silver Age villain surviving into the modern era while remaining exactly as goofy as he was when first introduced. The great appeal of Stilt-Man is, in fact, that he’s a bit of a joke, while at the same time being quite dangerous, in a comic book physics-kind of way.  

[ID: Excerpt from Lee’s run. Daredevil is battling Stilt-Man on a daytime city street.]

Wilbur: “Hah! You missed!! Have you forgotten so soon how easily I can change my height, thanks to my magnificent hydraulically-operated stilts?!!”

Matt: “Mebbe so! But I haven’t forgotten that I’m the gent who whumped you good last time fought! (Man! It sure is lucky I was here! If Stilt-Man ever managed to get the Leap-Frog safely away, what a team those two would make! But, I hear the boys in blue hauling that human jumping jack right now! Which means Stilty and I can go it alone!) Heads up, dad! It’s time for fun ‘n games again!”

Wilbur: “Hah! Didn’t expect me to seize your cable, did you? I should have warned you, little man– I’ve modified my protective armor in such a way as to double my strength! Which means I’m more than a match for your limited talents!!”

Daredevil vol. 1 #26 by Stan Lee, Gene Colan, and Artie Simek

    Part of the charm of this characterization is the fact that he’s a joke in-universe as well; most of his appearances in modern comics consist of Stilt-Man being made fun of and/or of the audience being reminded that he’s actually a threat. This creates a great balance in his depictions; the jokes are fun, the sight of various superheroes being beaten up (at least a little) by Stilt-Man is fun, and he remains an enjoyable, mostly lighthearted presence in a landscape that has become dominated by Dark, Serious, and Disturbing villains. 

[ID: Excerpt from Bendis’s Daredevil run. Matt is sitting at his desk in his darkened office, talking to Wilbur Day– a short, bald guy in a black jacket, with his arm in a sling.]

Wilbur: “Wilbur Day– I’m Stilt-Man. We’ve met four hundred times.”

Matt: “Stilt-Man– Huh. Oh, you mean that burglar guy Stilt-Man? Who wears the stilts and robs things?”

Wilbur: “Can we please just–”

Matt: “We’ve met when?”

Wilbur: “I–”

Matt: “Are you in some kind of legal trouble? Is that why you’re here?”

Wilbur: “Okay, fine.”

Daredevil vol. 2 #41 by Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, and Matt Hollingsworth

    Stilt-Man is just a short guy in a ridiculous outfit who wants to commit some crimes and get a little respect– and really, who can’t relate to that?  

Ikari (???) I’m mentioning Ikari not because he’s a long-established Daredevil villain– he’s not– but because I am fascinated by his potential. He’s a favorite of mine as much for what we don’t know as for what we do. In his introductory arc, we learn this: He was engineered/commissioned by Bullseye to kill Matt, his fighting abilities equal Matt’s, he has hypersenses, and (as a horrified Matt discovers later) he can also see.

Ikari: “Someone has, in fact, managed to re-create the toxic chemicals that blinded you, gave you enhanced senses. Someone whose hate for you keeps him alive. But he didn’t waste the process on weak, malnourished vagrants. He used it to baptize a warrior. A fighter trained to be every bit your equal in skill– and now, in power.” 

Daredevil vol. 3 #25 by Mark Waid, Chris Samnee, and Javier Rodriguez

    And that’s it. We don’t know who he is or where he came from, or what the consequences are of having that degree of sensory perception (presumably his vision is heightened too?). We don’t know what his personal goals or motivations are, since we’ve only ever seen him as a pawn– first of Bullseye and then, later, of the Kingpin. But the concept of his character as someone who shares Matt’s powers plus some– who is essentially, skills-wise, a criminal version of Matt– and all the mystery that surrounds him, is hugely compelling to me. 

[ID: Excerpt from Waid’s Daredevil run. Both Ikari and Daredevil are out on the street, being shot at by cops. As Daredevil hides behind a parked car, Ikari attacks the cops and cuts their guns in half with his blades.]

Matt: “The cops are hunting me under an open-fire command. Presuming they’ve been advised of Ikari’s prison break, I’m sure the same order applies to him. I wish it scared him. I wish anything did.”

Daredevil vol. 4 #17 by Mark Waid, Chris Samnee, and Matt Wilson

    In his last appearance he was killed by the Shroud, but his body was stolen, leaving the door open for him to maybe return sometime in the future and receive more development. I hope he does. 

#soulfireinc #Gladiator #Typhoid Mary #The Hand #Lady Bullseye #Death Stalker #Jester #Owl #Turk Barrett #Stilt Man #Ikari #Asks #Adventures in Continuity

[hope-for-olicity]

Fabulous Olicity Fanfic Friday - May 25th, 2018

Happy Friday! So this is my attempt to both thank awesome fanfic writers for their amazing work and offer my recommendations to anyone who is interested. Here are the fantastic fanfic stories I read this week! They are posted in the order I read them. Thank you so so much for your fics they really do help with pain.

