Clock Tower Theater: Fanfic, Fan Music Videos and Art

[leopardprint]

4 hours ago, SmallScreenDiva said:

I'm just starting to. Just finished reading "Discovery" and that was rather well done, heartbreaking but in a good way :)

I liked "The Reckoning", if only for the dressing down Felicity gives Oliver for his S5 stupidity. She has great range. 

[Hiveminder]

I just read Never Enough by olicitydaydream.  It's really adorable, and completely angst free.

[Mellowyellow]

Do you guys read happy fics during angsty times or angsty fics during happy times?

Now that cannon is ok, I am finding my tolerance for angst is much higher. Sometimes I welcome it despite fluffy, tooth rotting stuff being more my preference. 

Does anyone here read stories with unhappy endings?

[Hiveminder]

14 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

Do you guys read happy fics during angsty times or angsty fics during happy times?

Now that cannon is ok, I am finding my tolerance for angst is much higher. Sometimes I welcome it despite fluffy, tooth rotting stuff being more my preference. 

Does anyone here read stories with unhappy endings?

I find that I can usually take angsty fics much better during happy times, but there's been so much angsty fic this season and over the last summer (and I read most of it because I'm pretty much a non-stop reader) that even now when Olicity are in a good place I get frustrated when I see yet another angsty fic.  I've seen a lot more happy fics since 5.23, but after a season where it seemed like everyone was working out their frustrations with Oliver in fic I just want happy Olicity.  I guess I like a mix, leaning towards slightly more happy than angsty, regardless of what's actually going on in the show, but I'm kind of burned out on all the angst right now.

That actually reminded me of a thought I had the other day about how the BMD and season five has seemed to color how the fandom reacts to Olicity angst in fics.  I was reading the comments on an older fic (season 1- 2ish) that was moderately angsty, and all the comments were about how these two idiots needed to start communicating and get together already.  There was a lot of sympathy for both Oliver and Felicity.  I couldn't help but compare those comments in my head to the comments I'm sure the fic would get if it was written now.  I imagine a lot less sympathy toward Oliver and a lot more comments on how Felicity should just drop him because a lot of readers have just lost all sympathy and patience with show Oliver and that bleeds into how they view the actions of whatever fic Oliver they're reading.  I feel like the comments section on fics has just gotten a lot angrier as the show has gotten dumber.

Edited June 14, 2017 by Hiveminder

[leopardprint]

32 minutes ago, Hiveminder said:

I imagine a lot less sympathy toward Oliver and a lot more comments on how Felicity should just drop him because a lot of readers have just lost all sympathy and patience with show Oliver and that bleeds into how they view the actions of whatever fic Oliver they're reading.  I feel like the comments section on fics has just gotten a lot angrier as the show has gotten dumber.

This is me, except I don't leave comments. 

[Mellowyellow]

3 minutes ago, leopardprint said:

This is me, except I don't leave comments. 

haha someone left a comment for me (referring to Oliver): What's that idiot going to do now?

Cracked me up so much because I could tell that she was channeling S5 Oliver and assuming anything he did was going to be stupid. 

[leopardprint]

There was a future child in the past fic that had Felicity constantly sending Oliver hilariously angry text messages but the author ended up removing it because the comments were too mean to Oliver. I really felt they were the perfect amount of angry. ?

Edited June 14, 2017 by leopardprint

[SmallScreenDiva]

9 hours ago, leopardprint said:

I liked "The Reckoning", if only for the dressing down Felicity gives Oliver for his S5 stupidity. She has great range. 

I started it, then quickly stopped. My annoyance at Susan Williams is still too great, even if Felicity was pointing out Oliver's stupidity. I'll save it for later ... much later.

11 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

"In the Light of Day" is one of my favourites of hers (I adore AUs though!). You have to read it!!!!!!!!!!

Yup, it's cute :) I also like "Wait for It" and "I Don't Want To Fall In Love." I like that they are (almost) all oneshots and yet long enough that I feel satisfied after reaching the ending.

