"Olicity No Fic Left Unread" to the Rescue!

Chapters: 4/4 Fandom: Arrow (TV 2012) Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak, Oliver Queen & Felicity Smoak Characters: Oliver Queen, Felicity Smoak, William Clayton (Arrow), John Diggle, Curtis Holt Additional Tags: olicity - Freeform, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, season 7, season 6, Post-Finale, Prison, Angst, Family, Romance, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt, Family Drama, Family Bonding, Angst and Feels Summary:

Post S6 finale fic. Oliver is at Slabside, trying to survive, while Felicity is outside, trying to do the same.

“It took him the whole of his first night spent in his cell to figure it out, tossing and turning on his bunk in the dark while shutting out the cat-calls and hisses of the other inmates, passing on messages between each other and taunting the new arrivals, to realize how very mentally and emotionally unprepared he was for this when he took agent Watson’s deal.”

Well, it’s that time, friends: with Arrow returning to TV in 3 days, our hiatus project OlicityNFLU (No Fanfiction Left Unread) is over for the year.

As a reminder, the purpose of OlicityNFLU was to focus attention on fics with fewer than 10 comments/reviews (less than the median).  In our ideal world every Olicity fanfic would have at least 10 comments, but we set what we thought was a more modest goal of decreasing the NFLU list by 1/3.  Writers say that readers leaving comments on their fics really motivates them and makes them feel appreciated, and as Olicity fanfic readers, we wanted to show our love and support for the talented writers in this fandom.

We made some progress over this hiatus, but not nearly as much as we had hoped.  When we began OlicityNFLU back in June, there were 7,649 Olicity fanfics in English on AO3, and 3,791 of them (49.6%) had fewer than 10 comments.  Now there are 7,911 Olicity fanfics, and 3,736 of them (47.3%) are on the NFLU list.  We did better decreasing the number of Olicity fanfics with no comments on AO3 – from 629 at the beginning of the project to 519 now, a 17.5% decrease.

We made even less progress on Fanfiction.net.  At the beginning of the project there were 1,108 Olicity fanfics, and 525 (47.4%) had fewer than 10 reviews.  Now there are 1,115 fanfics, and 521 (46.7%) have fewer than 10 reviews.  We did decrease the number of Olicity fics with no reviews on Fanfiction.net from 19 to 13, a decrease of 31.6%.

Other members of the fandom helped us by reading and recommending fic.  We came across some readers who used the #OlicityNFLU tag on tumblr: @likeabird-onthewire, @just-arrow, @miriam1779, @sophie1973, @tinkershar, @smkkbert, @reblynnh, @ellefraser17, and @callistawolf.  On twitter, readers also used #OlicityNFLU to promote fics they read: ellefraser17, thisiselley, SophieLimbourg , NoDecaff4Me, MyFutureQueen, pharmalen, RebLynnH, callistawolf, and smkkbert . Thanks to everyone who participated in OlicityNFLU by reading, kudoing, commenting, and reblogging!  

When you read a fic that has 9 comments, and you add a 10th, it drops off the No Fic Left Unread list.  For the final week of OlicityNFLU, I went through the NFLU list to read a few fics that already had 9 comments, just to see what I could do to decrease the size of the list:

Delirium by @adiwriting - Oliver is goofy from taking a painkiller after Damien Darhk injures his leg.

Bad News Travels Fast by @bettername2come - Oliver calls Cisco to check on Barry after the news hits about him being beaten by Zoom.  Cuteness ensues, including Cisco agreeing that Damien Darhk doesn’t need a nickname, and Felicity not promising to stop using STAR Lab’s satellite.

Special Gift by tuenday - Felicity continues to babble at Oliver during their second meeting; when she completes her new task, he sends her a present.

Want To Play A Game? by Civilliany - The night after Oliver asks Felicity if she wants to play a game in 4x01, she flashes back to the last time he asked her that, which resulted in a marathon session of naked Marco Polo.

Perfection and Felicity’s Type by @outoftheclosetshipper (CJ_Fics) - Oliver and Felicity run into her ex when they hit Boston on their road trip.  Oliver compares himself to this guy and Ray, and feels like he comes up short.

Oh, And We Come Unstuck by @fadingtales - Super cute 3x17 Dyla wedding speculation–after their wedding is trashed by an enemy of ARGUS, the gang pitches together to create an alternate wedding at Verdant.

