for arrowfam week day one: "ghost" and "grow"

(set sometime around ga vol 7, but not exactly accurate based on current timelines within the run. suspend your disbelief with me for a sec.)

--

There’s a girl sitting at Mia’s desk.

Not that that’s unusual, or anything. Mia might come from a family of famous caped crusaders, but the vigilante business doesn’t exactly pay well enough for Ollie to foot all of her bills in the heart of Star City. She has roommates – two of them, actually, girls who have known each other since college but needed a third while so-and-so is studying abroad for a year, blah blah blah – and they’ve been known to sneak in to use her desk so that they both aren’t stuck studying at the kitchen table like they’re in the opening scenes of a Dickinson novel or whatever.

The point is, people sit at Mia’s desk sometimes. It happens, and normally it wouldn’t bother her, even coming home from work this late. Even after she spent all evening cleaning up the cafeteria in the community center after some kind of Bean Incident none of the kids would blab about, no matter how much she tried to wheedle it out of them.

Anyway. That’s not what bothers her. The thing that bothers her, actually, doesn’t hit until the girl looks up at her. The hood of her sweatshirt falls back from her head, revealing a shock of bright pastel hair, and Mia doesn’t know anyone with that hair color but –

But she knows those soft brown eyes. She knows that dimple in the left cheek, accompanying the uncertain smile.

“Lian,” she says. “What. The fuck.”

And then she slaps a hand over her mouth, and the laughter spills between her fingers despite her best efforts. “I mean, shit, I shouldn’t — goddammit, Roy is going to be so mad at me for cussing, but I —what?”

“Um.” Lian shrugs. It is her, after all; her voice sounds exactly like Cheshire, somehow, but the way her eyes crinkle at the corners is all Roy. “Hi.”

Mia stumbles into the room, sets her duffle bag to the ground with a thump that feels more like an earthquake. She drops down onto her unmade bed and stares – not bothering to hide her astonishment, her disbelief – at Lian, somehow so much older, somehow exactly the same.

“If I’m being haunted, you legally have to tell me,” Mia insists.

Lian shrugs. The toes of her sneakers drag against the floor as she kicks her feet, hands gripping the sides of her seat. “Nope. Not a ghost.”

Well. It’s not as weird as it sounds, probably. Roy had come back, and Ollie had, too, hadn’t he? But Mia… Mia had been there when Lian died. Sort of. Or at least, it was her not being there that had done it, and she’d done everything she could to find a loophole, but there had never been one. Nothing. She’d been gone; it had sat in Mia’s stomach like a weight, like a rock she’d swallowed and couldn’t spit back out.

“Clone?” she tried.

Lian shook her head. “Mm-nn.”

“Hallucination.”

“Nope.”

“Prank?”

“Only from the universe.”

“Alternate dimension.”

“Maybe.”

“Well,” Mia said.

And then she swallowed.

And then her breath came out in a flurry of hysterical giggles again, a fountain she just couldn’t stop, and she dropped her face into her hands and let the flood come, let it pour out of her chest like an open wound.

“Fuck,” Mia hissed. “I—Fuck me. God. Lian, does Roy, does your dad know?”

Lian hums her confirmation. “He’s on the roof. He and Uncle Connor brought me to see you.”

“They’re…?” Mia pushes off the bed and stomps over to the window. She throws open the glass and leans out, looking upward.

Sure enough, a grappling hook arrow is hooked into the brick of her building with a rope dangling down. That must be how Lian got in. Mia should really start locking her windows, but it’s just so much easier to make a quick escape that way instead of going out the front door.

She doesn’t give a fuck about the neighbors, so she shouts as loud as she can. “Hey! Assholes!”

Two heads peek over the edge at her, one with shaggy red hair and one with a series of blonde braids. Connor, at least, has the decency to wave. Roy just raises an eyebrow at her, like she’s the one inconveniencing him.

Ugh. Brothers.

“What the fuck?” she shouts. “How did she get so tall?”

Roy snorts, and it echoes off the building next door. “Blame the multiverse, or something!”

“I can hear you,” Lian offers.

Mia waves a hand. “Shut up, I’ll deal with you in a minute. The adults are speaking.”

Lian huffs, and Mia can practically hear the eyeroll. As if she doesn’t get enough crap from the kids she works with all damn day, now she’s got a bratty teenager who’s going to be expecting a cool aunt she can come play hooky with, or whatever kids do. Mia wouldn’t know; she didn’t exactly have aunts and uncles to set an example.

“Can you at least come down here and walk me through it, instead of sitting around like two old farts at a chess tournament?” Mia demands.

On the streets below, someone must take offense to their big family reunion. Mia hears the distant – but distinct – sounds of someone telling her to shut the fuck up, lady! from the sidewalk.

Star City. Gotta love it.

“Fine, fine,” Connor says. He’s still smiling, though, and she watches as he pulls a rope arrow from his quiver. “Give us a second. Arsenal’s not as young as he once was.”

Roy lets out some kind of offended comment at that, Mia’s sure, but she doesn’t pay him any attention. Instead, she turns to face Lian again and all but tackles her, trapping her head in the bend of an elbow and ruffling her hair as she squeals.

“And you, you little brat,” Mia says, holding on tight as Lian laughs and tries to wriggle free, “are going to tell me everything.”

Set Them by the Door

Summary: It’s hard to say not to a favor when Oliver Queen is the one asking, but it becomes nearly impossible after meeting Roy and Lian.

a/n: Happy birthday to @pricetagofficial! This fic was based on “i’m the lawyer helping you get custody of your daughter and oops you’re all kinds of adorable with her and also i think she’s growing attached to me is this good or bad” au from this prompt list.

warnings: I know little to nothing about custody battles. This was a messy but fun fic to write so it's written in stream of consciousness.

"Well, what do you think?"

 You look up from the case notes Ollie's handed you. "It's..." And well, it's not great. Dozens of misdemeanors, charges for assault, a juvie record, and oh, a history of drug possession. You always want to read that on a client's file, especially for a custody battle. "Ollie, I'll be straight with you," and boy, that's hard with that hopeful look Ollie's got, "It's a long shot and I mean long. Hail mary long."

 "You said that about your last case."

 You run your hand through your hair. That was because I was working with a single mother, you want to say but don't because that hope in his eyes steel, and yeah, that's that. "You're gonna run me out of miracle juice, huh old man?" Fucking hell, Ollie. You look at the file again. The client isn't bad looking which would help. You're gonna pray he never shows up to trial with a black eye or a split lip. His features hook on you though too bright and distinct not to leave an imprint in your memory. "He from the center?"

 "No."

 This, too, catches you. Ollie's altruism is impressive but it has limits. He's got a bank account that would take you a few lifetimes to catch up with but it's not bottomless, not enough to save everyone in this city. But that's not it, is it?

 "Who is he?"

 Ollie shifts. There's a strange flicker in his expression. You brace yourself for some brick to hit you in the face. Ollie's revelations feel a lot like that sometimes and you wish he'd come up with a way to ease people into it.  "He's one of mine."

 Well, that you weren't prepared for.

 You blink. "Like a minion?"

 Ollie balks at you. "First of all, what would I need minions for?"

 You shrug. "I dunno all you commies seem to have 'em."

 "Hal is younger than that joke," Ollie groans.

 You smile and lean back, flipping through the files again, careful not to get the coffee you're sipping on it.  "How come I've never met him?"

 "We..." Ollie goes quiet for a second. It's a bloated pause as he searches for a way to explain too many things at once. "We had a rough patch and apparently, all my kids think I'm embarrassing."

 "You are."

 Ollie scowls at you but you just shrug again.

 "But I've met Connor and Mia but not Roy."

 "Like I said rough patch." There's a twitch in Ollie's jaw, a kind of guilt that worms under your skin. You soften. You flip through the papers again before standing up. Ollie was always about second chances and sadly, the old man has rubbed off on you. And fuck, you and your bank account hate him for it.

 "Ollie, I'll... see what I can do."

 ()

 The first time you meet Roy Harper. He's late. Almost an hour late. You're in the middle of your lunch late. You're going to throw a half-eaten salad at him late. But ultimately, it's Lian who keeps you from throwing the scruffy-looking man out.

 That and the possibility of being charged with assault.

 The first thing you realize is that Roy is pretty harmless. Sure, he's got arms that look like they could manually decapitate someone, and sure, they're lined with tattoos, but he's harmless to you and more importantly Lian.  Lian is, in fact, very relaxed around Roy and hides behind him until you tell her you're a friend of Ollie's. She looks at him like he's the whole world. A complete and utter trust.

Your secretary, Jess, looks at once smitten and aggrieved as Roy reschedules another appointment. You can sympathize. The man has very interesting clavicles. It's going to be a lot easier for you if the jury will be as smitten with Roy and be able to skate past that mile-long juvie record. You shrug and pull your own phone out.

 "Hi Dinah, yeah, no, this isn't an emergency. Just wanna know if Lian is with you. Mmhmm, yeah. Could I maybe... I know, I know, you're gonna say yes though." There's a sigh.  "Relax, I'm not going to teach her poker. Oh, Ollie already— Ha! See, there is nothing worse I could teach her."

 Jess frowns at you.

 "What?"

 "Are you even legally allowed to meet with the kid like that?"

 "Yes," you lie.

You might have agreed to help them, but you're still not getting the full picture of this whole thing.

 With all the missed appointments, you're starting to get antsy and maybe a little suspicious. Besides, you need to interview Lian and Dinah's there as a legal member of the family so if you squint at it, you're just following protocol.

 Normally, you conducted these interviews during the first meeting but that meeting was cut short. Very short. So, here you are now, invading the Queen's kitchen, competing for counter space with Dinah who is making Mac and Cheese and has, reasonably, not offered you any. She does very much know that this is not protocol.