[Mellowyellow]

She definitely has a way with words that writer! I don't harass authors but there are a few I love so much I have to resist the urge to leave them comments saying "Please go off and write more stuff for me to read. Plzzzzzzzzzzzzz."

[leopardprint]

13 minutes ago, SmallScreenDiva said:

I started it, then quickly stopped. My annoyance at Susan Williams is still too great, even if Felicity was pointing out Oliver's stupidity. I'll save it for later ... much later.

Hahahahaha, I understand, I only can get through the ones where she is barely mentioned as a prelude to Felicity yelling at Oliver for being a selfish idiot. 

That author has really mastered the one shot. They always end satisfactorily but without seeming rushed or abrupt. 

Edited June 14, 2017 by leopardprint

[BkWurm1]

Quote

Does anyone here read stories with unhappy endings?

Only ones that have sequels to make it all better, but even those only by accident.  

[Guest]

Does anyone know if The Darkest Hour will be continued? I've been re-reading it and I'm desperate for more!

[apinknightmare]

12 minutes ago, Angel12d said:

Does anyone know if The Darkest Hour will be continued? I've been re-reading it and I'm desperate for more!

@wonderwall talks to the author. I think at one point she said there's one more chapter left, but I could be wrong about that. 

[SmallScreenDiva]

I just need to get this off my chest. Please, please, please, fanfic authors, do not refer to Tommy Merlyn as "the brunette." Because that spelling is typically used for women (brunet for men, but it looks odd and, according to my editor friends, if a word looks odd on a page it's probably not a good idea to use). Also, maybe just reevaluate the whole use of hair color for identify characters. Pronouns are good. Names are good. Thank you. 

[bijoux]

26 minutes ago, apinknightmare said:

@wonderwall talks to the author. I think at one point she said there's one more chapter left, but I could be wrong about that. 

She posted it with her last update. I'm anxious for that final chapter as well, but I do believe it's coming, even if it might take a while.

[leopardprint]

Along the same lines, is TV Oliver really blond? I feel like his hair is pretty solidly brown so everytime I read about the blond smiled at the blonde. I'm like who? 

Also, Felicity is not short. 

#nitpicking 

Edited June 14, 2017 by leopardprint

[Hiveminder]

50 minutes ago, leopardprint said:

Along the same lines, is TV Oliver really blond? I feel like his hair is pretty solidly brown so everytime I read about the blond smiled at the blonde. I'm like who? 

Also, Felicity is not short. 

#nitpicking 

He's more of a light brown/dirty blond, but in my family everyone has dark brown hair. So I'm always confused when people call him brown haired because I picture my own hair color. (Although I'd definitely call it brown in season five. It was lighter in earlier seasons.)

I hate when people describe Felicity as some tiny little pixie and Oliver as a giant. I feel like they're projecting some kind of outdated big man/little woman fantasy. They both seem fairly average sized to me with Oliver firmly on the taller/muscular end of the average spectrum. 

[BkWurm1]

1 hour ago, SmallScreenDiva said:

I just need to get this off my chest. Please, please, please, fanfic authors, do not refer to Tommy Merlyn as "the brunette." Because that spelling is typically used for women (brunet for men, but it looks odd and, according to my editor friends, if a word looks odd on a page it's probably not a good idea to use). Also, maybe just reevaluate the whole use of hair color for identify characters. Pronouns are good. Names are good. Thank you. 

Ha!  I nearly posted about this exact thing.  It was so weird and random in an otherwise good story.  And it's not like he was some unknown character.  He was Tommy, Oliver's BFF who then is referred to as if he's some stranger hanging around with no other identifiable characteristic.  

[Mellowyellow]

This was pretty damn cute!!!!!!!

Delicacies Worth Chasing After

On another note I rage every time I see that Jason Todd story pop up in the queue I'm browsing! It's completely irrelevant to Arrow so piss off!!!!!!!

[bettername2come]

I really liked this fanvideo.

[tv echo]

Arrow always seems like a much better show when I watch good fan vids or that cinematography reel by Corey Robson - maybe because it's mostly visuals and I don't have to think about things like bad dialogue, plot holes, or character regressions.