Above All Else multi-chapter WIP by shesimperfect_butshetries - A different take on episode 6x14: Rene shoots but Oliver jumps in front of Felicity. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14101470/chapters/32490537

Pieces of Always multi-chapter WIP by @so-caffeinated and @dust2dust34 - Life continues after Forever is Composed of Nows. Ongoing non-linear collection of family moments for the Queens. http://archiveofourown.org/works/8220479/chapters/18840356

You Will Be Found multi-chapter WIP by @shannyfishwriter - Picks up from where the season five finale (5x23 - Lian Yu) leaves off. https://archiveofourown.org/works/11004735/chapters/24515847

The Queen's Mage multi-chapter WIP by @the-shy-and-anxious-fangirl - Words have power, and mages, those with the aptitude to draw on that power, are few in number. Thus, their services are highly sought after by anyone who has exhausted all mundane means of solving whatever problem is plaguing them. Felicity is reminded of this fact the hard way when she is hired by Moira Queen, the Lady Starling, to find and return to her her son Oliver, who fled his family home five years ago following the death of his father. With a threat hanging over her should she return without Robert Queen's heir, Felicity begins her search. When she finds Oliver, and ends up joining his vigilante crusade while she waits for him to decide whether to return home, the last thing she expects to do is fall in love with him. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14617068/chapters/33781269

The Distance Between Two Hearts multi-chapter WIP by @geneshaven - A glimpse at Oliver's life in prison. Part 1 https://geneshaven.tumblr.com/post/174030871444/the-distance-between-two-hearts Part 2 https://geneshaven.tumblr.com/post/174078115519/the-distance-between-two-hearts Part 3 https://geneshaven.tumblr.com/post/174163250554/the-distance-between-two-hearts

You Left Me by HopeShannon3000 - Oliver is back from Prison but doesn't get the warm welcome he expected from Felicity. First they clean the air before she'll welcome him back. Felicity is anger Oliver didn't tell her about the deal. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14699445

Family by AmberlonDeathstroke (ThereCanBeNoRedemptionWithoutBlood) - Fix-It: A force to be reckoned with decides that under no circumstances is Oliver Queen going to spend a second in jail... https://archiveofourown.org/works/14699547

"Don't cry, baby" by @dust2dust34 - Post S6 where nothing bad happened http://dust2dust34.tumblr.com/post/174032231999/i-would-love-to-see-no-20-please

Hell Hath No Fury Like a Felicity Who Has Been Lied To by @mellowyellowdiamonds - Oliver finishes his time in Supermax and comes home to make some alarming discoveries about Felicity and William https://archiveofourown.org/works/14700621

Untitled by @smoaking-greenarrow - Prompt: Fic on Olicity's height difference http://smoaking-greenarrow.tumblr.com/post/174036280229/hey-this-is-pretty-vague-but-could-you-possibly

Time for a Story multi-chapter WIP by @smkkbert - This fic shows Olicity and their life as a (married) couple with family. Although Olicity (and their kids) are the protagonists, other characters of Arrow and Flash make appearances. YOU NEED THIS STORY IN YOUR LIFE. http://archiveofourown.org/works/3912157/chapters/8757172

Untitled by @smoaking-greenarrow - Prompt: Prompt: Let's pretend that Oliver's birthday fell between 6x21 and 6x22 and he got to celebrate it with his wife and son. http://smoaking-greenarrow.tumblr.com/post/174050603159/prompt-lets-pretend-that-olivers-birthday-fell

Periods, Timelines and Exclamation Points multi-chapter WIP by Izzyface - Felicity Smoak has a PLAN for her life. At 25, she is the youngest Director of IT in the history of Queen Consolidated and on track to be the next VP of Technology for the Fortune 250 company. But that’s before everything in her life starts to go haywire. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14062422/chapters/32395548

The Arrows of War by Takianna - For the Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon Week #4 prompt "at odds." This is a just a short fluffy piece about Felicity and Oliver being at odds over something that should come rather easily for one of them, but it doesn't seem to be all that easy. https://archiveofourown.org/works/11249046

Present Tense multi-chapter complete by @punchdrunkdoc - The Oliver Queen of the season 4 premiere was lighter, happier and more at peace than we’ve ever seen him. What happened in those 5 months away to get him to that point? And who helped him? https://archiveofourown.org/works/5454581/chapters/12609368

Curious Transformations multi-chapter WIP by CharlotteCordelier - From the Department of I-didn't-think-this-all-the-way-through, a season 2 AU. Felicity comes to in a train station, missing some time. And that's only the beginning of the weirdness. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14161659/chapters/32641764

Elizabeth Grace Smoak multi-chapter WIP by @lynn8828 - What if Felicity and Oliver briefly had met before he got on the Gambit? Despite her best efforts, Felicity was unable to get in contact with the famous Oliver Queen after having a one night stand with him and getting pregnant with his child. After raising their child for five years after finding out that Oliver died on the Gambit, she finds out he is alive and knows that she needs to tell him about their daughter. But will he believe her? AMAZING STORY!! http://archiveofourown.org/works/13639371/chapters/31322715

Oliver the Copy Guy multi-chapter WIP by @someonesaidcake - She may have fantasized about the copy guy with the hot arms, but she hadn't expected him to actually say yes... https://archiveofourown.org/works/14580006/chapters/33692385