 The interview is going well. Roy's, as you confirmed, a good dad from Lian's perspective and seems to be able to provide her with both emotional and fiscal support. If helping your kid out with math homework on practically no sleep doesn’t count as love, you don’t know what does.  The stories Lian tells you make you soft and a little guilty about going behind Roy's back. You'll apologize— eventually.

 “Do you not trust my dad?” Lian asks with a grounded-out look that kicks you between the ribs.

 I don’t— I didn’t, is what you think, is what you would say reflexively, but through better judgment, you say, “I’m a lawyer.”

 Lian scrunches her face. You are pretty sure she likes you a lot less. That’s … fine. It’s fine. You’re not upset at all.

 You press your fingers together as your eyes cut away. “I trust your dad— I do! It’s just that…” You wave your hands vaguely. “... Lian, I’ll be honest,” you say taking her hand gently, “The court won’t trust your dad.”

“But dad’s awesome!”

You smile. “He is, isn’t he?”

She returns your smile with an even bigger one. You nod. “He’s really awesome, so you have to tell me how awesome he is then you have to tell them, ok?”

She huffs but she agrees, looking a little less upset with you.

 "Yeah," you chuckle softly, packing up your suitcase. 

Roy’s at the door covered in grease and grime, looking like he’d transformed into a car just to get here. You make eye contact. A panicked, startled sound bubbles up in his throat. You look him up head to toe. He’s still in his mechanic’s uniform, probably just got off work, probably a shift covered.  “I got here as fast as I can—”

“ ‘s all good, Mr. Harper.” You shake your head.

"Satisfied?" Dinah asks, not quite as grumpy as before.

 No matter how much you think you want Lian to be in a good home, Roy wants it more. 

 This is when you decide to help them.

 Come hell or high water.

It's been a couple of months— custody battles drag on, often kicking and screaming— and the work is delightful.

 ()

 Mostly.

 The second thing you figure out, and this one is against your will, is that Roy Harper is by all accounts charming.

 "You're late again."

 Roy gives you a once over and you feel unfairly conscious. You're not wearing your full suit today, not when Star City is in the middle of a heat wave. Roy throws you a slowly, lazy grin. It's handsome. In its own way, it is. You know for a fact that that exact expression is something that gets him out of a fair amount of trouble.

 You do your very best to scowl at him.

 He holds up a box of donuts sheepishly.

 "Sit down."

 He does, biting back a grin. You roll your eyes at him. "How's Lian?" You ask, swiping a doughnut and taking a bite. It's freshly made and it's from that little store down the street. A man of good taste.

 He shrugs flopping himself on one of the seats. "Oh you know, fixating on Dinosaurs, prepping a Ted talk about ponies for Ollie,  and getting indoctrinated into hockey."

 "Oh, that's nice."

 Roy pauses.

 You pause.

 A grin creeps into his features as you look up from your papers. Your features twist and contort with a million things on your mind but the first thing that comes out is, "Couldn't she pick something civilized like football?"

 This draws out a full-bellied laugh from Roy and your cheeks are burning. "Could be worse. She could play polo," Roy says, miming swinging a polo mallet while that smirk is still plastered to his face. This induces a frankly disgusted look from you and  Roy is one step away from dying of laughter.  You fight down a smile.  "Never took you for a hockey guy. Does Star city even have a hockey team?"

 "It does," he pauses like he's reevaluating the veracity of that statement then tacks on, "But we're more of Gotham Penguins fans."

 You blink. You fail entirely to keep the shock off your face. Gotham? Star City is bad but woof, Gotham? "That's... Gotham? What, you couldn't pick a less cursed shit-hole?" You have nothing against Gotham. Nothing personal. You just take offense to its existence.

 "Hey! My best friend happens to be from that shit-hole." You snort in response.  "And honestly, he's the hockey guy."  A friend who’s been in contact with the family. Good, you think. "Speaking of which, I need some character witnesses from you. I usually ask the client for any recommendations to make things expedient. You understand."

 He nods and he does. It's a courtesy. It gets on your client's nerve sometimes but he understands.

 As he lists the names, you're realizing slowly. That it's not just you who Roy's worked his charm on. It absolves you, a little. That feeling cracks seeping into rock dulling. It helps that it's not only friends but also teachers and medical personnel.

 "Dick Grayson?"

 You've heard the name before. Somewhere.

 Roy grimaces. This territory feels a little like scorched Earth but you press on. "He's the one who figured out I was shooting up." Roy braces for something. The tension in his muscles rising as you shuffle through some papers. You only realize you haven't said anything when you notice that he's gone dead quiet.

 "That's good."

 "He knows— he saw how bad it got."

 "Better."

 “He’s a cop.”

“Spectacular.”

“He could tell the court about my drug binges!”

 “He could tell the court the man you’ve become. You telling me that he figured out you were using, didn’t haul your ass to rehab, and you’re still friends? Fuckin’ christ, Harper.”

From Roy’s face, you can tell that you’ve got your voice raised up to an 11 but you can’t find yourself caring.  “Sorry,” you mumble burying your face in your hand then repeat more clearly, “I’m sorry.”

 Roy settles back into his skin. He laughs a little. “Wouldn’t they just ignore his testimony if we’re friends?”

“Depends on how we play it,” you say, looking up from your hands, “we could go with the friend angle but since he’s a cop who’s dealt with domestic violence cases—”

“He hates those,” Roy says with a bitterly, fond smile. 

 “Good. He’ll be able to give good testimony then.”

 “That is if he agrees.”

“You’re making your friends sound stellar,” you laugh and Roy’s shoulders ease despite the terseness of the sound. “Love the guy but he’s kind of a dick.”

 ()

 "What's your poison?" Roy asks, trotting out a smile that's bright and sweet and wholly inappropriate as you look over a transcript of Dick's testimony. It's manipulative— fully, aggressively aware of it— but your scowl falters anyway. He is aware that you're supposed to show him these transcripts without being coerced, right?

 "Cyanide."

  After a moment, you slide over the transcript to Roy to see if this'll end the conversation.

 It doesn't. Please, you're not that lucky.

 "A little old school, isn't it?" He says, sliding onto the corner of the desk, because sitting on chair to read isn't good enough. You cannot fault him for wanting to show off how those jeans fit on him though.

 "Nothing better than the classics," you say, going through Wally's transcript. It's long. Too long. You did tell Jess to take everything down. Taking down even the chewing noises seems excessive though.

 "C'mon," he says, leg bouncing, "you're not about to tell me you got nothing."

 Roy's always like this when Lian is at her mom's— agitated and ready to sink his teeth into anything also long as it keeps him busy. You think about pulling something tired like alcohol or cigarettes and some sob story out of your ass but upon reflection, remember that Roy is terribly perceptive. "Ask Mia."

 He pulls a face.

 You pull a face.

 "What?" hissing, defensive.

 Roy's still got that face on him. You backtrack. “Shit Roy, I didn’t mean anything by it. All I meant was Mia has dirt on me.” His face blows wide open from the confession. A victory but at what cost. Well, at least he’s not forcing you to put money in the swear jar.

“Why the hell would you give Mia, Mia Dearden, anything to blackmail you with?”

“Because…”

“Because?” he repeats expectantly. You sigh. "I was new at the game and I didn’t know any better so I thought telling the kid something embarrassing about me would make her feel better and get her to yanno, trust me." 

 "Did it work?"

 "No, but she at least said something other than fuck off."

 “Lian’s looking less like a handful, huh?”

“Lian’s an angel.”

 "She is. Listen," Roy says, cupping the back of his neck and cutting his eyes away, "Sorry. It's just— I'm sorry. I'm usually... better than this."

 You want to remind him you blew up on him just a couple of weeks ago but then he might say it was warranted. "Roy, I work in family court. The look you gave me is pretty much child's play."

 "Yeah?"

 "You should see divorce battles. Terrible. So yeah, you're fine. I get it."

 A grimace hooks on his features. "You're too sweet, you know that?"

 You stare blank faced at Roy. Your brain is overclocking to process those words because that stupid smile on his face is blocking everything else out. Collecting yourself, you scoff. "Hal'd have a dozen things to say about that."

 "Hey, as long as you didn't screw with his truck's engine, you're golden."

 "Of course, that was you."

 There's a bit where you two fall silent. It's comfortable. The shuffling of papers and the buzz of the space heater fills the room nicely like quilt draped over your body. Then as you lull into that trance like state you get into when you read documents, the clack of a box against your deck cuts through the buzz and brain is once again forced to inhabit the same plane of existence as the rest of you.

 You look down at the box and stare at it. An ugly little card board box scribbled with crayon butterflies and dinosaurs. Giving Roy a questioning look you tap the box. "Ollie's gonna be covering your legal fees..." That's not it because Roy chuckles. "Lian asked me to give you the jewelry box she made in class."

 Roy holds it out. It's obvious from the look you're giving him that you're still confused. "Connor told us it was your birthday last Tuesday."

 "Oh." You take it carefully. It's stupid, but for some reason, you're scared it'll shatter if you put too much pressure on it. Something warm and fuzzy bubbles up inside you. "Thank you."

 ()

You never knew just how much projectile macaroni would hurt, but Thursday seemed like the perfect time to find out.

 "Seriously, Mr. Harper, I'm fine," you say, holding the ice pack to your forehead. You are not actually fine. You feel like starting a petition to ban macaroni arts and crafts from schools but other than that, you're fine.

 "Let me check," he insists. Lian is sobbing and clinging to your side. It's a little crowded.

 You rub Lian's back. "I'm telling you it's fine. There's no bleeding."

 "On the outside, what if there's some on the inside?"

 "That's where it's supposed to be!"

 "I'm sooooooorry!" Lian sobs, her tears and snot getting all over your suit as she clings even tighter. "Please don't be mad. I'm sorry."

 You set the ice pack down and scoop Lian up. "See," you say, turning your face to show your eye. "Fine."

 "U-huh," Roy huffs, crossing his arms.

 You glower at him then Lian hiccups, mouth-wobbling to keep another sob in. "You're still mad."

 "I promise. I'm not. It just... stings a little."