Hard Work by fairytalehearts - Speculation for the 4x01 bedroom scene–fluffy smut.

I Do (Love You) by Fic_Zorro - Another sweet 3x17 Dyla wedding fic; this time Dig & Lyla do a little matchmaking, which ends in a heartfelt talk between Felicity and Oliver.

Forbidden fruit tastes best by flipflops - Set during season 3, Oliver and Felicity end up having a quickie in an unused room at some sort of event.

Baby, can you handle this? by fueledbybooks - More excellent smut; Felicity sleeping on her stomach gives Oliver the perfect view.

take my hand and take my heart by @hopedreamlovepray (hope27) - Felicity thinks about every time she and Oliver have touched, beginnig in season one and continuing int otheir future together.

Not Just a Close Shave by hope27 - Based on 2x04, Oliver comes to a gala straight from a mission, and he and Felicity have to hide his injuries from the other attendees.

all i ever want is you by @sangitproudly (icouldbuildacastle) - 3x20 speculation smut.

His Girl, Felicity by JessiMichelle - Future fluff with Oliver and Felicity dancing at a Palmer Tech fundraiser.

I May Not Have Had A Plan by LibKat - Fix-it for 2x13, with a more assertive Felicity poking holes in all of Moira’s arguments.

Feel the Fire Burning Up by lizook12 - Felicity is determined that they’re not going to be late for their engagement party.

Cake Run by @everythinglollipop - The Green Arrow is on his most adorable mission ever, at the behest of his pregnant wife.

Pedicures & Pizza by nataliemk - Inspired by that picture of Emily sitting on the counter painting her toenails.

Decreasingly Platonic Circumstances by ninamazing - Five times Oliver tells Felicity to hold on, or vice versa, ending in a “circumstance” on many of your Olicity bucket lists.

Not That Girl by @olicity1013 - Post-2x06 angst; Felicity reflects on her place among the women in Oliver’s life.

Darkest before the dawn by Sadfangirl - Set after 3x17, Felicity is fed up with her life and decides she has to get away from Oliver and Starling City.

Those That Stuck By You by @shannyfishwriter - OTA celebrates St. Patrick’s Day.

I Think I’m in Love Again by @smoakingarrow03 - A missing scene from 4x20 ends in Olicity reunion sex!

A Walk Down the Aisle by @awriterincowboyboots (srmiller) - Quentin and Felicity talk in the minutes before he walks her down the aisle.

The Heart of the Matter by @storyteller0311 - Missing scenes from 4x20 - when they get to the hotel in Hub City, there is only one room reserved for them instead of two.

My original personal goal for the Olicity No Fanfiction Left Unread (NFLU) hiatus project was to read and comment on 50 fics with no comments, and I did it!  My new, stretch goal is to get the number of Olicity fics with no comments at all down to 529, which is 100 fewer than we started with at the beginning of the hiatus. 

Unbelievable by @outoftheclosetshipper (CJ_fics) - Oliver kissed her before a mission! In front of Laurel! After telling her they can’t be together and encouraging her to date Ray! Boy, is Felicity annoyed.

My original personal goal for the Olicity No Fanfiction Left Unread (NFLU) hiatus project was to read and comment on 50 fics with no comments, and I did it!  My new, stretch goal is to get the number of Olicity fics with no comments at all down to 529, which is 100 fewer than we started with at the beginning of the hiatus. 

I don’t know what you did in Vegas by @marytagus - Oliver and Felicity visit her mother while on their summer road trip.  Oliver can tell something is making Felicity uncomfortable, but is it just visiting her mother and her childhood home, or something else?

My original personal goal for the Olicity No Fanfiction Left Unread (NFLU) hiatus project was to read and comment on 50 fics with no comments, and I did it!  My new, stretch goal is to get the number of Olicity fics with no comments at all down to 529, which is 100 fewer than we started with at the beginning of the hiatus. 

Don’t Get too Close it’s Dark Inside by @felicityollies (smoakenarrow) - Season 4′s Lazarus Pit resurrection, but with Thea resurrecting Oliver.

My original personal goal for the Olicity No Fanfiction Left Unread (NFLU) hiatus project was to read and comment on 50 fics with no comments, and I did it!  My new, stretch goal is to get the number of Olicity fics with no comments at all down to 529, which is 100 fewer than we started with at the beginning of the hiatus. 

home is here (i found out the meaning of life) by mallory - Really cute Olicity family drabbles featuring daughter Emilia and son Josh.