Following the Lead of the Setting Sun multi-chapter WIP by @adiwriting - When Oliver agrees to a life in prison, it lights a match to the entire Queen family’s world. How can Oliver be a good husband and father, while he’s in prison and fighting for his life? https://archiveofourown.org/works/14715020/chapters/34008707

Reunited and It Feels So... by @dmichellewrites - Oliver is released from prison, and his reunion with Felicity isn't all sex, love, and butterflies. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14717420

Consequences by TimeforAstory - My take on what could happen in season 7. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14717931

Tempest multi-chapter WIP by @so-caffeinated and @dust2dust34 - Three years ago, tragedy struck Julianna Queen’s life. Now, she wears a mask and fights at her father’s side, looking for closure and justice as she tries to find a path to move forward with her life while holding on to her past. But that may a bit more complicated than she thinks… http://archiveofourown.org/works/13309731/chapters/30461850

Of Love and Transformation by @juliesioux - I wrote this really quickly after S06E23. I started thinking about the anger Felicity must be feeling about the way Oliver's decisions have once again tore her world apart. The show might never give us her POV on this so I needed to write it. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14721246

Old Habits Die Hard by Crazyreader2468 - One-shot (for now) of the first twenty-four hours following Oliver's revelation and arrest at end of Episode 6 x 23. Felicity's thoughts as she takes care of William and tries to figure out her reactions to Oliver's latest actions without consulting her. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14720291

Damn It, Why Won't the Eagle Just Land Already? multi-chapter WIP by @smewhereelse - President John Diggle would really appreciate it if everyone would stop gossiping about his security detail and his science advisor and get back to work. He’d appreciate it even more if his best friends would pull their heads out of their asses and get together already. A White House romantic comedy AU. https://archiveofourown.org/works/13132602/chapters/30040788

7 Months by HopeShannon3000 - When Oliver comes home Felicity gives him a piece of her mind. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14725235

Bound to You multi-chapter WIP by @bindy417 - Felicity is an ARGUS agent and Oliver with the Bratva but they met long before that! This story gives the past and the present. SO AWESOME.  http://archiveofourown.org/works/6602668/chapters/15105862

Later by @beemichelle7 - Felicity hears of a prison escape https://beemichelle7.tumblr.com/post/174101707084/later

Sometimes It Rains multi-chapter WIP by Izzyface and @missyriver - Life happens fast. But we live through it slow. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14726736/chapters/34039875

The Old-Fashioned Way multi-chapter complete by @primpim -Felicity always wanted a family. Tired of waiting for Mr. Right, she decides to take matters into her own hands. She has a steady job, savings, a good support system and, after all, who needs a man in this day and age? Thirty, single and quite happy to be, Oliver isn't looking to settle down and hasn't really even entertained the idea of having kids. But when Felicity starts looking for a potential biological father, he doesn't hesitate. Purely because he doesn't want someone to take advantage of her... or so he tells himself. From awkward starts to the wonder of creating new life, it will soon become obvious that getting pregnant isn't just about expecting a baby: it's also about facing feelings that had been buried for years. And in the end, Felicity might realize that what she's been looking for has been right under her nose from the start...and Oliver will quickly understand that when it comes Felicity and their unborn child, he wants much more than what they had originally agreed to. PLEASE NOTE: The author is taking this story of AO3 soon download to keep reading. https://archiveofourown.org/works/11961009/chapters/27046173

Re-airrowing 1x19 by @lostolicityscenes - The Count is back and he’s crazy! We get a Diggle/Carly and later on a Dyla scene which spoiler alert will crop up in my next post! This one is short and sweet, but when I wrote the original scene of Oliver outside, I had this scene as a bookend in mind. So, it’s nice to be able to finally write this scene that’s been in my head canon all this time. https://lostolicityscenes.tumblr.com/post/174153310406/re-airrow-episode-1x19-an-the-count-is-back

Opening His Eyes to the Light by @originalhybridloverfics - When Oliver learns Felicity was injured in the aftermath of the Undertaking it forced him to be honest with how he felt about her and just what he was going to do about it. [Post Season One Finale] https://archiveofourown.org/works/14735366

Real Love (Is Never a Waste of Time) multi-chapter WIP by @callistawolf - Oliver and Felicity are CEOs who are more partners than they are rivals, but they still bicker whenever they meet up. Constantly pestered by their families and board members, they turn to each other for a simple solution. But marriage is never simple, especially when these two are involved. When Oliver's younger sister decides to hold her much-anticipated wedding on a tropical island and insists her brother and his wife attend, will the island paradise prove to be the tipping point in their carefully balanced relationship? https://archiveofourown.org/works/13604955/chapters/3123360

Olicity: Hold Out Hope by @yespleasehawkeyee - Felicity meets Oliver at gala and starts to fall in love with him. Someone close to Felicity cautions her about Oliver but she ignores them. As she continues to date Oliver, Felicity finds out some how that she lost her memory three years ago. Turns out, she had been engaged to Oliver.  http://yespleasehawkeyee.tumblr.com/post/150647479756/olicity-hold-out-hope