 "I'm sorry," she wails, "don't leave."

 You and Roy look at each other startled. More than that he actually looks panicked by the idea. You can't blame him. Finding a different lawyer at this stage is honestly a horrible idea. You, on the other hand, are struck by the fact that leaving them had never even been an option.

 It's, well, wow. You're attached. Wow. Ok. Shit, you think. Scrubbing your hands over your face, you muffle a scream into your palms and debate whether to call Ollie and tell him to never sicc clients on you ever again.  Instead, you call Hal because fuck, if anyone's going to be the voice of reason at 3 fucking AM, it's gonna be the former alcoholic who is up talking to God or something.

 "I. Am. Going. To. Block. You."

 "I think I'm attached."

 Hal cackles then hangs up. He blocks you by the way. True to his fucking word, Hal blocks you and you're left to stew in your own self-recrimination and fighting off thinking about Roy. You stare up at the ceiling and god, you want to cry and "Jesus fuck, Roy," you think. He and Lian can't just walk into your life and throw it up against a wall and fucking rob it of its lunch money.

 Two hours later, you're on Ollie's front door, staring up at a light-polluted sky.

 Ollie comes out in his fluffy pink-slippered glory and hands you a mug. "You on a bender?"

 "Some people call those 3-day weekends."

 "Same people who would call neighborhood watch on you for sitting outside at 4 AM."

 "Fucking weirdos."

 Ollie laughs. "So, last time you did this, you wanted me to talk you out of law school because you were scared it'd cost your folks too much. What's up?"

 "I need you to talk me out of something." You're not exactly famous for self sabotage but you've never avoided it. Besides, who better to ask about shitty love life decisions than Ollie. He probably knows this. He probably sees this written all over your face but he humors you. "What extremely good life decision am I talking you out of now?"

 You give him a sideways look.

 "I've... I got attached."

 Ollie's quiet.

 Ollie's never quiet.

 You scrunch up your face. Reading his micro-expressions in the dark is not the smartest move but there's just enough definition on his face that has you wanting to throw the mug at him. "Hal told you," you say dangerously flat.

 "Texted," he clarifies.

 "Hal told you."

 " 'bout 5 minutes before you got here, so I could get it all out of my system."

 That more than anything pisses you off. The nerve they have for courtesy when you're having an emotional crisis. You set the mug down. It's a stiff gesture that has Ollie on edge. He's about to say something when you bolt up and shuffle angrily to your car.

 "You got attached, so what? Roy tends to make people do that."

 Your nostrils are flaring. It's a strange thing to focus on while your blood is boiling, but you hold on to it, not ready to take a swing. "So what?" Your fingers flex. "Ollie, do you hear yourself?" They curl into a fist. "So what?!" The wind-up. "Ollie, if I fuck this up, Roy's going to lose Lian. And I am going to fuck this up because I will." The words fly at Oliver like a fist.

 You're shaking. You're inconsolable.  You're going to fail.

 The other shoe is always going to drop. 

 “Kid," Ollie leans his weight against your car, "I could have hired the best lawyers money could buy.”

 “Are you bragging?”

 Ollie scrubs his hands over his face, looking exasperated. “Just listen for a sec, ok?”

 “All ears.”

 “I coulda gotten Roy any lawyer, anyone, but you’re the best, you got that? How many cases have I thrown your way?”

 "50."

 "How many have you won?"

 "What does that matter?"

 "Answer the question."

 "47. Every case is new and you know it. Just because I won..."  You feel tired. The adrenaline buzzing through you is fading. Ollie rests his hand on the back of your neck. “Well shit, Ollie,” you laugh in the floppiest way you've gone through a mental breakdown. "Thanks."

 "No problem. Just stop coming before the sun rises. The neighbors are starting to get the wrong idea."

 "Sure, but you gotta do me a favor too."

 "Hmmm?"

 "Stop sending me supermodels. My neighbors are starting to get the wrong idea."

Roy's a little pale. It's like the color's been bleached out of him. You think, a little defensively, that this says a lot about how much he trusts your capabilities. Maybe you're projecting. He's probably more worried about losing Lian. The way he's holding her tight to him like he's trying to fuse her into his ribs to keep her safe.

 She waggles, bored. She looks up at you and you give her a weak wave. You're not really paying attention to her but devoting most of it to Roy whose face is trying not to fall apart. You don't know how he's keeping his voice even or who he's even calling.

 You lean against the wall and make faces at Lian.

 A good lawyer would read through notes or something right now, but you did all of that last night.

 The call ends and Roy looks up at you tired and grimacing. "Ya think we got a shot?"

 "Mr. Harper," you say, more gentle than strictly necessary, "I'll get you more than a shot," mimicking his pantomimed polo shot.

 "All you family court lawyers this cocky?" The grimace turns crooked and fond.

 "Only if they're as good as me, yeah."

 ()

 "Kidnapping is classified as a felony offense under federal law that has a minimum of a 5-year prison sentence."

 "A, you and smart ass over there are adults," Ollie says, waggling a butter knife at Roy, "B, Lian came willingly. C, what cop is going to believe you if you say, 'they kidnapped me for free waffles.' Boohoo. Just take a seat."

 Roy crosses his arms and glowers at Ollie who took the spot next to Lian at the exact same time as Hal took the spot next to Dinah leaving only one chair. Now, Roy is not a paranoid man, but the timing is a little suspect. 

 You side-eye Roy, breaking your staring contest with Hal. "Why exactly do you have that memorized? Should I be concerned?"

 "No."

 "Be very concerned," Hal says.

 You look at Roy. He holds his hands up defensively. "Look, I was mad at Ollie and Jesus, I wasn't being serious!"

 You blink, gape, then cover your mouth and look like you're about to tell him exactly what crime he's committed by opening his mouth. Ollie, helpfully, explains what Roy is floundering on. "When he was a teenager, he said he would tell people I kidnapped him if I didn't let him go with his friends on a weekend trip."

 Roy's a little in love with you when you smile at him, corners of your mouth sticky with syrup. "Thank you," He leans in, whole body falling into your orbit, breath brushing against your ear, "and it's Roy now. I can't have you calling me Mr. Harper on a date."

 "Do I even have to point out how ridiculous that sounds?"

 "It's been said," Ollie says casually.

 "Great," Roy says, "now, where's the other chair?"

 Dinah shrugs, covering up the twitch of her lips by biting into a waffle. Hal opts to innocently look around. Ollie straight up ignores the question. Lian, well, Lian does some mental math before lighting up. "Musical chairs!" she cheers. 

 You'd like to see the work for that one. 

 "I feel like I'm entitled to a chair," you say, "since I won the case. I feel like that's fair."

 "There's a chair right there."

 "Dinah, there's a chair. Singular. Me and Roy's muscles would never fit."

 Hal chokes on his waffle. If he dies, you could get his chair. It's more pleasant to think about than what you just said.

 You sadly miss the tinge of pink creeping up Roy's skin. Or the way he flinches away when he's realized he'd subconsciously drifted in your space once again— something he's been trying to avoid the past few months. 

 You both shift your weight awkwardly and stare at the chair. 

 "I think we could fit."

 You look at the chair skeptically. "You sure?"

 "Do we have a choice?"

 You cram yourselves awkwardly on the chair– arms, knees, legs, and shoulders bumping. It's a terrible process trying to keep up with the rhythm of the table while you're all tangled up with another person. Even engaging in shop talk, which you normally do like breathing air, is made difficult by all the squirming. You both mumble apologies as you try and fail to find the right places to slot your limbs into only accomplishing more skin-to-skin contact that has your hearts racing.  It's painful when Hal and Ollie hint at your crush. It's especially headache-inducing when they just tell Roy to ask you out on a date as a thank you. This is quite literally painful because the waffle comes back up your throat like it's demanding a rematch. You ignore the fact that Roy doesn't strenuously object to the idea.

 You give up eventually. Not before Ollie can laugh at your predicament. Such a fucking asshole.

 "Take it down a notch love birds." 

 "Bite me." You say it as seriously as you can with a cheek full of waffles. 

 "Don't threaten him with a good time," Roy quips.

Roy's a little in love with you when you smile at him, corners of your mouth sticky with syrup. "Thank you," He leans in, whole body falling into your orbit, breath brushing against your ear, "and it's Roy now. I can't have you calling me Mr. Harper on a date."

I don’t think I ever actually put this out into the world, So Imma do it now.

I love that so many JayRoy stories focus on Lian. I love Lian so freaking much. But no one seems to recognize the potential hurt-comfort angst that her current status as Shoes of the Alleytown Strays holds.

So, I have an idea. I hope to write one myself, but if anyone else wants to run with this idea, please let me know. I’d love to read it.

So, I’m not fully up to date on Catwoman, but after defending Alleytown in Fear State, she decided to leave the Strays and move uptown. But she cares about these kids, and just ditching them feels wrong to me.

But there’s another local vigilante who knows what living on the street is like.

He also just happens to be her would-be son-in-law.

So, before fully moving, Catwoman goes to Red Hood and asks him a favor: just check in on these kids every now and then, make sure they’re doing okay. Oh, and there’s also this teenage girl trying to be a vigilante who could do with some more training.

And Jason, bleeding heart that he is, reluctantly accepts. And he meets these kids and they all like him and he becomes their unofficial protector.

He meets Shoes and starts actually training her. He’s impressed by her hacker skills, as well as how agile and fast she is, and just how clever she is. She’s brilliant. He does not like that he is reminded of Roy, who recently came back to life and has not reached out to Jason. (she also sometimes wears a red baseball hat backwards which, y’know, doesn’t help in that regard) When she shows him her mask, he brushes the niggling feeling of “that looks a bit too much like Cheshire, literal assassin” off at first, until she opens up and tells him about her first memory/recurring dream, where she’s saved from a woman in a similar mask before being left on the steps of a Gotham church. And Jason starts connecting dots he’s not happy with.