[Hiveminder]

I don't know if anyone else is following We loved with a love that was more than love, but I've mostly enjoyed it so far. It's a soulmate fic, and in the latest update Felicity just learned that Oliver is alive.  (I figured that's not really a spoiler since the tags say that the island happens.) I have hopes for this one, but I swear if the author does the whole Oliver tries to stay away from Felicity for ages and everything happens almost exactly like the show I'll scream.  I've read that many times before.

[Morrigan2575]

I was reading it but, the author kind of lost me a couple of chapters back. Seemed a little too heavy on the angst and the need to use misunderstanding/secrets/lies to keep them apart and drag everything out.

Obviously that might have changed since I stopped reading. 

[Hiveminder]

39 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I was reading it but, the author kind of lost me a couple of chapters back. Seemed a little too heavy on the angst and the need to use misunderstanding/secrets/lies to keep them apart and drag everything out.

Obviously that might have changed since I stopped reading. 

That frustrated me too. I'm hoping she got the secrets and misunderstandings out of the way with that and won't bring it all back up again, but I've learned that some people just love that kind of thing in their stories for some reason. 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Hiveminder said:

I don't know if anyone else is following We loved with a love that was more than love, but I've mostly enjoyed it so far. It's a soulmate fic, and in the latest update Felicity just learned that Oliver is alive.  (I figured that's not really a spoiler since the tags say that the island happens.) I have hopes for this one, but I swear if the author does the whole Oliver tries to stay away from Felicity for ages and everything happens almost exactly like the show I'll scream.  I've read that many times before.

I've been reading that fic. I've enjoyed it, though the first couple of island "Interlude" chapters lost me a bit so I'm waiting until it skips ahead before I continue. 

It's so weird but my tolerance for misunderstandings in fics and super slow burns or where O/F are apart and dating others for a while has completely disappeared. I used to enjoy fics like that but now I find it annoys me easily. 

[Hiveminder]

30 minutes ago, Angel12d said:

I've been reading that fic. I've enjoyed it, though the first couple of island "Interlude" chapters lost me a bit so I'm waiting until it skips ahead before I continue. 

It's so weird but my tolerance for misunderstandings in fics and super slow burns or where O/F are apart and dating others for a while has completely disappeared. I used to enjoy fics like that but now I find it annoys me easily. 

For me, I have a low tolerance for people being dumb, especially when it's clearly just a contrivance to keep two characters apart, and the show itself has taken up all the contrived dumbassery allowance I have to give. Added to that is that I'm bored with what I'm reading lately. Authors keep doing the same things, following the same patterns, and the writing is very rarely enough to elevate the story enough that I don't care that I predict all the beats the author is going to hit because I've read this story ten times before. 

And, a lot of times the authors that are good enough to make me not care are writing things like character pieces that are trying to make sense of what happened on the show, and I'm tired of reading about all the dumb shit that happened on the show. I want something new, with characters who act like smart people. 

[statsgirl]

Something a bit different -- the premise of A Bringer of New Things by onanomotopoeia is intriguing -- what if  Felicity was the one who accidentally become pregnant (failed birth control) by fratboy Oliver rather than Samantha, and she acted like a mature young adult instead of, you know, the way Samantha acted.  It's a WIP and only four chapters are up but it's well written and I find it interesting.

[BkWurm1]

That's a good one.  Pity it's only at chapter 4 with no exact timeline for more updates.  (Though it sounds like her next chapter is close to being ready)  She does a good job with showing Ollie waking up and realizing he wants to be a better person.  (And yes, I deliberately typed Ollie not Oliver, he's not Oliver quite yet, lol)  I was pleased that he never comes off cruel or dumb just that casual thoughtlessness of the initial hook up.  It's a fine line to be able to write him as that guy while still making him seem worth rooting for.  He's already a better version of himself in the 4th chapter compared to where he was in the Pilot episode.  

Yeah, I'll have to bookmark that one for updates.  Thanks for the suggestion.  