Broken Love multi-chapter WIP by @smoaking-greenarrow - Felicity and Oliver try to adjust to their new normal, but with Oliver in jail and Felicity in protective custody, neither are coping well with the distance. Oliver receives an offer from Agent Watson and Felicity takes matters into her own hands. (6.5 fic) https://archiveofourown.org/works/14717075/chapters/34014233

My Own Scars by GameofOlicity - Prompt: Felicity ends up injured during a mission but doesn’t want to call Oliver because he’s home with William. However someone on the team calls him anyway, because doesn’t want Oliver to be mad at them for not telling him. Oliver of course shows up at the bunker soon after. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14746787

// @emmaamelia95 // @mel-loves-all // @oliverfel4 // @green-arrows-of-karamel // @coal000 // @miriam1779 // @memcjo// @captainolicitysbedroom // @tdgal1 // @spaztronautwriter // @lalawo1// @quiveringbunny // @wrongshipper // @thebookjumper // @vaelisamaza // @myhauntedblacksoul // @lovelycssefan // @laurabelle2930 //

#FabulousOlicityFanficFriday #olicity fanfiction #fic recs

[darkwinterchild]

Big “Malcolm Merlyn and Oliver Queen are lions and no one can convince me otherwise” trash post bcs I can’t help myself

What It Looks Like versus What’s Really Going On.

Fight me.

Warning: Long post under the cut. Because this is so important.

Both Oliver and Malcolm are big muscly brutes but also stealth ninjas. Plus they’re scary predators and they do most of their hunting at night. Ergo, in the animal world, they’re big cats.

The primary difference between the lion and other cat species is that it’s a social animal. Female lions form prides, male lions form coalitions. Malcolm is always more comfortable working with a group than by his lonesome (even if that group is hostile like Team Arrow). After his return from Nanda Parbat he could have chosen to work alone but didn’t. He looked for partners, created an organisation in order to pursue his goal of saving Starling City. Of course he prefers to be the one calling the shots (as leader of his secret organisation or CEO of Merlyn Global or even Ra’s Al Ghul), but he will bend when necessary (he was Ra’s horseman for years after all). As for Oliver, even if he feels like more of a solo artist, one of the first thing he did coming home is bring Diggle into the fold - just like one of the first thing young solitary male lions do after being kicked out of their pride is find themselves a partner, because they know they have almost no chance of making it out there on their own. Wherever he is, Oliver always ends up joining a group or forming his own. These aren’t just things that happen to him: it’s a choice, or a direct result of his personality. Oliver and Malcolm are both always looking to make alliances with different sorts of people (or groups of people). More than that, they are absolutely ready to ally themselves with somebody they don’t like, with each other, if they need to in order to survive, vanquish a common enemy or protect their family.

Generally, there are two things that matters to a lion (apart from food but that’s like every animal on the planet): family and territory/power. Malcolm Merlyn and Oliver Queen in a nutshell. Also note that while male lions are the only male cats who care about family and have a hand in raising their cubs (mostly by offering protection), their focus is the territory. Which is like the whole theme of Malcolm & Oliver’s story in S1: their unbreakable focus on their respective mission despite the distance and tension it creates between them and their respective family members, motivated by their (delusional?) conviction that they are doing this for their family (to secure a better future for them in a better city in the name of those they have lost). The main difference between them being that Malcolm is way more deranged and mostly doesn’t give a shit about human life if they’re not related to him.

Seriously though these two are mad territorial. Every time there’s a new predator showing up on their turf they just go “who are you and wth are you doing in my city rude i’m gonna beat you up”. Well, in season 1 in Malcolm’s case, because after he was ousted he stopped having a turf. But pretty much all 5 seasons for Oliver? (I think the most “wtf” time was when he decreed that the league couldn’t touch Merlyn in S3 while he was in Starling because he was under his protection or something, like I can’t even?? And every time there’s a new vigilante in town he’s like “nope the only illegal justice in this city is mine get out”)

But yeah ultimately one of the things I find most fascinating about lions is also one of the things I find most fascinating about Oliver and Malcolm. Violent, merciless killers who show a softer, more caring side around their loved ones. For lions, it’s like, how vicious and terrible they are to their enemies or preys has absolutely nothing to do with how affectionate and loving they can be to their companions (think Mr T and Kinky Tail of the Mapogos - bloodthirsty bastards who loved each other like hell). That contrast between the monster and the lover is always at play in Oliver and Malcolm’s characters (ofc with different levels of dominance for each side), and it’s just really interesting to me.

Young male lions leave their pride once they come of age, and spend years in hell as nomads struggling to survive in a hostile environment (between buffalo and crocodiles and most dangerous of all: other lions, pride males often in a coalition, eager to hunt them down and break their spine). They have to learn to fend for themselves for the first time (mommy isn’t here to bring the food home any longer), to hunt and fight and stand up for themselves. Most of them die, but those who survive, those who have managed to become... something else, these ones can hope to conquer their own territory by killing or driving away the older resident kings. If this isn’t Oliver Queen’s story I don’t know what is.