Maybe he tricks her into giving him a DNA sample, or maybe he asks her as an offer to help her figure out who she is. And, as it turns out, Jason has found Lian Harper! What the fuck does he do with that?

Jason tells her he knows her parents and maybe he gives her the choice to know. Maybe she decides she doesn’t want to know; her family is Selina and Jason and the Strays now, and she still has no memories of her old family. They sort of settle on Jason telling her her first name and telling her vaguely about her family. He doesn’t talk about them much because talking about Roy, even without naming him, still hurts, and he doesn’t want to tell Lian that her mom is, like, evil.

Jason basically just tells her that her name is Lian, both of her parents loved her more than anything in the world, and her dad has probably been looking for her (he may not know for sure because who would tell him? Roy’s not talking to him yet, on page anyway. Would Kory call him? Would Dick tell him in passing? Would Babs tell him because she knows everything?).

Then Task Force Z shit starts and Jason is basically MIA and Cheshire Cat is left to her own devices.

Maybe Jason has to duck out of his Task Force shit for a bit to try to save Lian who tried to do a case by herself and got in over her head and Jason gets to be the overprotective big brother/father he was always meant to be and beats the shit out of anyone who touched her and patches her up while scolding her for not having a backup (and she snarks that he was the back-up plan, and it worked, didn’t it? and he’s fuckin fuming because she’s a smartass and I love her) and just--caretaker Jason is my jam.

Maybe Lian finds out that “her new friend Jade”, also known as Cheshire, who she met in the wake of Fear State, tried to kill Jason and has apparently wanted him dead for a while. And she is angry. Imagine when she finds out/remembers that that’s her mom.

Maybe Roy hears about Cheshire being in Gotham, or maybe he hears that Jason’s been basically off the grid, or maybe Babs gives him a heads-up that Lian might be in Gotham, so he decides to swing by Gotham to look for any or all of them. And what do you know, turns out Cheshire knew where Lian was this whole time and never said a word to Roy. And Roy is pissed.

This could lead to a whole-ass drama. The complicated relationship between Roy and Cheshire is decidedly sour now, but it’s still complicated. What could happen between Jason and Roy after they’ve been out of contact for so long (and Roy basically chose Dick over Jason like everyone else in his life seems to)? What about Lian and her amnesia and her complicated feelings for her parents? What about Lian’s new family with the Strays? How can her new world meld with the one she initially grew up and supposedly died in with numerous superhero “uncles and aunties”? How can Dick fit into all of this to make things better and/or worse (because if I remember right, he was Lian’s godfather, and he absolutely adored that little girl)?

(How can I shoehorn all the other Batkids into this story?)

Bonus points if you bring up Bao Phan, Duela Dent, or Tyler. Especially if they meet Lian. Because give Jason all the kids! Make him worse than Bruce about adopting stray orphans.

More bonus points if you bring in other hero’s kids like Jai and Irey West!

Just, someone please use Stray Lian more. I honestly really love her and would love for her to be used more and actually know her family again.

"Bat-acquisition of the Arrows"? I'm curious, what's with that? 🤔

Have you really not noticed the trend?

Roy gets completely changed for Jason.

Lian gets put in a Catwoman book.

And now Connor’s in Robins.

And ALL of them with major changes to their characters and backstories that make them a better fit for the bat character they’re being paired with and making them less resemble the character they supposedly are.

DC’s also been trying to make the Arrows more like the Bats (pushing on page comparisons between Ollie and Bruce, making Emi a direct parallel to Damian and Cass, Winick inserting Jason into his GA run to push parallels between him and Mia, giving DinahOllie that push-pull uncertainty often associated with Batcat, etc)…… they’re actively ignoring that one of the best things about the Arrows is that they AREN’T the bats or bat-adjacent.

And Batfanon just eats it all up and takes only these changes and the forcing of Arrows into Batbooks where they otherwise don’t fit or resemble their own fucking character as the true canon and any of the rest of the character’s history gets ignored in favor of making the Arrow a good fit for the chosen Bat.

It’s really REALLY fucking annoying.

Y'know, what really pisses me off about DC choosing to kill off Lian and then reboot the timeline without her is that Roy, for all of his issues, was genuinely a good dad. He loved Lian more than anything and he got his shit together and devoted his life to her. There's just not enough of that in the world, much less in popular media, and it's a goddamn shame they nixed that in favor of making Roy the fuckboy sidekick to Jason's daddy issues.

It just says a lot, if you look at the messages that post-reboot DC is sending. At least Pre-52 made an effort to show the realities of ptsd, addiction, prostitution and sex trafficking, and parenthood. Now we've just got Bruce and his slew of infighting child soldiers, Roy relapsing and then tragically dying at a rehab center, Jason constantly suffering and isolating with no recovery in sight, and Mia talking about "sex work" to children at school like it's some respectable profession and not the deliberate sexual exploitation of impoverished people struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues for the benefit of patriarchal billionaires who beat their spouses.

Do better, DC.

People need to learn to let things go!!!!!*

*after they give me back everything I love and want, including but not limited to: Connor Hawke, Mia Dearden and Lian Harper being alive and well with their family, Barbara as Oracle, Steph as Batgirl, Cassandra as Batgirl/Black Bat/NOT Orphan, Cassandra being Bruce’s daughter again, Kon not being on the Suicide Squad and having his leather jacket back, Wally being the Flash and the fastest speedster like he was established to be, Young Justice still being together, Kon, Cassie and Bart not being shoved aside for these new people I don’t like on account of them being new and title stealers, and idk probably other stuff! While I’m making demands, give me TimKon, StephCass and DickKory, but like Good DickKory, not DickKory meant to bash Kory in favor of Barbara. Oh also also bring back Cassie’s goggles!!

OKAY BUT THESE ARE VALID DEMANDS AND IMO VERY IMPORTANT AND CRUCIAL TO THE CHARACTERS + IT WOULDNT AFFECT THEM IN A NEGATIVE WAY LIKE MAKING BABS GO BACK TO BEING BATGIRL. they can give us all of this back and then we move forward <333

Rassegna racconti di Natale:

Il mio secondo racconto per accompagnarvi al Natale si intitola VIGILIA ALL’OLTREMONDO, quindi mi sembrava appropriato pubblicarlo proprio per la VIgilia di Natale.