Rated E fics are arguably the most difficult to comment on/review.  It’s one thing to flail about how “your fic made me feel things” when it’s angst or fluff, but smut…that’s a little personal, right?  But smut writers need support and encouragement too, so here are a few PWP one-shots in need of some comments for your weekend reading during this final week of OlicityNFLU.  

Homecoming by Aleigh75 - Felicity comes home from visiting Barry in 3x04 and Oliver makes his move.

You are my shelter in the storm by charlotte90 - Another first time as a couple smut fic, this one set around 3x15-3x16.

City Lights from Above by @hoodiesandcomputers - Established Olicity has sex against the window in Oliver’s office.

My original personal goal for the Olicity No Fanfiction Left Unread (NFLU) hiatus project was to read and comment on 50 fics with no comments, and I did it!  My new, stretch goal is to get the number of Olicity fics with no comments at all down to 529, which is 100 fewer than we started with at the beginning of the hiatus. 

The Ladybug, Angel and The Green Arrow by Oncer993 - Felicity, Oliver, and their 2-year-old daughter Olivia get ready for a Halloween party.

Nocturnal Interludes by lilbluedancer - Felicity and Oliver coping with his PTSD-related insomnia; a nice mix of angst, sweetness, and smut.  I’ve continued to think about this one, even several days and a dozen fics later.

My original personal goal for the Olicity No Fanfiction Left Unread (NFLU) hiatus project was to read and comment on 50 fics with no comments, and I did it!  My new, stretch goal is to get the number of Olicity fics with no comments at all down to 529, which is 100 fewer than we started with at the beginning of the hiatus. 

We Build Then We Break by SmoakingGreenArrow - If you thought it was unrealistic how cheerful and well-adjusted Felicity was over her paralysis, this is the fic for you.

My original personal goal for the Olicity No Fanfiction Left Unread (NFLU) hiatus project was to read and comment on 50 fics with no comments, and I did it!  My new, stretch goal is to get the number of Olicity fics with no comments at all down to 529, which is 100 fewer than we started with at the beginning of the hiatus. 

Going Home by vintage_hippie23 - Felicity is getting out of the hospital after a non-canonical injury, and doesn’t want to sit in a wheelchair to leave.

Before we decided to do OlicityNFLU, my hiatus fic reading plan involved going back to the very first fic authors I read, and reading all of their fics that I hadn’t already read.  I’m trying to work that into NFLU reading when I can, and recently I’ve read a few fics from one of those authors, @geniewithwifi:

close encounter - Felicity takes the fall for Cooper, gets recruited from prison by ARGUS, and ends up in an internet cafe in Hong Kong hacking a laptop brought to her by this shaggy-haired guy.

before the blackness - Ra’s brings Felicity to the duel site to serve as witness; angst with a happy ending.

Till the High Water - Set around 4x08, examining Oliver’s state of mind and decisionmaking process around William in a way that actually made him sympathetic to me, wonders of wonders.

By This Hand - I feel like I shouldn’t really say too much about this one in order to avoid spoilers, beyond it’s also angst with a happy ending.

Choices -  An insightful look at Oliver’s thoughts on their return to Star City in 4x01.

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Arrow (TV 2012) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak, Ray Palmer & Felicity Smoak, Oliver Queen & John Diggle Characters: Oliver Queen, Felicity Smoak, Ray Palmer, John Diggle, Barry Allen, Yao-Fern Additional Tags: Angst, mid-season olicity speculation, Implied Romance, Longing Series: Part 5 of Losing Sleep (and other things) Summary:

He stares at the table from where he sits on the cement floor, arms propped on his knees and head leaning back against the wall. The plant is mocking him, drawing his gaze even when he tries to look everywhere else. He has no idea what time it is, and he doesn’t care. All he can feel is the hole that opened up in his chest the second he saw them.

My original personal goal for the Olicity No Fanfiction Left Unread (NFLU) hiatus project was to read and comment on 50 fics with no comments, and I did it!  My new, stretch goal is to get the number of Olicity fics with no comments at all down to 529, which is 100 fewer than we started with at the beginning of the hiatus. 

The center will hold by Oncer993 - Post-season 4, Felicity is feeling guilty about Havenrock, and Oliver gives her a pep talk.