Edited June 16, 2017 by BkWurm1

[Mellowyellow]

S5 has killed my tolerance of temporary LIs for Olicity in fics. O and F must be utterly charmed by each other and I will not stand for anything less. 

I can deal with misunderstandings about stuff or stupidity about stuff but no temp LIs.

Unless it's Ray but no one ever sticks Ray in a story as a viable and decent temporary LI. They all make him super evil. I practically cheer when I find a fic where he's over enthusiastic but sweet and not some mustache twirling villain. 

[BkWurm1]

3 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

S5 has killed my tolerance of temporary LIs for Olicity in fics.

Lol, I don't think I ever had any. ?

[Mellowyellow]

59 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

Lol, I don't think I ever had any. ?

When I first started reading fics I used to tolerate a lot of fics that seemed to make a huge deal out of Oliver's lingering feelings for Laurel (feelings that were non existent in show may I add) because they were extremely well written.

Now the more fics I read, well written is not enough because there is some fabulous stuff out there with smitten Olicity which is totally more my jam. 

[BkWurm1]

So on AO3 there's a decidedly anti Olicity writer that has some big fix it they've been posting where just from the descriptions you can tell they've decided to make Felicity the cause of some horrible disaster that they need to go back in time to stop from happening.  I ignore it for the most part but there was a one shot that I couldn't help but take a look at. It was called "A Canary's grief" (and yes, they didn't capitalize that last word in the title) and the summary was: After Oliver's death, a grieving Laurel has a confrontation with Felicity at Oliver's grave.  It was just 700 words and tagged "not for Felicity fans".  I couldn't resist. 

So apparently it's 2024 and Laurel and Oliver had been happily married for years working with the JL but twelve years ago Felicity somehow used her influence over Oliver to keep him from killing Slade who has now killed him during a mission, thus making it all her fault.  Thea's dead too for reason's unknown as well and again, Felicity's fault.  And they've not talked to her in twelve years because instead of Adrian Chase being Prometheus, it was a brainwashed Roy.  Again, somehow this is Felicity's fault, lol.  (Oh but Laurel and Felicity still somehow worked together on the team for three years.  The sound of high heels are traumatic for Laurel)

But Roy is Laurel's buddy who quickly shows up after Laurel tells Felicity she to blame for everything to usher Laurel off protectively so as not to stress the baby, (but quietly so as not to let Felicity know the child exists!)  First though, Laurel banishes Felicity from Star City threatening to expose the truth about her being the one that created that virus the Cooper used against the city.  Because again for reasons unknown, Laurel is the one that ended up with Malcolm's secret lair recordings, including one where Felicity admits to having created the Super Virus.  

Oh and then Laurel decides Roy should now call her Dinah.  Because Laurel died with Ollie.  

I can't stop shaking my head.  

Edited June 19, 2017 by BkWurm1

[Mellowyellow]

Bahahahaha

Omg!!!! That is just too funny!!!!!! All that in 700 words? Impressive!

How many kudos? Is their kind loving it?

BAHAHAHAHA

Maybe they had some demons they REALLY needed to exorcise?

[BkWurm1]

47 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

How many kudos?

Four.  :D

[Mellowyellow]

37 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

Four.  :D

I suppose we should be thankful they didn't tag it as Olicity and then do a bait and switch. 

[LeighAn]

Is that the one that always write Lauriver fan fiction but tags it Olicity so it can get more hits? 

[bijoux]

geneeste wrote a pretty good post-finale one shot. It's got nice quiet, but meaningful Olicity and OTA moments but there are a few things that bother me and make me think that she's possibly not watching the show anymore.

Spoiler

It's two weeks after the explosions and (most of the) people on the island are on a tender heading for a bigger ARGUS boat. Thea and Slade are not mentioned, yet William is there. Why? This isn't even against the character, but it's been two weeks, and Oliver and Lyla dug the team out from underground. Why would they have taken William back to the island? And while Thea is the more glaring omission, I think Slade should have been mentioned as well. He was there with everybody, after all.

[Mellowyellow]

Aiiii I got so excited reading this fic where Felicity was married to Ray but widowed and then is supposed to meet Oliver (that's what it sounded like in the summary) thinking "Ohh possible tormented love triangle with my favourite trio."