Se qualcuno mi avesse detto che, dopo la mia morte, sarei diventata direttrice del personale di un albergo extralusso, lo avrei preso per pazzo e mandato all'inferno, senza mezzi termini. Chi non l'avrebbe fatto? Nessuno, che io sappia almeno, crede che l'aldilà sia paurosamente simile alla città di Las Vegas: pieno di hotel a cinque stelle e intrattenimenti vari. Invece è proprio così. Non spaventatevi. Non dico che l'altromondo sia una delusione. No. E' fantastico credetemi, ma molto diverso da quello che immaginate. Prima di tutto scordatevi i classici concetti di Inferno e Paradiso. Quando morirete non andrete né nell'uno, né nell'altro. Finirete in una specie di Limbo, se così lo possiamo chiamare, fatto di alberghi dal lusso sfrenato e ogni tipo di passatempo mai inventato dall'uomo: teatri di ogni genere, campi da gioco dedicati a tutti gli sport. Non manca nulla. Ve lo giuro. E visto che io qui nel Limbo ci lavoro, lo so bene. Qui le anime se la spassano, coccolati da personale specializzato, che le aiuterà a capire dove vogliono andare una volta che decideranno di passare oltre. Potranno scegliere di ascendere verso le alte sfere angeliche, dove il dovere e la morale la fanno da padrone insieme ai valori tipo la generosità, l'altruismo e cose simili; oppure di discendere nei lussuriosi sotterranei demoniaci, dove i vizi vengono perpetuati con vigore e dove l'egoismo e l'edonismo dominano ogni giornata. Niente punizioni o cose simili, entrambi i luoghi sono piacevoli e se, dopo un po', un anima si stanca o si annoia può sempre scegliere di rinascere, o diventare un agente demoniaco o angelico e cercare di guidare gli umani durante le loro vite terrene o ultraterrene. Ci sono poi alcune rarissime anime, come me, che, eternamente indecise, decidono di non passare oltre, ma scelgono di restare nel limbo. Perché scegliere tra notti di piacere e sane scampagnate con gli amici se si possono avere entrambe le cose? A me piace la varietà e non voglio precludermi nessuna strada. Sono stata talmente irremovibile nella mia non-scelta che gli agenti superiori di entrambe le parti (sì intendo quello che voi umani erroneamente chiamate Dio e il Diavolo), visto che sembrava sarei rimasta per sempre nel Limbo hanno deciso di sfruttare la mia presenza per i loro fini. Mi hanno gentilmente ordinato di rendermi utile, e mi sono ritrovata così a lavorare in uno degli hotel più grandi e di pregio del Limbo, al fianco di agenti demoniaci e angelici, come direttrice del personale. Il fatto che io sia imparziale e non appartenga a nessuna delle due fazioni, dovrebbe aiutarmi nelle mie mansioni, ma in realtà, tenere a bada un personale composto da persone che nei giorni buoni non si sopportano, non è proprio una passeggiata. Una cosa è certa: non mi annoio mai. L'albergo in cui lavoro è veramente uno splendore. Si chiama Oltremondo (niente battute prego), conta più di cinque milioni di stanze, diecimila casinò, trentaseimila piscine, campi da tennis, teatri... Non vi sto prendendo in giro, qui stiamo parlando in termini di aldilà vi ricordo, le anime dei morti sono tante! Io mi occupo solo di un'ala di questo albergo, non sono che una di cinquantamila direttori del personale. Ma non voglio annoiarvi coi dettagli. Lasciate invece che vi presenti le figure chiave del nostro resort, o meglio dell'ala beta dell'albergo, quella di mia competenza. Ogni ala ha due direttori: uno angelico e uno demoniaco. I miei direttori sono l'angelica Lunar, e il demoniaco Alex. Come descrivervi Lunar? Una giovane biondina slavata, molto magra, ma anche molto competente. Perennemente abbigliata in completi pantalone blu. Ama osservare ogni più piccola mossa degli ospiti dalla stanza dei monitor di sicurezza. Ha l'ossessione di dover sempre avere tutto sotto controllo. Alex invece è uno stupendo esemplare maschile alto due metri, palestrato, con capelli  e occhi neri come la notte e un'abbronzatura ambrata perenne. Leggermente più rilassato di Lunar, ogni tanto si lascia andare, ma non lasciatevi ingannare anche lui in fondo è un maniaco del controllo. Io invece sono Kate. Dimostro circa trent'anni, ma sono morta nei ruggenti anni '20. Sono di statura media e abbastanza magra da non poter essere considerata grassa secondo nessuno standard. Sono simpatica, gioviale e ho un bellissimo carattere. Dimenticavo, attualmente sono nei guai fino al collo.   Non che io abbia fatto nulla di male o di sbagliato. Ma i miei direttori sembrano esserne convinti. Lunar mi ha convocato nel suo ufficio e lì a tendermi un agguato c'era anche Alex. Mi fissano alteri da dietro la scrivania... Ok, Lunar è altera, Alex sembra più che altro infuriato. Se aggrottasse ancora di più la fronte i suoi occhi scomparirebbero. Per fortuna è Lunar che dà inizio alle danze -Kate questo è un hotel serio e rispettato. Non vogliamo che il nostro buon nome venga macchiato dalle tue azioni. Il decoro è importante, credevo che tu lo capissi. Ho gioito troppo presto, Alex sbatte un pugno sul tavolo e decide di intervenire -Al diavolo il decoro ciò che ha fatto è renderci ridicoli agli occhi degli altri hotel e del pubblico! Siamo degli zimbelli ormai! Ti rendi conto? -Ma io…-inizio a dire solo per essere interrotta da un imbestialito Alex -Ma tu cosa? cosa credevi di fare? Quella tua minuscola testolina non è arrivata a comprendere le conseguenze del tuo gesto? Quando è troppo è troppo -Hei ! Non c’è alcun bisogno di offendere! -C'e'   bisogno eccome! Lunar cerca di frenarlo - Alex per favore, Kate ha ragione su questo punto, non c'è ragione di lasciar volare parole grosse. Rimedierà a quello che ha fatto, riportando l’hotel alla sua solita e immacolata immagine e riterremo la faccenda chiusa. Ma sapete come gli uomini non vogliano mai e poi mai cedere in una discussione, anche se si rendono conto di essere torto, e Alex, seppur morto, è comunque un uomo -Parla per te santarellina! Io non dimentico di essere stato preso in giro dal direttore dell’ala alfa. Mi ha chiamato Elfo di Babbo Natale ti rendi conto?! Questa discussione sta diventando ridicola -Ma insomma si può sapere qual è il problema? Io mi sono limitata a decorare l’albergo in tema natalizio quest’anno, non ci vedo nulla di male. Il volto di Alex sta assumendo ormai una tonalità rossastra -Nulla di male. Ma la senti? No dico…la senti? Magari se insisto scoppia -Quale male può mai fare qualche piccola ghirlanda? Alex sta per aggredirmi fisicamente, ma Lunar lo blocca per un braccio -Kate qui non stiamo parlando di qualche piccolo addobbo, hai sistemato nella hall un albero di Natale talmente grande da intralciare il passaggio e toccare il soffitto. Ogni più piccolo centimetro è occupato da neve finta, elfi e aiutanti di Babbo Natale in marmo, babbi di natale gonfiabili svolazzano ovunque e si arrampicano ovunque da scale o liane! E poi ci sono festoni, ghirlande, calessi con renne luminose! Non abbiamo più spazio per muoverci o respirare. -Non ci serve respirare siamo morti!-insisto. Il sospiro di Lunar, così come il fatto che si tenga la radice del naso tra pollice e indice, è segno che  sto esasperando persino lei   -Appunto Kate, siamo morti. Le anime che arrivano qui non hanno più il senso del tempo e non devono sentirsi ancora legate agli usi terreni. Non devono provare nostalgia per la loro vita passata, ma proprio il contrario. Noi vogliamo la dimentichino e si godano l’aldilà con tutte le sue scelte. Incrocio le braccia e cerco di esprimere il più chiaramente possibile la mia disapprovazione -Voi volete solo che scelgano di passare nella vostra fazione! -Certo!- sbotta Alex alzando le braccia - e rendere ridicolo l’albergo, caricandolo di queste... queste scempiaggini, non ci aiuta di certo! So che è inutile ma cerco di fargli capire il mio punto di vista -Ma il Natale è una festa divertente e piena di calore. Ai nostri ospiti piacerà l’atmosfera ne sono sicura. -In piccole dosi, forse - afferma Lunar con poca convinzione - ma non ne possono più Kate. Proprio stamattina un cliente si è lamentato che non vuole più pudding a mattina, pranzo e cena. Gli viene a nausea! Alex annuisce -E sai cosa è successo ieri a Cristie?  Mentre intratteneva un cliente nella sua stanza da letto, giunti al momento cruciale, è crollato loro addosso un pupazzo di neve gigante che stava appeso al soffitto! Lui era già dentro di lei e Cristie muovendosi gli ha fratturato il pene! Ti rendi conto? Che cosa mi tocca sentire -Nel caso quel cliente non lo sapesse siamo morti ok, i nostri corpi ci sembrano veri ma non lo sono. Proviamo dolore, ma ogni ferita si rimargina subito, perciò  non vedo il problema! -Parli bene, tu non hai un pene non hai idea del dolore e dell’indegnità di farsi trovare così da noi che poi siamo accorsi a vedere cosa causava tutte quelle urla! Per non parlare del fatto che ora lui farà una cattiva pubblicità alle mie ragazze! Le mie escort sono le migliori di tutto il Limbo e ora finiranno per essere ridicolizzate! E per cosa poi? Per un fottuto pupazzo di neve? Lunar per fortuna lo interrompe -Alex perché devi sempre cadere nella volgarità? Abbiamo già detto che Kate rimedierà al suo errore, non occorre aggiungere altro. Che ingiustizia -Ma devo proprio eliminare tutti gli addobbi? -No, qualche piccolo tocco di festività puoi mantenerlo se vuoi, ma con moderazione e soprattutto con gusto.- sospira Lunar. Alex riprende immediatamente ad urlare -E hai il coraggio di parlare di gusto con lei? Ma se porta ancora i capelli con il taglio alla maschietta dell’epoca in cui è morta? Non sa neppure cosa sia la moda! Che essere ignobile! -Ok questo è troppo! E poi da che pulpito tra l’altro mister "porto i pantaloni di pelle sempre ed dovunque"! Tengo a precisarti che il caschetto è ancora di moda perché un taglio di classe è per sempre! Zotico che non sei altro! Siamo riusciti a fare arrabbiare persino la serafica Lunar -Basta! Finitela entrambi! La discussione è chiusa, tornate al lavoro! Sono incompresa. Eppure so di avere ragione. Io non trovo salutare tutto questo distacco dalle nostre vite passate, dal mondo umano. Va bene dimenticare. Ma proprio ogni cosa? L'idea di festeggiare il Natale mi sembrava un modo carino per ricordare alle anime qualcosa di bello delle loro esistenze umane. Solo adesso mi rendo conto che i direttori angelici e demoniaci, anime antiche che ormai non ricordano nemmeno più le loro vite terrene, non potevano capire il mio progetto.  Sicuramente però, le anime più giovani comprendono le mie ragioni. Credo. Tornata nel mio ufficio, lo trovò già occupato da Cristie, Lisa e Jackie, che mi fissano con astio. Uh Oh. Vederle tutte e tre assieme mi fa capire quanto sia effettivamente strana la mia vita. Non capita tutti i giorni di vedere una dominatrice vestita interamente di pelle nera e con la frusta in mano, affiancata da una bambina di dieci anni in divisa scolastica e da una signora anziana in  completo da golf. Vista l'accusa nei loro occhi, esordisco subito dicendo -Non è colpa mia. Adocchio la frusta di Cristie con preoccupazione, mentre lei avanza verso di me -Invece è proprio colpa tua. Tutte le ragazze ora mi prendono in giro! Io, la regina delle stanze da letto del limbo, ridotta a stupida da deridere! E tutto a causa del tuo orrendo pupazzo. Hai idea di quanto tempo occorrerà prima che le anime dimentichino l'accaduto? Secoli! -Cosa vuoi che sia il tempo per noi... Ne abbiamo in abbondanza. No? -Ritieniti fortunata per il fatto che Alex mi ha proibito di toccarti o assaggeresti la mia frusta. -Ma Cristie, noi siamo amiche, io credevo... -Eravamo amiche. Con me hai chiuso. Ma avrai tutto il tempo per trovarti delle altre amiche. Infondo cos'è il tempo per noi? Tanto ne abbiamo in abbondanza no? E uscì sbattendo la porta. La piccola Lisa, che in realtà è un anima molto antica, che però ha scelto di mantenere la forma fisica di una decenne perché più adatta alle sue mansioni (è l'addetta al baby camping dell'albergo e un agente angelico) cerca di consolarmi -Vedrai che tra poco le passerà. Cristie è tanto fumo e niente arrosto. E' più buona di quel che sembra. Ti perdonerà tra due o tre settimane se la pregherai ogni giorno e le farai dei regali. -Grazie Lisa. -Non ringraziarmi, anche io sono irritata con te. Per colpa del tuo menu pieno di dolci le giovani anime affidate a me sono come impazzite! Definirle iperattive sarebbe altamente riduttivo! O fai calare immediatamente la quantità di zuccheri che assumono quotidianamente o riferirò a Lunar.