Btw, kicking out their grown-up sons is a very important pride male job. Adolescent males (big, lazy, hungry, aggressive, horny and useless) can become a real weight to the pride if they stay around too long, but if the males are neglectful (Malcolm) or distracted dealing with too many prides (Malcolm), they can be late to the task (Malcolm). But once they do it’s always kinda brutal (Malcolm). No offense to Tommy!

Also, really, if we choose an animal to represent Malcolm or Oliver, you know it has to be some major drama-queen. We-have-literally-evolved-a-mane drama-queen level. And the lions mane has basically three main purposes: 1) protection (practical purpose of the suits), 2) intimidation tactics (actual realest purpose of the suits - the whole Hood and Dark Archer personas), and 3) looking gorgeous and attracting females and I think this really fits Ollie Queen and Malcolm Merlyn (Malcolm doesn’t seem particularly interested in sexual or romantic pursuits but he is vain as hell just look at the guy it’s written all over him).

Male lions’ stories are all about war, just like Oliver and Malcolm’s stories are all about war (particularly S1 Oliver). In terms of evolution, they have sacrificed everything in order to become perfect killing machines. Their role in society is to protect or conquer. It doesn’t matter if they’re tired and just want to settle down with their family (happy little cubs!), if they don’t go looking for war war always comes looking for them - it’s a violent life. For lion fans who follow their shenanigans in real life, it can be kind of like Game of Thrones: you have several coalitions fighting over territory - who will be king? And for how long?

So, just like human warriors, there are two types of successful lions: the fiery ones and the cunning ones, of which I kinda think Oliver and Malcolm are fitting representations. Like Oliver “I fought the Dark Archer and Slade Wilson and won thanks to my mad willpower (also remember when I challenged RA’S AL GHUL to a duel twice)” Queen, some lions never run, are always in the thick of battle, and will fight to the death for their territory even against overwhelming odds (in lion fandom, Kinky Tail and Mr T of the Mapogos are again probably the go-to examples). Others tend to pick their battles, avoid serious injury, can patiently wait for a better opportunity or let go of a territory if outnumbered, and sometimes even let the lionesses do the fighting in their stead (the famous Notch is more this type I think - managed to hold on to his first pride alone for 2 years after the death of his companion with the help of the females, got ousted, came back with his sons and took over half the Masai Mara, and remained healthy and beautiful for all of it).

Lions are bloody resilient creatures. Like, it’s astounding what they can survive, and in battle you can see lions fighting to the end despite terrible injuries (freaking broken backs). Oliver Queen is the Arrowverse’s poster boy for resilience, I am not even going to begin listing the reasons why - it’s all over his body anyway and we viewers are treated to many shirtless scenes. And say what you will about Malcolm Merlyn but he also did go through a lot (poison, an arrow through the chest, torture, a handcut - he also lost everything twice), and he’s still healthy and fighting at like ~52 years old (5 years ago he was already saying that Oliver’s youth was a big advantage). “Every warrior must learn the simple truth: that pain is inevitable and suffering is optional”. They both just never give up.

They are both really intelligent, but unlike Ray, Felicity, Barry, etc. they aren’t scientists or tech geniuses. Oliver and Malcolm’s strength lie in tactic and/or strategy, which is what makes them natural leaders. Lions are often seen as big “all brawn and no brains” animals, but they’re actually pretty calculating. They can’t solve complex logical problems like ravens or crows (that’s Felicity btw - Overwatch), but they can count. They know their stuff when it comes to battle. They can calculate the odds, they have their established tactics when it comes to hunting, and they even make strategic choices all the time. 

Cute little heir is a troublemaker who worships his dad. Dad’s best friend/brother gets rid of both of them in the same trap, forcing Dad to sacrifice himself for son, sentencing son to exile. Son stays in exile for years, ravaged by guilt, and grows into a formidable opponent. When son comes back, Dad’s best friend/brother is forcing his mother to do his bidding. He finds out he’s the one responsible for his father’s death and stops him, but not before the bad guy had a chance to destroy his home. Tell me you don’t see the parallel. They’re lions.

#mp #malcolm merlyn #oliver queen #arrow #lions #... #this post turned out oddly more serious than intended #it's like half-serious #idek #it's lions guys #also fwiw i tried to rein in the lion fanishness ok #but erhm #there are some metas you gotta write for yourself yk? #trash post #my commentary #parallels

[hope-for-olicity]

When a King is Really a Queen 2/4

Oliver Queen writes romantic suspence novels under the name Olivia King on his way to reveal his true identity he meets one of Olivia King’s biggest fans, Felicity Smoak, and she is not very happy.

This is based on the Hallmark Movie “A Novel Romance.”  I’m writing as a bit of a love letter to all the amazing romance writers that bring me happy. I so hope you enjoy!

Thanks so much for the lovely comments and reblogs! I'm so glad people have been enjoying :) Also available to read on AO3.

Thanks so much to @almondblossomme for her proofing and constant support!

                                                       Chapter 2

Oliver had been on his way to meet up with his old friend John Diggle when he had run into Felicity.  He had always trusted John’s advice and he had originally suggested they meet up and he wanted to hear his thoughts on Oliver’s upcoming reveal, now he was more interested to hear what he had to say about Felicity Smoak.