Of course they made Ray evil!!!!! *sigh* 

One day someone will write a triangle where Ray is not evil! I live in hope! 

[Hiveminder]

1 minute ago, Mellowyellow said:

Aiiii I got so excited reading this fic where Felicity was married to Ray but widowed and then is supposed to meet Oliver (that's what it sounded like in the summary) thinking "Ohh possible tormented love triangle with my favourite trio."

Of course they made Ray evil!!!!! *sigh* 

One day someone will write a triangle where Ray is not evil! I live in hope! 

I just read that one. I think I've been skipping over it until now because I thought it was a different fic. 

I wouldn't call it a triangle. There's definitely no will she go with Ray or will she go with Oliver. 

[Mellowyellow]

1 minute ago, Hiveminder said:

I just read that one. I think I've been skipping over it until now because I thought it was a different fic. 

I wouldn't call it a triangle. There's definitely no will she go with Ray or will she go with Oliver. 

I thought it would be her being a mourning widow and trying to navigate her feelings for Oliver! But noooooo! Let's just make Ray evil!

I actually just stopped when they headed for Evil Ray territory! 

One of my quirks! No Evil Ray stories! 

[statsgirl]

12 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

So on AO3 there's a decidedly anti Olicity writer that has some big fix it they've been posting where just from the descriptions you can tell they've decided to make Felicity the cause of some horrible disaster that they need to go back in time to stop from happening.  I ignore it for the most part but there was a one shot that I couldn't help but take a look at. It was called "A Canary's grief" (and yes, they didn't capitalize that last word in the title) and the summary was: After Oliver's death, a grieving Laurel has a confrontation with Felicity at Oliver's grave.  It was just 700 words and tagged "not for Felicity fans".  I couldn't resist. ...

 The sound of high heels are traumatic for Laurel)

Then maybe she should have stopped wearing them.

Thank you,, I'd been wondering how the writer was going to make Felicity a villain this time, like in every other fic he/she has written.  (For some reason, I think of the writer as being male.).   Felicity is always just awful and needy and the poison in Laurel and Oliver's perfect world.

In earlier fic by that writer, many of the comments were "okaaay, but that's not who Felicity is on the show" so I guess he/she just decided to put "not for Felicity fans" in the tags.  Also should have put "not for people who like the Arrow TV show" too.

[SmallScreenDiva]

Why do I have the feeling this is the same author who killed off Felicity in one fic (when fans were still debating who the person in the grave was) and had Laurel and Oliver reconcile at her grave site?

[leopardprint]

To be fair, there have been some pretty hilariously twirly mustache portrayals of Laurel in many Olicity fics. Canonically, I think Laurel disdained/ignored Felicity at worst. 

Edited June 19, 2017 by leopardprint

[BkWurm1]

13 hours ago, LeighAn said:

Is that the one that always write Lauriver fan fiction but tags it Olicity so it can get more hits? 

Lol, I don't think so.  At least not currently.  They have been doing a lot of writing though lately so I can't avoid seeing his (I think of it as  a him as well) work.   

2 hours ago, statsgirl said:

In earlier fic by that writer, many of the comments were "okaaay, but that's not who Felicity is on the show" so I guess he/she just decided to put "not for Felicity fans" in the tags.  Also should have put "not for people who like the Arrow TV show" too.

He's screening comments this time, lol.  The author's name is "StandwithWard" and it makes me think they remain a Ward fan on AoS which is also just so wrong IMO.  But he was the alpha male character so I'm sure some are still defending his actions.  

When I first read the story, I thought Laurel was blaming Felicity for something she convinced Oliver to do in regard Slade in the present that got him killed but then I realized no, Laurel was blaming Felicity for not killing Slade in season two.  Which is son incredibly absurd since it was 100% Oliver's choice not to kill Slade and in the season, a real moment for Oliver, part of him finding that different way of being a hero that HE needed to do in order to be able to keep on putting on the mask. The idea that Felicity somehow wrongfully influenced him is even more absurd, as is a Laurel that supposedly had been happily married to him for years but somehow it's still Felicity's influence from more than a decade ago that still most affected his life, lol.  