- e anche lei esce impettita. -Immagino che anche tu Jackie sia qui per lamentarti con me o visto le batoste che ho già preso hai deciso di risparmiarti una predica? -Niente affatto, anche io ho il diritto di lagnarmi. Sospiro -Prego. Allora lamentati pure. -Per colpa tua i campi da golf sono coperti di neve artificiale. Hai idea di quanto sia difficile giocare a golf sulla neve? E io mi occupo di anime che hanno scelto di manifestarsi sotto forma di corpi anziani, Kate. Questa settimana in cento sono scivolati sulla neve e di loro novantanove si sono rotti il femore e inviperiti hanno poi cambiato albergo. Mi stai rovinando il lavoro Kate e dire che lo amavo tanto.- ed esce anche lei scuotendo la testa. E' ufficiale mi odiano tutti. E dire che a Natale dovremmo essere tutti più buoni. O no? Ho imparato la lezione e ho ridotto gli addobbi Natalizi ma credete che qualcuno mi abbia ringraziato per questo? Nossignore. Anzi tutti sono ancora arrabbiati con me. Quest'anno vincerò sicuramente il premio di Impiegato più odiato di tutto l'albergo. E dire che pensavo di fare un bel gesto portando lo spirito del Natale qui nel Limbo. Ok, forse ho un tantino esagerato, ma è stato solo per troppo entusiasmo. Visto che nessuno parla con me in questo periodo anche stasera, la Vigilia di Natale, non ho nessun appuntamento, né feste a cui partecipare. Sono veramente patetica. Mentre esco dall'hotel per tornare a casa, passando per il corridoio sovrastante la hall, vedo una luce filtrare da sotto la porta dell'ufficio di Alex. Bene, almeno non sono l'unica ancora al lavoro in una serata del genere. Però è veramente strano che Alex non sia già uscito. La sua vita sociale è talmente piena da bastare per almeno dieci uomini. Ha talmente tante donne a disposizione che deve scansarle quando cammina per la strada. Cosa fa ancora qui? Apro piano la porta e lo vedo seduto sulla sua poltrona di pelle nera, dietro una scrivania piena di carte,   bottigliette e faldoni. Ha gli occhi chiusi e la testa reclinata all'indietro contro il sedile della poltrona. Rughe di tensione gli solcano la fronte. Mi avvicino piano e inizio massaggiargli le tempie. Alex emette un gemito di piacere e si rilassa nelle mie mani -Cosa fai ancora qui stasera. E' la Vigilia di Natale dovresti essere fuori a festeggiare. Apre gli occhi e mi fissa con i suoi occhi neri come il cioccolato fondente più puro -Io, come maggior parte della anime del Limbo, ci tengo a ricordarti, non festeggio il Natale. Comunque stasera avevo del lavoro da fare. -Niente feste? Niente donne? Caspita! Domani sarà la fine del mondo!- Scherzo. In realtà conosco abbastanza Alex da sapere che non è il donnaiolo che tutti credono o almeno non così tanto. Sono uscita con lui per un breve periodo, appena entrata nel Limbo, e so per certo che non mi ha mai tradita in quel lasso di tempo. Inoltre, lavorando a stretto contatto con lui, so anche quanto sia ligio al suo lavoro. Questa in fondo è la ragione principale per cui abbiamo rotto, anche se a letto,   non  lo dico per vantarmi, eravamo incredibili. Per lui ero solo un'altro incarico, un anima da portare sulla strada demoniaca e nulla di più. Ma non gliene voglio per questo. -Divertente Kate, molto divertente. Sappi che parte del lavoro che ho dovuto finire stasera e che mi ha causato un emicrania da record, è frutto dei tuoi addobbi natalizi micidiali. Mai viste tante lettere di lamentela tutte in una volta e devo rispondere a tutte, cercando di rimediare al danno di immagine causato. Il senso di colpa mi assale. Chiamatemi pure Colei che, volendo festeggiare il Natale, lo ha rovinato a tutti. -Mi dispiace. Gli occhi di Alex si spalancano -Cosa sentono le mie orecchie? Niente battute o dichiarazioni d'innocenza o urla arrabbiate? Quasi non ti riconosco. Per punirlo della battuta busso sulla sua testa con le nocche, ma poi riprendo il massaggio -Oh smettila. So ammettere una colpa. Mi spiace di avere causato tanti guai, ma le mie intenzioni erano buone, lo giuro. Alex sospira, poi prende in mano i miei polsi e mi attira sé, finché non ho altra scelta che sedermi sulla sue ginocchia. Non che ci stia scomoda, intendiamoci. Anzi. -Lo so Kate, ma devi capire che tu sei un anima speciale. Sei morta giovane, avendo conosciuto solo gioie nella tua vita umana, ma per molte anime non è così. La maggior parte di noi vuole solo dimenticare le nostre esistenze terrene. Cerco di decifrare lo sguardo nei suoi occhi ma non ci riesco -Anche tu? -Sì, anche io. Essere uno schiavo, a Roma, durante il regno dell'Imperatore Tito, non mi ha lasciato molti bei ricordi. -  Malinconia unita ad amarezza, ecco cosa contengono i suoi occhi. Gli accarezzo una guancia, lasciando che le mie dita sfiorino più volte il solco sotto il suo zigomo. Ho sempre adorato toccare ogni parte del suo corpo e, quando dico ogni parte, intendo proprio ogni più piccola parte di Alex, ma ho sempre avuto un debole per quella fossetta. Così come per il suo sorriso. Volendo farlo comparire, cerco di scherzare -Dovevi essere uno schianto però, sudato, dopo una giornata di lavoro e abbigliato solo con una corta tunica. Ed ecco che il sorriso compare. Non è spensierato, ma è già qualcosa -Sì, non ero brutto nemmeno da vivo. La modestia non è uno dei suoi pregi. -Qualsiasi sia il passato di un anima, festeggiare il Natale non nuoce a nessuno. Anche tu dovresti fare qualcosa stasera.... -Ti stai offrendo per intrattenermi?- Mi lancia uno sguardo carico di sensualità e il mio corpo inizia a liquefarsi. Stupidi ormoni. Da morta mi hanno dato più problemi che da viva. Il fatto poi che la mano di Alex stia risalendo la mia coscia, non mi aiuta a ritrovare la voce -No, io...cioè se vuoi... Rinuncio del tutto a provare a mettere insieme una frase coerente, e mi limito ad inclinare la testa all'indietro, mentre le labbra roventi di Alex mi scivolavano lungo il collo, mordicchiandolo voluttuosamente. Riesco solo a gemere e Alex mormora il mio nome in risposta. Non riesco più a pensare, tutto il mio modo è fatto di pure sensazioni e desideri, ed in questo momento desidero solo una cosa: Alex e tutto ciò che mi sta facendo e mi farà nei prossimi minuti o ore. Preferibilmente ore, ma anche giorni se vuole. La sua mano sulla mia gamba è piacevole, ma non è certo abbastanza. Lui capisce ciò che voglio senza bisogno di parole. Mi solleva la gonna fin sopra la vita e io apro leggermente le gambe, dandogli spazio per accarezzarmi. La sua mano continua a salire e finalmente raggiunge la meta. Le sue dita mi penetrano e io non appartengo più a me stessa. In questo momento sono sua, solo sua. Ansimo. E il tocco di Alex diventa più aggressivo, più veloce. Io lo cavalco e mi ritrovo a volare. Il piacere è così intenso da rubarmi la vista per un attimo quando raggiungo il culmine. Poi torno sulla terra e deliziata appoggio la testa sulla sua spalla. -Non era questo che intendevo per "festeggiare il Natale", ma non mi lamento di certo Alex mi accarezza i capelli dolcemente -Riesci sempre a farmi sorridere Kate. E' questo soprattutto che mi manca di te. Tu sei l'unica che sa come prendermi. Mi capisci e sai quando essere dolce e quando dura o buffa. Mi manchi ancora lo sai? No che non lo sapevo. Non lo immaginavo minimamente. Lui è sempre stato così professionale con me, dopo la nostra rottura, non mi ha mai detto nulla. Questa è la prima volta che mi ha toccato in modo sensuale da quando non stiamo più assieme. Perché non mi ha mai detto queste cose prima di adesso? Se non avessi appena avuto un orgasmo, sarei veramente arrabbiata con lui per avere aspettato fino ad ora per dirmi queste cose. E gli urlerei contro qualcosa del tipo: Come potevo immaginare di mancarti, visto che ogni sera, mattina e pomeriggio, uscivi con donne diverse? Sarai uscito con  almeno un milione di donne da quando ci siamo lasciati! Invece mi limito a mormorare -No, non lo sapevo. - con un filo di voce. Alex ha uno strano sguardo negli occhi -Perché mi hai lasciato?-mi chiede. E io rimango di sasso. Ok, sono sveglia o sto sognando? Perché questo dialogo diventa ogni momento più surreale. -Non mi ha mai detto il perché. Ti sei militata a dire che non eravamo romanticamente compatibili e io l'ho accettato. Dopotutto ci sono così tante anime tra cui scegliere. Credevo avrei trovato qualcuno come te o anche migliore di te in questi anni, ma non è successo e a volte mi ritrovo a pensare a noi e mi manchi come se fosse successo ieri. Per quale ragione esattamente mi hai lasciato? -Perché per te ero solo un'anima fra le tante, come hai detto tu stesso adesso. Ero solo un lavoro. Qualcuno da portare nella tua fazione. La fronte di Alex torna ad aggrottarsi -Non sei mai stata un lavoro. Alzo un sopracciglio, e lui ha il buon senso di non prendermi in giro -Ok, diciamo che non sei mai stata solo un lavoro. Tu mi piacevi e stavo bene con te, se poi fossi anche riuscito a portarti dalla mia parte meglio, ma non si e mai trattato solo di questo tra di noi. Chi ti ha detto che eri solo un incarico per me? -Praticamente tutti. - Non capisco perché si sorprenda sinceramente. Mi guarda offeso -E tu ci hai creduto? Non rigiriamo la frittata. Se qui qualcuno è da biasimare per la nostra rottura quella non sono certo io -Hei! Perché non avrei dovuto crederlo? Non è che tu mi abbia mai esposto i tuoi sentimenti in dettaglio! -Sono un uomo, noi non parliamo di sentimenti! -Davvero? E chi ti ha detto questo? -Lo sanno tutti. -Tutti un cavolo! Gli uomini hanno sentimenti come le donne e ti annuncio che possono anche parlarne. Tu ne hai parlato giusto qualche istante fa, quando hai detto che ti manco. Silenzio. L'ho colto in fallo. Un punto per me. Ma non voglio approfittare troppo del mio vantaggio, dopotutto mi ha appena regalato un orgasmo, non dimentichiamolo. Ne vorrei molti altri in un futuro prossimo. Magari tra pochi secondi. -E visto che ne hai parlato... ora so cosa senti e penso che potremmo tornare assieme. Se lo desideri anche tu. Ah! Riecco il sorriso che adoro e stavolta è veramente felice. -Davvero? Annuisco -Sì, perché ora che mi conosci da tanti anni e che hai lavorato con me così a lungo..- Mi interrompe - sopportando tutte le tue stranezze. E va bene questo posso concederglielo -Sopportando tutte le mie stranezze. Ora non sono più un anima tra le tante per te. Alex mi prende il viso tra le mani e mi bacia. Dio, quanto mi era mancato il suo sapore. -Credo che tu non sia mai stata una tra le tante per me Kate, anche se non me ne rendevo conto. Come è dolce. Catturo le sue labbra ed esploro la sua bocca. Sono assetata del suo gusto. Potrei baciarlo per ore senza mai prendere fiato. Letteralmente, visto che siamo morti. E forse lo farò. Sorrido, continuando a baciarlo, poi mi stacco un attimo da lui e guardo il suo amato viso. E' lo stesso volto che ho visto tutti i giorni negli ultimi anni eppure, è profondamente diverso adesso. Tutto lo è.