Oliver opened the door to Merlyn’s coffee and saw John sitting at one of the tables. The morning rush seemed to be dying down so Oliver got in a shorter line than expected to grab a coffee.

“A Merlyn’s Awesome for here please.” Oliver smiled at the girl behind the counter.  She quickly poured a coffee into a glass mug for in store purchases.

Oliver made his way over to John.

“Oliver Queen! So nice to see you buddy.” Oliver put his coffee down on the table as John gave him a hug.

“Nice to see you too! So glad you had time to meet up. I know you are busy man, with a job and a growing family.” Oliver winked at his friend, he had just recently gotten an email that John’s wife, Lyla was expecting again.

“Are you kidding? Of course I’d make time for you. Oh and before I forget Lyla would love it if you came over for bbq before heading back to the big city. She’d like to see you too.”

Oliver loved New York City but he’d never really made good friends there. Not like the Diggle’s. “Of course! Just let me know when is good for you and Lyla. Right now I only have one event on my plate.”

“Ahh yes, the reason you wanted to meet. So are you really going to reveal your real name to your readers?”

“Yep. My publisher wants it to happen. Truthfully, I wrote under the pen name because I wanted people to read my books without knowing they were written by Oliver Queen. I wanted to know if I was any good or if I just get the publishing deal because of my last name. But my books sold well, well until the most recent one, under Olivia King.”

“Yes, about that last one...Lyla and I felt like we had whiplash. Julia quit her job and decided to stay home and play house? You better explain that in the next book Oliver. And I can’t lie, I half suspect half the reason Lyla wants you to visit is to grill you.”

Oliver chuckled. “No worries. I understand her pain. I felt it when I wrote the stupid idea. My publishers really wanted that change and apparently they have more sway than I had originally thought. I’ll be renegotiating my contract but for now I’m going to do as the they ask and let the world know Olivia King is Oliver Queen and hope my fans still accept me.”

“Oh, I think they will. Good writing is good writing Oliver. And you never know you might get more men to read the genre. You got me.” John smiled. “So when is the big reveal?”

“My publisher is still working out the details. I told them I wanted it to be a local store. Can’t hurt to give a local business some press, right?”

“Certainly not. This will be a big change for you Oliver. I’m very proud of you. Soon everyone will know.”

“Yes, speaking of everyone. I met the most amazing woman on the plane yesterday.”

“An amazing woman. Where have I heard this before?” John ribbed his friend.

“No this one is different.” Oliver suddenly had a serious tone.

“Okay, so you like her. What’s the problem? Use some of that famous Oliver Queen charm and woo her.”

“Woo her?”

“Yes, Oliver woo her.”

“There is something else you should know. When we met, I just told her I was Oliver. Not Oliver Queen just Oliver and she told me in no uncertain terms that she hated my new book.”

Diggle began to laugh. “Wait you are telling me you met this woman on a plane and she told you she hated your book?”

“Yes,” Oliver was beginning to be annoyed. “She didn’t know John. She is a very nice person. Who cares a lot about her books. Please don’t laugh at her.”

“Okay. I’m stopping.” John laughed a little more and then pulled a serious face. “Not laughing anymore. You have to tell her you are Oliver Queen and Olivia King before she finds out from someone else.”

“I know. But I don’t want to embarrass her. I want her to like me.”

“Oliver Queen concerned if a girl likes him. I never thought I’d see the day. She must be special.”

“There is just something about her.”

“Look I get why you don’t want to tell her but better it come from you than a newspaper, right?”

Oliver sighed. “I will tell her today. I just hope she still agrees to dinner.”

*****

“OH MY GOD! FELICITY!!” Caitlin yells in their empty store. Felicity was putting out new stock, she comes out from one of their aisles carrying a box of books. The store was one that you could call quaint but cozy. They had their regulars but Monday mornings tended to be slow.

“Caitlin what’s going on?” Felicity couldn’t help but be curious her friend was so excited.

“Olivia King is coming to our store!!! And that’s not even all of it Olivia King is not Olivia King!” Caitlin was basically jumping up and down with excitement. Felicity could not help but join her in the jumping!

“Olivia King - the Olivia King is coming here? To our store?! Wow!! And what do you mean Olivia King is not Olivia King?” Felicity was as excited as Caitlin their store really needed the publicity and this was Olivia King. Maybe she could ask what the hell happened to Julia?

“Oh that was her publisher on the phone. Apparently Olivia King is a pen name and the author has decided they want to write under their real name from now on. I’m sure it’s related to the disaster that was the last novel.”

“I wouldn’t call the last novel a disaster,” Felicity said trying to defend her favourite author even if she too was disappointed.

“Who cares why? Olivia King is coming here! It’s time to do a happy dance!” Caitlin found a song on her phone and cranked up the volume. The two friends danced.

Once the song was over, Felicity looked at Caitlin seriously. “This could save our store.”  The fact that the store was struggling was something they were both aware of but rarely talked about - almost as if they feared it would jinx their success.

