Entry #8: Why I'm Team Oliver

So, Arrow comes back to night and I'm equal amounts terrified and excited. Of course I've been soaking up the articles and watching all the clips. And reading what others have to say. And since I've been watching this show, I've noticed a trend.

I've made no secret I am an Oliver/Felicity fan. As are, I've gathered, most of the audience for this show. However, the trend I've noticed is that what ever choices are made, what ever happens, it's Oliver's fault. He's always in the wrong. Felicity is always right. And so on and so forth.

Now, this isn't the first show something like this has happened on. Not just in romantic relationships, but in general. The lead character must be taught a lesson by the supporting cast/guest of the storyline. It is easily my least favorite trope of entertainment. It has been since the days of Buffy. Specifically since Dead Man's Party was first on and Willow, Xander and Joyce were angry at Buffy for not wanting to have a big welcome home party after she clearly left home didn't contact anyone for a reason. A reason they didn't deem worthy. And let's not even talk about the horrid moment in Season 7 where the only two people (besides Buffy) I didn't hate were Andrew and Spike. And Andrew only gets a pass because he wasn't there (though I'd like to believe he would have stood up for her too). But, I digress.

Felicity is easily my favorite character on the show. Out of pretty much any fictional character ever, she's the one I most identify with. Many of the criticisms people have of her, I take personally because they are traits I have. That being said, there were moments in S2 that I hated her. And all of them centered around the same theme.

Dig would say to me the same thing he said to Oliver, I didn't have a problem with Felicity until Barry Allen.

To say I dislike Barry is understatement. But, for the most part, this post isn't about him directly, though he will be referenced a few times.

Oliver was not wrong.

Let me repeat that, because most people seem to want to jump all over him because Barry is "so sweet". Remember, we, as an audience, know that Barry Allen is destined to become a well-known super-hero. But let's say he wasn't and committed the exact same actions. Would people be so forgiving of him?  So, no, Oliver wasn't wrong to call him out.

Felicity was wrong in not bothering to see Oliver's side in all this. And if she was so right that he was a good guy, wouldn't a responsible good guy to to someone with that information? And said information would not only endanger Oliver, but Dig and herself? That was Oliver's point and it was a fair one.

But no, because he was awkward and had a tragic backstory, his actions should be forgiven and forgotten and Oliver raked over the coals for sharing his concerns.

I know Oliver is far from perfect. That's pretty much the theme of the show. I know he doesn't make the right choices often. But he's learning and that's what we're watching. That journey of learning from his many mistakes.

So, yes, Felicity, Barry did save Oliver's life but sorry, you don't have the complete upper hand there. What if Barry had made his train? Then what? And Oliver had just almost died so he earned the right to be snippy at the guy who lied to all of you and could possibly bring all your world's crashing down.

And this isn't even taking into consideration the whole jealousy thing.

Then, after the Christmas break we find out Felicity is sitting vigil at the bedside of a guy she knew for a whole week. She spent more time with him in a coma than awake. And she was gone a lot. Guess what Felicity, that job you hate you have? If anyone else was your boss, including your old IT job, you wouldn't have that luxury to take off and do that. Where was your apology or recognition for that?

And Felicity, you know that Arrow work is stressful and life-or-death. Your error (and it was an error) was costly. And yes, he overreacted, but so did you. Oh, so did you. And then when you knew he was in the field, your nasty comment? Too far.

But after all that, who apologized? Oliver. Because he's learning.

Then, she finds out later that Iris exists and is quite important in a romantic way to Barry. And she's rightly hurt but where's her indignation about that? Nowhere. That's where. And it's unfair.

So much rage about that. Anyways, why I'm Team Oliver even more, came up because of these episodes.

I love Sara. Not just because of her name either. But I am far from a fan of her and Oliver's relationship. But I understand it.

For her, this was the guy she was "in love with" since she was a teenager. And they went through something together no one else would understand. And he was a reminder of who she used to be. That being said, Oliver was her rebound because she was never over Nyssa. Who she was actually in love with.

But this is about Oliver. I've read people say how could he get with Sara when he knew he was in love with Felicity. I do believe he was not only in love with her at this point, but also realized it (these are two different things by the way). I've also read that Felicity is pining of Oliver while he wasn't interested yet. To which I say, what show are you watching? Because the one I am watching has Oliver Queen way more in love with Felicity and pining for her than the other way around.

Think about it from Oliver's perspective. He knows she thinks he's attractive. And he knows he's attractive. He spent years trading in on that. So, her liking watching him work out means very little in this matter. And yes, he plays up to it because he likes having Felicity's attention. That being said, after Russia (which is another point), she tells him he deserves better. Not making it about her at all (when it was all about her). Then she openly defends the guy who lied to her (about multiple things) against him. And then mentions that same guy is the first guy that's been interested in her in a long time. Meaning she hasn't noticed how Oliver sees her. So, from his point of view, she's not even remotely interested in him.

What should he do at that point?