-Buon Natale Alex.

-Buon Natale Kate.

#TheFlash Season 6 Episode 8 "Crisis on Infinite Earths (3)" Recap and Review

The episode starts on Earth 203 in New Gotham. The Huntress is running along a rooftop telling Oracle to evac people now, and then she gets consumed by antimatter.

Switch to the Waverider above Earth 1. Cisco, Killer Frost, and Ralph show up. Cisco starts helping Ray, and Ralph is super star struck. Martian Manhunter, Brandon Routh Superman, and Lois are going to try and rescue as many people from other Earths as possible.

With Cisco’s help, Ray fixed the paragon detector. The only one that they don’t have is Ryan Choi, who is a scientist on Earth 1, in Ivy Town. Ray, Iris, and Ralph will go track him down and convince him to help.

Diggle is here and he’s ticked! Not only was he not there when Oliver died, Sarah didn’t prevent this Lazarus pit nonsense, and Lyla is missing. To make matters worse, she’s probably with the Anti-Monitor.

Cisco is trying to locate the source of the anti-matter. It’s where Nash had been working, and Killer Frost is going with him. On the way out, The Monitor wants Cisco to be Vibe again and he makes it so, over Cisco’s protests.

Iris and Barry have a small conversation about Iris going to find Ryan Choi.

Cisco and Killer Frost are in the Central City sewers when Pariah shows up. He no longer has any of Nash’s memories, but Cisco can vibe them to get behind the wall.

Kara and Kate have different strategies on dealing with Lex Luthor. You should always have that one friend that willing to destroy your enemies for you.

Meanwhile, Diggle, Mia, and John Constantine go to Earth 666, where they make a deal with the actual devil. The questions I have about the logistics of this scene alone could keep us here all day, so I’ll boil it down. This is the height of bad ideas that even Oliver never got to, and what on any Earth do you have to do for the devil to owe you a favor?

Cisco, Barry, Killer Frost, and Pariah find the source of the anti-matter wave. There’s a Flash on a treadmill powering it. Barry can’t get through the forcefield and Pariah takes this moment to explain it and what happened to Earth 2. Cisco vibes the Flash from Earth 90 off of the treadmill, but he insists that he has to get back on.

Ryan Choi is a Ray Palmer fanboy. He’s not going with them though. He has a wife and kid that he wants to spend the end of the world with.

The Monitor and Lois talk. There are seven Earths left. The Monitor starts to tell Lois about his world and his family and then Brandon Superman returns. Get it?

He wasn’t able to save the people from the latest Earth. Lois tells him to take a breather and then asks him about the black on his suit. He tells her that “even in the darkest times, hope cuts through.” Be still my Superman-loving heart.

Pariah brings in Black Lightning to help. He doesn’t know where he is and he wants to go back home, so he goes on the offensive. Pariah gives him about three seconds to process that his entire world is dead, including his family, and tells him to help save this Earth. He needs to absorb the energy from the anti-matter machine until they come up with a plan.

Kara wants to open the Book of Destiny and save all the lost worlds. Kate is convinced that she will go mad and that will doom them all. Kara walks away.

Barry and Earth-90 Flash go into Flashtime and brainstorm. They have to reverse the treadmill.

Diggle, Mia, and John Constantine are in Purgatory, which looks exactly like Lian Yu. They have until the card Lucifer gave them fades to find Oliver’s soul or they will be stuck in Purgatory forever. When they find Oliver, he attacks them because his memories disappeared when he died. Diggle is able to talk him into remembering them again.

Iris talks to Ryan Choi. She understands that he wants to be with his family, but the world needs him. She tells them that her husband is a superhero, but humans have a purpose too. He agrees to come.

We get a flashback to the rest of Iris and Barry’s conversation from before she left. No matter what, he’ll always run home to her. No matter what anyone thinks of Iris, there has never been a doubt in my mind that Barry loves her with his whole heart.

Caitlin shows up to say goodbye to Barry and OG Flash team hug. Barry is completely prepared and ready to get on that treadmill and die, but Earth-90 Flash isn’t having it. He momentarily steals Barry’s speed and Cisco vibes him onto the treadmill.

Barry pounds at the forcefield and Cisco has to drag him out of there when they all evacuate. We get a flashback to the 90’s Flash show and the Earth-90 Flash disintegrates, with only his symbol left.

Specter, who is freaking Kellog from Continuum, has a different plan for Oliver. He wants him to become something else like he’s always talking about. Oliver agrees and doesn’t leave Purgatory.

Barry and Black Lightning talk about their fathers. Even though nothing will ever be ok again, their fathers didn’t raise quitters, so they will continue to fight.

Kara and Kate talk. Kate reveals the kryptonite she took from evil Batman and tries to give it to Kara. Kara tells her to keep it. She trusts that Kate would never use it.

Iris and Barry find each other. The next order of business is to find Lyla. She shows up on the Waverider, but she can’t remember anything. Then Barry has a thought, what if the Anti-Monitor wanted Harbinger on the Waverider? Pariah is there too, and the Anti-Monitor only lets him witness great tragedy. Harbinger is actually possessed by the Anti-Monitor and fights everyone. The only ones left standing are Pariah and the Monitor. The Monitor tells Pariah to use his powers when the moment comes. The moment comes as the Anti-Monitor kills the Monitor and the anti-matter wave destroys Earth 1. Pariah transports the seven paragons off the ship, while everyone else dies.

The only people in existence are Sara, Kara, Brandon Superman, Barry, Martian Manhunter, Ryan Choi, and Kate. That is, until red light comes streaming out of Brandon Superman and he’s replaced by Lex Luthor, who used the book of destiny to make himself the paragon instead.

I will hold off rating this until the full crossover goes through, but I will say that this episode was a lot better than the previous two.

► Roy Harper

Arsenal is the current vigilante identity of Roy Harper, Green Arrow's ward and former sidekick. He has also been known as Speedy and Red Arrow during his long career. Though Arsenal has no superpowers, his accuracy with projectiles is equaled only by his mentor.

The boy who would become Arsenal was born Roy Harper, Jr.- the son of a forest ranger. Roy states that he "never knew his mother" and in fact does not even know her name. Roy Harper Sr. raised the child on his own for some time. Unfortunately, Roy, Sr. died while saving members of a Navajo reservation during a major fire when his son was barely two years old. The shaman of the reservation, Brave Bow, raised young Harper in gratitude for Roy, Sr.'s sacrifice. Under Brave Bow's care Roy Harper was raised as a traditional Navajo and treated as a member of the 'Tachini' tribe.

Brave Bow recognized in Harper an early talent for archery, and he was trained in that skill throughout his time on the reservation. With few friends and a lot of time on his hands, Harper practiced extensively, eventually developing the skill of someone twice his age.

After Green Arrow's public debut, Harper developed an immediate hero worship and followed the hero's exploits avidly. When Green Arrow visited the reservation in order to judge an archery contest Harper was participating in, eager Roy did his best to impress his hero, and succeeded in doing so. However, in the final elimination of the tournament Harper was given a magnetized arrow and missed his last shot. When he helped to stop a robber by quickly drawing and firing an arrow, Green Arrow noted that Harper had been "speedier" than he, and offered to take Roy in as his ward. Though publicly the two were known as Oliver Queen and Roy Harper, benefactor and foster child, in private Queen trained Harper to be his partner in crime-fighting. Roy Harper was extensively drilled in the use of both standard arrows and the trick arrows that Green Arrow had created for use in crime-fighting, and when Green Arrow judged him to be sufficiently skilled, he was presented with his own costume and the super-heroic identity of "Speedy." Shortly afterward, Brave Bow died, and Oliver Queen became the only father figure in Roy Harper's life.

After his stint with the Titans, several events occurred that made Speedy feel increasingly rootless and abandoned. His relationship with Donna Troy failed to progress past the "teenage sweetheart" stage, the Teen Titans disbanded, and Ollie Queen, the closest thing Harper had to a father, lost much of his fortune and abandoned him to travel America with Hal Jordan (the Green Lantern of Earth) and Queen's girlfriend, the Black Canary. Increasingly alone and extremely depressed, Harper developed a heroin addiction. When Green Arrow discovered his addiction, rather than give Harper support or comfort, Ollie punched him and kicked him out, leaving him homeless. He was later found by Jordan, and with the help of Black Canary and others, Harper quit cold turkey.