“Yes. No matter what, this will be good for business. I’d better start planning the event as it’s in two days. The publisher said their publicist would handle all the publicity, newspapers and local news, that sort of thing.”

“Great. Why don’t we make a list of what we need to do and divide and conquer!” Felicity really couldn’t keep the excitement out of her voice.

“One more thing. Apparently Moira Queen would like to be involved in the planning. The man on the phone, I believe he said his name was Edwards, said Mrs. Queen expressed an interest in helping. Odd but I agreed. She would like to meet one of us for lunch today. Maybe you want to go?” Caitlin did not hide what she was hinting at.

“I would be happy to go. It’s for our store and nothing more. Actually, I ran into Oliver Queen this morning.” Felicity said not keeping the smile out of her voice.

“What? And you are only mentioning it now?”

“Sorry, I was going to tell you as soon as I shelved these books and then there was the excitement…”

“So…”

“So I ran into Oliver on my way here. Like literally, ran into him. So glad I didn’t spill my coffee. THAT would have been a tragedy. You know Merlyn's coffee is so good.”

“Felicity! Yes, I agree the coffee is good but what did you Oliver talk about?”

“Oh. I told him that I knew he was Oliver QUEEN and he knew my last name too. Apparently, I left my book on the plane so he grabbed it in case he could return it. Isn’t that sweet?” She looked expectedly at Caitlin.

“Very sweet. So are you going to see him again?”

“Yes, I think so. I gave him my number so we could text so he could return my book. He seemed nervous. I’ve never made anyone nervous before. Maybe he just wanted to get it over with?”

“No, I doubt that. He asked for your number right?”

“Yes.”

“I see nothing but positive here and now you are about to meet the family!”

*****

Felicity arrived at Table Salt to meet Moira Queen. If she had known she would be meeting Mrs. Queen at such a nice restaurant she would have gone home to change. She nervously smoothed down her skirt to ensure there were no lines.

Moira stood as Felicity approached the table. “You must be Felicity Smoak from Happily Ever After.”

“Yes,” Felicity reached out her hand, and Moira shook. “I’m so glad you are interested in helping us with our big event.”

“Thank you for allowing my assistance. I really love your store and I’m a big fan of the author.”

“Happy for the help.” Actually, Felicity was surprised that Moira Queen even knew of their store.

Caitlin and Felicity had been living their college dream with they opened Happily Ever After. It was originally suppose to only sell romance but they ended up branching out to also sell children’s books as they also tended to end happily ever after and the mom’s buying the romance liked to bring their kids. The change in stock had also helped keep the store open for another year.

“Why don’t we order and then we can talk business.” Moira said picking up her menu.

Felicity looked at the menu and quickly chose a salad. She really wanted the burger and fries but she didn’t want Oliver’s mother to judge her. Oliver’s mother? Where had that thought come from?

“Do you know what you are having Ms. Smoak?”

“Please call me Felicity, I think I’ll go with the garden salad.”

“Damn, I was hoping you were going to say the burger and fries and I was going to join you” Moira smiled.

Wow. Mrs. Queen was actually very nice. Felicity smiled. “I think I could be pursued to order the burger and fries.”

“Sounds like a plan. My children are always trying to get me to go to Big Belly Burger with them but I always say no, hamburgers aren’t really my thing. You won’t tell them will you?” She asked winking at Felicity.

“Your secret is safe with me. But really I do suggest you try Big Belly Burger sometime.”

The server arrived at that moment and Moira told her they would both have the burger and fries.

“So, we are so excited that Olivia King has chosen our bookstore to reveal her true identity. I am a big fan myself and I look forward to thanking her for all her amazing books.”

“I couldn’t agree more those books are amazing. Although, I must admit I wasn’t as happy with the last one. But maybe there will be an explanation.”

Their food arrived and the women began all the details for the event. They were so caught up in their planning that they didn’t notice Oliver until he cleared his throat.

“Ladies, I didn’t know you knew each other.”

“Oliver dear, I wasn’t aware you knew Felicity. We were just having lunch to discuss how I could help with her book event.” She looked at her son pointed. “Olivia King is going to reveal their real name at Felicity’s bookstore Happily Ever After.”

“Felicity you own a bookstore? Now I feel silly.” When Moira looked confused Oliver continued. “Felicity sat next to me on my flight from New York we talked about books and she accidentally left one behind. And just this morning I talked about returning it to her and now I hear she owns a bookstore!”

“Please don’t feel foolish Oliver there is no way you could have known. Will you still be in town on Friday? Olivia King is coming to our store. That’s actually what I’m discussing with your mother.  Shall I ask for another chair so you can join us?”

“No, that’s not necessary. I just stopped in to grab some lunch and saw you sitting here and just had to come say hi. I didn’t mean to interrupt your meeting.”

“No need for the extra chair,” Moira said as she stood. I just got an email from work so it seems I have to rush off. You can pick at my fries while you wait for your food.” Moira turned to Felicity. “So sorry about this. I believe we have most of the details worked out. I’ll give you a call later to confirm everything is set and if there is anymore needed.” She quickly kissed Oliver on the cheek and walked away.