Sara comes to him and, like above, she shares something with him no one else does. Also, looking at all the women he dated thus far, he feels a need to "fix" them. Whether they need it or not. (See, Helena and even a bit of McKenna, who I loved.) He feels guilt over what happened to Sara (and some of it is on him, true). So, after all this, he feels he owes her a chance at a relationship because the person he actually wants isn't giving him anything.

He loves Sara. He likely always will As he does her sister. But he was never in love with either of them. Loving and being in love are two different things.

Even though I'm not happy about it, I even understand the Isabel situation. Remember, we've already established he's learning. In Oliver's mind, he was protecting Felicity by sleeping with Isabel. That proves to Isabel that Felicity isn't his piece of fluff and Oliver is the king of self-sabotage. He likely didn't think Felicity would find out but at the same time, if she did, it's proof for her that he can't be good for her.

Because he honestly believes that. That he's not good enough for someone who isn't as damaged as he is (see Sara). But he's trying.

And he did mean it when he told her he loved her. Because he knew it may be his last chance. IT happened to help the plan. Which, I believe that he told Felicity that he needed her help and to just go with whatever he said so he could slip her the syringe. And of course she agreed. But I don't even think he knew exactly what he was going to say until they go there. But he said something because Felicity wouldn't just blindly go with him without asking some questions.

So yeah, I'm Team Oliver. And I have a feeling, with all the spoilers we've been getting, I will continue to be. And yes, that means disliking Felicity again. (Don't get me wrong, I don't just forgive and handwave Oliver's actions. There's been times I've been very upset with him. But I understand where he's coming from.)

That being said, after tonight's season premiere, I reserve my right to completely change my mind!

EDITED TO ADD:
The episode is over and yes, I'm more Team Oliver than ever.

Entry #7: Like FedEx, UPS and DHL Combined

I am a shipper. I ship. It's what I do. I watch something, I usually come away with a couple  or two that I root for. Mostly television, movies, books (and I mostly read romance novels). If I had to pinpoint, it is because I have watched soap operas since I was a baby. My great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother all watched them. So did my baby sitter. I didn't have a choice. Of course, I've kept up the habit all these years.

I tend to be a single-shipper instead of a multi-shipper. I rarely am cool with a character possibly being with more than one choice. (If you do, that's your business, just not my thing.) That being said, not all of those are OTPs. But there are those that I feel very strongly about. That I am not cool with them being with anyone else once the other half of that is in the picture.

That's not to say none of these people haven't had relationships before. In fact, most, if not all, of them have had someone in the past. But I now concentrate on the present and the future. And when it comes to my OTPs, they are both of those. I never wish to see them with anyone else. I think maybe, that's because that's what I want for myself. I want to see them be together. Only have eyes for each other. I don't expect it to be sunshine and rainbows.

I read often that once the couple gets together it's boring. I say rubbish to that. That just means the writers aren't talented enough to work around it. They can be a couple and it not being the center of the show. Let them hold hands when walking together. Let them give one another peck when leaving a room. Remind the other of the grocery list in the middle of a conversation. Little intimate touches when next to each other that don't draw attention. One answer the other's phone because the other is asleep next to them. It can be done!

So, I'm going to list here my Top 5 All-Time OTPs and my Top 5 Current OTPs (that is couples in media that is currently producing new product).

Top 5 All-Time OTPs
These are my ride or die pairings. The ones I love the most and for the longest. The ones I will defend (and have on a couple) no matter what.

1. Doctor/Rose Doctor Who
(Every version. These are just the three that have appeared together on screen.)

They are my number one. As I said, every single version. Yes, even One. I just love them so much. Their love story is just...it spans all of time and space and more than one universe! Beat that! I could go on and on and on and on about them. But I won't. Just know don't ever talk bad about them to me. I won't be held responsible for my action.

2. Spike/Buffy Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Another one I will defend always. Yes, I have watched the show (probably longer than you have). Yes, I know what happened in season six. None of that will sway me. I shipped them long before they were a possibility. In fact, Angel was still the main push when these two caught my eye. So, when this episode (Something Blue, season four) happened I was over the moon and thought that was it. Oh how pleasantly surprised I was. Even Joss says Spike's the one for Buffy. And he should know.

3. Luka/Abby ER

This is the couple that taught me patience. I wanted them together from the moment she asked them on their first date. Then they were just a great couple. Then the dark years came. The Carter years. But I waited. Because I knew. And eventually my patience was rewarded and A Simple Twist of Fate happened. Then Two Ships happened and I was giddy. They finally got married! Then another dark time happened that I like to pretend didn't happen. But in the end, they were THE ER couple. Only second to Doug/Carol in the all-time greats of the whole show (I like Doug/Carol, but they aren't MY couple). So, because of them, I can wait for any of my couples.