Though Harper quit drugs entirely, partly in order to prove his strength to Ollie Queen, the latter's actions had already driven a rift between the two that would take years to heal.

Harper worked as a counselor for teens with drug problems following his recovery, while continuing to pursue a solo career as Speedy. He also joined a re-formed Teen Titans for a time, but the team once again disbanded and Speedy was left on his own.

While counseling teenagers and working as a superhero, Harper's obvious skills as well as his personal connection to the drug underground attracted the attention of the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI), a clandestine government agency largely concerned with drug trafficking and terrorism. The CBI, led by Sarge Steel, trained Harper in undercover work, as well as the use of firearms (Harper learned he was as accurate with a gun as he was with a bow and arrow.) Harper became an official CBI drug enforcement agent.

On one undercover assignment, Harper was tasked with the job of gaining the trust of the sociopathic mercenary Cheshire. Though Harper was meant to eventually turn Cheshire over to the authorities, the two fell in love and had an affair. Harper could not bring himself to turn Cheshire in, but he was concerned that his continued presence would endanger her. That worry combined with his growing misgivings over Cheshire's disregard for life caused Harper to abandon her, unaware that she was pregnant with his child.

When Harper eventually learned that he was the father of Cheshire's daughter, Lian, he teamed up with his old friend Nightwing (formerly known as Robin) to track down Cheshire and prevent her from assassinating a group of diplomats. Speedy was captured by Cheshire and poisoned but rescued by Nightwing. Cheshire escaped leaving little Lian behind, and Nightwing later brought the baby with him when he visited Roy, who was recovering in hospital, and Roy assumed the duties of a single father.

No longer a member of the CBI or the Titans, and still estranged from Oliver Queen, Harper struggled for some time to find his place in the world. For a time, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he attempted a career as a private investigator. Though he assisted the latest incarnation of the Titans on several occasions, he declined to rejoin as a full member. Eventually, he resumed his working relationship with the CBI and then its successor organization Checkmate.

During this time, Speedy's old friends in the Titans were going through a crisis of their own. After being hunted by the Wildebeest Society, led by Jericho, the team had been shattered and reformed. The Titans Tower, their headquarters, was destroyed, and the Titans were rootless and mistrusted by the American government. After making a deal with Harper's employer, Sarge Steel, to become officially supervised and sanctioned by the US Government, Nightwing voluntarily stepped down as leader. The obvious choice to fill the vacuum was Roy Harper, who had connections to both the Titans and the Federal government. Availing himself of Steve Dayton's technology, Harper decided at this point to abandon his identity as Speedy and become Arsenal. Now no longer simply using a bow and arrows, Arsenal's high-tech costume gave him several devices to use for crime-fighting. He would soon abandon his original Arsenal costume in favor of a more streamlined one, but retained his new codename and leadership of the Titans. Unfortunately, the team suffered from a lack of commitment from its various members, and was dissolved yet again.

Arsenal took this opportunity to re-open a dialog with his mentor, Green Arrow. The two managed to forgive one another and bury their past differences, but the reconciliation was short-lived, as Oliver Queen died in an airplane explosion shortly afterward.

Arsenal later came into conflict with Vandal Savage. Savage had discovered that both Roy Harper and his daughter Lian were his descendants, and thus, their organs were suitable for him to harvest to prolong his life.

Arsenal was able to save his daughter from Savage. After this ordeal, he adopted a new look to reflect his Navajo heritage. Shortly after, the original five Titans decided to form yet another incarnation of the team. Arsenal served as a full-time member on the team, and chose to reside at the new Titans Tower with his daughter, Lian. He hired Rose Wilson to be Lian's nanny, and also attempted an adult relationship with Donna Troy, but broke it off when it became clear that Troy was dealing with an identity crisis of her own. Arsenal, who by that point had established a reputation as something of a "ladies' man," went back to his philandering ways.

At roughly the same time, Oliver Queen reappeared, having been resurrected earlier by Hal Jordan (in his identity of Parallax). After Queen sorted out his own issues, he and Harper's friendship renewed.

When a mysterious conglomerate known as Optitron offered to sponsor the Titans and Young Justice, members of both teams encountered a cybernetic girl from the future (known as Indigo) at their complex. The android attacked both teams and disabled nearly half of the group. Those members who could teamed up to track down Indigo, but instead encountered a rogue Superman robot that Indigo had somehow reactivated. The Superman robot made quick work of Lilith, killing her by snapping her neck, and then killed Donna Troy with a heat vision blast to her chest. Though Indigo returned to shut down the Superman Android, the rest of the Titans and Young Justice were left to mourn their fallen friends. Once again, the Titans parted ways.

Following Bruce Wayne's death in Final Crisis, Roy returned to the team after discovering that Ollie and his splinter Justice League have been hunting down and torturing criminals. After Ollie and Hal Jordan inform the JLA that the murderous supervillain Prometheus is planning a massive attack on the world's superheroes, the two Leagues agree to put aside their differences and join forces. Roy vouches for Batwoman's qualifications when she contacts the team, telling them that Dick has informed him of her skills. Roy briefly leaves to call Lian and Mia to wish them goodnight, only to return to the meeting room a few minutes later, savagely beaten and missing an arm. He collapses and goes into shock as the Leaguers desperately try to keep him alive. The person responsible is revealed to be Prometheus who then destroys Star City using a massive teleporter.

Cybernetic Enhancement

Archery: Roy is a marksman of incredible accuracy. He is extremely adept at the use of the bow and arrow. Vixen once "absorbed" Roy's archery ability during training practice and was able to hit the bulls-eye of a standard target from 200 meters away.

Firearms: Roy is a master marksman and is highly skilled with firearms and various other ranged weapons.

Martial Arts: Roy has been trained by Black Canary and Oliver Queen, both masters of a variety of martial arts, the former being one of the most skilled martial artists on the planet. Red Arrow has also been tutored throughout his life by Hal Jordan, a skilled boxer and regularly sparred with Nightwing.

Moo Gi Gong

Stick Fighting: Roy has shown to be skilled in stick fighting, as shown during his time as Arsenal, when he carried two eskrima sticks as one of his many weapons.

Investigation: Roy possesses keen analytic skills and deductive ability.

Music: Roy used to be drummer for the band Great Frog, while still a member of the Teen Titans.

Throwing: Roy is highly skilled in the use of throwing weapons, and has used Bolas, balls, knives and other various weapons and hurled them with amazing accuracy.

Weaponry: Master of Moo Gi Gong. Roy is extremely proficient with a wide array of weaponry. He can take virtually any object and use it in combat as an effective weapon.

Drug Addiction: Roy has battled with drug addiction throughout his career. He originally became addicted to heroin but kicked the habit. Years later, Deathstroke secretly got the relapsed Roy addicted to a new high called Bliss via Cheshire when he joined Titans.

Harper has a Navajo tattoo band around his right bicep, as well as six bullet wound scars on his chest and a surgical scar running the length of his sternum.

Roy stated that he was twenty-two when Lian turned one. Lian's tombstone gives the dates 2004-2009. This would mean Roy was born in 1982 or 1983. Roy also states that he and Dick are the same age.

Roy mentioned that the part he enjoyed most about the holidays was volunteering at soup kitchen. It was here one year that he encountered a reformed Bromwell Stikk. He also noted that Cheshire would normally contact him before Christmas so she could spend it with Lian.

Verses

tba

Other Heroes Masterlist

Conner Kent

Fabulous Friday Evenings

Summary:  You were having a really bad day.  Conner decides to help cheer you up and make sure your drunk ass doesn’t face plant on the side walk.

Stiff Peaks and Soggy Bottoms

Summary:  Combining a Kryptonian, a Bat, and you with a fascination with the Great British Bake Off is a really bad idea. You’ve had worse.

Dancing in and above the Starlight

Summary: There is nothing to do but dance the night away. 

Jaime Reyes

Operation Cupid

Summary:  You and Jaime try to set up you lovestruck but painfully dense best friends. It goes as well as expected.

Clark Kent

What’s Wrong with Superman?

Summary: Flyman is a really stupid name.

Explosive Chemistry

Summary:  Chemistry labs can be a bit tedious. Nothing laser vision can’t fix though.

Trials and Tribulations

summary: You hold up your hands and wave them in the air as if to clear it.“How about I pick the contest? I am the prize after all,” you say sensibly. “What a splendid idea!” Atlas says and Clark almost feels sorry for him. Is Clark the only one who knows you’re evil?

John Constantine

Dad! Constantine AU (on going):

Hug Tutorials

Summary: Constantine is stuck babysitting. Not exactly his area of expertise. So how is he supposed handle a feral 8 year old? Help comes from an unexpected source.

Kyle Rayner

Series

Weird roommates AU that only makes sense in my head

Catgirls and Wingmen

The only cure to shooting your chances with Zeke in the foot is procrastinating finals by playing a dating game with your roommates. (ft: Attack on Titan characters)

Horse Girls

Summary:  Anti-horse-porn propaganda is the way to a person’s heart.

An Eternity of Lovers will Make Us no Wiser

summary: Hal gives Kyle the brilliant idea of proposing to you with his pelt. This is actually a good idea if A) it didn’t come from Hal; B) it wasn’t half-baked; C) Kyle remembered a very crucial detail.

Hal Jordan

Roy Harper

Set Them by the Door

Summary: It’s hard to say not to a favor when Oliver Queen is the one asking, but it becomes nearly impossible after meeting Roy and Lian.

Arrowfam

A Pair of Aces

summary: Planning out Connor’s coming out would be simple if Roy and Mia didn’t get involved.

Barbara Gordon

Pop Song

Summary: Shitty pop music is a comfort in the No Man’s Land.