Edited June 19, 2017 by BkWurm1

[Starfish35]

5 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

The author's name is "StandwithWard" 

Oh yeah lol.  I remember the "standswithWard" person being mentioned here before. 

[Hiveminder]

49 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

Lol, I don't think so.  At least not currently.  They have been doing a lot of writing though lately so I can't avoid seeing his (I think of it as  a him as well) work.   

He's screening comments this time, lol.  The author's name is "StandwithWard" and it makes me think they remain a Ward fan on AoS which is also just so wrong IMO.  But he was the alpha male character so I'm sure some are still defending his actions.  

When I first read the story, I thought Laurel was blaming Felicity for something she convinced Oliver to do in regard Slade in the present that got him killed but then I realized no, Laurel was blaming Felicity for not killing Slade in season two.  Which is son incredibly absurd since it was 100% Oliver's choice not to kill Slade and in the season, a real moment for Oliver, part of him finding that different way of being a hero that HE needed to do in order to be able to keep on putting on the mask. The idea that Felicity somehow wrongfully influenced him is even more absurd, as is a Laurel that supposedly had been happily married to him for years but somehow it's still Felicity's influence from more than a decade ago that still most affected his life, lol.  

Oh yes, he used to be Stand with Ward and Salvatore, but he recently changed it to Stand with Ward and Queen. I'm not really sure how I feel about that. 

Is he the same one who constantly starts sentences with the word which. I notice that because my mom does it, but not nearly as often. 

[lemotomato]

2 hours ago, leopardprint said:

To be fair, there have been some pretty hilariously twirly mustache portrayals of Laurel in many Olicity fics. Canonically, I think Laurel disdained/ignored Felicity at worst. 

I don't know... she stayed in Oliver's orbit for years even as he ran away with and proposed to another woman, and as soon as he and Felicity broke up she started with the face caressing. Then when she was seriously injured, she declared that she never stopped loving him. Who knows what she might have done if she'd survived?

[statsgirl]

3 hours ago, SmallScreenDiva said:

Why do I have the feeling this is the same author who killed off Felicity in one fic (when fans were still debating who the person in the grave was) and had Laurel and Oliver reconcile at her grave site?

I think it's the same author because in that fic Oliver regains his sanity once Felicity is dead and realizes he loves Laura and that's a common theme in those fic.  The author has 38 Arrow fic a AO3, and the theme is always how great Laurel is and perfect for Oliver.

[Mellowyellow]

28 minutes ago, lemotomato said:

I don't know... she stayed in Oliver's orbit for years even as he ran away with and proposed to another woman, and as soon as he and Felicity broke up she started with the face caressing. Then when she was seriously injured, she declared that she never stopped loving him. Who knows what she might have done if she'd survived?

I'm TOTALLY with you on this! 

Haha I don't think she was a super villain but I can see her working herself up to a point where she would think slipping a little arsenic into Felicity's dinner was a good idea so she can get Oliver back again! 

[LeighAn]

56 minutes ago, lemotomato said:

I don't know... she stayed in Oliver's orbit for years even as he ran away with and proposed to another woman, and as soon as he and Felicity broke up she started with the face caressing. Then when she was seriously injured, she declared that she never stopped loving him. Who knows what she might have done if she'd survived?

If Laurel had survived I'd see her working the shoulder to lean on angle, offering Oliver to come over late at night "just to talk" while being the best girlfriend to Felicity by encouraging her to move on from Oliver and start dating other people. Cause she's a good person, you guys. 

23 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

I'm TOTALLY with you on this! 

Haha I don't think she was a super villain but I can see her working herself up to a point where she would think slipping a little arsenic into Felicity's dinner was a good idea so she can get Oliver back again! 

My favourite part of 4x18 was when Oliver told her that what he wanted most was for her to leave Team Arrow to become a full time lawyer and her getting that little "oh?Really?"  look on her face.

Edited June 20, 2017 by LeighAn