4. Erik/Christine Phantom of the Opera

I like every version of them but the musical is what made me fall in love with them. And yes, I'm a Phan that loves the movie as much as the stage show. We do exist. Anyways, my heart always breaks for them at the end. I always will Christine to make a different choice. And I have convinced myself that she goes back to him. (It's my blog and my fantasy, I can do what I want!) This is also probably the ship I've had the longest as it's been pretty much since I discovered the show when I was in middle school.

5. Barney/Robin How I Met Your Mother

Look, they got married and lived happily ever after. THE END. (It's still too soon to talk about it.)

Top 5 Current OTPs
As mentioned above, these are the ones where things could change. I may love them all a lot but it could still go terribly wrong and I could end up hating them. (It's doubtful, but you never know.) These are not in any particular order unlike the above list.

1. Jeff/Annie Community

The funny thing about a lot of these couples on this list and the one above, I didn't start their shows shipping them (there are exceptions of course). It just happened all of the sudden. This was one of them. Also, in my opinion, Joel McHale and Allison Brie have the best kissing chemistry of any two actors I've ever seen.

2. Oliver/Felicity Arrow

I didn't even ship them by the end of the first season. I wasn't against them but I wasn't all out on them either. Then a switch flipped and now they are pretty much taking over my life. I am so nervous about this up coming season. I just know the writers have the potential to mess it up. Anyways, why this picture? Because it precedes my favorite moment of theirs. Which is this:

3. Ethan/Brona Penny Dreadful

Ugh. You don't know pain until you ship these two. I never thought I'd ever want to see Billie Piper with anyone not played by David Tennant. Then this happened. And, well, Ethan better have meant it when he said, "Then I'll love what she becomes."

4. Clint/Natasha Marvel Cinematic Universe

This also bleeds over to the comics, but mainly it's the movies. I mean, she made the Avengers happen because they took him. They beat the snot out of each other and it was fantastic. THE ARROW NECKLACE. I'm hoping the one rumor floating about proves false, but no matter, I still love them.

5. Hayley/Elijah The Originals

From the spoilers from season two thus far, I'm unimpressed. But their chemistry can't be denied and I will never forget the beauty of their season one arc.

Bonus Ship:
Hannah Baxter/Peter Carlisle  Secret Diary of a Call Girl/Blackpool (Complications Minor)

I don't have a picture for these two because, well, I made it up!

I wrote a novel-length fic about this crossover pairing. Because I just knew these two characters would hit it off. Now I can't accept them with anyone else!

Of course I have many others. I didn't even touch on the world of soap operas. But even with those, I'd say these are still my main ones.

Entry #3: A Talent I Lack But Wish To Have

I really hadn't forgot to make a post this week. I just didn't know what to post about. I didn't have the time to dedicate to a more substantial topic and never could fully form an idea.

So, instead I'm going to post some of my favorite fan vids, covering several fandoms. Because that's how I roll.

I wish I had the talent/time/patience/know-how to make fan vids. I have ideas. I songs picked out. I have the vids storyboarded in my head. I'm the same way about Photoshop. For now, I'll leave it to the professionals.

My two favorite vids of all time come from Doctor Who.

First, "Scattered" by Di Wey. It's set to my favorite Muse song (actually this vid is the reason why it's my favorite Muse song), "Map of the Problematique."

Next, "Touched" by HRS1812, which uses "Touched" by VAST. It's just fantastic and about my OTP to end all OTPs, Doctor/Rose.

Moving on to True Blood; specifically, Eric Northman. Of course there are many vids set to Mumford and Sons' "Little Lion Man" but this is the one that just...fits. It's by lolilie.

Go Human Beings! Yes, it's time to Chang to Community. There are many famous (even infamous) fanvids for this show but this Girl With a Dragon Tattoo mash-up is the one I've rewatched the most. It uses the trailer cut of Karen O/Trent Reznor's "The Immigrant's Song" and it's by saroufims93.

A current trend is to use Lorde's cover of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". This is my pick of that liter (at least thus far) and it's by KristinaOrtutova. I have no shame in my love of The Originals, especially, Elijah and his and Haley's relationship.

They say your OTP is the couple you think of when you hear Coldplay's "Fix You." Well, that will always be The Doctor and Rose for me. However, I'm really fond of this Oliver/Felicity of Arrow version, also by KristinaOrtutova. (And as they are the couple currently taking up most of my brain, I can share.)

I couldn't possibly not have my number two OTP, Spike and Buffy of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on here. I have many songs I associate with them, but "Poison and Wine" by The Civil Wars is one of the most perfect that I can't associate with anyone else. This is by SpuffyPr0ductions and she called it "I Still Choose You".

I am a complete sucker for epic moments set to 30 Seconds to Mars' "This Is War". There are many I could choose from, but I'm going to to go with the first one I saw. It's by agentofchaos and it's all Harry Potter.

I'm going to finish with my current favorite vid. It's the MCU up through Thor 2 (as Cap 2 isn't in an easily accessible HD format, I'm sure.) It's by lim and according to them, the music is "Festivo" by Keiichi Suzuki.