“I really didn’t mean to crash your lunch Felicity, despite what my mother said I’m happy to get my own table.” He really didn’t want her to feel pressured to have to spend time with him when she expected a work lunch.

“Absolutely not. I think if I can sit on a plane with you for a few hours, lunch will not be too much to bare,” she winked.

The server quickly arrived to take Oliver’s order. He also ordered a burger and fries. “Did my mother really order this? You are a positive influence Ms. Smoak.” He smiled.

“I admit I twisted her arm.” Felicity saw no harm in keeping Moira’s secret. She had promised after all.

“We will have to keep you in her life, my mother needs this kind of positive influence,” Oliver joked.

Oliver’s food arrived and they both began to eat in silence. Felicity is happy to say it’s not uncomfortable silence. Truthfully she can’t believe her luck to run into him again today.

“So I guess you have to go back to work soon?” Oliver asked.

“Yes, I have to relieve my co-owner Caitlin for her break and we have a lot of prep to do for our event. Your mother has been a huge help by the way. I really appreciated her ideas and input.”

God she was beautiful. Oliver knew this was the moment to come clean. He had to tell her that he was Olivia King, she might be upset but it would be far worse if he waited until the event. He knew all this and yet, he wasn’t sure what would happen once she knew the truth. So he said “So you own a bookstore?”

“Yes, with my best friend Caitlin. It’s called Happily Ever After. We sell romance and children’s books. I feel really lucky to say I love my job.” Felicity beamed.

“That’s so great! It’s wonderful when you love what you do.” This woman was just too good to be true.

“So what do you do? I mean if you don’t mind me asking. I mean you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I mean it’s not really any of my…”

“Felicity stop.” He touched her hand without really thinking of the consequences and felt a spark. He looked up to see if she had felt it to. He couldn’t really tell as she was blushing too much from her babble. “I’m a writer. It was totally okay to ask.”

“Oh.” Felicity looked down. How could she have babbled like that? Why was she so nervous? Did he feel the shock when he touched her hand?

“Hey, there is something I have to tell you.” Oliver said seriously.

“Oooh that sounds ominous. Are you sure?” Felicity joked.

“It’s about Olivia King…”

“Oh my God you know her don’t you? You said you were a writer and she’s a writer. That’s why you are here to support her? Oh Oliver you are such a good friend.”

“No, I…” and just as he is about to tell Felicity he is Olivia King, her phone begins to ring.

“So sorry, I have to take this. I’ll be right back.” Felicity picks up her phone and walks away from the table.

*****

“Mom, are you okay? You are calling in the middle of the day, so I’m a little worried.”

“Felicity you are so sweet, I do have a plan where I can call you in the middle of day. You don’t need to be alarmed when it happens. Times have changed.”

“Yes, Mom but I still worry when you call when you should be sleeping.” Felicity’s mother worked the night shift as a waitress in a Casino in Las Vegas so she rarely saw the morning. With the time difference it was still morning in Las Vegas now.

“It’s silly really.” Donna said trying to downplay her reasons for calling.

“Mom, it’s not silly to call your daughter. I love hearing from you! So tell me what’s going on? Is it Quentin? Something going on with him?” Felicity could not keep the worry out of her voice.

“Yes sweetie, it Quentin, he’s pushing me away and I don’t know why,” Donna began to cry.

“Oh no mom! I’m so very sorry. Listen, I’m just finishing lunch, let me pay the bill and I’ll call you back as soon as I’m out of the restaurant. Okay?”

“You, don’t have to do that,” Donna said between sobs.

“Yes, I do. You are my mother and I love you. Us girls have to stick together. You go make yourself one of those fancy coffees you like and I’ll call back before you know it.”

“Thanks Felicity.”

“No problem. I’ll call back in just a moment.”

As Felicity hung up the phone she couldn’t help but worry. She knew her mother cared a great deal about Quentin Lance. They had been together for almost a year. And when Felicity met him on her last visit she thought her mother had finally found a good guy. She really hoping this something they could work through.

*****

Felicity quickly walked back to Oliver who was just finishing his meal. “So, sorry about that. It was my mother.”

“Oh, I hope everything is okay?”

“I guess the answer would be sort of. I’m going to call her back as soon as I settle up here. Sorry to cut our meal short but my mother needs me.”

“No, I totally understand and you don’t need to worry about the bill. When I tried to pay it, I found out it was already taken care of by my mother.”

“Oh.” Felicity looked down at her hands. She was a little surprised as they were meeting about her business she thought she would foot the bill. Guess it was taken out of her hands now.

“Don’t worry about it Felicity. You just look like you are worried.” Oliver lifted her chin with hand.

“You are right. What’s done is done. Sorry, I have to rush out Oliver. I’ll see you soon.” she picked up her coat and purse.

“Felicity, are you free for supper tomorrow?” Oliver asked before he chickened out.

“Oliver Queen, it sounds like you are asking me out on a date, date.”

“Would you say yes to a date, date Felicity?”

“Why yes, I would.” she couldn’t help but blush.

“Great I’ll text you some options for restaurants. You go call your mom. See you tomorrow.”

As Felicity turned to walk away she could not stop smiling, she was going on a date with Oliver Queen!

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